In Indian philosophy,
one of the components of an acceptable form of inference (anumana).
There are three parts to an acceptable inference: an
assertion (pratijna), a reason (hetu), and examples (drshtanta).
Each of these three has its own constituent parts.
The sapaksha is a part of the examples, which is the third
term.
It is a hypothetical example used to support the claim made
in the initial assertion by demonstrating that similar events occur in similar
situations.
For example, in the inference "there is fire on the
mountain because there is smoke on the mountain," the sapaksha could be
"as in a kitchen," because this location has both fire and smoke,
confirming the initial assertion.
In most cases, an inference must also include a negative
example to demonstrate that the claim made in the assertion does not hold true
in other situations.
