Pramana as a Methodology: Bridging Traditional and Scientific Knowledge
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Traditional knowledge systems, particularly Ayurveda and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), possess deeply systematic epistemic architectures that have often been misunderstood or dismissed when evaluated through narrow, reductionist scientific prisms. This review article comprehensively analyzes the concept of Pramāṇa—the means of valid cognition—as a sophisticated research methodology capable of bridging classical philosophy and contemporary science. Evaluating classical Indian schools of thought (Darśanas) alongside clinical source texts like the Caraka Saṃhitā, we demonstrate how Pramāṇa-vijñāna establishes an evidence-informed framework parallel to the modern scientific method. By mapping Pratyakṣa to empirical observation, Anumāna to hypothesis and statistical inference, Upamāna to structural modeling, Śabda to peer-reviewed literature, and Yukti to multi-factorial systems analysis, this paper outlines a robust transdisciplinary pathway. This integrative framework expands the evidence base from restrictive biomedical reductionism to a comprehensive whole-systems approach, demonstrating significant applications in clinical medicine, ecological conservation, artificial intelligence, and explainable logic. Finally, we propose a "Pramāṇa-Informed Scientific Framework" designed to guide future interdisciplinary research, promoting epistemological pluralism over paradigm-exclusive isolation.
Author: Dr. Sujata Sharma*
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7224797614