Pratijna

Pratijna is a Sanskrit term in Indian logic referring to the proposition or assertion that is to be established in an inference. In the classical Nyaya school, the pratijna forms the first element of a five-part syllogism used to prove a claim. The other parts are the hetu (reason), dristanta (example), upanaya (application), and nigamana (conclusion). The pratijna frames what is to be shown, often as a general statement about a particular phenomenon, such as “There is fire on the hill.”

A typical syllogism would present the pratijna as the initial assertion, followed by the hetu that supports it, an illustrative dristanta, an upanaya linking the example to the case at hand, and finally the nigamana which states the conclusion. Although five parts are standard in many Nyaya presentations, later philosophers proposed alternative forms, reflecting ongoing discussions about how inference is grounded and communicated.

Etymology of pratijna derives from Sanskrit, commonly glossed as an assertion or proposition that stands as the claim to be proven. Historically, the concept is associated with the Nyaya sutras attributed to Gautama and was developed by later logicians such as Vatsyayana and Udayana, among others. Pratijna remains a foundational idea in the study of Indian epistemology and logic, illustrating how a demonstrable claim is structured and defended within a systematic argumentative framework.