Shabda

(“word”) In Indian philosophy, the
general term for authoritative testimony. This is generally accepted as one of
the pramanas, the means by which
human beings can gain true and accurate knowledge, except by the materialists, who reject all pramanas except
perception (pratyaksha). Such
authoritative testimony is of two sorts.
It most often refers to authoritative
scriptural texts, such as the Vedas, but
it can also refer to verbal instruction
given by one’s guru, which is considered to have equal authority, at least
by members of that spiritual lineage.
Shabda is an important pramana
because it tells people about those
things that the other pramanas cannot
uncover, such as the nature of the
heavens, the course of the soul after
death, proper religious life, and so
forth. With regard to the liberation of
the soul, it is often the most important
pramana, since this cannot be discovered in any other way.