________________ INTRODUCTION xxi vartika deals with the paramartbika standpoint of the system, whereas the Nyaya-bindu represents its vyavaharika viewpoint. It is just natural that the Sautrantika viewpoint predominates the Vyavabarika side. To this extent we can maintain that the Nyaya-bindu represents the Sautrantika system. Having refuted the treatment of pramana-prameya of other systems and shown its real nature according to Sautrantika, it becomes easy to show how even the Sautrantika treatment is inadequate and unsatisfactory from the ultimate standpoint. Dharmakirti follows this procedure in his Pramana-vartika. After establishing the standpoint of Sautrantika, he refutes the existence of external objects and proves the Ultimate Reality of Consciousness alone ( vijnaptimatrata ). Therefore, we can justly maintain that it is only to represent the Empirical standpoint that Dharmakirti has followed the Sautrantika system in his Nyayabindu. He was essentially a follower of Vijnanavada so far as his ultimate position was concerned. The Tatparya-nibandhana-tippana on the Nyaya-bindu-tika holds that Dharmottara explains the term 'samyag-jnana' as 'avisamvadijnana meaning thereby knowledge without 'vi samvada' (contradiction). He does not mean by 'samyag-jnana' 'aviparyasta-jnana'. To equate 'aviparyasta-jnana' with 'samyag-jnana' would be inconsistent with the position of Yogachara, which maintains that no knowledge except that of Tathagata is aviparyasta-abhranta. This being the case no salambana (with-basis) knowledge of an ordinary person is abhranta and therefore, valid. From the empirical point, however, this type of knowledge can be avi samvadi and hence valid. Therefore, if we explain the term samyag-jnana, in the form of 'avisamvadi-jnana' it would be in consonance with the postulates of both the Sautrantika and Yogachara systems.2 It has been further explained how the definition of pratyaksha (perception) also can be explained in a manner acceptable to both these systems. Before explaining his own viewpoint the author has quoted. an earlier view in these words : In the definition of pratyaksha 1 Pramana-vartika, 2, 320. 2 Tatparya-nibandhana, p. 7.
