Perception and Perceptual Error in Nyāya and Advaita Vedānta: A Comparative Review

This paper examines how two classical Indian philosophical traditions, Nyāya and Advaita Vedānta, conceive of perception (Pratyakṣa) and perceptual error. Nyāya's realism holds that perception arises from sense-object contact (sannikarṣa), producing knowledge as a quality in the self. Advaita Vedānta, by contrast, sees perception as the manifestation of self-luminous consciousness through mental modification (vritti), which removes ignorance and discloses, rather than produces, knowledge of the object. The paper analyzes these differing accounts and compares how Nyāya's realism and Advaita's non-dualism shape perceptual knowledge, as well as their respective explanations of perceptual error, to reveal the epistemic depth of each system.

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Abstract

This paper investigates the concept of perception (Pratyakṣa) and perceptual error in Nyāya and Advaita Vedānta. Though both the systems recognise perception as primary means of valid knowledge they vary conceptually in understanding the nature of object, self and consciousness, and the kind of knowledge perception reveals. Nyāya’s realism explains perception in terms of sannikarṣa: sense-object contact and resultant knowledge is the quality produced in self. By contrast Advaita Vedānta explains perception is the manifestation of self-luminous consciousness through the vritti, that removes veil of ignorance and knowledge of the object is disclosed not produced. The paper analyses the concept of perception in Nyāya in terms of sense-object contact (sannikarṣa), and for Advaita through Anthakaran vritti, consciousness and self-luminosity. It also undertakes a comparative study of how perceptual knowledge is shaped by Nyāya’s realism and Advaita’s non-dualism and the concept of perceptual error in both the systems, to expound the epistemic depth.