A History of Sanskrit Literature c33.s5.25

c33.s5.25

The *Vaiçeṣika Sūtra*² was far less fortunate; it was taken up and given new life by Praçastapāda in his *Padārthadharmasaṁgraha*,³ which is not a comment on the Sūtra but a completely new exposition of the same subject-matter, with additions of importance. The date of the author depends on his relation to Dignāga, who seems to have influenced his logical views, so that he may be assigned to the fifth century A. D. A commentary on his work, the *Nyāyakandalī* of Çrīdhara, belongs to 991. We find in him the same view of theism and the addition of non-existence as a seventh to the six Vaiçeṣika categories—substance, quality, action, generality, particularity, Viçeṣa—whence the name of the system is usually derived, and inseparable relation. Udayana also wrote a comment, *Kiraṇāvalī*⁴ on Praçastapāda's Bhāṣya, and an independent text, the *Lakṣaṇāvalī*.⁵ It is clear that the Sūtra contains matter which was not before the commentators, and that they knew Sūtras which it does not notice. A formal comment on the Sūtra is that of Çaṅkara Miçra, the *Upaskāra*,¹ which dates from *c.* 1600 and is far from adequate.