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Means of Knowledge From the Eyes to

the Vedas

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Means of Knowledge From the Eyes to the
Vedas

Article of the Month - October 2014

Indian philosophy identifies five means through which we can gain

knowledge of an object. These are known as pramanas, where pra'
means correctly' and mana' means measuring. Hence a pramana is
a specific means of knowledge which gives us a conclusive and definite
perception of an object. For example, our eye is the pramana for a pot
lying in front of us.

The five different pramanas are:

1). Direct physical sense perception (Pratyaksha)

2). Inference (Anumana)

3). Similarity (Upamana)

4). Presumption (Arthapatti)

5). Word of God (Sabda or Veda)

Pratyaksha Pramana: Sense Perception as a Means

Even though there are infinite objects in the world, they all fall into
one of the following categories: sound, touch, form, taste and smell.
These five sense objects are perceived through the five sense organs:
ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose. These sense organs come in
contact with the respective sense object and the contact results in the
definite knowledge of the object. The Nyaya Sutras put it thus: The
sense organ which gives us the knowledge of an object when it comes
in contact with it is known as pratyaksha pramana' (Nyaya Sutras of
Gautama 1.1.4). For example, in seeing a pot, our eyes are the
pratyaksha pramana.

Anumana Pramana: Inference as a Means

Other than direct sense perception, there are other means of

knowledge also. Many a times, we draw upon partially perceived data
and arrive at a conclusive knowledge of something which does not
immediately fall under the scope of direct perception. For example,
because we have seen fire and smoke many times together, when we
see smoke on a far off mountain top, we infer that that place is on
fire. In colloquial expression this is referred to as guessing. We often
put this pramana to use in our mundane life.

There are three types of anumana pramanas (Nyaya Sutras 1.1.5):

1). When the cause (fire) is inferred from the observation of the effect
(smoke).

2). When the effect (rain) is inferred from the presence of the cause
(clouds)

3). Even when there is no cause-effect relationship, we can get

knowledge of an object under enquiry. For example, in the Ramayana,
when looking for Sita, Rama found a small bundle containing her gold
jewels. Though this bundle had nothing to do with the track through
which Sita was carried away, it made it possible to infer the route of
kidnap.

Thus we see that the anumana pramana is preceded first by direct

perception of an object (smoke, cloud, Sitas jewels), which allows us
to infer valid knowledge about another object.

However, what is gathered by anumana is to be finally verified

through pratyaksha only. For example, smoke seen on a far off
mountain top may only be fog, which can be verified only when we go
there and see it with our own eyes. Hence, an inference stands to
correction through direct perception. This shows that the latter holds
sway over the former. However, the pratyaksha pramana does not
have any such limitation. Hence in this context it is known as
nirankusa pramanam - a means of knowledge which is free from any
conditioning of other means.

Upamana Pramana: Similarity as a Means of Knowledge

A city dweller wants to know about a wild animal named gavaya. The
forest dweller tells him that gavaya is just like a cow. Here gavaya is
the object whose knowledge is desired. The upamana is the cow, the
familiar object whose knowledge is already established. Not all
features of the two animals are identical since the gavaya does not
have the folds of skin which hang from a cows throat; however, only
similarities are to be taken into account for the purpose of identifying
the object of enquiry through an already known object.

Arthapatti Pramana: Presumption as a Means of Knowledge

It is not possible to survive without taking any food. But there is a

man named Devadatta whom nobody has seen taking food and yet he
is strong and sturdy. How to reconcile these two facts? It is done
through presumption. We presume that even though nobody has seen
Devadatta take food, he must be eating without being noticed by
anybody. Otherwise, it is not at all possible to remain healthy and
active as he appears to all. Arthapatti is in fact a method of
assumption of an unknown fact in order to account for a known fact
that is otherwise inexplicable.

Word of God as a Means of Knowledge (The Vedas)

All words in vogue are meant for communication of merely mundane

and material experiences. Whereas the Vedas, which constitute the
Word of God, contain subject matter which does not fall under the
category of mundane, material experience of mortal human beings.
The Vedas are not the product of human intellect and hence are free
from the three defects which invariable plague any human creation:

a). False Belief (
)

b). Carelessness ()

c). Deceit (

)

For these reasons, the human intellect can cause false notions. The
Vedas are called alauakika shabda, or divine word i.e. which does not
have its origin in this finite world of time and space. The Vedas
communicate that which is beyond nature and also dwell upon matters
like dharma and adharma, which otherwise are not cognizable by any
human means of knowledge except the Vedas. The Vedas alone
determine the meaning of matters like dharma, heaven, rebirth etc.

What is special about the Vedas? Why do the Vedas have such
extraordinary potential and efficacy? The answer is not to be sought
outside the Vedas! Even as life-breath is within the living body, the
answer is within the Vedas themselves. The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad
proclaims that the Vedas came into existence along with the world
created by God as naturally as exhalation from a human being
(2.4.10). The Vedas disappear into God during pralaya and reappear
again during the manifestation of the world. Hence, the Vedas are
called Apaureshya, i.e., that which is not of human origin. The Vedas
are not like a book written by some author. The Vedas are not read,
they are heard and perpetuated through oral tradition. This is why
they are called sruti (the word that is heard). It is an independent
pramana by itself; its validity need not be verified by inference.

Conclusion: The reason for this whole exercise, which forms an

integral part of Vedanta, is to show that eventually, Vedas, being the
word of God, are the highest pramana, superior even to pratyaksha.
We are fortunate to be governed by the Vedas, and the ultimate
sadhana is to view the world from the Vedic perspective, i.e.what is
right or wrong is to be decided by the Vedas and not by our limited
intelligence. Swarga and naraka exist only because the Vedas say so.
What else proof have we got for their existence? They can neither be
seen, nor inferred nor presumed. Not only this, Vedas are our only
source of knowledge to decide the existence and also the nature of
God.

This article by Nitin Kumar.

We hope you have enjoyed reading the article. Any comments you may have will be
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References & Further Reading:

Bharati, Swami Paramananda. Vedanta Prabodha - The Most

Exhaustive Book Ever Written on Shankaracharya's Advaita
Vedanta: Bangalore, 2014

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