The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c4.s1.49

c4.s1.49

*Space as Extension and Space as Position.*—Space must be distinguished as Desa (locus, or rather extension) and Dik (relative position). Space (Dik) as the totality of position, or as an order of co-existent points, is wholly relative to the understanding, like order in Time, being constructed on the basis of relations of position intuited by our empirical (or relative) consciousness. But there is this difference between Space-order and Time-order: there is no unit of Space as position (Dik), though we may conceive a unit of Time, viz. the moment (क्षण), regarded as the unit of change in the phenomenal or causal series (परमाणुक्रिया—गुणपरिणामस्य क्षणत्ववचनात्—योगवार्त्तिक, Sutra 51, Pada III.). Spatial position (Dik) results only from the different relations in which the all-pervasive Ákása stands to the various finite (or bounded) objects. On the other hand, Space as extension or locus of a finite body, Desa (देशः स्थित्याधारः), has an ultimate unit, being analysable into the infinitesimal extensive quantity inherent in the Reals (Gunas) of Prakriti. (गुणप्रकृतेरणुपरिणामः—योगवार्त्तिक । एतेन नित्या दिगपि अप्रमाणिकी व्याख्याता, सामान्यतो दिग्‌व्यवहाराभावात् । पूर्व्वादिव्यवहारस्य दिगुपाधिभिरेव सम्भवात् । सामान्यतः कालदिग्‌व्यवहारसत्त्वेऽपि आकाशादेव तदुपपत्तेश्च । कालाञ्च दिश्ययं विशेषः यत् कालः क्षणरूप इष्यते, दिक् तु सर्व्वथैव नेष्यते ।)