The Six Systems of Indian Philosophy

The six systems of Indian philosophy are Nyaya, Vasiseshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa !a"h of these systems differs in one #ay or the other in terms of its "on"epts, phenomena, la#s and dogmas !a"h system has it$s o#n founder as #ell It is important to kno# that the founders of these systems of philosophy are sages of the highest order that have devoted their lives for the study and propagation of philosophy !a"h system of Indian philosophy is "alled a %arshana Thus the Sanskrit #ord &Shad'%arshana( refers to &the six systems of philosophy( Nyaya The founder of the Nyaya system of philosophy is )autama Nyaya *elongs to the "ategory of +stika %arshanas It is important to kno# that +stika %arshanas reali,e the signifi"an"e of ver*al testimony or the authority of the Vedas )autama is thought to have lived during the middle -th "entury, ./ 0e is also "alled +kshapada +ll six systems of philosophy lay e1ual importan"e to 2valid means of a"1uiring kno#ledge2 "alled the &Pramanas( )autama #as the first philosopher to stress the importan"e of the valid means of kno#ledge and hen"e the Nyaya system of philosophy is said to have laid the firm foundation to the development of the s"ien"e of 0indu logi" )autama(s Nyaya system of philosophy is also "alled *y names su"h as Nyaya Sastra and Tarka Sastra The philosophi"al system of Nyaya a""epts four Pramanas or valid means of a"1uiring kno#ledge They are Pratyaksha 3per"eption4, +numama 3inferen"e4, Upamana 3"omparison4 and Sha*da 3ver*al testimony4 Nyaya, like many other systems of philosophy aims at the attainment of li*eration +""ording to them the attainment of Moksha #hi"h they "all &+pavarga( is the highest goal of human life The attainment of +pavarga *rings a*out the end of all the sufferings of human life Nyaya %arshana a""epts the existen"e of )od They "all 0im &Ish#ara( and say that 0e is the "ause for the "reation of the universe 0e alone sustains it and destroys it as #ell 5ne of the most important vie#s put forth *y )autama is a*out the theory of "reation +""ording to him the universe is "reated *y )od #ith the help of the eternal atoms, time, individual minds, spa"e and individual souls or 6ivas and ether 0e does not "reate the universe out of 0imself as pointed out *y the other later systems of philosophy Vaiseshika The founder of the Vaiseshika system of Indian philosophy is 7anada or Uluka 0en"e it is also "alled +ulukya %arshana It is important to kno# that the Vaiseshika system follo#ed the Nyaya system very "losely and hen"e experts in the study of philosophy often "om*ine the t#o s"hools as Nyaya'Vaiseshika The Vaiseshika system re"ogni,es seven &Padarthas( or "ategories #hi"h are8 are su*stan"e, 1uality, a"tion, generality, parti"ularity, relation of inheren"e and non'existen"e The follo#ers of this system of philosophy also a""ept the existen"e of )od and they say that 0e "reated, sustained and destroyed the universe +""ording to the Vaiseshika S"hool of philosophy, the #ill of )od is the "ause for "reation .rahma is the very first produ"t of the #ill of )od and 0e does the se"ond part of "reation a""ording to the merits and the demerits of the individual souls 0e "auses the "om*ination of the moving atoms and thus is instrumental in the "reation of the #orld +t the time of the dissolution of the universe the entire #orld is redu"ed to the primary state of the seven "ategories Sankhya Sage 7apila founded the Sankhya system of philosophy In fa"t it "an *e said that the Sankhya system laid the firm foundation for the +dvaita Vedanta later on S#ami Vivekananda on"e said that the Vedanta system of +dvaita o#ed a lot to Sage 7apila, the founder of the Sankhya system of philosophy The dogmas put forth *y 7apila #ere further expounded *y his dis"iples +suri and Pan"hashikha The Sankhya Sutras "ompiled *y 7apila #ere "ommented on later *y Ishvara 7rishna of the -th /entury +% It is interesting to note that the Sankhya system a""epts only three Pramanas or the valid means of a"1uiring kno#ledge They a""ept Pratyaksha or per"eption, +numana or inferen"e and Sha*da or ver*al testimony They don(t a""ept Upamana

or "omparison Sankhaya a""epts only t#o realities, namely, the Prakriti or the insentient nature and the Purusha or the soul These t#o are eternal a""ording to 7apila +""ording to the Sankhya system of philosophy, something "an never *e produ"ed out of nothing 5ne "an see the influen"e of the Nyaya system on the Sankhya system #hen it "omes to the pro"ess of "reation Pleasure, pain and indifferen"e are derived *y the three &gunas( or &1ualities(, namely, Sattvaguna, 9a6oguna and Tamoguna Sattva guna gives rise to happiness or pleasure, 9a6oguna produ"ed pain and suffering #hereas Tamoguna gives rise to ina"tivity The three 1ualities mentioned a*ove reside in the Prakriti, a state of perfe"t *alan"e 7apila says that the entireuniverse is *orn out of the Prakriti or the primordial matter Purusha on the other hand is as innumera*le as there are living *eings Purusha is all'pervading and eternal 0e is "ons"iousness in its very essen"e Sankhya *elieves in the "reation of the universe as a result of the union *et#een Prakriti and Purusha 7apila des"ri*es an interesting pro"ess of evolution of the #orld The very first evolute that issues forth from the Prakriti *y the "om*ination of the three gunas is the Mahat or the "osmi" intelle"t /osmi" ego is *orn out of the "osmi" intelle"t There are various evolutes issuing forth from the different parts of the "osmi" ego "hara"teri,ed *y the gunas The mind, the five organs of kno#ledge like the eyes and the ears, the five "osmi" organs of a"tion like the hands and the feet and the five su*tle elements like the #ater and earth :rom the five su*tle elements are *orn the five gross elements or Pan"ha Maha*hutas "alled earth, #ater, fire, air and ether Thus ;< evolutes issue forth from Prakriti or the primordial matter They are "alled ;< "osmi" prin"iples +""ording to the Sankhya system of philosophy, a dead person #ill not return *a"k to the mortal #orld sin"e he attains &Videhamukti( a state of final li*eration Yoga The Yoga system of philosophy #as founded *y Patan6ali 0e authored the Yoga Sutras or the aphorisms of Yoga The date is not "learly kno#n *ut his #ork is of great value to the seekers of the state of spiritual a*sorption Yoga aims at the final state of spiritual a*sorption through eight "omponent parts, together "alled +shtanga Yoga The eight lim*s of Yoga a""ording to Patan6ali are Yama, Niyama, +sana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, %harana, %hyana and Samadhi +ll the eight are 6ointly "alled 9a6a Yoga Yama aims at internal purifi"ation, Niyama aims at external purity, +sana "onsists in the performan"e of the postures of Yoga, Pranayama is *reath "ontrol, Pratyahara results from the #ithdra#al of sense organs from the "orresponding sense o*6e"ts, %harana is "on"entration, %hyana is meditation and Samadhi is the final state of spiritual a*sorption The Yoga system of philosophy a""epts three fundamental realities, namely, Ish#ara, Purusha and Prakriti or the primordial matter Patan6ali says that s"riptures are the sour"es of the existen"e of Ish#ara Ish#ara is omnis"ient and is free from the 1ualities inherent in Prakriti Patan6ali defines Yoga as &/hittavriitinirodha( Yoga is the restraint of the mental operations Patan6ali names some o*sta"les to the path of Yoga They are "alled &+ntarayas( and they in"lude Vyadhi 3illness4, styana 3apathy4, Samsaya 3dou*t4, Pramada 3inadverten"e4, +lasya 3la,iness4, +virati 3in"ontinen"e4, .hrantidarshana 3#rong understanding4, +la*dha .humikatva 3non' attainment of mental plane4 and +navasthitatva 3insta*ility4 In addition to the o*sta"les mentioned a*ove, Patan6ali a""epts five more o*sta"les "alled %ukha 3pain4, %aurmanasya 3frustration, +ngame6ayatva 3fi"kle lim*s4, Svasa 3spasmodi" *reathing in4 and Prasvasa 3spasmodi" *reathing out4 Patan6ali speaks a*out =atyantara Parinama or the phenomenon of the evolution of one spe"ies or genus into another spe"ies or genus Purva Mimamsa The philosophi"al system of Purva Mimamsa #as founded *y =aimini The Mimamsa %arshana *elieves firmly in the performan"e of rituals and supports the vie# that the *ody is perisha*le *ut the soul survives even after the death of the *ody and it reserves the right to en6oy the fruits of the rituals in heaven The s"hool firmly *elieves in the preservation of the effe"t or the fruits of the rituals *y a remarka*le po#er It *elieves that the Vedas are impe""a*le in #hat they say It does not talk a*out the .rahman or the Supreme !ntity *ut says that the #orld is real Mimamsa stri"tly is of the opinion that #hatever #e do in our life are not dreams or illusion *ut are real

=aimini a""epts t#o types of kno#ledge, namely, Pratyaksha 3immediate kno#ledge4 and Paroksha 3mediate kno#ledge4 Paroksha =nana is of five kinds, namely +numana 3inferen"e4, Upamana 3"omparison4, Sha*da 3ver*al testimony4, +rthapatti 3postulation4 and +nupala*dhi 3non'per"eption4 =aimini a""epts the plurality of souls 0e says that the souls are eternal *ut they definitely undergo transmigration as a""ording to the a"tions performed *y the *odies >i*eration is "onsidered the highest good for humanity >i*eration puts an end to the transmigration of the soul Performan"e of the daily duties *rings a*out li*eration 5n the other hand the non' performan"e of a"tions or daily duties "auses disruption in the path of li*eration 5ne of the most important o*servations made *y the Purva Mimamsa system of philosophy is that there is no need for the existen"e of )od to "reate the #orld This is *e"ause of the fa"t that all the material needed for the formation and the "reation of the #orld are availa*le eternally 0en"e Mimamsa does not speak a*out the existen"e of )od Performan"e of daily duties or the Nitya 7armas is the ultimate goal of man Uttara Mimamsa The philosophi"al system of Uttara Mimamsa does not have a spe"ifi" founder sin"e it is a "onglomeration of three different s"hools of thought, namely +dvaita, Visishtadvaita and %vaita The philosophi"al system of Utttara Mimamsa is other#ise "alled Vedanta +ll the three s"hools of Vedanta have different tea"hers +di Sankara is the head of the +dvaita system of Vedanta philosophy 9amanu6a is the ar"hite"t of the Visishtadvaita system of Vedanta and Madhva is the head of the %vaita system of Vedanta philosophy +di Sankara is the first philosopher #ho identified the philosophi"al truths expounded in the Upanishads atta"hed to the Vedas =aimini gave importan"e to the 7arma 7anda portion of the Veda #hereas Sankara sa# the Supreme Truth that lay firm in the message of the Upanishads Sankara "alled the #orld illusory as a result of Maya or delusion Maya "auses the illusion akin to the "ognition of serpent on the rope + person gripped *y ignoran"e fails to see the su*stratum of the universe .rahman is the su*stratum of the universe It is not seen due to delusion or Maya Sankara "alls the universe an illusion and the .rahman or the Supreme !ntity as Truth !verything around us is adventitious of the .rahman Into .rahman all "reation goes %eluge is the ultimate "ondition during #hi"h the .rahman #ithdra#s all its "reation unto itself 9amanu6a advo"ated the Visishtadvaita s"hool of Vedanti" thought It is a 1ualified version of monism and hen"e is "alled 1ualified monism 9amanu6a differs from Sankara only a little in the sense that he "onsiders the 6iva or the individual soul as the entity different from the *ody and is infinite in num*er and "annot *e one #ith the Supreme as long as it is "onfined in a *ody Madhva the founder of the %vaita s"hool of Vedanti" thought says that the 6ivas or the souls "an attain li*eration through *hakti and the gra"e of )od It is important to note that all the three tea"hers a""epted Vedas as a valid means of kno#ledge

Vedic philosophy is traditionally divided into six stika 3Sanskrit8 2orthodox24 s"hools of thought, ?@A or daranam 3 , 2vie#24, #hi"h a""ept the Vedas as supreme revealed s"riptures Three other nstika 3 2heterodox24 s"hools don$t dra# upon theVedas as the sole primary authoritative text, *ut may emphasise other traditions of thought The Bstika s"hools are8 1. Samkhya, an atheisti" and strongly dualist theoreti"al exposition of "ons"iousnessand matter ; Yoga, a s"hool emphasising meditation, "ontemplation and li*eration

3. Nyaya or logi", explores sour"es of kno#ledge Nyya Stras < Vaisheshika, an empiri"ist s"hool of atomism

5. MimBsB, an anti'as"eti" and anti'mysti"ist s"hool of orthopraxy

6. Vedanta, the last segment of kno#ledge in the Vedas, or the $=nan$ 3kno#ledge4 $7anda$ 3se"tion4 Vedanta
"ame to *e the dominant "urrent of Vedism in the post'medieval period The nBstika s"hools are 3in "hronologi"al order48 @ ; /BrvBka =ainism

3. .uddhism
0o#ever, medieval philosophers like VidyBraya "lassify Indian philosophy into sixteen s"hools, #here s"hools *elonging to Saiva,PBini and 9aseCvara thought are in"luded #ith others, and the three Vedanti" s"hools +dvaita, Vishishtadvaita and %vaita 3#hi"h had emerged as distin"t s"hools *y then4 are "lassified separately ?;A In Vedi" history, the distin"tion of the six orthodox s"hools #as "urrent in the )upta period 2golden age2 of Vedism Dith the disappearan"e of Vaisheshika and Mimamsa, it #as o*solete *y the later Middle +ges, #hen the various su*'s"hools of Vedanta 3%vaita 2dualism2, +dvaita Vedanta 2non'dualism2 and others4 *egan to rise to prominen"e as the main divisions of religious philosophy Nyaya survived into the @Eth "entury as Navya Nyaya 2Neo'Nyaya2, #hile Samkhya gradually lost its status as an independent s"hool, its tenets a*sor*ed into Yoga and Vedanta
ontents
?hideA

o o o o o

@ 5vervie# ; Samkhya F Yoga < Nyaya - Vaisheshika G Purva Mimamsa E Vedanta E @ +dvaita E ; Vishishtadvaita E F %vaita E < %vaitadvaita 3.heda*heda4 E - Shuddhadvaita

o o o o

E G +"intya .heda +*heda H Shaivism H @ Pashupata Shaivism H ; Shaiva Siddhanta H F 7ashmir Shaivism I See also @J Notes @@ 9eferen"es @; :urther reading @F !xternal links

5vervie#?editA
S c h o ol Samkh ya Yoga Nyaya Vaises Mim! P!ini"ar $dvaita? hika s! #ana
N @A

Vishisht advaita?N
@A

Shaiv "vaita?N @A Pashup ata a anta %ashmir &ase# Siddh Shaivism vara

las sific ation

dualism, atheism

logi",analyt spiritual pra"ti"e i" philosophy

atomis m

exegesi s,philolo gy

linguisti"s,p hilosophy of language

monism, non' dualism

1ualified monism,p dualism,theol anentheis m ogy

theism, theisti theisti" m spiritual " duali onism,ide pra"ti"e sm alism

al"he my

7apila, ICvarak Philo soph ers a,Va" haspati PataK6ali,Ya6nava Misra, )uarat namore lkya,Vyasa?N ;A

7anad +ksapada a, =aimini, a Pra*hBk )autama,V PraCast 7umBril BtsyByana, apBda, ayanta e a$s andalM more

)audapa da, +di Shankar PBini,.ha a,Madhu Byana Saras#a ti,Vidyar anyamor e Yamuna" harya,9a manu6am ore Madhva"hary a,=ayatirtha,V 0aradatt yasatirtha,9a a"harya, ghavendra S#ami >akulish Sadyo Meyka a,+*hinav ndar, asiva +ghor =ayaratha

)ovin da vat, Ka 9Bme Cvara 6yoti, Vasugupt .haga agupta, Sarva6

Udayana,= Lridhar .haa, rthari,7Bty sudana .hattamor NyByak aramore

S c h o ol Samkh ya Yoga Nyaya Vaises Mim! P!ini"ar $dvaita? hika s! #ana

N @A

Vishisht advaita?N
@A

Shaiv "vaita?N @A Pashup ata a anta %ashmir &ase# Siddh Shaivism vara

Vaises Samkhy a Sutra,S amkhya Text s 7arika, SBkh ya tattvaka umudMm ore Yoga Sutras,Yoga Ya6navalkya, Samkhya prava"ana *hasya NyBya SNtras, NyBya .hBya, NyBya VBrttikamor e hika Sutra, PadBrt ha dharma sagr aha, %aCap adBrtha CBstra more Purva Mimams a Sutras, Mimams asutra *hBshya m more Prasthan atrayi,+v VBkyapadM adhuta ya,Maha*h )ita,+sht ashya,VBrtt avakra ikakBra )ita, Pa K"adaCM more Siddhitray am,Sri .hasya, Vedartha Sarva ShBstrBrtha Sangraha, Tattva )aakBr ikB, PaK"hBr tha *hBshya dipikB, 9BCikar a *hBshya Shaiv a Oga ma, Lrimat 7iraP, 9aura vatant ra, Mrige ndra Shiva Sutras of Vasugupt a,Tantralo ka 9asBr ava, 9asah idaya, 9aseC vara siddhB nta

Sangraha prakashika

PadBrt Pratyaka, onc Purusha Yama,Niyama,+s +numBna, epts ,Prakriti, ana,Pranayama, UpamBna, 'rigi nate d )ua, Pratyahara,%hara +nyathaky SatkBry na,%hyana,Sama avBda dhi ati vada, NiCreyasa more ha,%ra vya, SBmBn ya, ViCea, Samav Bya, Param Bu

+paurus heyatva, +rthBpat ti, +nuapal a*dhi, Satahpr BmBya vBda Sphoa,+s htadhyayi

Mahavak ya,SBdh ana /hatua ya,three orders of reality,Vi vartavad a 0ita,+ntar vyBpi,.ah uvyBpimo re Prapa"ha,Mu kti' /hary a, /iti, Mala, Pashup Mantr Upaya,+n a, 9odha Lakti am,Svata ntrya PBrad a, three modes ofmer" ury

yogyas,Nitya' ati, eight amBrg uttara,+h samsarins,Ta pentads mo'yogyas

(urt her "eve lopm ent

a*sor*e d a .hakti Navya' NyBya intoYog Yoga,0atha yoga

merged e"lipsed #ith Nyaya *yVeda nta

/lassi"al Shuddha Sanskrit dvaita

S#aminar ayan 0induism Vaishnavism

Shaiv a .hakti

9asay ana

Q =ump up to8a b c +dvaita, Vishishtadvaita and %vaita have evolved from an older Vedanta s"hool and all of them a""ept Upanishads and .rahma Sutras as standard texts

)ump up* Vyasa #rote a "ommentary on Yoga Sutras "alled Samkhyaprava"ana*hasya 39adhankrishnan, Indian Philosophy, >ondon, )eorge +llen R Un#in >td , @IE@ edition, Volume II, p F<< 4

Samkhya?editA
Main article: Samkhya Samkhya is the oldest of the orthodox philosophi"al systems in Vedism ?FA It espouses dualism *et#een "ons"iousness and matter *y postulating t#o 2irredu"i*le, innate and independent realities @4 "ons"iousness itself or Purusha 3Sanskrit8 , self, atma or soul4 ;4 primordial materiality or Prakriti 3"reative agen"y or energy42 The un"ons"ious primordial materiality, Prakriti "onsists of varying levels of three dispositions or "ategories of 1ualities 3gunas4S a"tivity 3ra6as4, ina"tivity 3tamas4 and harmony 3sattva4 +n im*alan"e in the intert#ined relationship of these three dispositions "auses the #orld to evolve from Prakriti This evolution from Prakriti "auses the "reation of ;F "onstituents, in"luding intelle"t 3*uddhi,mahat4, ego 3ahamkara4 and mind 3manas4 ?<A Samkhya theorises the existen"e of are many living souls 3Jeevatmas4 #ho possess "ons"iousness, *ut denies the existen"e of Ishvara3)od4 ?-A Samkhya holds that Purua, the eternal pure "ons"iousness, due to ignoran"e, identifies itself #ith produ"ts of Prakriti su"h as intelle"t 3*uddhi4 and ego 3ahamkara4 This results in endless transmigration and suffering 0o#ever, on"e the realisation arises that Purua is distin"t from Prakriti, the Self is no longer su*6e"t to transmigration and a*solute freedom 3kaivalya4 arises ?GA Destern dualism deals #ith the distin"tion *et#een the mind and the *ody,?EA #hereas in Samkhya it is *et#een the soul and matter ?HAThe "on"ept of the atma 3soul4 is different from the "on"ept of the mind and mind itself thought to an evolute of matter, rather than the soul ?<A Soul is a*solute reality that is all'pervasive, eternal, indivisi*le, attri*uteless, pure "ons"iousness It is non'matter and is *eyond intelle"t 5riginally, Samkhya #as not theisti", *ut in "onfluen"e #ith Yoga it developed a theisti" variant

Yoga?editA
In Indian philosophy, Yoga is the name of one of the six orthodox philosophi"al s"hools ?IA The Yoga philosophi"al system is "losely allied #ith the Samkhya s"hool ?@JA The Yoga s"hool as expounded *y Patan6ali a""epts the Samkhya psy"hology and metaphysi"s, *ut is more theisti" than the Samkhya, as eviden"ed *y the addition of a divine entity to the Samkhya$s t#enty'five elements of reality ?@@A?@;A The parallels *et#een Yoga and Samkhya #ere so "lose that Max MTller says that 2the t#o philosophies #ere in popular parlan"e distinguished from ea"h other as Samkhya #ith and Samkhya #ithout a >ord 2?@FA The intimate relationship *et#een Samkhya and Yoga is explained *y 0einri"h Uimmer8 2These t#o are regarded in India as t#ins, the t#o aspe"ts of a single dis"ipline SBmkhya provides a *asi" theoreti"al exposition of human nature, enumerating and defining its elements, analy,ing their manner of "o' operation in a state of *ondage 3bandha4, and des"ri*ing their state of disentanglement or separation in release 3moka4, #hile Yoga treats spe"ifi"ally of the dynami"s of the pro"ess for the disentanglement, and outlines pra"ti"al te"hni1ues for the gaining of release, or $isolation'integration$ 3kaivalya4 2?@<A The foundational text of the Yoga s"hool is the Yoga Sutras of Patan6ali, #ho is regarded as the founder of the formal Yoga philosophy ?@-A The Sutras of the Yoga philosophy are as"ri*ed to Patan6ali, #ho may have *een, as Max MTller explains, 2the author or representative of the Yoga'philosophy #ithout *eing ne"essarily the author of the Sutras 2?@GA 0indu philosophy distinguishes seven ma6or *ran"hes of Yoga8?@EA

9B6a Yoga 3also referred to as /lassi"al Yoga4, a system of yoga "odified *y PataK6ali and "lassified as one of the six stika32orthodox24 s"hools of 0indu philosophy =nana yoga, 3also "alled buddhi-yoga?@HA4 "entred on the fa"ulty of dis"ernment and $virtually identi"al #ith the spiritual path of VedBnta$ ?@IA

7arma'yoga, in #hi"h the #orld of everyday #ork *e"omes the tool *y #hi"h self is trans"ended .hakti'Yoga the path of devoted servi"e to )od Tantra'yoga fo"used on the te"hni1ues and psy"ho'physi"al tea"hings "ontained #ithin a *ody of texts "alled tantras Mantra'yoga, one of the most an"ient forms of yoga in #hi"h the psy"ho'a"ousti"al properties of the spoken #ord are used to "on"entrate the mind 0atha yoga, a system of physi"al purifi"ation designed to reintegrate and re'*alan"e the mind and *ody in preparation for 9a6a'yoga 3first des"ri*ed *y Yogi S#atmarama4

Nyaya?editA
The Nyaya s"hool is *ased on the Nyaya Sutras They #ere #ritten *y +ksapada )autama, pro*a*ly in the sixth "entury ./! ?;JA The most important "ontri*ution made *y this s"hool is its methodology This methodology is *ased on a system of logi" that has su*se1uently *een adopted *y the ma6ority of the Indian s"hools This is "ompara*le to the relationship *et#een Destern s"ien"e and philosophy, #hi"h #as derived largely from +ristotelian logi" Nevertheless, Nyaya #as seen *y its follo#ers as more than logi"al in its o#n right They *elieved that o*taining valid kno#ledge #as the only #ay to gain release from suffering, and they took great pains to identify valid sour"es of kno#ledge and distinguish these from mere false opinions +""ording to Nyaya, there are exa"tly four sour"es of kno#ledge8 per"eption, inferen"e, "omparison, and testimony 7no#ledge o*tained through ea"h of these is either valid or invalid Nyaya developed several "riteria of validity In this sense, Nyaya is pro*a*ly the "losest Indian e1uivalent to analyti" philosophy The later Naiyanikas gave logi"al proofs for the existen"e and uni1ueness of Ishvara in response to .uddhism, #hi"h, at that time, #as fundamentally non'theisti" +n important later development in Nyaya #as the system of Navya-Nyya

Vaisheshika?editA
The Vaisheshika s"hool postulates an atomi" pluralism in #hi"h all o*6e"ts in the physi"al universe are redu"i*le to "ertain types of atoms, and .rahman is regarded as the fundamental for"e that "auses "ons"iousness in these atoms The s"hool #as founded *y the sage 7aBda 3or Kana-bhuk, literally, atom-eater4 around the ;nd "entury ./ ?;@A Ma6or ideas "ontained in the Vaisheshika Sutraare8?;;A

There are nine "lasses of realities8 four "lasses of atoms 3earth, #ater, light and air4, spa"e 3akasha4, time 3kBla4, dire"tion 3dik4, infinity of souls 3+tman4, mind 3manas4 Individual souls are eternal and pervade material *ody for a time There are seven "ategories 3padBrtha4 of experien"e V su*stan"e, 1uality, a"tivity, generality, parti"ularity, inheren"e and non'existen"e

+lthough the Vaisheshika s"hool developed independently from the Nyaya, the t#o eventually merged *e"ause of their "losely related metaphysi"al theories In its "lassi"al form, ho#ever, the Vaisheshika s"hool differed from the Nyaya in one "ru"ial respe"t8 #here Nyaya a""epted four sour"es of valid kno#ledge, the Vaisheshika a""epted only t#oSVper"eption and inferen"e

Purva Mimamsa?editA
The main o*6e"tive of the Purva Mimamsa s"hool #as to esta*lish the authority of the Vedas /onse1uently, this s"hool$s most valua*le "ontri*ution to 0induism #as its formulation of the rules of Vedi" interpretation Its adherents

propounded un1uestiona*le faith in the Vedas and regular performan"e of the ya !as, or fire'sa"rifi"es They *elieved in the po#er of the mantras and ya6Kas to sustain all the a"tivity of the universe In keeping #ith this *elief, they pla"ed great emphasis on dharma, #hi"h "onsisted of the performan"e of Vedi" rituals The Mimamsa philosophers a""epted the logi"al and philosophi"al tea"hings of the other s"hools, *ut felt they did not suffi"iently emphasise attention to right a"tion They *elieved that the other s"hools of thought that aimed for release 3moksha4 #ere not allo#ed for "omplete freedom from desire and selfishness, *e"ause the very striving for li*eration stemmed from a simple desire to *e free +""ording to Mimamsa thought, only *y a"ting in a""ordan"e #ith the pres"riptions of the Vedas may one attain salvation The Mimamsa s"hool later shifted its vie#s and *egan to tea"h the do"trines of .rahman and freedom Its adherents then advo"ated the release or es"ape of the soul from its "onstraints through enlightened a"tivity +lthough Mimamsa does not re"eive mu"h s"holarly attention, its influen"e "an *e felt in the life of the pra"tising 0indu, *e"ause all 0indu ritual, "eremony, and la# is influen"ed *y this s"hool

Vedanta?editA
The Vedanta, or later Mimamsa s"hool, "on"entrates on the philosophi"al tea"hings of the Upanishads rather than the ritualisti" in6un"tions of the .rahmanas !tymologi"ally, Vedanta means, the last segment of kno#ledge in the Vedas It is also kno#n as the $=nan$ 3kno#ledge4 $7anda$ 3se"tion4 Dhile, the earlier segments of the Vedas are "alled $7arma 7anda$ Parts of Vedas that fo"us on spiritual pra"ti"es su"h as #orship, devotion and meditation are "alled $Upasana 7anda$ Dhile the traditional Vedi" rituals "ontinued to *e pra"tised as meditative and propitiatory rites, a more kno#ledge' "entered understanding *egan to emerge These #ere mysti"al aspe"ts of Vedi" religion that fo"used on meditation, self'dis"ipline, and spiritual "onne"tivity, more than traditional ritualism The more a*struse Vedanta is the essen"e of the Vedas, as en"apsulated in the Upanishads Vedanti" thought dre# on Vedi" "osmology, hymns and philosophy The .rihadaranyaka Upanishad is *elieved to have appeared as far *a"k as F,JJJ years ago Dhile thirteen or so Upanishads are a""epted as prin"ipal, over a hundred exist The most signifi"ant "ontri*ution of Vedanti" thought is the idea that self'"ons"iousness is "ontinuous #ith and indistinguisha*le from "ons"iousness of .rahman The aphorisms of the Vedanta sutras are presented in a "rypti", poeti" style, #hi"h allo#s for a variety of interpretations /onse1uently, the Vedanta separated into six su*'s"hools, ea"h interpreting the texts in its o#n #ay and produ"ing its o#n series of su*'"ommentaries

$dvaita?editA
Main article: "dvaita #edanta "dvaita literally means 2non'duality 2 This is the oldest and most #idely a"kno#ledged Vedanti" s"hool Its first great "onsolidator #as+di Shankara"harya 3EHH /! V H;J /!4, #ho "ontinued the line of thought of the Upanishadi" tea"hers, and that of his tea"her$s tea"her )audapada 0e #rote extensive "ommentaries on the ma6or Vedanti" s"riptures and #as su""essful in the revival and reformation of 0indu thinking and #ay of life +""ording to this s"hool of Vedanta, $rahman is the only reality, and there exists nothing #hatsoever #hi"h is not $rahman The appearan"e of dualities and differen"es in this #orld is an superimposition on $rahman, "alled Maya Maya is the illusionary and "reative aspe"t of $rahman, #hi"h "auses the #orld to arise Maya is neither existent nor non'existent, *ut appears to exist temporarily, as in "ase of any illusion 3for example mirage4 Dhen a person tries to kno# $rahman through his mind, due to the influen"e of Maya, $rahman appears as )od 3%shvara4, separate from the #orld and from the individual In reality, there is no differen"e *et#een the individual soul 3Jivatman4 and $rahman The spiritual pra"ti"es su"h as8 devotion to )od, meditation R self'less a"tion et" purifies the mind and indire"tly helps in per"eiving the real 5ne #hose vision is o*s"ured *y ignoran"e he does not see the

non'dual nature of realityW as the *lind do not see the resplendent Sun ?;FA0en"e, the only dire"t "ause of li*eration is self'kno#ledge #hi"h dire"tly removes the ignoran"e ?;<A +fter realisation, one sees one$s o#n self and the Universe as the same, non'dual $rahman, !xisten"e'7no#ledge'.liss'+*solute ?;-A

Vishishtadvaita?editA
Main article: #ishishtadvaita 9amanu6a"harya 3" @JFEV@@FE /!4 #as the foremost proponent of the philosophy of Vishishtadvaita or 1ualified non'dualism Vishishtadvaita advo"ated the "on"ept of a Supreme .eing #ith essential 1ualities or attri*utes Vishishtadvaitins argued against the +dvaitin "on"eption of .rahman as an impersonal empty oneness They sa# .rahman as an eternal oneness, *ut also as the sour"e of all "reation, #hi"h #as omnipresent and a"tively involved in existen"e To them the sense of su*6e"t'o*6e"t per"eption #as illusory and a sign of ignoran"e 0o#ever, the individual$s sense of self #as not a "omplete illusion sin"e it #as derived from the universal *eingness that is .rahman ?;GA 9amanu6a sa# Vishnu as a personifi"ation of .rahman

"vaita?editA
%vaita Vedanta 3dualisti" "on"lusions of the Vedas4 s"hool of philosophy #as founded *y Madhva"harya 3" @;FHV @F@E /!4 It espouses dualism *y theorising the existen"e of t#o separate realities The first and the more important reality is that of Vishnu or .rahman Vishnu is the supreme Self, )od, the a*solute truth of the universe, the independent reality The se"ond reality is that of dependent *ut e1ually real universe that exists #ith its o#n separate essen"e !verything that is "omposed of the se"ond reality, su"h as individual soul 3=iva4, matter, et" exist #ith their o#n separate reality The distinguishing fa"tor of this philosophy as opposed to +dvaita Vedanta 3monisti" "on"lusion of Vedas4 is that )od takes on a personal role and is seen as a real eternal entity that governs and "ontrols the universe ?;EA :ive further distin"tions are madeS 3@4 Vishnu is distin"t from soulsW 3;4 Vishnu is distin"t from matterW 3F4 Souls are distin"t from matterW 3<4 + soul is distin"t from another soul, and 3-4 Matter is distin"t from other matter Souls are eternal and are dependent upon the #ill of Vishnu This theology attempts to address the pro*lem of evil #ith the idea that souls are not "reated .e"ause the existen"e of individuals is grounded in the divine, they are depi"ted as refle"tions, images or even shado#s of the divine, *ut never in any #ay identi"al #ith the divine Salvation therefore is des"ri*ed as the realisation that all finite reality is essentially dependent on the Supreme ?;HA

"vaitadvaita +,heda-heda.?editA
%vaitadvaita #as proposed *y Nim*arka, a @Fth'"entury Vaishnava Philosopher from the +ndhra region +""ording to this philosophy there are three "ategories of existen"e8 .rahman, soul, and matter Soul and matter are different from .rahman in that they have attri*utes and "apa"ities different from .rahman .rahman exists independently, #hile soul and matter are dependent Thus soul and matter have an existen"e that is separate yet dependent :urther, .rahman is a "ontroller, the soul is the en6oyer, and matter the thing en6oyed +lso, the highest o*6e"t of #orship is 7rishna and his "onsort 9adha, attended *y thousands of go&is, or "o#herdessesW of the "elestial VrindavanaW and devotion "onsists in self'surrender

Shuddhadvaita?editA
Shuddhadvaita is the 2purely non'dual2 philosophy propounded *y Valla*ha"harya 3@<EIV@-F@ /!4 The founding philosopher #as also the guru of the Valla*hB sampradBya 32tradition of Valla*h24 or PuCtimBrg 32The path of gra"e24, a 0indu Vaishnava tradition fo"used on the #orship of 7rishna

$cintya ,heda $-heda?editA

Main article: "chintya $heda "bheda /haitanya Mahapra*hu 3@<HGV@-F<4, stated that the soul or energy of )od is *oth distin"t and non'distin"t from )od, #hom he identified as 7rishna, )ovinda, and that this, although unthinka*le, may *e experien"ed through a pro"ess

of loving devotion 3bhakti4 0e follo#ed the %vaita "on"ept of Sri Madhva ?;IA This philosophy of 2in"on"eiva*le oneness and differen"e2

Shaivism?editA
!arly history of Shaivism is diffi"ult to determine ?FJA 0o#ever, the LvetBCvatara '&anishad 3<JJ V ;JJ ./!4?F@A is "onsidered to *e the earliest textual exposition of a systemati" philosophy of Shaivism ?F;A Shaivism is represented *y various philosophi"al s"hools, in"luding non'dualist 3abheda4, dualist 3bheda4, and non'dualist'#ith'dualist 3bhedbheda4 perspe"tives Vidyaranya in his #orks mentions three ma6or s"hools of Shaiva thoughtS Pashupata Shaivism, Shaiva Siddhanta and Pratya*hi6Ka 37ashmir Shaivism4 ?;A

Pashupata Shaivism?editA
Pashupata Shaivism is the oldest of the ma6or Shaivite s"hools ?FFA The philosophy of Pashupata se"t #as systemati,ed *y (akulish in the ;nd "entury /! Pashu in Pashupati refers to the effe"t 3or "reated #orld4, the #ord designates that #hi"h is dependent on something ulterior Dhereas, Pati means the "ause 3or prinripium4, the #ord designates the >ord, #ho is the "ause of the universe, the pati, or the ruler ?F<A Pashupatas disapproved of the Vaishnava theology, kno#n for its do"trine servitude of souls to the Supreme .eing, on the grounds that dependen"e upon anything "ould not *e the means of "essation of pain and other desired ends They re"ognised that those depending upon another and longing for independen"e #ill not *e eman"ipated *e"ause they still depend upon something other than themselves +""ording to Pashupatas, soul possesses the attri*utes of the Supreme %eity #hen it *e"omes li*erated from the $germ of every pain$ ?F-A Pashupatas divided the "reated #orld into the insentient and the sentient The insentient #as the un"ons"ious and thus dependent on the sentient or "ons"ious The insentient #as further divided into effe"ts and "auses The effe"ts #ere of ten kinds, the earth, four elements and their 1ualities, "olour et" The "auses #ere of thirteen kinds, the five organs of "ognition, the five organs of a"tion, the three internal organs, intelle"t, the ego prin"iple and the "ognising prin"iple These insentient "auses #ere held responsi*le for the illusive identifi"ation of Self #ith non'Self Salvation in Pashupata Shaivism involved the union of the soul #ith )od through the intelle"t ?FGA

Shaiva Siddhanta?editA
/onsidered normative Tantri" Shaivism, Shaiva Siddhanta?FEA?FHA provides the normative rites, "osmology and theologi"al "ategories of Tantri" Shaivism ?FIA .eing a dualisti" philosophy, the goal of Shaiva Siddhanta is to *e"ome an ontologi"ally distin"t Shiva 3through Shiva$s gra"e4 ?<JA This tradition later merged #ith the Tamil Saiva movement and expression of "on"epts of Shaiva Siddhanta "an *e seen in the *hakti poetry of the Nayanars ?<@A

%ashmir Shaivism?editA
7ashmir Shaivism arose during the eighth?<;A or ninth "entury /!?<FA in 7ashmir and made signifi"ant strides, *oth philosophi"al and theologi"al, until the end of the t#elfth "entury /! ?<<A It is "ategorised *y various s"holars as monisti"?<-A idealism 3a*solute idealism, theisti" monism, realisti" idealism,?<GA trans"endental physi"alism or "on"rete monism?<GA4 It is a s"hool of Laivism "onsisting of Trikaand its philosophi"al arti"ulation Pratya*hi6Ka ?<EA !ven though, *oth 7ashmir Shaivism and +dvaita Vedanta are non'dual philosophies #hi"h give prima"y to Universal /ons"iousness 3)hit or $rahman4,?<HA in 7ashmir Shavisim, as opposed to +dvaita, all things are a manifestation of this /ons"iousness ?<IA This implies that from the point of vie# of 7ashmir Shavisim, the phenomenal #orld 3*akti4 is real, and it exists and has its *eing in /ons"iousness 3)hit4 ?-JA Dhereas, +dvaita holds that .rahman is ina"tive 3nikriya4 and the phenomenal #orld is an illusion 3my4 ?-@A The o*6e"tive of human life, a""ording to 7ashmir Shaivism, is to merge in Shiva or Universal /ons"iousness, or to reali,e one$s already existing identity #ith Shiva, *y means of #isdom, yoga and gra"e ?-;A

There are six Darshan Shastras called the six schools of philosophy. They are: (1) Poorv Mimansa by Sage aimini! (") #yay by Sage $a%tam! (&) 'aisheshi( by Sage )anad! (*)

San(hya by +hag,an )apil! (-) .og by Sage Patan/ali! and (0) 1ttar Mimansa (+rahm S%tra) by +hag,an 'ed 'yas. 2ll the six Darshan Shastras are in sutra form.

Significance of the Darshan Shastras and their period.

The 'edic literat%re is so extensive that it is hard even for a 'edic geni%s to comprehend and remember the theme of all of them. So Sage aimini! ,ho ,as the p%pil of 'ed 'yas! ,rote the Poorv Mimansa S%tras to facilitate the correct %nderstanding of the 'edas. #yay and 'aisheshi( S%tras describe the logical steps of ho, to determine the rights and the ,rongs in terms of finding the absol%te good for a person. San(hya S%tras explain the extent of mayic creation and the Divinity beyond that. 3t tells that the entire mayic creation is ,orth discarding and only the Divinity is to be attained beca%se that is the only so%rce of +liss. .og S%tras then explain the practical process of heartp%rification ,hich may 4%alify a person to experience the absol%te Divine. Then the +rahm S%tra (1ttar Mimansa) reveals this secret that $od is absol%te Divinity and absol%te +liss! and 5e is $racio%s. So! yearnf%lly remember 5im and ,ith 5is $race experience 5is absol%te +lissf%lness forever. This is the general o%tline of all the six Darshan Shastras. Brahm Sutra. +rahm S%tra by 'ed 'yas has fo%r chapters and each chapter has fo%r sections. 3t starts ,ith!

defining the prere4%isite ,hich means that the +rahm S%tra is only for that person ,ho is f%lly reno%nced and has a real deep desire to (no, $od. Then it declares!

6The tr%e liberation co%ld only be attained by lovingly s%rrendering to 5im.7 8%rther it tells!

6$od has %nlimited and absol%te virt%es.7 3n this ,ay! from the very beginning! the +rahm S%tra in simple ,ordings reveals the tr%e theme of the 1pnishads! that $od has 5is Divine personal form ,ith all of 5is Divine virt%es. The formless (nirakar) aspect of $od cannot have Divine virt%es as it is formless! and th%s action9less and virt%eless. Th%s! the loving form of $od is desirable: and beca%se 5e is $racio%s! (ind! loving and all po,erf%l! 5is $race ,o%ld eliminate the mayic bondage of any so%l ,hen (tannishthasya) he ,holeheartedly engrosses his mind in 5is loving remembrance. +rahm S%tra! at the end of the first chapter! describes the existing stat%s of the %niverse and tells that the %niverse is not the manifestation of only maya as San(hya Darshan says! it is also the embodiment of $od. statement! This sutra is the exact translation of the 1pnishadic This ,orld is a representation of both: $od and maya.

8or a so%l! ,ho has a material mind! this ,orld is only a manifestation of maya. +%t for a Divine Saint ,ho has attained $od reali;ation (according to o%r script%res) the ,hole ,orld becomes the form of his $od.

3n the second chapter it details the existing form of a so%l and says! .6The so%ls are %nlimited in n%mber and infinitesimal in form! and are ( ansh) a fractional part of $od.7 $od is absol%te and %nlimited and logically there cannot be fractions of the absol%te. 2ltho%gh the ,ordansh means fraction! b%t it also means that all the so%ls are $od9li(e Divine by nat%re! li(e a drop of,ater of the ocean is s%bstantially the same as the ocean. <haitanya Mahaprabh% clarifies this iss%e and says that $od has a po,er called the jeev shakti. 2ll the so%ls are the part (ansh) of that. 3n the third chapter! the +rahm S%tra f%rther explains the sit%ation of a so%l ,hich is %nder the bondage of maya and (eeps on reincarnating in vario%s forms of life. 3t also tells abo%t the nirakarform of ,orship and the disciplines! and at the end it tells abo%t the greatness of bhakti and says that! thro%gh bhakti a devotee easily receives the $race of $od. 3n the fo%rth chapter! it mainly explains abo%t the devotion and meditation! abo%t the personal and impersonal (sakar, nirakar) forms of $od! and the o%tcome of s%ch practices. 3t also gives a detailed description abo%t the gyanis and yogis ,ho reach Brahm lok! the abode of +rahma! and o%t of them! some are liberated and some are not. 3n the beginning of chapter fo%r it tells that! a devotee sho%ld repeatedly try to remember the devotional teachings all the time! and do his reg%lar devotions ,hile! lovingly meditating %pon the form of his beloved $od. 2t the very end of the fo%rth chapter it tells that! the devotees doing bhakti to a personal form of $od receive a very special %nimaginable Divine gift and that is their experiential synonymity ,ith $od in 5is Divine abode. 3t means that the bhakt Saint! in the Divine abode of $od! en/oys the same amo%nt of Divine +liss as his beloved $od experiences. 3t is the absol%te (indness of $od that 5e ma(es an eternally maya- inflicted so%l e4%ally +lissf%l as 5imself. This is the +rahm S%tra in a n%tshell. 3t represents the theme of the 1pnishads ,hich are the essence of the entire literat%re of the 'edic realm.