Kanada (philosopher)

Kanada
Born	unclear, 6th – 2nd Century BCE
School	Vaisheshika school of Hinduism
Notable ideas	Atomism

Kanada (Sanskrit: कणाद, IAST: Kaṇāda), also known as Kashyapa, Uluka, Kananda and Kanabhuk, was an Indian sage and philosopher who founded the Vaisheshika school of Indian philosophy.

Estimated to have lived sometime between 6th century to 2nd century BCE, little is known about his life. His traditional name "Kanada" means "atom eater", and he is known for developing the foundations of an atomistic naturalism Indian philosophy in the Sanskrit text Vaisheshika Sutra. His text is also known as Kanada Sutras, or Aphorisms of Kanada.

The school founded by Kanada attempted to explain the creation and existence of the universe by proposing an atomistic theory, applying logic and realism, and is among one of the earliest known systematic realist ontology in human history. Kanada suggested that everything can be subdivided, but this subdivision cannot go on forever, and there must be smallest entities (parmanu) that cannot be divided, that are eternal, that aggregate in different ways to yield complex substances and bodies with unique identity, a process that involves heat, and this is the basis for all material existence. He used these ideas with the concept of Atman (soul, Self) to develop a non-theistic means to moksha. Kanada's ideas were influential on other schools of Hinduism, and over its history became closely associated with the Nyaya school of Hindu philosophy.

The name Kaṇāda, states Jeaneane Fowler, is a compound of Sanskrit roots Kaṇa and ad, which respectively mean "atom, particle, grain" and "to eat". Thus his popular traditional name means "atom eater".

Kanada was influential in Indian philosophies, and he appears in various texts by alternate names such as Kashyapa, Uluka, Kananda, Kanabhuk among others. In Jainism literature, he is affectionately referred to as Sad-uluka, which means "the Uluka who propounded the doctrine of six categories". His Vaisheshika philosophy similarly appears with alternate names, such as "Aulukya philosophy" derived from the nickname Uluka (literally owl, or grain eater in the night).

The century in which Kanada lived is unclear and have been a subject of a long debate. In his review of 1961, Riepe states Kanada lived sometime before 300 CE, but convincing evidence to firmly put him in a certain century remains elusive.

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