Nyaya-Vaisesika Philosophy and Text Science

The aim of this book is to clarify the particular meaning-system of the commentary text in classical Indian philosophy. Here the author has attempted to show this system of generating meaning in the commentary text from an alternative perspective, utilizing the approach of "text science," and has elicited a new aspect of Indian philosophy as a result.

This book is divided into four parts. Parts I introduces the basic concepts of discourse: history of the Vaisesika school, the Vaisesika categories, the concept of inherence (samavaya) and the concept of text. In addition the author has analyzed the meaning-system of the commentary text from the viewpoints of communication theory, quotation theory and the contextualism. Parts II, III and IV present annotated translation, from the edited Sanskrit, by the author, of the chapter of inherence's definition in each commentary text on the Padartha-dharmasamgraha by Prasastapada of the Vaisesika school, the Vyomavati of Vyomasiva, the Nyayakandali of the Sridhara and the Kiranavali of Sridhara and the Kiranavali of Udayana, around which this book's unique approach is constructed.

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About the Author(s)

Dr. Katsunori Hirano is Assistant Professor Nagoya University, Japan.