Badhita defeated reason – UGC NET Question

Badhita hetu is considered defective because its alleged vyapti cannot stand in the face of more authoritative evidence. For example, a reason that implies that fire is cold is immediately overturned by direct perception of heat. In such cases, even if the formal structure of the inference looks acceptable, the underlying universal relation is invalidated. Nyaya therefore treats the reason as defeated or badhita.

Option A:
Option A, savyabhicara, concerns irregularity of a reason across instances and not explicit conflict with a stronger pramana. The issue there is empirical deviation, not direct refutation.

Option B:
Option B, asiddha, involves non-establishment of the hetu in the paksha rather than its being contradicted at the level of vyapti.

Option C:
Option C is correct because badhita literally means "defeated" and is used when a proposed relation is annulled by superior sources like perception or scripture. It shows the need for harmony among pramanas in Nyaya.

Option D:
Option D, viruddha, denotes a reason that proves the opposite conclusion on its own, without needing external refutation, which is a different kind of defect.