Upamana Comparison Illustration – UGC NET Question

Upamāna is typically defined as the means of knowing the relation between a word and its denotatum through similarity, often illustrated by the gavaya (wild ox) example. One first hears “a gavaya is like a cow but lives in the forest,” and later, on seeing such an animal, recognises “this is a gavaya” by comparison. This involves neither straightforward perception alone nor ordinary inference; it is a special comparison based cognition.

Option A:
Option A describes inference (anumāna) from smoke to fire, not comparison, so it does not exemplify upamāna.

Option B:
Option B correctly presents the classic gavaya case, where comparison between a known cow and a new animal allows us to fix the meaning of the word “gavaya.”

Option C:
Option C concerns śabda pramāṇa, where valid testimony from scripture or a trusted person produces knowledge.

Option D:
Option D involves smṛti, or memory, which is recollection of a past event rather than fresh knowledge gained by comparison.