One of the Indian Philosophy School

1. VAISHESIKA
REPORTED BY:
PEREZ
DELOS SANTOS
EQUIPADO

2. WHAT IS VAISHESIKA?
In Sanskrit, Vaisheka is defined as
“Particular.” It is one of the six systems of
Indian philosophy and is significant and
unique for its concept of naturalism, a
feature which most Indian schools of
thought do no have. By means of
particular, it deals with objects that can be
thought of and named.

3. The Vaieshesika is next to
Sankhya in origin. It is one of the
most realistic and systematic
schools of Indian Philosophy. The
traditional founder of this school
is Kanada.

4. Kanada Kashyapa is a Sanskrit
Philosopher which expounded the
theories about the Vaishesika and
credited with founding the school.
Yet Important later commentaries
were written by Prashastapada,
Udayanacharya, and Shridhara.

5. Kanada’s Influence to Vaishesika is
PADARTHA, The fundamental doctrine of
the Vaishesika system which is known as
Atomistic Pluralism. With this, The
Vaishesika system attempted to
understand and discover the fundamental
realities of nature and the world. As It
accepts only two independent sources of
knowledge, perception and inference. It
brings all objects of knowledge, i.e. the
whole world under seven categories.

6. THE SEVEN PADARTHAS OF
VAISHESIKA:
1. SUBSTANCE (DRAVYA)
2. QUALITY (GUNA)
3. ACTION (KARMA)
4. GENERALITY (SAMANYA)
5. PARTICULARITY (VISHESA)
6. INHERENCE (SAMAVAYA)
7. NON-BEING (ABHAVA)

7. DRAVYA (SUBSTANCE)
Substance is defined as the substratum
in which actions and qualities inhere
and which is the co-existent material
cause of the composite things
produced from it. Thus, without
substance, qualities and actions cannot
exist.

8. Dravyas are nine in number:
Earth, Water, Fire, Air,
Akash(ether)- are the physical
substance, perceived by external
sense, and each senses are
composed of these elements that
which distinguishing qualities.
And time, space, spirit and
mind- are the non physical.

9. SUBSTANCE IS OF TWO CLASSES:
1. ULTIMATE SUBSTANCES WHICH ARE SIMPLE,
ETERNAL, INDEPENDENT, AND INDIVIDUAL.
2. COMPOUND SUBSTANCES WHICH ARE
MADE UP OF PARTS AND ARISE OUT OF THE
SIMPLE ULTIMATE SUBSTANCE.

10. GUNA (QUALITY)
Unlike the substance, the Guna
cannot exist independently by itself.
It inheres in the substance and
depends for its existence on the
substance. Qualities are either
material or mental.

11. THE FOUR MAIN FEATURES OF
QUALITIES ARE:
1. It inheres to the substance.
2. It does not possess quality or action.
3. It does not produce many composite
things.
4. It is not the cause of conjunction and
disjunction.

12. THERE ARE 17 GUNAS:
1. Form or color (rupa)
2. Taste (rasa)
3. Smell (gandha)
4. Texture (sparsa)
5. Number (sankhya)

13. 6. Quality (parinama)
7. Individuality or variation
(pratyakatava)
8. Conjunction (samyoga)
9. Disjunction (vibhaga)
10. Priority (pratva)

14. 11. Posteriority (aparatva)
12. Intelligence (buddhi)
13. Pleasure (sukha)
14. Pain (dukkha)
15. Desire (ichcha)
16. Aversion (drushva)
17. Volition or effort (prayatna)

15. ACTION (KARMA)
Like quality, action inheres in a substance
and cannot exist separately from it. The
main features of actions are: (1) it is the
dynamic and transient feature of a
substance, and (2) it is the cause of
conjunction and disjunction.

16. GENERALITY (SAMANYA)
Generality is the common character of the
things which fall under the same class. It is a
class-concept. It stands for the common
characteristics of certain individuals.
Generality is more likely the universal than like
the genus. The genus stands for the class to
which the individuals belong including its sub-
classes.

17. GENERALITY IS OF TWO KINDS:
1. The Higher Generality, which is being
(satta), includes everything but it is not
included in anything. It is transcendent
to all.
2. The Lower Generality, covers a limited
number of things but cannot cover all
things.

18. PARTICULARITY (VISHESA)
Particularity refers to the original
peculiarity or uniqueness which
distinguished ultimate eternal
substances and which are otherwise
alike.
Particularity is only a category of
distinction, the uniqueness of simple
ultimate substances which are otherwise
alike.

19. PARTICULARITY IS OPPOSED TO
GENERALITY:
1. Generality is exclusive; particularity
is inclusive
2. Generality forms the basis of
assimilation; particularity forms the
basis of discrimination.

20. INHERENCE (SAMAVAYA)
The relationship subsisting among
things that are inseparable, standing
to one another in the relation of the
container and the contained.
The relation between cause and
effect.

21. SOME OF THE THINGS WHICH CARRY AN
INSEPARABLE RELATIONSHIP ARE:
The Part and Whole; the Cause and
Effect; the Quality and Substance, the
Action and Substance; the Particular
and Universal; the Particularity
(vishesa) and the eternal Substance.

22. THERE ARE FOUR KINDS OF NON-EXISTENCE: (1)
ANTECEDENT NON-EXISTENCE – The non-
existence of a thing before its production; (2)
SUBSEQUENT NON-EXISTENCE, The non-existence of
a thing after its destruction; (3) MUTUAL NON-
EXISTENCE, The non-existence of a thing as another
thing which is different from it; (4) ABSOLUTE NON-
EXISTENCE, The absence of a relation between two
things in the past, the present, and the future.
NON EXISTENCE- (ABHAV)

23. EXAMPLES OF THE FOUR KINDS OF
NON-EXISTENCE:
• Antecedent – A Table does not exist before
its construction
• Subsequent – A Table does not exist after its
destruction
• Mutual – A Table does not exist as cloth, the
cloth does not exist as a table.
• Absolute – The never was, never is, and never
will be a barren women’s son.

24. IT IS WISE TO NOTE THAT
ANTECEDENT NON-EXISTENCE HAS
NO BEGINNING BUT HAS AN END.
SUBSEQUENT NON-EXISTENCE HAS
BEGINNING AND, ENDLESS. MUTUAL
NON-EXISTENCE IS EXCLUSIVE; IT IS
BOTH BEGINNINGLESS AND ENDLESS.
ABSOLUTE NON-EXISTENCE IS
PSEUDO-IDEA; IT IS BOTH
BEGINNINGLESS AND ENDLESS.

25. VAISHESIKA THEORY
OF ATOMISM

26. The Vaishesika system holds that the
smallest, invisible, indestructible part
of the world is an atom. All physical
things are a combination of the
atoms of earth, water, fire and air.
Vaishesika believes in the doctrine of
Asatkaryavada that is the effect does
not pre- exist in its cause. It adheres
to the belief that the effect is a fresh
beginning a new creation

27. All material things are subject
to production and destruction.
All material objects are
produced by a combination of
atoms in different proportions
by combinations.

28. They are inactive and
motionless in themselves.
Motion is imparted on them
by the unseen power (Adrista)
of merit and demerit (the
moral Law Karma) which
resides in the individual souls.

29. The Vaishesika school takes
bondage as due to
Ignorance, the Liberation as
due to knowledge. Because
of ignorance the soul
performs actions. Actions
lead to merit or demerit.

30. According to the law of
Karma, one has to reap the
fruits of action whether the
action is good or bad.
Actions are due to
attachment to things of the
material world.

31. These merits and demirits of
the individual souls make up
the unseen moral power, the
Adrista. Liberation comes
through knowledge, that is,
realization of its pure nature.

32. The Vaishesika system
considers the unseen power as
unintillegent as such it needs
God as Supervisor and
Controller.

33. The entire universe is composed of
eternal atoms. But at the same time,
Vaishesika does not ignore the moral
and spiritual laws that govern the
process of union and separation of
atoms.
Functioning of atoms is guided by the
creative or destructive will of the
Sumpreme Being. The Supreme Being
directs the operation of atoms
according to the past Samskaras of
individual beings.

34. God(Isvara) is the efficient
cause of the world, while the
atoms are the material cause.
God is distinguished from
souls by his omniscience and
omnipotence, which qualify
him for governing the
universe.

35. Conclusion:
•The Vaisheshika system holds
that the smallest, indivisible,
indestructible part of the world
is an atom. All physical things
are a combination of the atoms
of earth, water, fire, and air.