Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c16.87

c16.87

**Spheres of Faith and Reason.** As has been already pointed out, the Nyaya Sūtras at the outset clearly distinguish between the spheres of reasoning and faith. The sphere of faith lies beyond the ken of the senses and the knowledge derived therefrom is not to be tested by the application of those logical methods which appertain to that derived from ordinary observation or perception by the senses. The Nyāya Sūtras instance the Veda as a source of such revealed or valid knowledge and are at pains to defend it against the attacks of the sceptics who doubt the authority of the Vedas. Both the attack and the defence are interesting as showing the place occupied by Vedic studies and religion in the intellectual life of the times and also the growth of schools of thought (headed by the Buddhists) which stood up for other sources and systems of revelation than the traditional and time-worn Vedic. These dissenters hold the Veda as unreliable because they find in it the three defects of untruth, contradiction, and tautology. As an instance of untruth, the commentator points to the statement of the Veda that a son is produced when a particular sacrifice for that purpose is performed, whereas it often happens that the performance of that sacrifice is not followed by the promised result. To this objection the reply of the Nyāya is that the so-called untruth of the Veda is due to some defect in the act (e.g. sacrificing not according to rules), operator (e.g. the priest not being a learned man), and materials of sacrifice (e.g. fuel being wet, butter being not fresh, remuneration to the officiating priest being small, etc.).