Bhatta school

The Bhatta school is a realist philosophical tradition within Indian philosophy, specifically associated with the Purva Mimamsa school. It emerged as a refutation of Buddhist idealism and nihilism. The Bhatta ontology recognizes five categories of entities: substance, quality, action, universals, and negation. Their epistemology acknowledges six valid means of knowing: perception, inference, verbal testimony, comparison, presumption, and nonperception. The Bhatta school is named after Kumarila, a prominent philosopher of this tradition.1

The Bhatta school is distinct from Bhatti, a 6th or 7th-century Sanskrit poet and grammarian known for his epic poem Bhattikavya. While both are significant figures in Indian intellectual history, their focus differs: Bhatta school pertains to philosophical inquiry, whereas Bhatti is recognized for his literary and grammatical contributions.21