The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c5.s3.t1.2

c5.s3.t1.2

The Vaiśeṣikas accept one *sanskâra* (impressed motion, momentum) lasting till the cessation of the motion. Udyotakara and other writers of the Nyâya school suppose a series of *sanskâras*, each generating the one that succeeds it. (संस्कारेण उत्तरोत्तरकर्म्मसन्तानो जायते अनन्योत्तरसंयोगेन कर्म्मणि नष्टे संस्कारेण कर्म्मान्तरजननात् एक एव संस्कारः कर्म्मसन्तानजनकः नतु कर्म्मसन्तानवत् संस्कारसन्तानोऽपि अभ्युपगन्तुमुचितः—शङ्करमिश्र।) It will be seen that the Nyâya view is adequate to explain acceleration, which it logically implies. The force of *sanskâra* (शक्ति) diminishes by doing work (कार्य्यकरणात्) against a counteracting force, and when the *sanskâra* is in this way entirely destroyed, the moving body comes to rest (संस्कारो यावत्पतनमनुवर्त्तते। यथा यथा चास्य कार्य्यकरणात् शक्तिः क्षीयते तथा तथा कार्य्यमन्दतरतमादि-भेदभिन्नमुपजायते—श्रीधर—न्याय-कन्दली-कर्म्मग्रन्थ). Vega, it will be seen, corresponds to inertia in some respects, and to momentum (impressed motion) in others. This is the nearest approach to Newton's First Law of Motion in the Vaiśeṣika theory of motion.