Re: Post 3e) Classification of reals
From the Bhakti List Archives
• June 16, 1999
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
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