September – October
Nyāya: The Path of Clear Knowledge
Perception, Reasoning, Debate, and Liberation
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.
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.
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
Vedic Threads is Satsangam’s signature offering, designed to immerse students in the interconnected context of Indian wisdom traditions.
Join hosts Drs. Ramkumar and Claudia Welch, Navneet Raman, world-class instructors, and sincere, curious participants from all over the world for intimate, enlightening conversations around these sorts of topics in this twice-monthly, live, online Vedic Threads membership.
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
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
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
About Vedic Threads
Vedic Threads is a space for those who wish to explore the contexts in which Indian wisdom traditions, Ayurveda, yoga, music, poetry, ritual, and performance, truly live.
- It is for those who are curious to learn Eastern subjects in an Eastern way.
- For those who wish to learn directly from lifelong students and practitioners.
- For those seeking practical ways to bring concepts like prāṇa, mantra, kalā, and bhāva into daily life.
- For those who value being part of a thoughtful and engaged community exploring Vedic wisdom together.
