By Swami Harshananda
Akṣapāda literally means ‘One who has an eye in his foot’.
Akṣapāda is identified with Gautama, the founder of the Nyāya-darśana (the Nyāya system of philosophy, of logical realism) and might have lived in the 3rd century B. C.
The story goes that he was against the Vyāsa who had criticized his philosophy and so vowed that he would never see him. Later on, realizing his mistake he produced through his yogic powers an eye in his foot through which he could see Vyāsa but could also maintain the earlier vow of not seeing him with the regular eyes.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore