SAMAVAYA – INSEPARABLE CONJUNCTION IN AYURVEDA AND DARSHANA

SAMAVAYA – INSEPARABLE CONJUNCTION IN AYURVEDA AND DARSHANA

• Samavaya is one of the six Padarthas (categories) described in Vaisheshika Darshana.

• It plays a vital role in explaining the eternal and inseparable relationship between two entities.

• In Ayurveda, understanding Samavaya helps in grasping the relation between Dravya, Guna, Karma, and Atma, essential for diagnosis and treatment.

• Samavaya is a Nitya sambandha (eternal relation) and Anya yoga vyavaccheda lakshana sambandha (defined by the absence of other types of conjunction).

DEFINITION OF SAMAVAYA

• Samavaya is defined as the inseparable conjunction between two entities, which cannot exist independently.

• Classical Definition (Vaisheshika Sutra 1/1/18):
  समवायः अन्ययोगव्यवच्छेदलक्षणः नित्यः सम्बन्धः
  Samavayah anyayoga vyavaccheda lakshanah nityah sambandhah

• It is the cause of inseparable relation like that between:

  • Dravya and Guna (Substance and Quality)

  • Dravya and Karma (Substance and Action)

  • Whole and Part (Avayavi and Avayava)

TYPES OF SAMBANDHA (RELATIONS) IN DARSHANA

• Samyoga (Conjunction) – Temporary contact, e.g., table and pen

• Samavaya (Inherence) – Permanent contact, e.g., thread and cloth

CHARACTERISTICS OF SAMAVAYA

• Nitya (Eternal)

• Ekadesha anavacchinna (Non-localised)

• Eka samavayi (Only one inherence exists between two entities)

• Anya yoga vyavaccheda lakshana (Negation of other relation types)

• Aprithaksiddhi (Mutual dependence) – One cannot be imagined without the other

EXAMPLES OF SAMAVAYA RELATION

• Dravya–Guna: Taste (Rasa) inheres in Dravya (Substance like water)

• Dravya–Karma: Movement inheres in the moving object

• Avayava–Avayavi: Limbs and Body

• Samavayi Karana–Karya: Thread and cloth

• Akasha–Shabda: Sound inheres in space

SAMAVAYA IN AYURVEDA

• In Rachana Sharira:

  • Guna (qualities like snigdha, ushna) inheres in Dhatus

  • Karma (functions) inheres in organs like heart, brain

• In Dravyaguna Vijnana:

  • Guna (rasa, virya, vipaka) are inherent to dravyas through Samavaya

• In Chikitsa (Treatment):

  • Action of medicine (karma) is inseparably related to the substance (dravya)

• In Panchamahabhuta Theory:

  • Attributes of Mahabhutas (e.g., sound of Akasha) are through Samavaya

• In Tridosha Theory:

  • Guna of doshas like laghu, ruksha in Vata are related by Samavaya

SANSKRIT REFERENCES FROM AYURVEDA

• Charaka Samhita (Sutra Sthana 1/49):
  युक्त्यनुप्रवेशात् सर्वार्थानां समवायः
  Yuktyanupraveshat sarvarthanam samavayah
  (All substances function in relation with each other through Samavaya)

• Sushruta Samhita (Sutra Sthana 1/14):
  गुणाः स्वे स्वे द्रव्ये समवेताः भवन्ति
  Gunah sve sve dravye samavetah bhavanti
  (Qualities are inherent in their respective substances)

MODERN CORRELATION

• In Modern Science, Samavaya can be compared to:

  • Chemical bonding (between atoms and molecules)

  • Molecular structure – Properties depend on the inherent nature of atoms

  • Neuro-anatomical connectivity – Inseparable functions of brain centers and neurotransmitters

  • Organ-System unity – For example, lung alveoli and capillaries are functionally inseparable

  • Genotype-Phenotype relation – Traits are inherently expressed through genetic material

IMPORTANCE IN PHILOSOPHY AND AYURVEDA

• Helps understand the inseparable connection between substance and its attributes

• Fundamental for understanding causality and interaction

• Useful for disease understanding, where symptoms (guna) help to trace the dosha (dravya)

• Forms logical basis for the efficacy of medicine and formulation in Ayurvedic therapeutics

SAMAVAYA VS SAMYOGA