Vatsyayana Quotes on Truth
Vatsyayana, also called Pakshilasvamin, was a fourth- or fifth-century Indian Nyaya philosopher, the author of the Nyaya-bhasya, the foundational commentary on the Nyaya Sutras of Akshapada Gautama. This page collects quotes attributed to Vatsyayana on the topic of truth, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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Attributed to Vatsyayana:
“There are four valid means of knowledge: perception, inference, comparison, and verbal testimony.”
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Attributed to Vatsyayana:
“An inference is sound when its mark is invariably accompanied by what it is taken to indicate.”
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Attributed to Vatsyayana:
“Doubt is the beginning of philosophy, but doubt resolved by argument is its end.”
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“A person acquainted with the true principles of this science , who preserves his Dharma ( virtue or religious merit ), his Artha (worldly wealth) and his Kama (pleasure or sensual gratification), and who has regard to the customs of the people, is sure to obtain the mastery over his senses . In short, an intelligent and knowing person attending to Dharma and Artha and also to Kama, without becoming the slave of his passions, will obtain success in everything that he may do.”
In: The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana: Translated from the Sanscrit. In seven parts, with preface, introduction, and concluding remarks , Kama Shastra Society of London and Benares, 1883, p.9