Author: Dr. Vinod Kumar MV, Professor, Department of Basic Principles, VPSV Ayurveda College, Kottakkal

1. Research Process in the Light of
Anumana-Pramana
Dr. Vinodkumar M V
Professor in Dept. of Basic Principles of Ayurveda at VPSV Ayurveda College,
Kottakkal, Kerala.

2. Human beings are special
 Reflective practices
 Thinking
 Planning
 Imagination
 Deduction
 Interpretation
 Inference
2

3. Beyond perception
 Philosophy sees things beyond visible nature
 Science speaks about principles behind natural phenomena
 History is nothing but logical sequencing of incidences
 Arts and literature nourishes personal imagination
 Scientific method adopts logical deductions from visible evidences
 Three out of six padarthas are assumptive
 Management is well projected experience
 There is no discourse without An Internal Process

4. Research process
• Observation
• Experimentation
• Inference
• Interpretation
• Conclusion
• Reporting

5. Research process
• Observation
• Primary hypothesis
• Experimentation
• Testing of hypothesis
• Final conclusion
• Open discussion/Reporting
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6. reasoning
 Inductive
 Hypothesis generation
 Observation based
 Inclusion based
 Sambhava
 Deductive
 Hypothesis testing
 Comparison based
 Exclusion based
 Parisesha

7. Projection method
 Sample - Population
 Man - Universe
 Vyakta – Avyakta
 Udara - Mandagni
 Jwarachikitsa - Chikitsa

8. Testing what?
Association
What Sort of
association?
Incidental finding
Repeated finding
Correlation
Causality
Inherence

9. designs
• Observational
• Experimental
• Observation without
inference
• Observation with
Inference
• Intervention without
comparison
• Intervention with
comparison
• Descriptive study
• Analytical study
• Single group trial
• Controlled Trial

10. • Descriptive study
• Analytical study
• Open trial
• Controlled Trial
Prospective cohort
Retrospective
cohort
Case control
Cross sectional

11. Research question
 Descriptive
 Relational
 Causal
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Temporal
Causal

12. causal
Cause
Effect
Effect
Cause
Cohort
Case control
Cross sectional

13. temporal
Cause
Effect
Effect
Cause

14. Observation - inference
Where?
Sample
What ?
Result
On what base ?
Based on evidences and
findings
Why?
Due to invariable
association
Are the findings specifically
present in the sample?
Yes

15. Additional terms
 Saadhyavachanam – Hypothesis
 Sadhyasadhanam – Research methodology
 Saadhyanirnayam – Final result
 Saadhyaprakhyaapanam – Research thesis/publication

16. samples
 Testing sample
 An ideal sample fulfilling reference criteria
 An ideal sample excluding reference criteria

17. Ideal evidences
 Should be derived from the proposed sample
 Should follow an approved criteria (inclusion criteria)
 Should abstain from exclusion criteria
 Should not be self contradictory,
all the findings in the proposed criterion should be equally satisfied
 Should not be contradicted by another criterion
 Should be complaint with multiple trials/designs of the study
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Sad-hetu

18. Invariable correlation
 Positive
 Negative

19. Sensitivity and specificity
 Sensitivity – true positive – measures the
proportion of positives that are correctly identified
as such
 Where ever X is there really Y also is there
 Specificity – true negative – measures the
proportion of negatives that are correctly absent
 Wherever X is absent Y also is absent

20. Ideal instrument
Should be sensitive and specific (Eg: RA factor in sero positive
arthritis)
Some tools are specific but not sensitive Eg: ESR in RA (active)
Some other tools are sensitive but not specific Eg: X ray findings in IVDP

21. Research fallacy (hetwabhasa)
 Over extensive criteria
 Intervention claimed to be effective in cancer after relieving anemia
 Non repeatable evidence
 Present in the study sample only
 Over extensive sample
 Absence of negative evidence
 Selecting a criteria present in the proposed sample only
 No control group
 Self contradictory evidence
 Increase of symptoms justified as good result
 Proposed evidence challenged by another evidence
 A finding supporting the result, another finding refuting the result
Sadharana hetwabhasa
Asadharana hetwabhasa
Anupasamharee
Viruddha
Sat-pratipaksha

22.  Challenged in different model
 Result in clinical trial challenged by that in animal model
 Study completed in an imaginary sample
 Fraudulent research
 Study completed with fake results
 Fraudulent research
 Result affected by confounding factors
 Confounding factor = a condition affecting the result
Badhita
Asrayasiddha
Swarupasidhha
Vyapyatwasidhha

23. Research reporting
 Statement of hypothesis
 Stating the method, findings and
evidences
 Quoting standard findings
 Comparing with standard findings,
interpreting the present findings
 Conclusion

24. inference
 Observational inference - Anumana
 Interventional inference - Yukti

25. Anumana Yukti
Based on single finding Based on multiple finding
Based on mere observation Based on observation after
intervention
Lesser probability Greater probability
Suggestivity Predictivity
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26. Logical deduction of unknown factors
 Elimination method
 Deductive method
 Tarka

27. conclusion
 There is no research without applying prime principles of Anumana
 Yukti is the interventional model of Anumana
 Research methods, by concepts, are one and the same at different points of
time
 Change is only in the subject being researched

28. Thank You