Niyamasara presents right perception (samyag-darshana) and right knowledge (samyag-jnana) as inner states grounded in the very nature of the soul as consciousness. They are not external acquisitions but the inherent clarity of the self that manifests when delusion, doubt, and passion are removed. Right perception is described as a purified, intuitive orientation toward reality: a firm, doubt-free conviction regarding the true nature of the self and other substances, and trust in the teachings that reveal this truth. It is an existential turning of vision toward the pure knower, free from perverse belief and inner confusion. In this sense, right perception is less a mere intellectual assent and more a deep, unwavering faith in reality as it is.

Right knowledge, by contrast, is the soul’s non-erroneous cognition that corresponds to what right perception has already intuited. It is knowledge of the self and other substances as they truly are, free from doubt, delusion, and vagueness, and it correctly discriminates between self and non-self. Such knowledge includes an accurate understanding of the nature of the soul, its karmic bondage, and the path that leads beyond that bondage. It is “right” not simply because it is extensive, but because it arises from a purified inner state and remains aligned with the vision established by right perception. Where perception gives the fundamental orientation, knowledge articulates and clarifies what has been seen.

The text portrays these two as distinct yet inseparable aspects of the same awakening of consciousness. Right perception serves as the indispensable foundation; without it, knowledge remains tainted by wrong belief and cannot fully accord with reality. Conversely, without right knowledge, perception would remain vague and lack the discriminative power needed for steady progress. Together they prepare and support right conduct, so that faith, understanding, and ethical practice form a unified movement of the soul toward liberation. From this perspective, the path is not a matter of accumulating information, but of allowing the soul’s own luminous nature—expressed as right perception and right knowledge—to shine forth unobstructed.