By Swami Harshananda
Vāda literally means ‘discussion’.
The word vāda is a technical term used by the Nyāya philosophy.[1] It means discussion. It is adoption of one of the two opposing sides. It is conducted according to logical rules and aims only at finding out the truth.
In it, both the vādī[2] and the pravtivādī[3] try to establish their own positions and refute that of the other with logic, quotations from authoritative sources and answering objections. This is very well illustrated by a philosophical discussion between the teacher and his student. However, during the middle-ages, vāda or disputation among the scholars to establish their supremacy was very common.
References[edit]
- ↑ Nyāyasutras 1.2.1
- ↑ Vādī means exponent.
- ↑ Pravtivādī means opponent.
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore