Part 3 - Works of Navya Nyāya school

The Navya Nyāya is different from Prācina Nyāya mainly on the basis of the peculiar argumentive process employed by it. The Navya-Nyāya school first arose in Mithila and later of Bengal became the Navadvīpa of Bengal became the main centre of this trends of thoughts.^[1] In the 12^th century A.D., Gaṅgeśopāddhyāya appeared in the scene with his work Tattvacintāmaṇi which is the starting point of Navya Nyāya.

The Tattvacintāmaṇi is divided into four books dealing respectively with perception (pratyakṣa), inference (anumāna), comparison (upamāna) and verbal testimony (śabda) which are the four means of valid knowledge accepted in Nyāya system. Raghunāth Śiromaṇi (1500 A.D.) who is regarded as the great figure of Navya-nyāya school commented on Tattvacintāmaṇi named Dīdhiti and also wrote a short treatise named Padārthatattvanirūpana. Two other famous writers, viz., Mathurānāth Bhaṭṭācārya and Jagadīśa Bhaṭṭācārya commented on Raghunāth Śiromaṇi’s commentary. These are Tattvacintāmaṇidīdhitirahasya and Śabdaśaktiprakāśikā. The former belonged to the end of the 16^th century A.D. and the later to the beginning of the 17^th century A.D.^[2] Jayadeva wrote an important commentary on Tattvacintāmaṇi named Āloka by about 13^th century A.D. Another work Śaktivāda is written by Gadādhara Bhaṭṭācārya belonging to this school. Gadādhara Bhaṭṭācārya wrote a commentary on Śiromaṇi’s commentary also, where the subtlety of Navya Nyāya reaches its climax.