The distinction between laukika and alaukika is made with reference to which one of the following pramanas?

The distinction between laukika and alaukika is made with reference to which one of the following pramanas? Correct Answer Pratyaksa (Perception)

Pramana is a valid means of knowledge. Knowledge can be valid or invalid, valid knowledge is called prama and non-valid knowledge is known as aprama and its important four means include:

1. Pratyaksa (Perception)
2. Anumana (Inference)
3. Upamana (Comparison)
4. Shabda (Verbal testimony)

​Pratyaksha (Perception)

• It is basically which is before one’s eyes, ‘aksa’ means sense organ, and ‘prati’ means the function of each sense organ.
• A perception is a valid form of knowledge produced by the contact of an object with a sense organ. 
• It is the first of the five means of knowledge or pramanas, that enable a person to have correct cognitions of the world. 
• Pratyaksha is of two kinds,

1. Anubhava: Direct perception
2. Smriti: Remembered perception

• The knowledge arises by contact of sense organs (indriya) with an object. Such contact is not the sole condition of perception, but it is its distinctive feature or extraordinary cause (karana) of perception. The actual process is given below:
  • The self comes into contact with the mind (manas)
  • The manas with the senses
  • The senses with the object
• The modern school of Nyaya gives a new definition of perception as it is direct or immediate cognition that is not derived through the instrumentality of any other cognition. It applies to all cases of perception, human or divine. Even God’s omniscience has the highest degree of immediacy conceivable. It excludes inference, analogy and verbal testimony. It excludes ‘memory’ as well.
• Perception is divided into the following two categories.
  1. Ordinary (Laukika)
  2. Extraordinary (Alaukika)
• According to later logicians, there are two kinds of verbal testimony as given below.

1. Vaidika or Alukika: It is also known as divine or scripture.
2. Laukika or secular

• The former relates to the words of God. The Vedas are created by God and therefore, valid perfectly. The latter relates to the words of trustworthy people.
• According to Nyayikas, since human beings are not perfect, only the words of trustworthy people can be considered as Laukika Shabda.

Hence, The distinction between laukika and alaukika is made with reference to Pratyaksha.

Anumana (Inference)

• It means after knowledge i.e., the knowledge that follows other knowledge.
• This may be explained with the help of the typical example of inference, the presence of fire on the perception of smoke. When one sees smoke on distant hill one remembers one’s experience of the universal concomitance (Vyapti) between smoke and fire and concludes that there is fire on the distant hill.

Upamana ("comparison"),

• A means of having knowledge of something, in which observance of its similarities to another object provides knowledge of the relationship between the two.

Sabda (verbal testimony) the knowledge gained by means of texts