Padarthas

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The seven padarthas are: dravya(substance), guna(quality), karma(action),

samanya(association), visesa(difference), samavaya(inheritance) and

abhava(non-existence). Dravya, guna and karma are padarthas that belong to the

category of " sat " or being. We can demonstrate their existence but not of the

other four padarthas. Dravya can also be shown in its gross form. But qualities

like jnana, desire, happiness, sorrow, etc, cannot be shown as independent

entities. Redness is the quality of, say, the lotus and it cannot be separated

from that flower. That on which it is dependent is dravya. And, though qualities

like happiness and sorrow cannot be " shown " , we can know whether a person is

happy or sad: we " see " in him happiness or sorrow. When we see a red lotus we

know what is red. Karma is work, activity. Such " work " as movement, running, is

karma and it is also dependent on dravya. When a man runs, his " running " cannot

be separated from him. But we do see him running and know that he is not sitting

or lying down. That means we " see " the running. Samanya is the fourth padartha

and it means " jati " ( " species " ). We see a number of cows. They have the common

quality of being cows. This common quality is of jati. Among objects or

individuals that have a common quality there may still be differnces. This is

what is called " visesa " . A tool to differentiate between one.

 

The seven padarthas are: dravya(substance), guna(quality), karma(action),

samanya(association), visesa(difference), samavaya(inheritance) and

abhava(non-existence). Dravya, guna and karma are padarthas that belong to the

category of " sat " or being. We can demonstrate their existence but not of the

other four padarthas. Dravya can also be shown in its gross form. But qualities

like jnana, desire, happiness, sorrow, etc, cannot be shown as independent

entities. Redness is the quality of, say, the lotus and it cannot be separated

from that flower. That on which it is dependent is dravya. And, though qualities

like happiness and sorrow cannot be " shown " , we can know whether a person is

happy or sad: we " see " in him happiness or sorrow. When we see a red lotus we

know what is red. Karma is work, activity. Such " work " as movement, running, is

karma and it is also dependent on dravya. When a man runs, his " running " cannot

be separated from him. But we do see him running and know that he is not sitting

or lying down. That means we " see " the running. Samanya is the fourth padartha

and it means " jati " ( " species " ). We see a number of cows. They have the common

quality of being cows. This common quality is of jati. Among objects or

individuals that have a common quality there may still be differnces. This is

what is called " visesa " .

 

" samavaya " ? The quality of a substance cannot be separated from it(the

substance), nor the work associated with it. The parts of a whole object cannot

be separated if it is still to remain the object that we know it to be. Here we

have samavaya, the quality inhering in something. Fire has a radiant form. But

this radiance cannot be separated from it. Here again is an example of samavaya.

When one dravya or substance combines with another substance we have " samyoga " .

The two can remain independently without combining. There is samavaya when a

substance combines with guna or quality and there is samavaya again when dravya

and karma combine. The quality and the karma cannot be separated from the

substance.