Paksha as locus – UGC NET Question

Paksha refers to the subject about which something is to be inferred, such as the hill in "The hill is fiery because it has smoke". It is the locus where the reason is observed and where the property to be proved is asserted. Identifying the paksha makes clear the scope of the inferential claim. Hence the subject described in the stem is called paksha.

Option A:
Option A, sapaksha, is the collection of similar instances where both hetu and sadhya are present, used to support vyapti. These are positive examples, not the particular subject under direct consideration. Therefore sapaksha is not correct.

Option B:
Option B, vipaksha, denotes dissimilar instances where the sadhya is absent and typically the hetu should also be absent. They test the universality of the vyapti but are not the main locus of inference. Thus vipaksha does not fit the stem.

Option C:
Option C is correct because paksha explicitly names the individual case about which the inference is being made. It is central to understanding who or what the conclusion is intended to apply to.

Option D:
Option D, hetu, is the reason or middle term cited to justify the sadhya, such as "having smoke". It is a property of the paksha rather than the paksha itself, so it cannot be the answer here.