THE POSITION OF SOUL IN NYAYA

 THE POSITION OF SOUL IN NYAYA

(By Chamupati, M.A.)

(Published in Vedic magazine Nov. 1918)

Philosophy, to be comprehensive, must contain Logic. The Indians, whose treatment of all branches of knowledge is known for its completeness, could not lose sight of the importance of the Science of Reasoning, on which philosophic thought hangs as on a hinge. The philosopher, of all thinkers, has to argue his position at every step. His theories, however, abstruse, have to partake of the concrete to be acceptable.

The treatise of Gautama, termed Nyaya Darshanam, forms the starting-point in India of Haituki, or the Science of Argumentation. It may have been preceded by simpler Outlines' or 'Foundations,' but of the books available, this is the earliest as well as the easiest. Being in itself the germ of the massy structure that grew on it, it contains, as in a protoplasm, all the features of the huge organism, that has later risen out of it. As a system of theoretical logic, it is complete, and may stand comparison with systems the most up-to-date. 

An objection is raised to the inclusion of Atma and Indriya among subjects to be treated of in Nyaya. The existence of these is, to the modern philosopher, yet open to dispute, and if tendencies, till now revealed, can form an index to the lines, that thought will follow in future, generations after generations have still to give a hesitating acquiescence to the existence of these entities. Logic, like mathematics, takes measure of the validity of the propositions brought to it, and should, like all exact sciences, be supported by illustrations that admit of exact elucidation or measurement.

The belief of the modern in the existence of entities which his material organs cannot grasp, may, at best, be shaky. To the ancient, metaphysics was a more concrete science than physics. His laboratory was ultra-physical. The realm of spirit was the arena of his experiments; from it were his illustrations drawn; on it were his conclusions based, that Logic and Polemics, as he treats of them, should abound with illustrations, that relate to the ultra-physical world, is nothing wonderful. The principles he discovered are the same that the modern world applies to objective truths.

It will be a recreation to the reader, accustomed to illustrations from matter, to read the proposition of the existence of spirit, discussed under modern principles of logic, by a philosopher who framed his rules of reasoning, centuries ago.

The phenomenon of cognizance that marks the animate from inanimate existence is the crux of the whole proposition. The body of animals, as composed of matter, may, under the operation of forces, move. It may act on, and be acted upon by, the objects around it, as are the rocks and the waters. But it can not feel or will. The sensations it receives, and the motive it gives to the blind workings of nature, elevate it above matter.

Of cognizance there are two plans. Physical cognizance is derived from physical organs, viz., the eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue and the sensitive surface of skin, while for mental apprehension, under which psychology includes imagination, speculation, association, in fact, all that goes by the name of abstract intellection, the operation of the internal organ, termed 'mind' is necessary.

Some would treat these instruments as the agents. The eye is not the organ with which to see, but the seer itself. The same is averred of touch, smell, taste and hearing. This granted, what functions would, then, remain to call forth the activity of the spirit? Answers Gautama :-

दर्शनस्पर्शनाभ्यामेकाथ ग्रहणात् ॥ 3-1 ॥

The eye apprehends the form, while the sense of touch catches the sensations of softness or hardness. The two experiences are essentially different, yet they are collated, and lead to the perception of one object. The force that collates, the power that synthesizes, is of the spirit.

The argument is carried further. 

सव्यष्टस्येतराभिज्ञानात् ॥ 3-7 ॥

Where an organ consists of parts, as, for instance, the organ of sight, located in a couple of eyes, the parts or seats of the organ act in concert. The percepts apprehended by one eye are recognized by the other, even if the original instrument of perceptions were lost, and the one that now operates were out of order at the time of original perception. Here, too, there is necessity of an organizing agency that should ensure harmony in parts. That organizing agency is of the spirit.

Yet further

इन्द्रियान्तर विकारात् ॥ 3-12? ॥

That the organs are interconnected may be inferred from the community of effects to which they are collectively subject. The sight of an object that has acid taste, stirs up saliva in the mouth. The apprehension of form of an object has thus suggested its taste, and the cognizance of the latter is so real that the same sort of disturbance is caused in the organism that would follow on immediate perception of taste. It is this connection that suggests the existence of spirit

शरीरदाहे पातकाभावात् ॥ 3-4 ॥

The argument we now elucidate is taken from a section of the Penal Code. The cremation (or burial) of a body when dead is no crime, while the same body if burnt in living state, may have entailed capital punishment. The material elements of the organic structure are in both cases the same. The seats of the organs of sense, too, appear unaffected, yet in the former case, their operation ceases. The injury that you may do them is no longer felt, and is therefore accounted no crime. In the state, referred to as living, the body was the abode of a spirit that cognized, while in the condition, noticed as dead, it is stark matter, that may be dealt with as fuel, food fit for flames.

Having thus established the existence of spirit, Gautama proceeds to consider its permanency, i.e., its eternal or non-eternal character. Does the life of the soul begin with its advent with this body, or did it exist before, and has now entered on a new phase of activity?

Volition is preceded by Intellection, and Intellection by Feeling. Likings and dislikings, however, suddenly exhibited, have at their root, well ordered cognitional experience, which by long and continued repetition has ripened into instinct. Sensations have their ultimate source in the contact of the subject with the objective world. These, registered by a conscious cognizer, take a definite shape in consciousness, which forms the basis of Sensations so-called 'tastes' of individuals.

Governed by these principles, a child, as he takes his first glimpse of the world, should, instead of exhibiting activity, be an absolutely passive recipient of impressions. His mind, a blank plate, should submit itself to the pencil of its environments, of which as 

days pass, he may develop a tendency to direct the movements. Common observation, instead of supporting the above assumption, gives, on the contrary, the lie direct to it. The new-born baby has predispositions. His likes and dislikes are formed. The volitional phase of his mental life is more active than either the sensational or the intellectual. His energy, as if shut up for the time he was confined in the womb, finds profuse play now he is free.

The order of procedure in consciousness cannot be reversed. The inclinations that differ in different children at the time of birth, and for which no explanation can be found in their brief existence here, point clearly to the life, these young souls have led elsewhere. The star that is rising on the horizon of the Present, has had its setting on the ridge of the Past. Its incipient light has a retrospective bearing, which observers in spiritual firmament may clearly understand.

The way is thus opened to the assumption of an endless series of births and deaths, for life in the present cannot be explained except with reference to the one preceding, which latter is again an enigma, unless anticipated by another before it, and so on ad-infinitum

A similar inference may be drawn with regard to the eternity of the spirit by a prospective study of it. As in the past, so also in the future, will the never ending chain continue, each succeeding link being a necessary consequence of the one preceding. Human life can at no point, be regarded as complete. There always remains a seed that has not sprouted, a bud that has not blossomed, a fruit that awaits ripening, and a new lease must be granted to the tenant, superannuated apparently yet green at heart and hopeful, with dreams of harvest and granaries.