Mīmāmsa Sūtra 01.01.04

सत्सम्प्रयोगे पुरुषस्येन्द्रियाणां बुद्धिजन्म तत्प्रत्यक्षमनिमित्तं विद्यमानोपलम्भनत्वात् ॥४॥

satsamprayoge puruṣasyendriyāṇāṃ buddhijanma tatpratyakṣamanimittaṃ vidyamānopalambhanatvāt ॥4॥

[सत् (sat) - existent; सम्प्रयोगे (samprayoge) - in the conjunction; पुरुषस्य (puruṣasya) - of the person; इन्द्रियाणां (indriyāṇām) - of the senses; बुद्धिजन्म (buddhijanma) - arising of cognition; तत् (tat) - that; प्रत्यक्षम् (pratyakṣam) - direct perception; अनिमित्तं (animittaṃ) - not caused; विद्यमान (vidyamāna) - being present; उपलम्भनत्वात् (upalambhanatvāt) - because of the state of apprehension;]

(When there is the conjunction of the existent (object), the person, and the senses, the arising of cognition is that direct perception, not caused (by anything else), because of the state of apprehension of what is present.)

Direct perception arises when the senses of a person come into contact with an existent object; this cognition is direct, not caused by anything else, because it apprehends what is present.