Question:

Consider the following sentence: 'Dhavala is a white cow.' For the Vaiśeṣika, the meaning (artha) of the sentence consists of the following padārthas:

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In Vaiśeṣika philosophy, understanding the different padārthas helps in comprehending the relationships between different elements in a sentence or reality.
Updated On: Aug 29, 2025
  • Action (karma), Substance (dravya) and Unique particular (viśeṣa) only
  • Substance (dravya), Universal (sāmānya) and Quality (guṇa) only
  • Substance (dravya), Universal (sāmānya), Inherence (samavāya) and Quality (guṇa) only
  • Action (karma), Substance (dravya), Unique particular (viśeṣa) and Absence (abhāva) only
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation


In Vaiśeṣika philosophy, the term padārtha refers to the various categories or elements of reality. The sentence 'Dhavala is a white cow' can be broken down into different padārthas as follows:
1. Substance (dravya): The cow (Dhavala) is the substance in this context.
2. Universal (sāmānya): The term 'cow' refers to a universal category that applies to all cows, not just the particular cow named Dhavala.
3. Inherence (samavāya): The quality 'white' is inherent in the substance (the cow). In Vaiśeṣika, inherence refers to the relation between the substance and its qualities or attributes.
4. Quality (guṇa): The color 'white' is a quality that is being attributed to the cow.
Thus, the correct answer is (C) Substance (dravya), Universal (sāmānya), Inherence (samavāya) and Quality (guṇa) only.
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