Sarvadarshanasangraha 11.17-23

11.17

yathārthānubhavaparyāyā pramitir nirṇayaḥ/ sa caturvidhaḥ/ sākṣātkṛtyanumityupamitiśābdabhedāt/

Decisive determination (nirṇaya) is valid knowledge, which is synonymous with veridical experience. It is of four kinds, through the divisions of perceptual realization, inferential knowledge, comparative knowledge, and testimonial knowledge.

"Ascertainment" (nirṇaya, i. 40) is right knowledge or a perception of the real state of the case. It is of four kinds as produced by perception, inference, analogy, or testimony. "Discussion" (vāda) is a particular kind of conversation, having as its end the ascertainment of truth (i. 41). "Wrangling" (jalpa) is the talk of a man only wishing for victory, who is ready to employ arguments for either side of the question (i. 42). "Cavilling" (vitaṇdā) is the talk of a man who does not attempt to establish his own side of the question (i. 43). "Dialogue" (kathā) is the taking of two opposite sides by two disputants. A "fallacy" is an inconclusive reason which is supposed to prove something, and this may be of five kinds, the "erratic," the "contradictory," the "uncertain," the "unproved," and the "precluded" or "mistimed" (Sūt. i. 44-49). "Unfairness" (chala) is the bringing forward a contrary argument by using a term wilfully in an ambiguous sense; this is of three kinds, as there may be fraud in respect of a term, the meaning, or a metaphorical phrase (i. 50-54). "Futility" (jāti) is a self-destructive argument (i. 58). This is of twenty-four kinds (as described in the fifth book of the Nyāya aphorisms) (1-38). "Occasion for rebuke" is where the disputant loses his cause [by stupidity], and this is of twenty-two kinds (as described in the fifth book of the aphorisms, 44-67). We do not insert here all the minute subdivisions through fear of being too prolix,—they are fully explained in the aphorisms.

11.18

tattvanirṇayaphalaḥ kathāviśeṣo vādaḥ/ ubhayasādhanavatī vijigīṣukathā jalpaḥ/ svapakṣasthāpanahīnaḥ kathāviśeṣo vitaṇḍā/ kathā nāma vādiprativādinoḥ pakṣapratipakṣaparigrahaḥ/

Discussion (vāda) is a particular kind of debate whose fruit is the ascertainment of truth. Disputation (jalpa) is a debate between those wishing to conquer, having the establishing of both sides. Cavil (vitaṇḍā) is a particular kind of debate devoid of establishing one's own position. Debate (kathā) is the taking up of a thesis and counter-thesis by a proponent and an opponent.

11.19

asādhako hetutvenābhimato hetvābhāsaḥ/ sa pañcavidhaḥ/ savyabhicāraviruddhaprakaraṇasamasādhyasamātītakālabhedāt/

A pseudo-reason (hetvābhāsa) is that which, though inefficacious as a proof, is accepted as a reason. It is of five kinds, through the divisions of the erratic, the contradictory, the counterbalanced, the unproved, and the mistimed.

11.20

śabdavṛttivyatyayena pratiṣedhahetuś chalam/ tat trividham/ abhidhānatātparyopacāravṛttivyatyayabhedāt/

Quibble (chala) is a ground of objection through altering the signification of a word. It is of three kinds, through the divisions of altering primary denotation, intended meaning, and figurative usage.

11.21

svavyāghātakam uttaraṃ jātiḥ/ sā caturviṃśatividhā/ sādharmyavai-dharmyotkarṣāpakarṣavarṇyāvarṇyavikalpasādhyaprāptyaprāptiprasaṅgaprati-dṛṣṭāntānutpattisaṃśayaprakaraṇāhetvarthāpattyaviśeṣopapattyupalabdhy-anupalabdhinityānityakāryasamabhedāt/

A futile rejoinder (jāti) is an objection that is self-defeating. It is of twenty-four kinds, through the divisions of parity of similarity, dissimilarity, addition, subtraction, the questionable, the unquestionable, alternative, the to-be-proved, contact, non-contact, consequence, counter-example, non-origination, doubt, controversy, non-reason, presumption, non-difference, demonstration, perception, non-perception, eternal, non-eternal, and effect.

11.22

parājayanimittaṃ nigrahasthānam/ tad dvāviṃśatiprakāram/ pratijñāhāni-pratijñāntarapratijñāvirodhapratijñāsaṃnyāsahetvantarārthāntara-nirarthakāvijñātārthāpārthakāprāptakālanyūnādhika-punaruktānanubhāṣaṇājñānāpratibhāvikṣepamatānujñāparyanuyojyopekṣaṇa-niranuyojyānuyogāpasiddhāntahetvābhāsabhedāt/

A clincher (nigrahasthāna) is an occasion for defeat. It is of twenty-two varieties, through the divisions of non-fulfilment of thesis, shifting the thesis, contradiction of thesis, renouncing the thesis, shifting the reason, shifting the topic, meaninglessness, unintelligibility, incoherence, mistiming, deficiency, excess, repetition, non-replication, ignorance, lack of ingenuity, evasion, admission of an opinion, overlooking the censurable, censuring the non-censurable, departure from an established tenet, and pseudo-reasons.

11.23

atra sarvāntargaṇikas tu viśeṣas tatra śāstre vispaṣṭo 'pi vistarabhiyā na prastūyate/

However, the particular details belonging to every subclass here, although clear in that treatise, are not set forth out of fear of prolixity.