Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c40.s5.5

v2.c40.s5.5

Notwithstanding the dogmatic belief of some traditional scholars in the ‘infallibility’ of the Vedas which are supposed to be the ‘repositories of all knowledge’, the non-traditional scholars of the ancient India adored *upajñā* and *upakrama*. Pāṇini honoured this tradition of searching for truth by explaining that *upajñā* meant discovery or invention by one’s self, a new knowledge not handed down by tradition. This newly acquired knowledge in its turn gives rise to a new enterprise or application, that is *upakrama* (Pāṇ., 2.4.21; 4.3.115 and 6.2.14). Even the modern science and technology rest upon the conceptual trinity of *pramāṇa*, *upajñā* and *upakrama*.