Essay name: Tarkabhasa of Kesava Misra (study)
Author:
Nimisha Sarma
Affiliation: Gauhati University / Department of Sanskrit
This is an English study of the Tarkabhasa of Kesava Misra: a significant work of the syncretic Nyaya-Vaisesika school of Indian philosophy widely used as a beginner's textbook in southern India and has many commentaries. This study includes an extensive overview of the Nyaya and Vaisesika philosophy, epistemology and sources of valid knowledge. It further deals with the contents and commentaries of the Tarkabhasa.
Chapter 3 - Epistemology in Indian Philosophy
8 (of 38)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
57 13
us. Advaita Ved膩ntins hold that knowledge is very stuff of the self. There is
no difference between self and knowledge. According to Sarkara substance
and its quality are identical as fire and its heat. Thus there is no difference
According to Samkhya-Yoga, knowledge is a mode of buddhi.
According to them Purusa or Self is unchangeable and conscious. Pain,
pleasure etc. belong to buddhi which is an evolute of Prak峁泃i. Knowledge is a
mode of buddhi which transforms itself into the shape of the object that is
cognising. Puru峁 becomes active due to the indiscrimination and intelligence
of buddhi, and as a result the phenomenon of cognition arises.
Vacaspati's view on knowledge is that the self is by nature inactive.
All activity belongs to Prakrti. Yet the self due to its proximity is reflected in
buddhi and through non-discrimination identifies itself to be the knower.
When an object comes into contact with the sense-organ, it produces certain
modifications in the sense-organ. These modifications are analysed by the
mind and are presented to buddhi which becomes modified or transformed
into the form of the object. Buddhi, being unconscious in nature, cannot by
itself know the object. But as buddhi possesses an excess of sattva in it, it
reflects the consciousness of the self and appears as if conscious. With the
reflection of consciousness of the self in buddhi, the unconscious modification
of buddhi into the form of the object becomes illumined into a conscious state
of perception. This is called knowledge. Just as a mirror, due to reflection of
light in it, appears to have the light within it, in the same manner, buddhi due
to a natural excess of sattva in it, reflects the consciousness of the self or
13. AHIP. p.182.
