Philosophy of Charaka-samhita
by Asokan. G | 2008 | 88,742 words
Ayurveda, represented by Charaka and Sushruta, stands first among the sciences of Indian intellectual tradition. The Charaka-samhita, ascribed to the great celebrity Charaka, has got three strata. (1) The first stratum is the original work composed by Agnivesha, the foremost of the six disciples of Punarvasu Atreya. He accomplished the work by coll...
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Dialectical terms [in Charaka philosophy]
Caraka was circumspect about the fact that it is essential for every medical man to be conversant with logic and dialectical terms. The awareness of logic and dialectical terms are needed not only for becoming an efficient physician with ability and discretion but also for engendering dialectical competency that would enable one to take active part in academic activities. In fact dialectics is the soul of 膧测耻谤惫别诲补 which makes it innovative as in the case of any other discipline.
Caraka speaks of forty-four dialectical terms in connection with the discussion of the procedure of a debate. The dialectical terms discussed here are not seen in any literature other than in the 狈测腻测补-蝉奴迟谤补蝉. The dialectical terms thus enumerated are:
- debate (惫腻诲补),
- substance (dravya),
- quality (驳耻峁嘺),
- action (karma),
- universal (蝉腻尘补苍测补),
- particularity (惫颈艣别峁Ｄ�),
- inherence (蝉补尘补惫腻测补),
- proposition (辫谤补迟颈箩帽腻),
- demonstration (蝉迟丑腻辫补苍腻),
- counter argument (辫谤补迟颈峁ａ弓丑腻辫补苍补),
- reason (hetu),
- example (诲峁涐梗峁乶迟补),
- application (upanaya),
- conclusion (nigamana),
- false rejoinder (uttara),
- tenet (蝉颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补),
- word (艣补产诲补),
- perception (辫谤补迟测补办峁),
- inference (补苍耻尘腻苍补),
- tradition (aitihya),
- analogy (aupamya),
- doubt (蝉补峁兣沘测补),
- purpose (prayojana),
- inconclusive reason (蝉补惫测补产丑颈肠腻谤补),
- investigation (箩颈箩帽腻蝉补),
- determination (惫测补惫补蝉腻测补),
- presumption (补谤迟丑补辫谤腻辫迟颈),
- probability (蝉补峁僢丑补惫补),
- imperfect statement (anuyojya),
- infallible statement (ananuyojya),
- question (anuyoga),
- counter question (pratyanuyoga),
- defective statement (惫腻办测补诲辞峁),
- excellent assertion (惫腻办测补辫谤补艣补峁僺腻),
- quibble (cchala),
- fallacy of reason (ahetu),
- illogical order (补迟墨迟补办腻濒补),
- criticism (耻辫腻濒补峁僢丑补),
- resolve (辫补谤颈丑腻谤补),
- violating the proposition (辫谤补迟颈箩帽腻h膩ni),
- criticism (补产丑测补苍耻箩帽腻),
- dodging with a wrong reason (丑别迟惫腻苍迟补谤补),
- offering irrelevant statement (补谤迟丑腻苍迟补谤补),
- point of defeat (苍颈驳谤补丑补蝉迟丑腻苍补).[1]
These terms cover almost all the topics of logic and dialectics. But they are not arranged in a systematic way as we see in the 狈测腻测补-蝉奴迟谤补. The first category 惫腻诲补, refers to the unbiased discussion which aims at discerning how things really are and all the other categories are its related items in one way or the other. The six fundamental categories and all kinds of the source of knowledge included in the enumeration were explained earlier in detail. So their description is excluded in the present chapter. A rearrangement is also made here for the convenience of description.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
CS, vi, VIII. 27.