upAdhi

[vidya jayaram]

UpAdhi means the distinguishing or defining lakshaNa (characteristic of a
thing.) For instance if we are talking about a red crystal, redness is
the upAdhi beause redness is what seperates it from a blue crystal, white
crystal etc.The redness may just be because there is a red flower behind
the crystal which is being refracted through itSo actually neither redness or blueness can becalled its' upAdhi.  In the same way Brahman has no real upAdhis, any apparent upAdhis are just superimpositions upon it.

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>> Isnt the example of a red/blue crystal more suited for  visheshana or a qualifying attribute whereas  upAdhi means a limiting adjunct ?

For instance in the statement 'the colored jar is transitory' color is a qualifying attribute or  visheshana that distinguishes from other jars and is connected to transitoriness -( predicated w.r. to the jar) .ie color is a qualifying attribute which is a distinguishing property and co-exists in the what is qualified with what is predicated.The last phrase seems to be the distinguishing keyword.

Whereas 'upAdhi' means limiting adjunct..ex the statement the ether enclosed by the auditory passage is the ear' - the auditory passage is present and differentiates the ether enclosed by it from the remaining ether.The main difference is that it is not connected with the characteristics of the ear like( hearing) as such and predicated only w.r.to the ether.

A limiting adjunct while being a differentiating property actually present in the thing of which it is the adjunct and does Not co-exist with which it is predicated.

Vidya





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