1918.] The Taitva-cintamani. 295 
Book If. 
aqawtwmA—tinference. 
wafatafreuay | 
The Determination of Inferential Knowledge. 
The inferential knowledge (anumiti) is that knowledge 
which is derived through another knowledge, viz. that the 
middle term in invariable concomitance with the major term 
abides in the minor term, e.g. 
The hill is full of fire, 
because it is full of smoke. 
Here the “ hill”’ is the minor term which is also called the 
subject, locus or side ; the “fire” is the major term, also called 
the predicate or probandum ; and the “smoke” is the middle 
term, also called the reason or mark. The knowledge of the 
form “the hill is full of smoke’’ is an inferential knowledge 
inasmuch as it is derived through another knowledge, viz. that 
of the smoke which, as being in invariable concomitance with 
fire, abides on the hill. This other knowledge, viz. that smoke 
in invariable concomitance with fire abides on the hill, 1s.an 
instance of what is called consideration, knowledge of premisses 
or inference (paramarga or anumana) It is the intercourse or 
operation through which we arrive at the inferential knowledge. 
The whole process of arriving at that knowledge is also some- 
times called inference. 
ome say that perception is the only means of knowledge 
and that there is no separate means of knowledge called infer- 
ence. Their reasons are as follows :— 
1. There cannot be any knowledge of the invariable 
concomitance between the middle term and the 
major term ; 
2. The middle term may be erratic owing to its connec- 
tion with a condition accepted or disputed ; and 
3. We often associate the middle term with the major 
term through a mere probability which involves 
no certainty. 
variable concomitance, etc. will be treated later. In sup- 
