Akāraṇavat (

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 ...

: अकारणवत्) is a concept of eternal existence mentioned in the Indian philosophical text

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 ...

. According to the concept of ''akāraṇavat'', the eternal is that which is existent and uncaused.

Etymology

Akāraṇavat is a Sanskrit word having two terms ''akāraṇa'' (cause free) and ''vat'' (affix term). The literal meaning of akāraṇa is cause-free. When the affix term vat is added after the word akāraṇa, then the compound term ''akāraṇavat'' takes the form of possessive adjective. Thus the literal meaning of the term ''akāraṇavat'' is being free from causation.

Description

The concept of the Akāraṇavat is mentioned in the fourth chapter of the text Vaisheshika Sutra. The first verse of the fourth chapter mentioned the concept of the Akāraṇavat for the ultimate atoms (

Paramanu Paramanu is a Sanskrit word used in the Vaisheshika school of thought in the Indian Philosophy to denote that part of a ''bhuta'', which is indivisible, indestructible and eternal. In other words, the nitya (eternal) form of the four ''dravy ...

). According to Maharshi Kanada, the ultimate atoms are eternal, uncaused, non-destructive and are inferred from their effects.

Sankara Mishra Sankara Mishra (Sanskrit: शंकर मिश्र), also known as Shankara Mishra, was an Indian Vedic scholar during the 15th century in Mithila. He was a scholar of Vaisheshika school of thought in the Indian philosophy. Vaisheshika philoso ...

in his commentary text

Upaskara Upaskara (Sanskrit: उपस्कर) (Romanised: Upaskāra) is a commentary on the Kanada's Vaisheshika Sutra of the Indian philosophy. It was written in the Sanskrit language by the Indian philosopher Sankara Mishra of Mithila. Background ...

explained the concept. According to him, Akāraṇavat means the absence of the preceding cause. In the second verse or sutra of the fourth chapter, the mark of the existence of the ultimate atoms is mentioned. According to the second Sutra of the fourth chapter, the mark of the existence of the ultimate atoms is inferred from their effects.

References

Indian philosophical concepts Atomism Vedas {{Hindu-philo-stub