Pratiyogi
By Swami Harshananda
Pratiyogi literally means ‘that which is the opposite’.
This is a technical term used in philosophical systems like the Vaiśeṣika of the sage Kaṇāda where abhāva or non-existence of a thing is also considered as a padārtha or category.
In a particular place which is empty there is no ghata or pot. Hence we should accept that there is the abhāva[1] of the ghaṭa. The opposite of the ghaṭābhāva[2] is the pot, which is brought and kept there. Once this is done, the ghaṭābhāva disappears. Hence the pot is called the ‘pratiyogi’ of the absence of the pot.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore