Six Schools of Indian Philosophy
Vedic period defined the philosophies
about true nature of soul or Atman + cosmic principle or Brahman who
represented the ultimate reality. Later these philosophical concepts gave rise
to six different schools of philosophies called shada
darshana. They fall in the category of the orthodox system as
the final authority of the Vedas is recognized by all of them.
When Varna system was well established
then ancient people thought that a person should strive for :
§ Artha
( Economic Means ) → Defined in Arthashashtra of Kautilya
§ Dharma
( Social Order) → Defined in Dharmashashtra
§ Kama
(Physical pleasure) → Defined in Kamasutra of Vatsyanan
§ Moksha
(Salvation) → Defined in 6 schools of Philosophy
Moksha is basically to get free
from transmigration or free from cycle of birth & death
Samkhya School
§ By
Kapila who wrote Samkhya sutra
§ Reality
is constituted of two principles one female and other male i.e. Prakriti,
Purusha respectively; both are completely independent & absolute
§ Purusha
→ mere consciousness, devoid of attributes, cannot be changed (absolute,
independent, free, limitless)
§ Prakriti
→ constituted of materialistic attributes (thoughts & movement) + change or
transformation of these attributes brings about the change in all objects.
§ All
in this world originates from the interplay of these two entities i.e. Purusha
and Prakriti
§ Later
this school merged with Yoga school of Philosophy
Nyaya School
§ By
Gautama
§ Valid
knowledge is defined as the real knowledge i.e. one knows about the object as
it exists viz. it is when one knows a snake as a snake or a cup as a cup;
§ Basically
a technique of logical thinking
§ Salvation
can be achieved through acquisition of knowledge & veracity of a statement
can be tested via inference, hearing & analogy
§ Theory
of Praman – Nyaya (science of reasoning,
debate, logic & epistemology)
§ Pratyaksha
(Perception)
§ Anumana
(Inference)
§ Upamana(Comparison)
§ Sabda
(Testimony)
Yoga School
§ By
Patanjali who wrote Yogasutra
§ Yogic
techniques control body, mind & sense organs, thus considered as a means of
achieving freedom or mukti
§ By
purifying & controlling changes in the mental mechanism, yoga
systematically brings about the release of purusha from prakriti; which could
be attained by practising :
§ Self-control
(yama) & Observation of rules (niyama)
§ fixed
postures (asana) & Breath control (pranayama)
§ Choosing
an object (pratyahara) & fixing the mind (dharna)
§ Concentrating
on the chosen object (dhyana)
§ Complete
dissolution of self, merging the mind and the object (Samadhi)
Vaisheshika School
§ By
Kanada
§ All
objects in the universe are composed of five elements–earth, water, air, fire
& ether except time, space, mind & soul & God is the guiding
principle
§ Living
beings were rewarded or punished according to the law of karma, based on actions of merit and demerit.
§ Creation
and destruction of universe is a cyclic process and take place in agreement
with God’s wish
§ Marked
the beginning of physics in India & explained the phenomena of formation of
universe by the atomic theory viz. Combination of atoms and molecules into
matter
§ Finally
this school was merged with Nyaya school of philosophy
Mimamsa School
§ By
Jamini
§ Analysis
& interpretation of application & use of Samhita and Brahmana portions
of the Veda
§ Reasoning
was used to provide justification of vedic rituals & attainment of
salvation, dependent on their way of performance
§ Vedas
are eternal & possess all knowledge, and religion means the fulfilment of
duties prescribed by the Vedas
§ Vedas
contains eternal truth & in order to attain salvation it strongly
recommended vedic sacrifices (Which ultimately needed Brahamanas)
§ Principle
aim of this philosophy was to attain Heaven & salvation ( A person will
enjoy heavon as long as his virtues last & then will come to earth, but in
salvation he will be free from the cycle of Death & Birth)
§ The
names associated with this philosophy are Sabar Swami and Kumarila Bhatta.
Vedanta School
§ Brahamasutra
of Badrayana (200 B.C.) formed its basic structure on which commentaries were
written later by Shankaracharya (900 AD) & Ramanujam (1200 AD).
§ Vedanta
implies the philosophy of the Upanishad, the concluding portion of the Vedas.
§ Brahman
is true, the world is false and self and Brahman are not different with
Brahmana existent, unchanging, the highest truth and the ultimate knowledge.
§ The
core message of Vedanta is that every action must be governed by the intellect
– the discriminating faculty. The mind makes mistakes but the intellect tells
us if the action is in our interest or not.
§ Vedanta
enables the practitioner to access the realm of spirit through the intellect.
Whether one moves into spirituality through Yoga, meditation or devotion, it
must ultimately crystallize into inner understanding for attitudinal changes
and enlightenment.
§ Also
linked with Theory of Karma e. in present birth, a person has to bear
consequences of previous birth