Chapter 4.2.4 - The Prakaranas (d): Nyayalilavati by Vallabhacarya

Vallabhacarya, the author of the commentary work on Nyayalilavati titled Nyayalilavati paksha is considered to have lived during the twelth century AD.^[1] He is regarded as one of the greatest authors on Vaisheshika Philosophy. The Nyayalilavati is mentioned in a Kanarese poem written by a poet of the time of King Cinghana of the Yadava dynasty.

The Nyayalilavati is an expository treatise on Vaisheshika philosophy. This work begins with a salutation to Purushottama. Nyayalilavati deals with the six categories viz. dravya, guna, karma, samanya, vishesha, and samavaya. The Nyaya category of pramana is included by Vallabhacarya in the Vaisheshika category of guna. He treats buddhi under the category of guna and divides it into two viz. vidya or right knowledge and avidya or wrong knowledge. According to Vallabhacarya pramana is of four kinds, viz., perception (pratyaksha), inference (anumana), comparison (upamana) and verbal testimony (shabda). Presumption (arthapathi), probability (sambhava), and tradition, are not separate means of right knowledge. For him liberation is the absolute cessation of pain.

He classifies fallacies into four types: asiddha, viruddha, savyabhicara, and anadhyavasita. Nyayalilavati-prakasha by Vardhamana Upadhyaya, Nyayalilavati-didhiti by Raghunatha Shiromani, Nyayalilavati Kanthabharana by Sankara Mishra, Nyayalilavati-prakashaviveka by Mathuranatha Tarkavagisa are the important commentaries on Nyayalilavati.