Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c10.s2.4

c10.s2.4

In fact, the practice of *dṛṣṭānta* — exemplification of a philosophical discourse or argument by an illustration involving an episode — is very old. In Buddhism, a dārṣṭāntic sect, known for giving *dṛṣṭāntas* (illustrations) developed along with the four well-known sects (Sautrāntika, Vaibhāṣika, etc.). However, the idea of *dṛṣṭānta* as a *kāvya lakṣaṇa* in *Nāṭyaśāstra* has been directly borrowed from *Nyāyadarśana* as the use of terms *hetu* and *pakṣa* clearly suggests.