7. Khyāti (theories of error)

Knowledge of the features of our judgments of truth and error is an important portion of epistemology in India. This is called khyāti and it describes the essential points for exploring the intense convulsions of experience by removing error to attain knowledge. Knowledge, generally speaking, denotes the subject of knowledge and a thing related to it. This knowledge depends on the mind and the cognitive senses of the knowing subject-topic and the surrounding in which the object is situated concerning the subject. The perception of color through the eyes affected by jaundice will see yellow color everywhere. Although there are chances of any other color. In the same way, a thing that is far away can be perceived in any other form and color. This error may be due to a particular relationship between the position of the person and the position of the thing we see. Our action of seeing things mostly affects our inference and judgment. Consequentially, our life is a result of our perception and its method and the mental background. Since each estimate is based on a pre-assumption, a false assumption will make the value of the estimates useless estimated on it.

Khyāti or theories of error are accepted in almost every ancient Vedic tradition. In addition to this, every Vedic branch has accepted different kinds of khyātis.

The most significant khyātis in Indian epistemology are:

1. Anirvacanīyakhyāti,
2. Akhyāti,
3. Ātmakhyāti,
4. Anyathākhyāti,
5. Asatkhyāti and
6. Satkhyāti.