Savyabhicara Irregular Middle – UGC NET Question

A savyabhicāra hetu is one that appears both where the sādhya is present and where it is absent, making the middle term unreliable. Horns are found not only in cows but also in goats, buffaloes and other animals. Thus “having horns” does not uniquely signal “being a cow,” and many counter instances exist. This irregularity is what makes the hetu anaikāntika or inconclusive.

Option A:
Option A clearly uses “having horns” as a middle term to prove “cow,” but this hetu occurs widely in non cow cases, so it is a textbook savyabhicāra example.

Option B:
Option B uses the smoke–fire relation, which Nyāya typically treats as a well established and regular vyāpti rather than an irregular one.

Option C:
Option C links being made of clay to breakability, which is usually seen as a strong and reliable connection with few counter instances.

Option D:
Option D presents a case where dyeing generally does explain colour in cloth; this does not display the same irregularity and is not the standard example for savyabhicāra.