When inference is based not on causation but on uniformity of co-existence,…

Concept

In Nyāya, inference (anumāna) is classified according to the relation by which an unperceived fact is known from a perceived sign. One traditional threefold division distinguishes inference from cause to effect, effect to cause, and a non-causal relation established through uniform co-existence.

Application

The stem explicitly excludes a causal relation and instead describes a regular co-existence. That description is the defining basis of sāmānyatodṛṣṭa inference.

Contrast

• Kevalānvayi concerns a different classification: its universal relation is established through affirmative instances only.

• Sāmānyatodṛṣṭa rests on a generally observed uniform co-existence rather than a cause–effect sequence.

• Pūrvavat proceeds from a known cause to an unperceived effect, such as anticipating rain from cloud conditions.

• Śeṣavat proceeds from an observed effect to its preceding cause, such as inferring earlier rain from a swollen river.

Therefore, the inference described in the question is sāmānyatodṛṣṭa.