Meaning of Pramana Concept – UGC NET Question

In Indian epistemology, pramāṇa denotes the reliable means through which valid cognition or true knowledge is obtained. Schools like Nyāya classify perception, inference, comparison and testimony as distinct pramāṇas. The focus is not on the object or the knower, but on the channels that justify a cognition as trustworthy. Thus, pramāṇa is central to debates about how we know what we claim to know.

Option A:
Option A confuses pramāṇa with prameya, which is the object that is known, not the means of knowing.

Option B:
Option B correctly identifies pramāṇa as the valid means of knowledge, emphasising the instrumentality and reliability that makes a cognition pramā.

Option C:
Option C aligns more with pramātṛ, the subject or knower, which is a different element of the knowledge situation.

Option D:
Option D wrongly restricts pramāṇa to inference alone; while anumāna is one pramāṇa, most classical systems acknowledge several distinct pramāṇas.