For the Journal of Physics see Pramana (journal)

Pramana (journal)

Pramana – Journal of Physics is a scholarly journal in physics published by the Indian Academy of Sciences in connection with the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Physics Association. It publishes refereed papers on research, brief reports, as well as invited reviews. It also has...

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Pramana (sources of knowledge, Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

) is an epistemological term in Hindu

Hindu philosophy

Hindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...

 and Buddhist dialectic

Dialectic

Dialectic is a method of argument for resolving disagreement that has been central to Indic and European philosophy since antiquity. The word dialectic originated in Ancient Greece, and was made popular by Plato in the Socratic dialogues...

, debate

Debate

Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...

 and discourse

Discourse

Discourse generally refers to "written or spoken communication". The following are three more specific definitions:...

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Pramāṇavāda and Hetuvidya (因明) can be glossed in English as Indian and Buddhist Epistemology and Logic

Logic

In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...

, respectively.
Different systems of Hindu philosophy

Hindu philosophy

Hindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...

 accept different categories of pramanas.

Pramana forms one part of a tripuţi (trio) concerning Pramā (the correct knowledge of any object arrived at by thorough reasoning, Sanskrit), namely,

1. Pramātā (< pramātŗ), the subject, the knower
2. Pramāņa, the means of obtaining the knowledge
3. Prameya, the object, the knowable

Modern Buddhist schools do not use these three distinct terms particularly, but instead employ the 'three spheres' (Sanskrit: trimaṇḍala; Tibetan: 'khor gsum):

1. subject
2. object, and
3. action.

In Advaita Vedānta

Advaita Vedanta

Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...

, the following pramanas are accepted:

• Pratyakşa — the knowledge gained by means of the senses
• Anumāna — the knowledge gained by means of inference
• Upamāna
  Upamana
  Upamana , in Hinduism, is a pramana, or means of having knowledge of something. Observance of similarities provides knowledge of the relationship between the two....
  
   — the knowledge gained by means of analogy
• Arthāpatti — the knowledge gained by superimposing the known knowledge on an appearing knowledge that does not concur with the known knowledge
• Anupalabdi — non apprehension and skepticism in the face of non-apprehension
• Āgama
  Āgama (Hinduism)
  Agama means, in the Hindu context, "a traditional doctrine, or system which commands faith".In Hinduism, the Agamas are a collection of Sanskrit scriptures which are revered and followed by millions of Hindus.-Significance:...
  
   — the knowledge gained by means of texts such as Vedas
  Vedas
  The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
  
   (also known as Āptavākya, Śabda pramana)

According to the Sankhya school, knowledge is possible through three pramanas:

• Pratyakşa — direct sense perception
• Anumāna — logic
  Logic
  In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
  
  al inference
• Śabda — Verbal testimony

The Nyaya

Nyaya

' is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika schools of Hindu philosophy—specifically the school of logic...

 school accepts four means of obtaining knowledge (pramana), viz., Perception, Inference, Comparison and Word.

• Perception, called Pratyakşha, occupies the foremost position in the Nyaya epistemology.