Udayana

Udayana was a philosopher of the Nyāya school from Mithilā, often regarded as the last great figure of the older Nyāya before the rise of Navya-Nyāya. His Nyāyakusumāñjali is the classic Indian defence of the existence of God (Īśvara), offering a series of proofs: from the world as an effect requiring an intelligent maker, from the combining of atoms, from the world's being sustained, and from scripture and authority. He also defended the existence of an enduring self against Buddhist critics. Some scholars place him in the late 10th century.

Key ideas

• The world, being an effect, requires an intelligent maker.
• The initial combination of atoms at creation requires a directing agent.
• The authority of scripture and the conventions of language point to an omniscient source.
• An enduring self exists, contrary to the Buddhist doctrine of momentariness.

Major works

• Nyāyakusumāñjali (Handful of Flowers of Reasoning)
• Ātmatattvaviveka (Discrimination of the Reality of the Self)
• Kiraṇāvalī (commentary on Praśastapāda)

In the conversation

• Discussion Udayana, Ibn Sina and Leibniz: three arguments for a first cause that do not need a beginning Meera Kulkarni · 6 replies
• Question Is Nyāya tarka a kind of counterfactual reasoning, and does it need possible worlds? Vikram Sethi · 5 replies
• Discussion Even if the proof works, whose God has it reached? The gap from “first cause” to God Miriam Adler · 5 replies
• Question What are Udayana’s arguments for God, and whom was he arguing against? Arvind Poojary · 5 replies
• Discussion A scripture with no author: what Mīmāṃsā does to the intention debate Govinda Prasad Upadhyaya · 4 replies

In the Journal

• Journal Where there’s smoke: the Cārvāka challenge to inference, and why it still matters Arvind Poojary · 0 replies
• Journal Philosophy of religion: a beginner’s guide to the big arguments Miriam Adler · 0 replies