A previously unknown manuscript titled 'Tarka-Sagara' (The Ocean of Logic) has been identified during the digitization of a private library in Varanasi. Dating to approximately 1150 CE, the text offers a revolutionary perspective on 'Tarka'—not just as a tool for refutation, but as a method for 'Hypothetical Discovery'. The author, identified as Madhava-Nyayin, proposes a system of logic that allows for the temporary acceptance of a false premise to explore its necessary consequences.
This method, which bears a striking resemblance to modern 'counterfactual reasoning', was used to solve complex problems in astronomy and ethics. Scholars at the Banaras Hindu University state that the Tarka-Sagara challenges the notion that medieval Indian logic was purely deductive, revealing a vibrant tradition of abductive and exploratory thinking that preceded similar developments in European philosophy by centuries.