Gurutva (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: गुरुत्व) is one of the twenty four gunas mentioned in the joint school of Nyaya - Vaisheshika system in the

Indian philosophy Indian philosophy consists of philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. The philosophies are often called darśana meaning, "to see" or "looking at." Ānvīkṣikī means “critical inquiry” or “investigation." Unlike darśan ...

. The Indian philosopher '' Praśastapāda'' had mentioned the term ''gurutva'' for the cause of the act of falling, in his commentary text ''Praśastapādabhāṣya'' on the

Vaisheshika Sutra Vaisheshika (IAST: Vaiśeṣika; ; ) is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy from ancient India. In its early stages, Vaiśeṣika was an independent philosophy with its own metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics, and soteriology. Over t ...

of Maharshi Kanada. According to him, gurutva is the quality of the paramanus of ''prithvi'' and ''ap'' (water).

Etymology

Gurutva is a Sanskrit word made from two terms ''guru'' and ''tva''. The term ''guru'' has meaning of weight or heaviness. And the term ''tva'' is a Sanskrit affix to convert an adjective word into an abstract noun. When the affix term ''tva'' is added after the term ''guru'', then the compound word ''gurutva'' takes the form of an abstract noun.

Description

According to the joint school of Nyaya-Vaisheshika system, gurutva is the twelfth quality among the twenty four gunas accepted in the system. Praśastapāda states that the quality of gurutva is invisible, it can be inferred "through the action of falling". In the commentary texts ''Padarthadharmasamgraha'' of Prashastapada and ''Nyayakandali'' of ''Shridhara'', the Gurutva is an imperceptible quality of the dravyas prithvi and jala. It cannot be perceived by any of the sense organs. It is only inferable from its effect of the falling of substances. Sankara Mishra in his commentary text Upaskara explained the sutra 5.1.7 of the

which gives the reference of the term gurutva. According to him, gurutva is the cause of falling in the absence of conjunction. He states that the term conjunction indicates every type of impediments.

Existence

The existence of gurutva is eternal in the paramanus of the dravyas of prithvi and jala but its existence in composite materials is non eternal.

Neutralisation

The quality of gurutva is eternal existence in the paramanus of the dravyas so it can't be destroyed. But the effect of gurutva can be neutralised by conjunction, effort and faculty (speed form). When gurutva is interrupted by these, it's effect is neutralised. In the text

, there is a sutra regarding conjunction as The Vaisheshika sutra 5.1.7 translates as "In the absence of conjunction, gurutva causes falling effect". Similarly there is a sutra regarding saṃskāra (speed form) as The Vaisheshika sutra 5.1.18 translates as "In the absence of propulsive energy generated by action (saṃskāra), gurutva causes falling effect".

Classification

In the combined Nyayavaisesika school, the twenty four gunas are divided into two types on the basis of generality and speciality of the gunas. They are ''sāmānya guṇas'' (general qualities) and ''viśeṣa guṇas'' (special qualities). The gunas which exist in two or more than two dravyas are called as sāmānya guṇas and similarly the gunas which specially exist in only one type of dravya are called as viśeṣa guṇas. Since gurutva exists in the two types of dravyas namely prithvi and jala, so it is classified as a sāmānya guṇa. On the basis of its existence, it is classified as both eternal and non eternal (evanescent) gunas. It is eternal gunas for the paramanus of the dravyas prithvi and jala. Similarly it is non eternal (evanescent) gunas for composite materials. On the basis of perception, it is classified as ''atīndriyaguṇas''. The atīndriyaguṇas are those gunas which are not perceptible by external sense organs.

References

{{Hindu-philo-stub Indian philosophical concepts Indian philosophy Metaphysics