37. 40 CHAPTERI

40 CHAPTERI

horse. He divides the contents of the æsthetic object into two classes (i) illusive and (ii) inferrable. Situation, mimetic changes and transient emotions are illusive, because their suc. cessful artistic presentation on the stage illudes the spectator to take them to be real. The indirectly imitated basic mental state, however, which does not admit of direct perceptible presentation, is inferred from what is directly perceived, but it is wrongly taken to be real. In his exposition of theory of æsthetics he adopts the technique of the ancient Logic (Prācya Nyāya). It is, therefore, necessary to have a clear idea of the following conceptions of the Nyaya :-

(i) The conditions of knowledge.

(ii) Means of right knowledge.

(iii) Theories of error, doubt and knowledge based on similarity.

(iv) Theory of recognition.

I. CONDITIONS OF KNOWLEDGE.

The Nyaya is a realistic system. The objects of experience, according to it, are not mere illusions or subjec- tive ideas in the mind of knowing subject. They have existence and reality independently of the subject. It upholds the point of view of common sense. It makes use of logical methods to establish the reality of external objective world. It examines the objects of knowledge by means of the cannons of logical proof. It describes the mechanism of knowledge at great length and shows the hollowness of sceptic conclusion that nothing is certain. It holds that the individual souls are substantial beings and that subject and object interact on each other. All knowledge, therefore, according to Nyaya, implies the following conditions. (i) cognising subject (Pramātā), (ii) the object of cognition, to which the cognitive activity is