Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/303

 VIII] Philosophy in the Vaifeika siltras 28 7 standing; being (bhiiva) indicates continuity only and is hence only a genus. The universals of substance, quality and action may be both genus and species, but visea as constituting the ulti- mate differences (of atoms) exists (independent of any percipient). In connection with this he says that the ultimate genus is being (sattii) in virtue of which things appear as existent; all other genera may only relatively be regarded as relative genera or species. Being must be regarded as a separate category, since it is different from dravya, gU1!a and karma, and yet exists in them, and has no genus or species. It gives us the notion that some- thing is and must be regarded as a category existing as one identical entity in all dravya, gUI).a, and karma, for in its uni- versal nature as being it has no special characteristics in the different objects in which it inheres. The specific universals of thingness (dravyat'lIa), qualitiness (gltzatva) or actionness (kar- matva) are also categories which are separate from universal being (bhiiva or sattii) for they also have no separate genus or species and yet may be distinguished from one another, but bhava or being was the same in all. In the first chapter of the second book KaI)ada deals with substances. Earth possesses colour, tast, smell, and touch; water, colour, taste, touch, liquidity, and smoothness (slligdha); fire, colour and touch; air, touch; but none of these qualities can be found in ether (iikiisa). Liquidity is a special quality of water because butter, lac, wax, lead, iron, silver, gold, become liquids only when they are heated, while water is naturally liquid itself1. Though air cannot be seen, yet its existence can be inferred by touch, just as the existence of the genus of cows may be inferred from the characteristics of horns, tails, etc. Since this thing in- ferred from touch possesses motion and quality, and does not itself inhere in any other substance, it is a substance (dravya) and is eterna}2. The inference of air is of the type of inference of imperceptible things from certain known characteristics called siimiillyato dr!a. The name of air "viiyu" is derived from the scriptures. The existence of others different from us has (asmadvisi#iinii'!l) to be admitted for accounting for the 1 It should be noted that mercury is not mentioned. This is important for mercury was known at a time later than Caraka. 2 Substance is that which possesses quality and action. It should be noted that the word" adra'll)'atvclIa .. in JJ. i. 13 has been interpreted by me as .. adrav)'avattvC1la."