Nyāya: The Path of Clear Knowledge

Perception, Reasoning, Debate, and Liberation

Join Dr Ramkumar Kutty, Dr Claudia Welch, and Navneet Raman in conversation with guest instructor Dr Rishi Manivannan for a four-part Vedic Threads series exploring Nyaya, one of the six classical darśanas of India.

Nyāya is one of the six classical darśanas of India and one of its great traditions of inquiry. It asks a question that touches almost every aspect of life: how do we know that what we believe to be true is actually true?

Nyāya develops a careful approach to perception, inference, reasoning, language, debate, doubt, and error. It gives us a framework for examining how knowledge arises, how conclusions are formed, and how we distinguish valid understanding from assumption or misunderstanding.

For anyone interested in Yoga, Āyurveda, Indian Knowledge Systems, philosophy, or the workings of the mind, Nyāya offers a practical discipline of clear thinking and careful inquiry. Its purpose ultimately leads toward something deeper: understanding reality more clearly, removing the errors that give rise to suffering, and moving toward liberation.

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Guest Instructor
Dr. Rammanohar Puthiyedath
Professor and Research Director
Amrita School of Ayurveda

Dr. Rammanohar Puthiyedath is an Ayurveda physician, researcher, and scholar with extensive experience in the study and teaching of Indian Knowledge Systems.

His work brings together classical Ayurvedic knowledge, Indian philosophical traditions, and contemporary academic research. Over several decades, he has been involved in research, education, clinical practice, and initiatives concerned with the preservation and meaningful transmission of traditional knowledge.

Through his teaching, he explores Indian philosophical systems in their wider intellectual and practical context, making classical ideas accessible while retaining their depth and original framework.

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Session 1
From Ṣaḍdarśana to Nyāya Darśana:
An Overview of Indian Philosophical Systems

10th September 2026 | 10am ET / 7.30pm IST

Topics covered

• Meaning and scope of Darśana
• The six Āstika Darśanas: Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Mīmāṃsā and Vedānta
• Common concerns: reality, knowledge, self, bondage and liberation
• Distinctive approaches of the six systems
• Place of Nyāya in the Indian philosophical tradition
• Gautama and the Nyāya Sūtra
• Introduction to the 16 Padārthas of Nyāya

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Session 2
Nyāya Epistemology:
Pramāṇa and Valid Knowledge

24th September 2026 | 10am ET / 7.30pm IST

Topics covered

• Pramā, pramāṇa and valid cognition
• The four Nyāya Pramāṇas: Pratyakṣa, Anumāna, Upamāna and Śabda
• Nature and varieties of Pratyakṣa
• Anumāna and the importance of Vyāpti
• Upamāna and Śabda
• Valid knowledge, doubt and error
• The role of Pramāṇa in attaining true knowledge

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Session 3
Nyāya Logic and Dialectics:
Anumāna, Tarka and Hetvābhāsa

8th October 2026 | 10am ET / 7.30pm IST
Topics covered

• Structure and purpose of Anumāna
• Pakṣa, Sādhya, Hetu and Vyāpti
• The five-membered Nyāya syllogism
• Tarka and its role in reasoning
• Major types of Hetvābhāsa (fallacies)
• Vāda, Jalpa and Vitaṇḍā
• Chala, Jāti and Nigrahasthāna
• Application of Nyāya reasoning to contemporary critical thinking

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Session 4
Nyāya:
Reality, Self and Liberation

22nd October 2026 | 10am ET / 7.30pm IST
Topics covered

• The 12 Prameyas (objects of valid knowledge)
• Nyāya conception of Ātman (self)
• Body, senses, mind and cognition
• Nyāya realism and its view of the external world
• Īśvara and Nyāya arguments for God
• Ignorance, Doṣa, Karma and Duḥkha
• Apavarga (liberation) as the ultimate goal
• From valid knowledge to freedom from suffering

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Dates & Times

• Thursday, 10th September 2026 | 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US) / 7:30 PM India Standard Time
• Thursday, 24th September 2026 | 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US) / 7:30 PM India Standard Time
• Thursday, 8th October 2026 | 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US) / 7:30 PM India Standard Time
• Thursday, 22nd October 2026 | 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US) / 7:30 PM India Standard Time

Please verify your local time before attending. World time buddy can help with this.

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Registration

Regular Fee: USD 100

Community Fee: USD 75

Coupon Code: COMMUNITY25

As a gesture of gratitude to the Satsangam community, use coupon code COMMUNITY25 to receive USD 25 off the full series.

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Learning Platform

This series is hosted on the Satsangam learning platform powered by GetOnYoga.

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Support

If you have questions or experience difficulty accessing the course, please contact:

connect@satsangam.net