The Nyaya philosophy is \nprimarily concerned with the conditions of valid thought and the means of \nacquiring true knowledge of objects. Its ultimate end, like that of the other \nsystems of Indian philosophy, is liberation - a state of pure existence - \nwhich is free from both pleasure and pain. For the attainment of this \nliberation, a true knowledge of objects is the surest means. Hence the theory \nof knowledge is the very foundation of the Nyaya system.The Nyaya Theory of \nKnowledge is the first systematic, critical and comparative treatment of the \nNyãya epistemology. It reveals how, as a thorough-going realistic view of the \nuniverse, the Nyãya philosophy supplies an important Eastern parallel to the \ntriumphant modern Realism of the West, and contains anticipations of as well \nas possible alternatives to many contemporary realistic theories. This book \nis important as much for the correct understanding of ancient Indian \nphilosophy, as for the evaluation of modern Western philosophy.