The concept of Sharira as Prameya
by Elizabeth T. Jones | 2019 | 42,436 words
This page relates 鈥楧efenition of Body (Sharira)鈥� of the study on the concept of Sharira as Prameya Based on Nyaya (shastra), which represents one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy. Nyaya philosophy basically represents the 鈥渟cience of reasoning鈥� and primarily deals with epistemology and logic. Sharira (鈥渂ody鈥�) refers to one of the twelve Prameyas (鈥渙bjects of valid knowledge鈥�), as defined in the Nyayashastra literature.
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Defenition of Body (艢补谤墨谤补)
[艢补谤墨谤补 in 狈测腻测补艣膩stra]鈥擫ike any other 顿补谤艣补苍补蝉, the 狈测腻测补 Philosophy also gives much importance to Prama, the real knowledge. Then the question arises of which category the real knowledge is to be obtained. In reply, the 狈补颈测腻测颈办补蝉 list the objects of real knowledge which starts with 膧迟尘补 (Soul) and ends with Apavarga (Emancipation).[1] In this the second category, according to 狈补颈测腻测颈办补蝉, is to be known is 艢补谤墨谤补 (Body).
艢补谤墨谤补 or body is an object of real knowledge according to Gautama. Synonyms of body are 艢补谤墨谤补, 碍腻测补 and deha. 艢补谤墨谤补 is derived from the root 艣颈谤[2] that means to be 鈥渞endered to pieces鈥�. The word 碍腻测补 derived from the root cin[3] means 鈥渢o collect鈥� literally which meant the collection from food. The term deha has its origin from the root 鈥�dih鈥� meaning to grow or to collect[4]. It conveys the idea of underlying anabolic process. These three terms are expressive of the various aspects of the body, its transient nature, the constitutional aspect and also the destructive and constructive process of metabolism that occurs within the body.
Gautama defines the body as the locus of gestures (肠别峁ａ弓补), sense organs (indriyas), and sensual objects (惫颈峁测补). The Self desires to obtain or discard an object, it performs an action (肠别峁ａ弓补)[5] which consists in the employment of the means for obtaining or discarding it, that in which this action is performed is the body. The body can be considered as the support of the sense organs (indriyas) by whose benefit the sense organs are benefited and by whose injury they are injured and where, according to this benefit or injury, these sense organs act upon their objects, good and bad, such a thing is the body. Body is regarded as the support of objects in which there appear the feelings of pleasure and pain (惫颈峁测补)[6] produced by the contact of the sense organs with these objects, such a thing is the body. Gautama defines the body as the locus of gestures, sense organs, and sensual objects. According to 痴腻迟蝉测腻测补苍补, the body is the field of the soul鈥檚 experiences. It is the seat of the senses, the field of the activity of the soul, mind and experience of pleasure, pain and cognition. The 狈测腻测补 declines to admit the 辫腻帽肠补产丑补耻迟颈办补 nature of the body, in other words, the combination of five sort of physical elements.
According to Gautama, the human body is constituted of earth, by objects, so it is considered as having the properties of the earth and it is unanimously admitted. The body is regarded as earthy by all thinkers of 狈测腻测补 -痴补颈艣别峁办补 systems, because it possesses the specific (惫颈艣别峁驳耻峁嘺) quality of earth called smell (gandha). The human body though is composed of all the five elements of earth (辫峁泃丑惫颈), water (腻辫补丑), fire (tejas), air (惫腻测耻) and ether (腻办腻艣补) it is called earthly owing to the pre-eminence of earth in it.
As everybody knows body is the main part of beings. Both sense of action (Karmendriya) and the sense of knowledge (箩苍腻苍别苍诲谤颈测补) depend on body for their existence. Among the senses of action, nose (驳丑谤腻苍别苍诲谤颈测补) comes first. The object of the sense organ is smell and the organ is originated from earth. Similarly rasa (taste) becomes the object of rasanendriya (tongue), the element from which it is born is water. Eye is the sense organ that catches the forms or figures (谤奴辫补). Eye represents the element namely Tejas (Fire). The skin is the other organ which originated from 痴腻测耻 (Air). One gets the knowledge of touch with the help of skin. Ear is the fifth and final organ of sense in which sound is heard. Since the capacity of the sense organ is limited each one can receive its own object. A thorough study on senses and sense organs will make the study of body complete.
Though the earth is known as possessed of fourteen qualities, the chief quality of the earth is considered as odour. Odour or smell becomes the chief quality of earth since no other organ than that of earth absorbs it. Earth is divided into two as eternal (nitya) and non eternal (anitya). Earthly objects in their atomic state are eternal and when they take the form of products they are non eternal. Again it is divided into body organ and object. Body is the abode of soul though which the soul experiences pleasure or pain. Each organ is connected with mind and it produces knowledge combined with the object. Ear alone gets the knowledge of sound heard in it. It is to be noted that the object of 驳丑谤腻峁嘺 is gandha as well as 驳丑谤腻峁嘺 is earthly in nature.
Among the five great elements water, comes next to earth. Water in the state of atom is considered eternal and in the state of product it is non eternal. Water the touch of which is cold is divided in to three body, organ and object. It is bodily present in the region of 痴补谤耻峁嘺, the god of water. It is to be noted that both the bodies of animals living in land and ocean are earthly. The tongue is the organ connected with water. River, ocean, etc., are considered the objects of water.
Light, the third element, is divided as eternal and non eternal according to its atomic and productive nature. In the solar region it is bodily present. The organ connected to it is the eye by which the colour or form of an object is perceived. The objects of water are apparently divided into earthly, heavenly, gastric and mineral. The first two are represented by the common fire and the lightning respectively. The third one causes digestion of food materials and the last type includes minerals including gold. But in the modern science, it to be noted that gold is not considered as a material of light.
Among the five great elements air is the fourth one, which has no form. When it is said as existing in the atomic form it is eternal. And as other elements it is non-eternal in its productive form. When it is divided further it is said bodily present in the world of wind god.
The organ which apprehends touch is the skin which is spread all over the body. The presence of air is determined by skin and also by the movements of leaves, branches, trees etc. The main form of air is oxygen (笔谤腻峁嘺 惫腻测耻). Though it is one it is also known by several other names as 笔谤腻峁嘺, 础辫腻苍补, 痴测腻苍补, 鲍诲腻苍补, and 厂补尘腻苍补. After respiration air absorbed inside the body attains these names due to its different movements.
The fifth and the greatest element is ether (补办腻艣补). It is one and all pervading since it is not born, it is eternal. The sound is said as the quality of eather.
Among the philosophers the 颁腻谤惫腻办补蝉 do not accept ether as a separate element. Since they have only one 辫谤补尘腻峁嘺, source of knowledge, as 辫谤补迟测补办峁 (perception) and as ether does not undergo perception they deny its existence. But without ether nothing can move from one place to another.
The three elements namely earth, water and fire are visible while the fourth and fifth elements namely air and ether are not visible. They are inferred. The objects of the first four organs are received directly. But that of ear, that is sound is born outside the ear, the organ of ether. Udayanac膩rya, the worshipped author of 狈测腻测补kusum膩帽jali, in one of his findings, makes it clear that the quality of a vibhu dravya, all pervading substance will depend on a non vibhu dravya, substance of limited pervasion, for its emerging.
The 狈测腻测补 Philosophy explains 艢补谤墨谤补 (Body) as the abode of enjoyments of the Soul. Both pain and pleasure come under the enjoyments. 艢补谤墨谤补 is described as 补苍迟丑测腻惫补测补惫颈 (a composite whole) since it does not produce another composite whole. It is the seat of all actions. According to 狈测腻测补-痴补颈艣别峁办补 system the human body is earthy. There are philosophers like S膩帽khyas, Vedantins, etc., who find the human body as pancabhautika (made of five elements). It is proved earthly by the 狈测腻测补-痴补颈艣别峁办补 scholars on the ground that the union of visible and invisible things will result in the invisibility of the object. Among the five elements, the first three 笔峁泃丑惫颈 (Earth), Ap (Water) and Tejas (Light) are visible. The fourth and fifth elements namely 痴腻测耻 (Air) and 膧办腻艣补 (Ether) are invisible. If the human body is considered as made of the five elements as some philosophers think, it will be invisible. The union of air with a tree cannot be seen. Hence the 狈测腻测补-痴补颈艣别峁办补s come to the conclusion that the human body is earthy since it is visible.
Nowadays it is seen 辫补诲腻谤迟丑补 (Category) playing a very important role in the modern science. Recently it is proved by some scientists that the minute particle of 辫补诲腻谤迟丑补 (Category) has the maximum speed. Until this discovery it was believed that the particle of light has the maximum speed. Though not widely accepted these kinds of thoughts may shed light to the earlier conceptions of the 狈测腻测补痴补颈艣别峁办补 scholars who gave most importance to the study of 辫补诲腻谤迟丑补s (Categories) than anything else. Gautama鈥檚 sixteen 笔补诲腻谤迟丑补蝉 are cleverly included in the six or seven 笔补诲腻谤迟丑补蝉 of 碍补峁嚹乨补.
It is to be noted that unlike modern science the 狈测腻测补痴补颈艣别峁办补s gave importance to the study of indriyas (sense organs). They define indriya as the abode of the union of manas (mind) that causes knowledge. They further defined indriya, the sense organ, as giving no support to any 惫颈艣别峁驳耻峁嘺 a special quality except for sound. The sound is excluded from the definition since ear is the support of sound.
Professor Keith finds fault with 础苍苍补尘产丑补峁弓补, the renowned author of 罢补谤办补蝉补峁僩谤补丑补, for his including atoms in the list of 惫颈峁测补 (objects). But most of the scholars are not ready to accept the argument of Keith on the ground that though atoms are invisible they are considered as the objects of perception. In the suns net of, rays passing through window the minutest particle, visible is counted as 迟谤测补峁嘘办补.
Certain worlds like of 痴补谤耻峁嘺, 膧诲颈迟测补, 痴腻测耻, etc, mentioned in the text seem to be paur膩峁噄c. Similarly gold is included in the list of fire objects which is against to modern conception. The yellow metal has some weight; the yellow colour belongs to earth. The weight is caused of earth and water. So it can be concluded that it is earthly. But the 狈补颈测腻测颈办补蝉 consider the gold as belonging to Tejas (Light) for their own reason. It does not lose weight while heating. It is a special property of the material of light and not of earth. But in the modern era the way of assessing the nature of materials is far improved and so in certain matters; the decision of the ancient thinkers through inference cannot be accepted.
膧办腻艣补 (Ether) is inferred as eternal and all pervading. Though sound is accepted by all the philosophers as the quality of 腻办腻艣补, they differ in deciding the nature of sound, as eternal or non-eternal. For 痴补颈测腻办补谤补峁嘺蝉 (Grammarians) sound is eternal. But for 狈补颈测腻测颈办补蝉 it is non eternal since it disappears when once heard. S膩帽khyas and Advaita 痴别诲腻苍迟颈峁僺 consider even the element 腻办腻艣补 non-eternal.
惭墨尘腻峁僺补办补蝉 want to connect the sense of hearing with dik (quarters). Our present body has been composed of elements. Sense organs are produced from the gross elements as earth, water, light, air and ether. The objects of organs are smell, taste, light, touch and sound. Smell is the object of nose and the quality of earth. Taste is the object of tongue and the quality of water. Colour is the object of eye and the quality of light. Touch is the object of skin and the quality of air and sound is the object of ear and the quality of ether. In this human body which is earthly though a combination of five elements.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
膩tma艣ar墨rendriy膩rthabuddhimanaprav峁泃ido峁pretyabh膩vaphaladuhkhaapavargastu prameyam. 1.1.9, 狈测腻测补 顿补谤艣补苍补, p.192 Vide also introduction to kayacikilsa, Dwarakanath p.1
[2]:
Vide also introduction to kayacikitsa, Dwarakanath p.1
[3]:
Daturupakosam, p.482
[4]:
TK, p. 1
[6]:
vi峁yo dravyanukaadischa brahmaandaantha udaahrtaha, bhasaparicheda, p.37