A previously undocumented 12th-century manuscript, the Prama-Siddhi-Vatika, has been identified in a family collection in Mysore, Karnataka. The work is a critical commentary on the nature of Prama (valid knowledge) and the mechanisms of cognitive validation. It notably explores the 'internal' and 'external' conditions required for a thought to be considered true, delving into the subtle psychological processes that precede the formation of a conviction.
Initial translations suggest that the author, a scholar named Vimalananda, proposed a radical theory of 'Recursive Validation,' where the truth of a perception is validated by its ability to harmonize with subsequent actions. This pragmatic approach to truth-testing offers a unique bridge between the rigorous logic of the Nyaya school and the practical ethics of later South Indian wisdom traditions. The discovery is expected to trigger a re-evaluation of medieval epistemology in the Deccan region.