Post 3e) Classification of reals

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Continuation

 

Non-Substance (adravya) was defined earlier as a real

that is not substance. Vedanta Desika highlights 10

fundamental non-substances; this is not an exhaustive

list but merely a list of the most prominent ones.

 

List of key ones: 1-3 the three attributes of prakriti,

4. s'abda (sound), 5. spars'a (touch),6. rUpa (colour),

rasa (taste), ghanda (odour), samyoga (conjunction)

and s'akti (potency.)

 

Given the definition and the list one may ask the

following questions:

 

1.How is one to determine whether a real is a

non-substance?

2. Are all attributes non substances?

3. Can only attributes be non substances?

Response:

1.A real must be subjected to the definition of

substance; if it does not satisfy the properties

outlined in the definition then it is to be classified

as non substance.

2. No. Remember the special case outlined in the

earlier post. A substance can exist within another

substance as an attribute. For example,

knowledge (Dharma-bhuta jnana), which is

substance, inheres in jiva, which is also a

substance.

3. Yes. By Axiom 1 we have a non-substance,

which is a real, must be either substrate, attribute

or a combination; however, substrate implies

substance (i.e., impossible to perceive a substrate

that is not subject to avastha); thus only attributes can

be non-substance.

 

The classification of reals is very important to understand,

for it is the foundational layer of Vis'istAdvaita Vednata.

The starting point of Vis'istAdvaita Vedanta is reals.

Reals are composed only of substrate and attributes.

Reals can be classified into two broad categories

substance and non-substance. Substance is composed

of substrate and attributes and is always cognized as

a substrate qualified by some attribute. Non-substance is a

real that does not meet the criteria outlined in the

definition of substance. Further, a non-substance

is an attribute, but an attribute need not be a

non-substance (as a substance can exist within another

substance as an attribute. ) A non-substance cannot

exist independent of substance.

 

Adiyen,

Venkat

krishNArpaNam