A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c8.12

v1.c8.12

S. Dasgupta claimed 28 that there are important differences between some concepts as defined in the Carakasamhitā and the corresponding ones in Vaiśeṣika texts. In his view, the terms sāmānya and viśeṣa in the Carakasamhitā have a significance quite different from what they have in the Vaiśeṣikasūtras; he asserted that, in the Carakasamhitā, the word sāmānya, which denotes a class in the Vaiśeṣika system, 29 means concrete things which have similar constituents or characteristics, while viśeṣa, denoting ultimate particulars in the Vaiśeṣika system, means concrete things which have dissimilar constituents or characteristics. This judgment has been refuted by A. Comba, 30 who argues that the use of the words sāmānya and viśeṣa in their literal meaning is not foreign to the Vaiśeṣika tradition at all.