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 4 - Purvabhaga of Tarkabhasa: Contents
66 (of 73)
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)
153
and the like, but it reveals objects by itself and gives rise to a sense of its own
validity. If we are to wait till we ascertain the purity of the causes, we have to
wait for the origination of another cognition due to other causes, and so on ad
infinitum.
139 The other schools of Indian philosophy also have put forward
divergent opinions regarding validity of knowledge. According to Sa峁僰hya,
validity and invalidity are intrinsic and need no reference to external grounds
for their verification. The S膩峁僰hyas believe in the theory of causation which is
known as satk膩ryav膩da, which means, that the effect exists in the material
cause even before it is produced. So, they say that validity and invalidity,
which are present in all knowledge, are intrinsic and manifested by merits and
demerits of the cause, since what is absolutely non-existent cannot
consistently be produced. If it is said to be consistent, the result would be that
even sky flower could be produced. But a specific effect can be produced only
from its specific cause. A cloth can be produced only from threads. From this
the conclusion is drawn that the effect exists in the material cause even before
its production or appearance. The function of the causal conditions on this
account is not without any utility, because that is for the sake of manifestation.
Therefore, just like the manifestation of the cloth by the function of the causal
conditions, there is only the manifestation of the validity and invalidity by
merits and demerits. Hence both the validity and invalidity are intrinsic.
140 139.
SV. 2. 49-51.
140. tasm膩t k膩raka-vy膩par膩d gha峁乨yabhivyaktivad gu峁嘺do峁Ｄ乥hy膩峁�
pram膩峁噛apr膩m膩峁噛ayor abhivyaktir eva ityubhyam api svata岣�. MM.
p.180.
