365bet娱乐

Concept of pramanas in Ayurveda Ever since it's very origin Ayurveda has concerned itself with the cause, symptoms, and remedies of diseases. Knowledge of these three aspects of diseases was considered as essential in medical practice and this is got only through the pramanas (sources of valid knowledge). In generally Ayurveda speaks about four means of knowledge. Viz., Aptopadesa (testimony of trust worthy person), pratyaksa (perception), anumana (inference), and yukti (reasoning). Every system of Indian thought, whether philosophical or medical hold its own epistemology so as to provide a precise opinion, regarding its metaphysical and ontological doctrines. The means of valid knowledge occupies a pivotal position in these systems, since it is always described as the only instrument for understanding the real nature of things. 167

According to Caraka, the things are in this world be either existent (sat), or non-existent (asat), they can be investigated by the four pramanas viz., Testimony of a trust worthy person, (aptopadesa), perception (pratyaksa), inference (anumana) and the coming to a conclusion by series of syllogisms of probability (yukti)." Aptopadesa (verbal testimony) aptastavat - " rajastamobhyam nirmuktastapojnanabalena ye | yesam trikalamamalam jnanamavyahatam sada | aptah sista vibuddhaste tesam vakyamasamsayam | satyam vaksyanti te kasmadasatyam nirajastamah | " Those who are free from rajas and tamas and endowed strength of penance and knowledge, and whose knowledge is defectless, always uncontradicted and true universally in past present and future are known as apta (trust worth person). Such neither have any deficiency of knowledge nor would they 168

willingly say anything untrue. They must be considered as absolutely trusty (apta), and their testimony may be regarded as true. Pratyaksa (perception) "atmendriyamanorthani sannikarsat pravartate | 99 3 vyakta tadatve ya buddhih pratyaksam sa nirucyate | " Perception is the knowledge which arises by the contact of self, sense organs mind and sense objects, is called perception. This contact of the sense with the object is regarded by 4 Cakrapani as being of five kinds, viz., 1. Contact with the dravya (substance, called samyoga, 2. contact with the gunas (qualities) through the thing (samyukta-samavaya) in which they inhere by samavaya (inseperable) relation; 3.contact with the gunas (such as color, etc.) in the generic character as universals of those qualities, e.g. colouredness (rupatva), which exist in the gunas in the samavaya relation; this is called samyukta- 169

samaveta -samavaya since the eye is in contact with the thing and the colour is in the thing by samavaya relation, and in the specific colour there is the universal colour or the generic character of colour by samavaya relation; 4. the contact called samavaya by which sounds are said to be perceived by the ear: the auditory sense is akasa and the sound exists is akasa by the samavaya relation, and thus the auditory sense can perceive sound by a peculiar kind of contact called samaveta-samavaya, 5. the generic character of sound as the sound universal (sabdatva) is perceived by the kind of contact known as samavetasamavaya. Cakrapani further notes that the four kinds of contact spoken of here are the real causes of the phenomenon of perception; In reality, however, "knowledge that results as the effect of sense-contact" would be sufficient definition of pratyaksa, so in the perception of pleasure though none of these contacts are necessary, It Is regarded as a valid case of direct 170

perception. Contact with the self is, of course, necessary for all kinds of cognition.' Here it is easy to see that above theory of perception is of the same type as that formed in the Nyaya System. The nirvikalpaka perception is not taken into consideration, for there is nothing corresponding to the term avyapadesa in the Nyaya-sutra. Anumana (Inference) "pratyaksapurvam trividham trikalam canumiyate | vanigudho dhumena maithunam garbhadarsanat || " 7 Inference must be based on perception; by which the concomitance of the hetu can first be observed, which is of three kinds as following:- 1. From effect to cause - by perceiving the effect to cause can be inferred such as by seeing a pregnant woman sexual intercourse is inferred 171

2. From cause to effect - by seeing a cause effect can be inferred such as by fruit is inferred. 3. Inference by associations other than that of cause and effect, as the inference of fire from smoke. Yukti (reasoning). "buddhih pasyati ya bhavan bahukaranayogajan | yuktisikala sa sesa trivargah sadhyate yaya || " 8 Yukti is defined as when our intelligence judges a fact by a complex weighing in mind of a number of reasons, causes or considerations, through which one practically attains all that is desirable in life, as virtue, wealth or fruition of desires, we have what may be called yukti. Cakrapani say that this is not a reality of the nature a separate pramana, but it helps other pramanas, so it is counted as a pramana. For instance Caraka says that forecasting of a good or 172

bad harvest from the condition of the ground, the estimated amount of rains, climatic conditions and the like. Cakrapani rightly says that a case like this, where a conclusion is reached as the combined application of a number of reasoning, is properly called Uha and is current among the people by this name. It is here counted as a separate pramana. That is why further in other context only three or four pramanas have been mentioned eliminating yukti. The Buddhist writes Santa Raksita in discussing Carakas doctrine of yukti as separate pramana, holds that yukti consist in the observation that, since, when this happens that happens, and since there is no proposition equivalent to the proposition with a drstanta, or example, in Nyaya inference (eg. whatever is smoky is fiery, as the kitchen). Cakrapani however, points out that these criticisms are all beside the point, since yukti, according to Caraka, is not karya 173

karanata from tad-bhava bhavita, It is arriving at a conclusion as a result of a series of reasonings, But it is important to note that Caraka speaks of three kings of pramanas viz., pratyaksa, anumana, and sabda and describe anumana as being tarka depending on yukti. By this statement he states that the means of investigation are only these four and noneless, by this statement he rejets the like arthapati, sambhava etc. acceptance in certain quarters.