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NYAYA THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
time when we know it as that character of the minor term which is univers ılly related to the major, as when we say 'the hill is possessed of such smoke as is always related tr fire.' 1 It is through such lingaparāmarśa or knowledge o the middle term as universally related to the major and a characterising the minor, that the knowledge of vyāpti leads to the conclusion. Hence while the knowledge of vyāpti is the special cause (karana) of inference, lingaparāmarśa is the immediate cause caramakārana) of the conclusion ? Some modern Naiyāyıkas go further and say that lingaparāmarsa itself is the operative cause (karana) of inference. On this analysis inference involves the following steps : (1) the knowledge of ryāptı or the universal relation between the middle and major terms, e.g all cases of smoke are cases of fire ; (2) the perception of the minor term as related to the middle, eg. the hill is a case of smoke; (3) a recollection of tbe vyāpti between the middle and major terms; (4) a contemplation of the middle as correlating the major and minor terms, eg. the hill is a case of smoke per vaded by fire ; (5) the conclusion relating the minor term with the major, e.g the hill is a case of fire 4
As it has been pointed out by Dr D M Datta, the Nyāya view of lingaparāmarsa as the immediate antecedent of the conclusion agrees with Bradley's analysis of inference." According to Bradley, an inference is always an ideal con
1 Mabăngădau dratante . dhūmajñānam prathamam, tataḥ parvată dau dhumain irotvă vyāpyatvene tatsmaraṇam dvitiyam, tatastatrava vyāpyatvena dhūmasya jerāmargo vabdivyāpyadbûmavå dagamityevamrūpo jāyata iti tftiyatvam, Tarkakaumudi, p 10
; Vzde TC., II, pp 521-51 3 Vide Tarkasamgraba, p 50
4 Yena puruses mabānasādau dhūme vabdivyāptirgrhītā pascāt sa eva purusah kvacitparvatādāvaviccbindamū'ara dhūmarı kbām paśyatı, tadanantaram dhūmo vahdi. vyāpya ityevamrūpam vyāptism aranam tasya bhavata paścácca vabdivyāpyadhūlpavadaya. miti jñācam bbavati sa eva parānuarga ityucyate tadanantara parvato vabnimādityanumitirjāyate, Siddhantamuktavali, pp 284-86.
Vide The S13 Ways of Knowing, p. 207.
