The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c10.83

c10.83

Now innumerable particular uniformities of this kind (Vyáptis) are observed, and as a result of this repeated observation a belief in the Uniformity of Nature (**स्वभावप्रतिबन्ध**), as well as in the principle of Causality (**कार्य्यकारणभाव**), is generated in the mind, a belief which has evidential value and validity. It is not intuition (न मानसम्) but a mental pre-disposition based on uniform and uninterrupted experience (भूयोदर्शनजनित-संस्कारसहितम् इन्द्रियमेव स्वाभाविकसम्बन्धग्राहि—यन्न भूयोदर्शनम् असाधारणम् इति प्रमाणान्तरं जातम्). Then, armed with these new resources, the belief in uniformity and in causality as general principles, we proceed to fortify our particular inductions (Vyáptis), whether of Uniformity of Nature or of Causality, by indirect deduction from these general principles:—We argue: If, under these observed circumstances, *A* were not the mark of *B*, the principle of Uniformity of Nature would be violated—Nature would not be uniform—or, if under these observed circumstances *A* were not the cause of *B*, the principle of Causality would be violated, the phenomenon *B* would be without a cause;—and such indirect proof (तर्क, ऊह) gives us the overwhelming probability which we call practical certitude, and on which every reasonable man (every thinking and judging person) proceeds to act in due natural course.—स्वभावतश्च प्रतिबद्धा हेतवः स्वसाध्येन, यदि साध्यमन्तरेण भवेयुः, स्वभावादेव प्रच्यवेरन्निति तर्कसहायः अनिरस्तसाध्यव्यति-रेकप्रवृत्तिसंदेहा यत्र दृष्टाः, तत्र स्वसाध्यम् उपस्थापयन्त्येव ।—Váchaspati, I., 1, Sútra 5; *cf.* also I., 1, Sútra 40: ऊहः कारणस्योपपत्त्या संभवेन ज्ञायते । कारणासम्भवे कार्यस्य असत्त्वात् ।