The Nyaya System is traced to a sage named Gautama whose Nyaya Sutras are the original work on the subject. The earliest commentary on the Sutras is by Vatsyayana who is believed to have lived in the 4th century A.D.
The most outstanding commentary on the Nyaya Sutras is the Tatva Chintamani of Gangesa. This work has been accepted as the final authority of the Nyaya system.
The Vaisheshika Sutra is ascribed to the sage Kanada and the earliest commentary on it is the Bhasya of Prasastapada, belonging to the 5th century A.D. The most authoritative works on Vaisheshika are however the Kiranavali of Udayana and Kandali of Sridhara.
Because of their resemblance, the Nyaya and the Vaisheshika are generally treated as a single system known as Nyaya Vaisheshika. Both teach the reality of various objects of knowledge which are classified under several heads.
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Of these the most important is called Dravya, substance, subdivided into nine, namely earth, water, fire, air ether, time, space, self and mind.
The Dravyas form the framework of the universe, these together with six other categories of the system (namely Guna or equality; Karma or actions, Samanya or universals; Visesha or individuality; Samavaya or necessary relation; and abhava or negation) explain according to the Nyaya-Vaisheshika, the whole universe.
The philosophers of the Nyaya-Vaisheshika school maintain that the existence of God can be proved by inference without the aid of revelation and this attitude is in keeping with the teaching of the system with its emphasis on reasoning.