Nyāya is one of the six classical orthodox schools of Indian philosophy, a darśana that distinguishes itself by a rigorous concern with logic, reasoning, and the theory of knowledge. The very word *nyāya* in Sanskrit carries the sense of “rule,” “method,” “procedure,” “plan,” “judgment,” and by extension “right reasoning” or “logic.” In philosophical usage, it points to the proper method of argumentation and justification, the disciplined way of thinking that leads from confusion to clarity. Thus, Nyāya is not merely an abstract system of logic, but a path that treats correct reasoning as a spiritual discipline.

At the heart of Nyāya lies the conviction that liberation, or mokṣa, depends upon the removal of ignorance through valid knowledge, called *pramā*. To this end, Nyāya analyzes the means of valid knowledge (*pramāṇas*), traditionally enumerated as perception, inference, comparison, and verbal testimony. Each of these is examined with great care so that one can distinguish genuine cognition from error, appearance from reality. Logic and debate are cultivated not as intellectual games, but as tools for cutting through mistaken views that bind the mind.

Nyāya thus offers a systematic framework for reasoning and critical analysis, one that treats careful argument as a form of spiritual practice. By training the mind to move according to sound rules and methods, it seeks to align thought with what is real, and thereby loosen the grip of suffering born of misunderstanding. In this sense, Nyāya may be seen as the “right way” of knowing and reasoning, a disciplined path where clarity of thought becomes a doorway to inner freedom.