Outlines of Jainism

Author(s): S Gopalan
Publisher: Wiley Eastern Private Limited New Delhi

Page 90

INFERENCE
81
inference is definite cognition resulting from a statement of a probans having the characteristic of necessary concomitance with the probandum.". The essential Jaina view of the parts of the syllogism is contained in the following words : “The thesis and reason constitute a syllogism adequate for a knowledgeable person."? The Jaina view seems to be that the most characteristic feature of an inferential type of knowledge is that the freason' being inseparably connected with the probandum, on perceiving the reason, the existence of the probandum is inferred. In the classic example, smoke being invariably connected with fire in 'our everyday experience, on seeing (perceiving) smoke, the inference drawn is the presence of fire. When it comes to listening to a statement, when the proposition that there is smoke on the hill is put forward, the listener jumps to the conclusion (the inference) that the hill has fire. So, strictly speaking only the two propositions :
“The hill is firey” (pratijñā) and
“because of smoke” (hetu) make the very inferential process possible. The other three members of the five-membered syllogism are : “Wherever there is smoke there is fire, such as the kitchen"
(drstānta) “This hill is smoky” (upanaya) and
“therefore it is firey" (nigamana) are, as such, not considered essential or germane to the argument. It is now evident how significant the words "adequate for a knowledgeable person” (in the verse quoted above) are, for they clearly point to the reason why, even in the Jaina tradition, there was a mention of the 5-membered and 10-membered syllogisms. As the Jaina tradition has it: "The syllogism is said to consist of five
rts or of ten parts in the alternative. We denounce neither but accept both as legitimate.”8
The Pramāņa-mīmāṁsa contains definitions of the five members of the syllogism :
“Thesis is the statement of the theme to be proved.''9 “Statement of a probans ending in an inflexion (vibhakti) un
6 Pramāņa-mīmāṁsa, II. 1. 1 7 Ibid., II. 1.9 8 Daśavaikälika-niryukti, 50 9 Pramāņa-mimāṁsa, II. 1. 11