Book Title: Indian Logic Part 03
Author(s): Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Sanskrit Sanskriti Granthmala

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Page 164
________________ FIVE PADARTHAS SAMSAYA... 153 attainment of a means appropriate for this attainment or avoidance, also that the same thing might be a source of pleasure under one condition, a source of pain under another.' (3) Drstānta (Example) The fifth padārtha is drstānta or example. The aphorist says that an example is what is commonly understandable to a layman and an expert. 16 Jayanta explains that by the words 'layman and expert' are to be understood 'both the parties to a debate'? but the explanation seems unnecessary and the old Nyāya authors seem to have simply emphasised that an argument gains in cogency if it is supported by an example drawn from everyday life. That is to say, by submitting that an example is what is commonly understandable to a layman and an expert these authors were only making it clear that an example has to be drawn from everyday life. It also seems evident that the padārtha drstānta is closely connected with the next padārtha siddhanta or established doctrine, the idea being that a doctrine deemed established by a debater is made plain by him to others with the help of a popular example. This is not noticed by Jayanta, but that is not important. However, the point here actually noted by Jayanta is equally not very important. For he says that the present aphorism conveys just one information about example whose .full description occurs in connection with the padārtha avayava, just as an aphorism occurring in connection with the description of inference conveys a particular information about inference whose full description occurs in connection with the padārtha avayava. As a matter of fact, the old Nyāya authors emphasised the importance of an example by treating it as an independent padārtha while the avayava drstānta in fact deserves to be called vyāpti-supported-bya-drstānata, an avayava which in any case is just one of the five avayavas (= steps in an inferential demonstration). [In the case of . inference as such too the real description occurs in that earlier aphorism while the avayavas only describe how an inferential demonstration is to be formally presented stepwise.] (4) Siddhānta (Established doctrine) The sixth padārtha is siddhānta or established doctrine, and in this connection one general aphorism is followed by four defining the four types of it. The general aphorism seems to yield no natural meaning and its wording suspiciously contains terms which go to

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