Samavaya

Intimate relation is the perfect meaning of Samavaya. When something is inseparable from its constituents, it is Samavaya. Even if something is inseparable from its contents, and is interdependent with them, it is Samavaya. A relation that is either inseparable or intimate is known as samavaya.

The relationship between matter and its function, and matter and its property is samavaya. It is one of the seven categories of Padarth Vidnyan, which is nothing but knowledge of raw materials, according to Ayurveda.

The other categories are Dravya or substance, Guna or quality, Karma or deed or activity, Pramana or evidence, Samanya or similarity, and Vishesh or pecularity.

The cause that is concomitant, or a force that is combining, or inherence that is inseparable is known as Samavaya.

Among the seven categories of Vaiseshika, Samavaya is one. Due to the presence of combining force or Samavaya, two Paramanus or atoms become one Dvyanuka.

The dyad is connected to its constituents, that is, the two atoms, by Samavaya, as both dyad and atoms possess different qualities. Samavaya is the connecting force for things that cannot exist independently.  

Samavaya is not only discussed in Ayurveda but also in the scriptures, various philosophies like that of Sankara, Ramanuja or Madhwa, puranas and so on. Samyukta-Samavaya is known as united inherence.

This Samavaya is the connection between any sense organ and the  attributive  or  active  aspect  of  the  object  by  virtue  of  attributes  or Guna  and  actions or karma,  being  related  to  the  substance  through  inherence. Samaveta-Samavaya is known as inherent-inherence.

This Samavaya is the connection between a sense organ and its perception capacity of an object in its own manner or its own inherence. There is a distinction between the one that is universal and the one that is particular.

This distinction is real, and therefore the relation is considered to be that of intimate union or Samavaya. The quality of Samavaya is eternal.

Where Samayoga is an accidental conjunction or combination, and quality of things, Samavaya is a necessary conjunction or connection or bond.

The members with inseparable connections fall under the category of Samavaya.

When you try to break the connection between the things that fall under Samavaya, it is not possible to part them without destroying either one or all the things in that bonding. You can produce or destroy things under Samavaya without destroying or producing them.

The things under Samavaya are normally felt than seen. They are not normally physical things that would exist without each other. For example, quality or attribute, or property would exist with any substance, and you would not be able to part them. If you try parting the quality of the thing, the substance would cease existing. The salty taste in the salt and sweetness in sugar or jiggery are natural.

If you remove taste from salt or sugar, they would stop being salt or sugar, and that is Samavaya. Milk is a part of cow; however, if you separate the milk from the cow, both exist independently without any problem, and therefore, it is not Samavaya.