Page:The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago.djvu/238

Rh correct, I do not believe in any of them. Venerable monk, I beseech thee to teach me the truth.” “I shall teach thee, listen to me attentively” replied the monk (and continued). “The sources of true knowledge according to A’dhi-Jinêndra are only two. Right perception and ''inference. Perception he has described as conscious feeling (through the senses); name, species, quality, action and so forth (of an object) are (known by) inference.'' (In ascertaining) cause or effect and (in making a) general inference we may be wrong: but the inference of an effect as smoke from fire is correct. All other sources of knowledge are irregular inferences. There are five (parts in every inference or syllogism) Assertion, Reason, Example, Comparison and Deduction.


 * ‘This mountain has fire’ is Assertion.
 * ‘Because it has smoke ‘ is Reason.
 * ‘Like the kitchen-hearth’ is Example.
 * ‘This mountain also has smoke is Comparison.
 * ‘As it has smoke it has fire’ is Deduction.

‘Whatever does not possess fire cannot be accompanied by smoke as for instance a stream (of water) is an example of the Negative of the Assertion. Enquiring into the nature of the correct Reason of an effect is as follows:-


 * ‘Sound is non-eternal’ is Assertion.
 * ‘Because it is made’ is Reason.
 * ‘Whatever is made is non-eternal like a jar' is Example.
 * ‘Whatever is eternal is not made like the sky' is a Negative Example.

An inference without correct reason is as follows :—


 * ‘There is no jar in this open space’ is Assertion.
 * ‘Because it is not visible’ is Reason.
 * ‘Because the hare has no horn we do not see it’ is Example.

‘Whatever exists can be seen, like the nelly fruit on the palm’ is a negative example. In this manner a cause should be established. If it is asked what smoke has proved, the answer is By the concomitance that ‘where there is smoke there is fire and the converse negative fact that ‘where there is no fire there is no smoke’ smoke proves (the existence of) fire. The upward and curling progress of smoke is the effect of fire; and hence the rising black smoke proves (the cause which is) fire. If the concomitance (alone) is to prove the fact, one who saw a