Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/342

 3 26 The Nyaya- Vaifeika Philosophy [CH. Thus our conclusion should not be that only smaller effects are preceded by their causes, but that all effects are invariably and unconditionally preceded by causes. This world therefore being an effect must be preceded by a cause, and this cause is Isvara. This cause we cannot see, because Isvara has no visible body, not because he does not exist. It is sometimes said that we see every day that shoots come out of seeds and they are not produced by any agent. To such an objection the Nyaya answer is that even they are created by God, for they are also effects. That we do not see anyone to fashion them is not because there is no maker of them, but because the creator can- not be seen. If the objector could distinctly prove that there was no invisible maker shaping these shoots, then only could he point to it as a case of contradiction. But so long as this is not done it is still only a doubtful case of enquiry and it is therefore legiti- mate for us to infer that since all effects have a cause, the shoots as well as the manifest world being effects must have a cause. This cause is Isvara. He has infinite knowledge and is all merciful. At the beginning of creation He created the Vedas. He is like our father who is always engaged in doing us good l. The Nyaya-Vaiseika Physics. The four kinds of atoms are earth, water, fire, and air atoms. These have mass, number, weight, fluidity (or hardness), vis- cosity (or its opposite), velocity, characteristic potential colour, taste, smell, or touch, not produced by the chemical operation of heat. Akasa (space) is absolutely inert and structure-less being only as the substratum of sound, which is supposed to travel wave-like in the manifesting medium of air. Atomic combina- tion is only possible with the four elements. Atoms cannot exist in an uncombined condition in the creation stage; atmo- spheric air however consists of atoms in an uncombined state. Two atoms combine to form a binary molecule (dv)la1Juka). Two, three, four, or five dvyal)ukas form themselves into grosser mole- cules of tryaluka, catural)uka, etc. 2 Though this was the generally current view, there was also another view as has been pointed out by Dr B. N. Seal in his Positi'lle Sciences of the A llciellt Hindus, that the "atoms have also an inherent tendency to unite," and that 1 See J ayanta's Nyiiyamaiijarf, pp. 190-204, and Udayana's J..:uszt1/liiiijali with FrakMa and j(variill1l11ltllla of Raghuniitha. . 2 Kact.idt tribhircirabhyale iti trya1ll1.:a1llityu(yate, kadiicit caturbhiriirabhyate kaclticzt paiicabhiriti yathefta1!1 kalpa1lci. .N)'ciyakalldali, p. 32.