Nyaya Darshan – The logic & Spirituality

Nyaya Darshan – The logic & Spirituality

​Nyaya or Logic Darshan, one of the six Hindu philosophies, has five Chapters with 538 verses. It was founded by Rishi Gautam or Gotama in 550 BC. He attached due weight to reasoning and relied on scientific system of 16 categories to reach on the philosophy. His philosophy dealt the riddle of Body, Atma and moksha. 

He postulated in Nyaya Darshan as under:

1. Since all the substances in the universe are elements, there should be one “Consciousness”.
2. There should be one “Consciousness” who provides fruits of karma of human beings.
3. Vedas are mine of wisdom and not man-made. Parmatama/God is the maker.
4. Vision of Parmatama can be done by purifying one’s
5. Conscience and not by external means.  

The salient features of the Darshan are as under:

1. The darshan has four categories viz. to solve the riddle of general knowledge & physical universe, Jeevatma (soul) & Moksha (liberation) and Parmatma (God) and his knowledge.
2. To solve the riddles, sixteen categories (pramana, prameya, samsaya, prayojana, drstanta, siddhanta, avayava, tarka, nirnaya, vada, jalpa, vitanda, hetvabhasa, chala, jati, and nigrahasthana) are used to gain right knowledge.
3. The five elements (viz., earth, water, light, air and ether), the five objects of sense (viz., smell, taste, colour, touch and sound), etc., are tenets.
4. The five senses, viz., the eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin (touch) are essentially identical with the five elements, viz., fire, ether, earth, water and air whose special qualities, viz., colour, sound, smell (odour), savour (taste) and tangibility are exhibited by them.
5. The earth possesses four qualities, viz. odour (smel1). Savour (taste), colour and tangibility. In water there are three qualities, viz Savour (taste), colour and tangibility. Fire has two qualities viz  colour and tangibility. Tangibility belongs to air and sound belongs to ether.
6. Desire, aversion, volition, pleasure, pain and intelligence are the marks of the soul.
7. All the five sense organs work together at all times. But knowledge does not happen together. With respect to the senses the mind and the soul have knowledge.
8. World causes various distresses through birth, infirmity disease, death, connection with undesirable, connection with desirable etc. Hence, one who pursues pleasure, does in reality pursue pain.
9. We incur three debts (debts to sages-rishis, gods-dev, progenitors-pitri) which we must go on clearing off until the time or our decay and death (by acquiring knowledge, making sacrifices & by begetting children).
10. Ten troubles (kelasha viz. greed, hatred, stupidity, pride, heretical view, doubt, sloth, arrogance, shamelessness and recklessness) are our constant companions, while activities pursue us throughout our life. In presence of these, attaining moksha or release not possible.
11. Wisdom destroys false knowledge, false doctrines and the defects (attachment, aversions etc) & tendencies.
    1. Due to the destruction of the trend, the actions/activities/karma ceases. The absence of karma stops birth. When there is no birth and death, the cycle of birth & death ceases.
    2. Pain can remain as long as the mind is there. Mind is a place where attachment & aversions reside. Until the mind is kept in anger, the entire action goes on. When the mind desires to achieve what is considered to be soul-friendly. This name is called Raga. If he loves what he loves, then he feels pleasure. If you do not get it then you feel sad.
    3. There are two kinds of actions to achieve the object of which the mind desires. Either violence/theft or benevolence/donation is done. The fruit of the good deeds is the result of happiness and fruits of misdeeds are cause of sufferings & miseries.  
    4. Our merits and demerits having already been exhausted, we cannot get a body thereafter we have attained release (moksha).

The detailed explanations of Nyaya Darshan are as under:

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