Paksha

One of the parts in the accepted form of
an inference (anumana) in Indian philosophy. The accepted form for an inference has three terms: an assertion
(pratijna), a reason (hetu), and examples (drshtanta); each of these three has
its own constituent parts. The paksha is
part of the first term, the assertion, and
comprises the class of things about
which the assertion is to be proved. For
instance, in the stock example, “There is
fire on that mountain, because there is
smoke on that mountain,” the paksha
in this case is “that mountain,” or the
class of things about which the assertion must be proved. The class that
forms the paksha must also appear in
the second term of the inference, the
reason, as the common link between
the two parts (as in “this mountain is on
fire, because this mountain is smoking”). The paksha thus forms the common link between the assertion and the
reason, thereby ensuring that the latter
is relevant to the former.
In the context of a lunar month, the
word paksha refers to the month’s two
“parts.” The Shukla Paksha is the waxing half, while the Krishna Paksha is the
waning half.