Pratijna as thesis statement – UGC NET Question

Pratijna is the opening claim or thesis in the Nyaya five-membered argument that sets out what the speaker intends to establish. It identifies both the subject (paksha) and the property to be proved (sadhya), as in “The hill is fiery.” This statement guides the subsequent presentation of reasons, examples and applications. Consequently, the initial thesis described in the stem is called pratijna.

Option A:
Option A is correct because pratijna functions as the focal point around which the rest of the inferential steps are organised. Without clearly stating the pratijna, the audience would not know what conclusion the argument aims to justify.

Option B:
Option B, hetu, is the reason offered to support the thesis, such as “because there is smoke.” It is a distinct member of the inference and cannot itself be the thesis.

Option C:
Option C, paksha, is the subject or locus in which the property is to be established, like “the hill,” and forms part of the pratijna but does not name the full thesis statement.

Option D:
Option D, vyapti, is the universal relation of concomitance between hetu and sadhya, which underpins the reliability of the inference. It is a principle appealed to by the argument, not the thesis being asserted.