Vaisheshika Sutram

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Vaisheshika Sutram of Kanada, with the commentary of Candrananda, critically edited by Muni Shri Jambuvijayaji, based on the provided text:

Overall Purpose and Significance:

This edition of the Vaisheshika Sutras, featuring the commentary of Candrananda, is presented as a significant contribution to the study of Indian Philosophy, particularly the Vaisheshika Darshana. The Vaisheshika system, founded by Kanada, is a foundational school of Indian philosophy. The commentary of Candrananda is considered the oldest available commentary on the Vaisheshika Sutras, offering crucial insights into early interpretations and helping to reconstruct a more accurate version of the original Sutra text. The work is notable for its critical editorial approach, incorporating comparisons with other ancient texts and utilizing Tibetan translations of Buddhist logic texts, a testament to the editor's extensive scholarship.

The Vaisheshika System:

• Founder: The system is attributed to Maharshi Kanada, also known by names like Aulukya and Kasyapa.
• Core Concepts: The Vaisheshika system is renowned for its systematic categorization of reality into six padarthas (categories):
  1. Dravya (Substance): The substratum of qualities and actions. Kanada's text enumerates nine substances: earth, water, fire, air, ether, time, space, soul (Atman), and mind (Manas). The commentary often discusses the nature and attributes of these substances.
  2. Guna (Quality): Attributes that reside in substances but do not have qualities themselves. The text lists seventeen qualities, including color, taste, smell, touch, number, magnitude, separateness, conjunction, disjunction, priority, posteriority, intellect, pleasure, pain, desire, aversion, and effort. Other qualities like gravity, fluidity, and impression are also discussed.
  3. Karma (Action): Actions are in substances and are considered to be of five types: upward movement, downward movement, contraction, expansion, and motion. The commentary explains these actions and their relation to substances.
  4. Samanya (Universal): The commonality that exists among individuals, like 'dravyatva' (substantiality) present in all substances.
  5. Visesa (Particularity): The unique, indivisible, and eternal entities that distinguish individual eternal substances. The commentary clarifies that Visesa is the reason for the title 'Vaisheshika'.
  6. Samavaya (Inherence/Inseparability): The eternal and inseparable relation between a universal and its particulars, or between a substance and its qualities, or between an action and the substance performing it.
• Goal: The ultimate aim of the Vaisheshika system, as explained in the commentary, is to achieve liberation (nihsreyasa) through the knowledge of these categories and their attributes, which leads to detachment from worldly desires and ultimately to moksha (release).

Key Contributions of the Candrananda Commentary and this Edition:

• Oldest Commentary: Candrananda's Vṛtti is identified as the oldest extant commentary on the Vaisheshika Sutras, providing invaluable historical and philosophical context.
• Reconstruction of Sutra Text: The editor, Muni Shri Jambuvijayaji, utilized two primary manuscripts (O and P) and compared them with various other texts to reconstruct a more accurate and reliable Sūtrapāṭha (text of the Sutras). This critical edition addresses issues like interpolations, omissions, and variant readings found in later texts.
• Comparison with Other Texts: The edition includes appendices that compare the Sūtra text with those found in Sankara Misra's Upaskara, Bhattavādīndra's Kanāda Sūtra Nibandha, and other ancient texts. It also highlights the critical engagement of Buddhist philosophers like Dignaga and Jain philosophers like Mallavādi Kṣamāśramaṇa with Vaisheshika ideas.
• Tibetan Scholarship: A significant aspect of this edition is the extensive research conducted by Muni Shri Jambuvijayaji into Tibetan translations of Sanskrit Buddhist logic texts (like Dignaga's Pramāṇasamuccaya). This research provides new insights into Vaisheshika tenets as perceived and critiqued by Buddhist scholars, especially concerning concepts like perception and inference. The appendices detail these Tibetan texts and their Sanskrit renderings, showcasing a remarkable feat of scholarship.
• Historical Context: The introduction and appendices delve into the historical development of the Vaisheshika system, discussing the lost literature and the influence of various commentaries and schools. It highlights the shift in scholarly focus from the original Sutras to Prasastapada's Padarthadharmasangraha, which led to the neglect and eventual loss of many earlier Vaisheshika works.
• Critical Analysis: The editor's meticulous work in comparing manuscripts, identifying textual variations, and providing scholarly commentary addresses the exegetical challenges in understanding the Vaisheshika Sutras.

Structure of the Vaisheshika Sutras (as presented in this edition):

The Vaisheshika Sutras are organized into ten chapters (adhyayas), each further divided into two āhnikas (lessons), with the exception of the last three chapters. The commentary of Candrananda, as presented in this edition, also follows this structure, though it notes that some older traditions might have had different divisions.

Key Themes Discussed in the Sutras and Commentary:

• Dharma: Defined as that which leads to prosperity (abhyudaya) and liberation (nihsreyasa). The commentary explains the Vedic basis and authority (āmnāya) for Dharma.
• Categories (Padarthas): Detailed explanations of the seven categories (substance, quality, action, universal, particularity, inherence, and sometimes non-existence or absence) are provided, including their definitions, attributes, and interrelations.
• Causality: The discussion on causality is central, exploring the nature of causes (material, instrumental, and efficient) and their relation to effects.
• Perception (Pratyaksa): The commentary analyzes the nature of perception, including the role of sense organs, the mind, and the connection between the knower, the knowledge, and the object. It addresses the debate on the nature of perception and the validity of different interpretations.
• Inference (Anumana): The text explores the principles of inference, including the role of linga (sign/mark), lingi (the signified), and the logical connections between them. It also critiques the Vaisheshika approach to inference from the Buddhist perspective.
• The Self (Atman): The nature of the self, its relation to the body, mind, and senses, and the means of knowing the self are discussed.
• The Categories of Time and Space (Kala and Dika): Their nature as eternal and all-pervading substances is explained.
• The Nature of Sound (Shabda): The commentary engages with the Vaisheshika view of sound as a quality of ether and critiques it from different philosophical standpoints.
• The Problem of Universals and Particulars: The distinction between samanya and visesha and their role in knowledge acquisition are elaborated.
• The Nature of God and Creation: While not a central focus of the Sutras themselves, the commentary touches upon the concept of God as the efficient cause in creation through a discussion of the authority of Vedic texts.
• Jain and Buddhist Critiques: The commentary and appendices highlight how Jain and Buddhist philosophers engaged with and critiqued Vaisheshika doctrines, particularly concerning the nature of reality, causality, and epistemology.

The Editor's Contribution (Muni Shri Jambuvijayaji):

Muni Shri Jambuvijayaji's dedication and profound scholarship are evident throughout this monumental work. His tireless efforts in collecting and collating manuscripts, his mastery of multiple scripts (including Sarada), his extensive knowledge of various philosophical systems (Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina), and his ability to render complex Tibetan texts into Sanskrit are all highly commendable. The foreword acknowledges the significant personal sacrifices and dedication involved in this scholarly endeavor, especially highlighting the support and inspiration received from his late Gurudeva, Muniraja Shri Bhuvanavijayaji.

In essence, this edition of the Vaisheshika Sutras with Candrananda's commentary is a landmark publication that not only makes a critical ancient text accessible to scholars but also illuminates the rich philosophical discourse and the complex history of Indian thought.