Nyāya Sūtras 252

NyS 3.1.55: And because of contradiction, the skin is not one.

Indeed, the skin is not one sense organ, because of contradiction: if it were to operate without reaching its object, in that visual forms are apprehended by the skin without being reached, it would follow that it is so in the case of touch and the like as well. And because touch and the like are apprehended when reached, it would follow that visual forms and the like are apprehended when reached.

If it is said that it operates both by reaching and without reaching? Then there would be the apprehension of any object whatever, because obstruction would be impossible. But suppose one were to think: touch and the like are apprehended by the skin when reached, but visual forms when not reached? In that case, there would be no obstruction; and because obstruction would be impossible, there would be apprehension of any visual form whatever, whether occluded or unoccluded. And the dependence of the apprehension and non-apprehension of visual form upon distance and proximity would not obtain: this fact—that visual form is not apprehended at a distance and is apprehended near at hand—would not obtain, since visual form would be apprehended by the skin without being reached.