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Division of Knowledge
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other types of imperceptual knowledge the contact is two-fold. The soul is united with the mind. But, in the case of perception it is four-fold. The soul is united with the mind, the mind with the senses, and the senses with the object. But, this definition also applies to ordinary perception only. It falls short in the case of Yogipratyaksa and Iśvarapratyaksa. It is also not applicable to the perception of internal qualities such as pleasure, pain etc. But, as far as the ordinary perception of external things is concerned, Prasastapāda's definition represents the Nyāya-view clearly.
The Bhatta theory of perception develops on the same line as that of the Nyāya. Jaimini defines perception as the cognition produced in the self by the intercourse of sense-organs with the object. This definition is practically the same as that of the Naiyāyika. Prabhākara defines perception of direct apprehensiona (sākṣāt pratitiḥ).
Kapila, in his Sānkhya-sūtra, defines perception as the cognition which takes the form of object, after being related to it. s Vijñānabhikṣu elucidates that perception is the psychic function (buddhivrtti) which goes out to the object and is modified according to the form of object, to which it is related. 4 The object does not produce the psychic function itself; but, only modifies it. The mode inheres in the psychic function. The psychic function goes out, like the flame of a lamp, through the gateways of sense-organs, to the external object which is proximate to it, and is modified by the particular form of the object.
Išvarakļsņa defines perception as determinate cognition of an object, produced by its proximity to the sense-organ5. Vācas1 Mimāṁsāsūtra, 1. 1.4 2 Prakaraṇa Pañcikā, p. 51 3 Sānkhya Darśana, p. 49 4 Sankhya Pravacana Bhāsya, p. 49 5 Sānkhyakārikā, K. 5
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