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Nyaya-Introduction To Darshanas

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World of Samskrtam - Usha Rani Sanka
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21 views

Nyaya-Introduction To Darshanas

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World of Samskrtam - Usha Rani Sanka
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Points-

1. Founder details
2. Work names and alternate names
3. Commentaries and commentators
4. Other important works
5. Historical detail
6. Pramanas
7. Main padarthas and number
8. Main theories
9. Explanation
10. Conclusion

INTRODUCTION
The sage Gotama is the founder of Nyaya School. He is also known as Gautama and
as Aksapada. Nyaya means argumentation and suggests that the system is
predominantly intellectual, analytic, logical and epistemological. It is also called
Tarkashastra or the science of reasoning; Pramanashastra or the science of logic and
epistemology; Hetuvidya or the science of causes; Vadavidya or the science of debate
; and Anviksiki or the science of critical study.

NYAYA THEORIES
Nyäya is a system of atomistic pluralism and logical realism. Nyaya develops logic
and epistemology [Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the
nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called theory of knowledge]. It agrees
earthly life as full of suffering, as bondage of the soul and in regarding liberation
which is absolute cessation of suffering as the supreme end
of life. It views bondage as due to ignorance of reality and that liberation is due to
right knowledge of reality. Nyaya takes up the exposition of right knowledge of
reality.

16 PADARTHAS
Nyaya recognizes sixteen categories and includes all the seven categories
of the Vaishesika. Nyaya recognizes all the four as separate— perception, inference,
comparison and verbal authority.
The Nyaya enumerates sixteen philosophical topics (पदाथ)
(1) माण pramāṇa - the means of right knowledge
(2) मेय prameya - the objects of right knowledge
(3) संशय saṃśaya - doubt
(4) योजन prayojana - the end or motive of action
(5) ा dṛṣṭānta - illustrative example
(6) िसा siddhānta - accepted conclusion
(7) अवयव avayava - constituent propositions of a syllogism
(8) तक tarka - hypothetical reasoning
(9) िनणय nirṇaya - ascertainment of truth
(10) वाद vāda - debate or discussion
(11) ज jalpa - disputation
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(12) िवतडा vitaṇḍā - wrangling
(13) हेाभास hetvābhāsa - fallacy
(14) छल chala - quibble
(15) जाित jāti - casuistry
(16) िनहान nigrahasthāna - the point of the opponent’s defeat

(1) माण pramāṇa - Pramanas or the means of right cognition are of four kinds : (i)
ु
 pratyakṣa - perception ; (ii) अनमान anumāna - inference ; (iii) उपमान upamāna -
analogy and (iv) श śabda - testimony.

(2) मेय prameya - Prameyas or the objects of right knowledge according to Nyaya
are- (i) आा ātmā soul ; (ii) शरीर śarīra - body ; (iii) इिय indriya - sense-organs : (iv)
अथ artha - objects ; (v) बि ्
ु buddhi- apprehension ; (vi) मनस manas - mind ; (vii) वृि
pravṛtti - activity ; (viii) दोष doṣa - defects; (ix) ेभाव pretyabhāva - rebirth ; (x) फल
phala - fruition; (xi) ःख duḥkha - pain ; (xii) and अपवग apavarga - release.

KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION


Knowledge (jñāna) or cognition (buddhi) is defined as apprehension (upalabdhi) or
consciousness (anubhava). Nyaya, being realistic, believes that knowledge reveals
both the subject and the object. They both are quite distinct from knowledge. All
knowledge is a revelation or manifestation of objects (arthaprakāsho buddhih). The
Nyaya takes knowledge (ान jñāna) or cognition (बिु  buddhi) as apprehension
(उपलि) of objects. Knowledge is the manifestation of objects ; all things are
manifested or revealed by knowledge. Just as a lamp manifests physical things
placed before it, so knowledge reveals all objects which come before it. Knowledge
may be valid or invalid. Valid knowledge (मा pramā) is defined as the right
apprehension of an object (yathärthänubhavah). It is the manifestation of an object
as it is.

Knowledge, in order to be valid, must correspond to reality. Valid knowledge is


produced by the four valid means of knowledge— perception, inference, comparison
and testimony. There are three kinds of invalid knowledge : (1) doubt (2) error (3)
and guess or conjecture.
Valid knowledge (मा pramā) is right apprehension of an object. Memory is not valid
knowledge. It is the recollection of a previous cognition. Apprehension is knowledge
other than memory. Doubt, illusion, and conjecture are invalid knowledge. Invalid
knowledge includes memory (smrti), doubt (saṃśaya), error (viparyaya) and
hypothetical reasoning (tarka).
ु anubhava) which agrees with the real
Valid knowledge is the apprehension (अनभव
character of the object apprehended. Memory (ृित smṛti) is not valid because it is
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not presentative cognition but a representative one. Doubt (saṃśaya) is uncertainty
in cognition. Error (viparyaya) is misapprehension as it does not correspond to the
real object. Hypothetical reasoning (tarka) is no real knowledge.
Eg. When you see a rope as a rope you have right knowledge. If you are uncertain
whether it is a rope or a snake, you have doubt. If you recall the rope you have seen,
you have memory. If you mistake the rope for a snake, you have error.

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