In Hinduism, Anavastha is indeterminacy, a term in logic to denote a kind of flaw in reasoning. In logical argument, a proposition may be presented in such a way that it depends upon another proposition which in turn, further depends upon another proposition, and like this it goes on endlessly. This position in logic is called anavastha.
Though in logical argument it is considered as a fault, in
ordinary life, anavastha is accepted as a general norm. For example, in the
relation between the seed and a tree, we feel satisfied with the invariable relation
between them without bothering whether the seed is prior and the tree is
posterior or vice-versa. In the same way, if the testimony of a trustworthy
person is accepted as valid, then the question may arise on whose testimony the
person in question is considered to be trustworthy. This doubt may be resolved
by citing the testimony of another trustworthy person, whose words lend
validity to the person in question. These kinds of arguments may continue
without end.
Though anavastha is a fault in logical argument, one has to
stop somewhere. For example, if the attribute ghatatva (jar-ness) is accepted
as the common feature of all the jars in the world, it may be asked what should
be the common feature of ‘jar-ness’ itself. For the sake of argument, if one
goes on finding another attribute, there will be no end to the process. Hence
one has to stop somewhere in order to avoid anavastha. Therefore, anavastha,
like for the seed and the sprout, and the cycle of creation and dissolution,
are accepted as logical.