Nyayacandrika

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Nyayacandrika is an introductory Text, which aims at introducing both the sixteen padarthas of Gautama and the seven padarthas of the Nyaya-Vaiśeşika systems of Indian Philosophy.

The Present Volume is the Ph. D. work of the author. Dr. C. Krishna Kutty Nair has presented his studies in nine chapters.

The Text of Nyayacandrika is quite important prakarana text through which a reader is gradually introduced to the Nyaya and Nyaya-Vaiseṣika systems very easily particularly, some topics such as jati and nigrahasthana which are so important in a debate and discourse, but not discussed to elaborately elsewhere are elaborately discussed here. That shows how Kesava Bhatta looks at the system of Nyaya-Vaiśeşika. This system is primarily a tool for assisting a discourse, which aims at arriving at the truth.

Dr. Nair has clearly presented his findings in a very lucid language. The scholars will derive a lot of benefit and joy by reading this work. The work is very informative and useful to even an ordinary reader who is interested in knowing the Indian Intellectual Tradition.

Dr. C. Krishnan Kutty Nair took his M.A. Degree in Sanskrit Nyaya (Special subject) with first class from the University of Kerala in 1981. Subsequently he joined for Research in the subject and studied many original works in the field under various Scholars. Currently he is working in the Post Graduate Department of Nyaya, Government Sanskrit College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He has also a through knowldege in Western Logic especially in Symbolic Logic. He is a resource person in the Academic Staff College, University of Kerala.

This work is a reproduction of my thesis entitled Nyayacandrika of Kesava Bhatta A Critical Study for which the University of Kerala has awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 2004. Nyayacandrika is a prakarana type of work dealing with the sixteen categories of the Nyaya and the seven categories of the Vaiseșika systems of philosophy.

Kesava Bhatta flourished during the second half of the 16th and the first half of the 17th century A.D. He was a poet and a prolific writer in the various fields of Literature, Veda, Vedanta, Mimamsä and Nyaya-Vaisesika. There are fourteen works on varying subjects to his credit. The present work is a study on the Nyayacandrika published by Dr. K. Raghavan Pillai under the Trivandrum Sanskrit Series (No. 189) based on a paper manuscript (No. 9328) available in the Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library, University of Kerala.

It is my pleasant duty to express my sincere gratitude to my supervising teacher Dr. T. Devarajan, Dean, Faculty of Oriental Studies and Head of the Department of Sanskrit, University of Kerala, for his guidance and constant motivation. I owe a great debt to Dr. C. Sivamani Nair, former Principal, Govt. Sanskrit College, Thiruvananthapuram, who has helped me in every way in the study of the original text.

I can hardly find appropriate words to express my indebtedness to Prof. V. N. Jha, Former Director, Centre of Advanced Study in Sanskrit, University of Pune, for contributing an illuminating foreword to this book.

It gives me great pleasure in writing this Foreword to this Volume.

Nyayacandrika is an introductory Text, which aims at introducing both the sixteen padarthas of Gautama and the seven padarthas of the Nyaya-Vaiseșika systems of Indian Philosophy.

The present Volume is the Ph.D work of the author. Dr. C. Krishnan Kutty Nair has presented his studies in nine chapters. Dr. Nair discusses the works and date of Kesava Bhatta, the author of Nyayacandrika in the first chapter. Chapter second deals with the place of Nyayacandnika in the Nyaya Vaisesika philosophy Historical aspects of the Nyaya-Valsesika systems are covered in this chapter. Chapter third deals elaborately with the nature and function of the four pramaņas accepted by the Nyaya Vaiseska system. This chapter also discusses how there is no need of accepting other pramanas accepted by other schools of Indian Philosophy.

Chapter four deals with the prameyas accepted by the system. Chapter five discusses the seven padarthas accepted by the Vaiseșika School. The functional components of the instruments of amumana namely samsaya, prayojana, drstanta, siddhanta, avayava, tarka and nimmaya are discussed in the sixth chapter. The chapter seventh discusses väda, jalpa, vitanda, hetvabhasa and chala. Jati and nigrahasthana are discussed in the eighth chapter. The ninth chapter presents the conclusions of the study.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages