ABSTRACT
These systems are generally classed together, for they agree upon the subjects of which they treat in common, but are distinct in their chief purpose. The Nyāya is not properly a system of philosophy, but an introduction to all such systems, for it treats mainly of the objects and the laws of thought. The Vaiśeshika system is a system of physical science as taught by Kaṇāda, the reputed author of the Vaiśeshika-Sūtra, in which this system is explained. From the singular absence or deficiency of historical data in India, little is known of Gotama or Gautama, the author of the Nyāya, or of Kaṇāda. The former has become the subject of fanciful legend almost to the same degree as Kapila, the author of the Sānkhya system. He is said to have been born in Northern India at the beginning of the Treta Yuga, or second age of the world, and to have married Ahalyā, the daughter of Brahma. We can only infer from these statements that he was probably a Brahman, and may have been of noble descent. He is the Aristotle of India, and his Sūtras have always been a popular study among the Hindus, whose acuteness finds a suitable field in the discussion of dialectic subtleties. A large number of commentators have explained and commented on the system of Gotama, in order to adapt it to popular use.
