What are the instruments of knowledge or the ‘pramāna’ that are available to us?

In acquiring knowledge, the foremost instruments are our organs of perceptions and the comprehending mind. As these instruments are subtle in nature and internal to us, these are also called ‘indriya’ and ‘anta-karanā’.

The key point is, with the organs of perception, we see, touch, hear, smell and taste to sense the objects and comprehend in the mind. It is also common to refer all those sensory perceptions as ‘seeing’, for example, we say ‘did you see my point’ in our conversations. That is how the term ‘pratyaksha’ should be understood, literally meaning ‘in front of the eyes’, referring to ‘direct’ experience. Therefore, the sensory perceptions and the comprehending mind are collectively known as ‘pratyaksha-pramāna’, the instrument of direct knowledge.
What about where the sensing faculties are unavailable?

What about if objects that we seek to know are not directly perceptible?

Surely, we need more than the ‘pratyaksha-pramāna’.

(to be continued – Mee. Rajagopalan – 12/05/2017)