UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Purvavat anumana moves from knowledge of a cause to knowledge of an effect that has not yet manifested. Observing dark, moisture-laden clouds and concluding that it will rain is a classic example. The temporal sequence runs from earlier cause to later effect, which is why this type is called purvavat. Nyaya recognises it as one important pattern of causal inference.

Option A:
Option A, sesavat, reverses the direction by inferring a prior cause from a present effect and thus does not fit the forward-looking pattern described in the stem.

Option B:
Option B, samanyatodrsta, involves inference from general concomitance that is not necessarily causal and therefore is too broad and differently structured.

Option C:
Option C, anvayavyatireki, classifies inference by the way vyapti is established through positive and negative instances, not by the temporal relation between cause and effect.

Option D:
Option D is correct because purvavat literally means "based on the prior" and specifically captures the move from earlier causal conditions to later outcomes.