Essay name: Nyaya-Vaisheshika (critical and historical study)
Author:
Aruna Rani
Affiliation: Panjab University / Department of Sanskrit
This essay studies Nyaya-Vaisheshika—A combination of two of the six orthodox schools of Indian philosophy. The study also discusses in detail the authors of various works and critically analyzes key concepts of Nyaya-Vaisesika. Such Indian philosophies seek the direct realization of the Atman (the self) to attain ultimate freedom and bliss.
Chapter 2 - Historical Study of Nyaya system
26 (of 54)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
53
Like to disconnect the science of reasoning from metaphysics,
ethics, etc., because in their view the only object of
pramana is to explain the prameyas representing all other
espects. But the followers of the Buddha separated the
science of reasoning from the rest of the sciences and thos
confined it to its own limited scope as if it has nothing
to do with the prameyes.
The Buddhistic logicians like Nēgārjuna (2nd century
A.D.), Asanga and Vasubandhu (4th century A.D.) and Dignaga
(450 A.D.) criticized the Nyaya Sutras and Nyaya Bhāṣya.
Dignāga in his work 'Pramāṇa-smuccaya' laid the foundation
of his realist-idealistic epistemology, and threw a
challenge to the realism of the orthodox schools and thus
added fuel to fire. From this it is evident that there
was a good deal of cleavage between Astika and Nästika
logicians. There was a mutual intellectual difference
between the two parties in which many scholars from both
the sides took active parts
(111) Uddyotakara
Uddyotakara wrote a sub-commentary named 'Nyaya.
Vārtika' on the Nyāya Bhāṣya of Vātsyāyana in order to
defend the stand point of Nyāya against the attacks and
wrong interpretations of the Buddhists like Dignaga and
others. This is evident from the opening lines of the
