Sabda as testimony knowledge – UGC NET Question

Sabda is recognised as a pramana in which valid knowledge is produced by meaningful sentences uttered by a reliable speaker or contained in authoritative texts. It covers a wide range of everyday and scriptural information that individuals cannot verify directly. The reliability of sabda depends on the competence and honesty of the source. Therefore the testimony-based knowledge referred to in the stem is called sabda.

Option A:
Option A is correct because sabda directly names verbal testimony as a distinct means of knowledge in Nyaya. It captures cases where we justifiably believe something on the basis of another's trustworthy report.

Option B:
Option B, upamana, uses comparison to identify new objects and does not primarily involve belief in another's authority beyond the initial description.

Option C:
Option C, arthapatti, is postulation where a new fact is inferred to explain an otherwise inexplicable situation, which is different from simply accepting a statement on trust.

Option D:
Option D, anupalabdhi, is non-perception or absence, accepted as a pramana in some schools like Bhatta Mimamsa, not in classical Nyaya. It involves cognising the non-existence of an object rather than learning from verbal testimony.