Philosophy of Yog Shastra

8/12/2019 Philosophy of Yog Shastra

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The Six Systems of Indian Philosophy

The six systems of Indian philosophy are Nyaya, Vasiseshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa and UttaraMimamsa !a"h of these systems differs in one #ay or the other in terms of its "on"epts, phenomena, la#s anddogmas !a"h system has it$s o#n founder as #ell It is important to kno# that the founders of these systemsof philosophy are sages of the highest order that have devoted their lives for the study and propagation ofphilosophy !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 realie the signifi"an"e of ver*al testimonyor theauthority 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"1uiringkno#ledge2 "alled the&Pramanas( )autama #as the first philosopher to stress the importan"e of the valid means of kno#ledge andhen"e the Nyaya system of philosophy is said to have laid the firm foundation to the development ofthe s"ien"eof 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 arePratyaksha 3per"eption4, +numama 3inferen"e4, Upamana 3"omparison4 and Sha*da 3ver*al testimony4Nyaya, like many other systems of philosophy aims at the attainment of li*eration +""ording to them theattainment 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 anddestroys 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 *ythe other later systems of philosophy

Vaiseshika

The founder of the Vaiseshika system of Indian philosophy is 7anadaor 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 andhen"e experts in the study of philosophy often "om*ine the t#o s"hoolsas Nyaya'Vaiseshika The Vaiseshikasystem re"ognies 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 theexisten"e of )od and they say that 0e "reated, sustained and destroyed the universe +""ording to theVaiseshika S"hool of philosophy, the #ill of )od is the "ause for "reation .rahma is the very first produ"t ofthe #ill of )od and 0e does the se"ond part of "reation a""ording to the merits and the demerits of theindividual 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 thefirm 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 *y7apila #ere further expounded *y his dis"iples +suri and Pan"hashikha The Sankhya Sutras "ompiled *y7apila #ere "ommented on later *y Ishvara 7rishna of the -th /entury +% It is interesting to note that theSankhya system a""epts only three Pramanas or the valid means of a"1uiring kno#ledge They a""eptPratyaksha or per"eption, +numana or inferen"e and Sha*da or ver*al testimony They don(t a""ept Upamana


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or "omparison Sankhaya a""epts only t#o realities, namely, the Prakriti or the insentient nature and thePurusha or the soul These t#o are eternal a""ording to 7apila +""ording to the Sankhya system ofphilosophy, something "an never *e produ"ed out of nothing 5ne "an see the influen"e of the Nyaya systemon 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 tohappiness 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 theentireuniverseis *orn out of the Prakriti or the primordial matter Purusha on the other hand is as innumera*leas there are living *eings Purusha is all'pervading and eternal 0e is "ons"iousness in its very essen"eSankhya *elieves in the "reation of the universe as a result of the union *et#een Prakriti and Purusha 7apilades"ri*es an interesting pro"ess of evolution of the #orld The very first evolute that issues forth from thePrakriti *y the "om*ination of the three gunas is the Mahat or the "osmi" intelle"t /osmi" ego is *orn out ofthe "osmi" intelle"t There are various evolutes issuing forth from the different parts of the "osmi" ego"hara"teried *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 fivesu*tle elements are *orn the five gross elements or Pan"ha Maha*hutas "alled earth, #ater, fire, air and etherThus ;< 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 ofYoga The date is not "learly kno#n *ut his #ork is of great value to the seekers of the state of spirituala*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 internalpurifi"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 "orrespondingsense o*6e"ts, %harana is "on"entration, %hyana is meditation and Samadhi is the final state of spirituala*sorption

The Yoga system of philosophy a""epts three fundamental realities, namely, Ish#ara, Purusha and Prakriti orthe primordial matter Patan6ali says that s"riptures are the sour"es of the existen"e of Ish#ara Ish#ara isomnis"ient and is free from the 1ualities inherent in Prakriti Patan6ali defines Yoga as &/hittavriitinirodha( Yogais 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 3lainess4, +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"klelim*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 orgenus

Purva Mimamsa

The philosophi"al system of Purva Mimamsa #as founded *y =aimini The Mimamsa %arshana *elieves firmlyin the performan"e of rituals and supports the vie# that the *ody is perisha*le *ut the soul survives even afterthe 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 theVedas are impe""a*le in #hat they say It does not talk a*out the .rahman or the Supreme !ntity *ut says thatthe #orld is real Mimamsa stri"tly is of the opinion that #hatever #e do in our life are not dreams or illusion *utare real


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=aimini a""epts t#o types of kno#ledge, namely, Pratyaksha 3immediate kno#ledge4 and Paroksha 3mediatekno#ledge4 Paroksha =nana is of five kinds, namely +numana 3inferen"e4, Upamana 3"omparison4, Sha*da3ver*al testimony4, +rthapatti 3postulation4 and +nupala*dhi 3non'per"eption4 =aimini a""epts the plurality ofsouls 0e says that the souls are eternal *ut they definitely undergo transmigration as a""ording to the a"tionsperformed *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 importanto*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 )odPerforman"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 ofthree different s"hools of thought, namely +dvaita, Visishtadvaita and %vaita The philosophi"al system ofUtttara Mimamsa is other#ise "alled Vedanta +ll the three s"hools of Vedanta have different tea"hers +diSankara 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 Upanishadsatta"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 resultof Maya or delusion Maya "auses the illusion akin to the "ognition of serpent on the rope + person gripped *yignoran"e fails to see the su*stratum of the universe .rahman is the su*stratum of the universe It is not seendue to delusion or Maya Sankara "alls the universe an illusion and the .rahman or the Supreme !ntity asTruth !verything around us is adventitious of the .rahman Into .rahman all "reation goes %eluge is theultimate "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 andhen"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 #iththe Supreme as long as it is "onfined in a *ody Madhva the founder of the %vaita s"hool of Vedanti" thoughtsays that the 6ivas or the souls "an attain li*eration through *hakti and the gra"e of )od It is important to notethat all the three tea"hers a""epted Vedas as a valid means of kno#ledge

Vedic philosophyis traditionally divided into sixstika3Sanskrit8 2orthodox24 s"hools of thought,?@Aor daranam3, 2vie#24, #hi"h a""ept theVedasas supreme revealed s"riptures Three

other nstika32heterodox24 s"hools don$t dra# upon theVedasas the sole primary authoritative text, *ut mayemphasise other traditions of thought The Bstika s"hools are8

1. Samkhya,an atheisti" and strongly dualist theoreti"al exposition of "ons"iousnessandmatter

; Yoga , a s"hool emphasisingmeditation, "ontemplationand li*eration

3. Nyaya orlogi", exploressour"es of kno#ledgeNyya Stras


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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 ofVedismin the post'medieval period

The nBstika s"hools are 3in "hronologi"al order48

@ /BrvBka

; =ainism

3. .uddhism

0o#ever,medieval philosopherslike VidyBraya "lassify Indian philosophy into sixteen s"hools, #here s"hools

*elonging toSaiva,PBini and9aseCvarathought are in"luded #ith others, and the

three Vedanti"s"hools+dvaita, Vishishtadvaitaand%vaita3#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 period2golden 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%vaita2dualism2, +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 Nyaya2Neo'Nyaya2,#hile Samkhya gradually lost its status as an independent s"hool, its tenets a*sor*ed into Yoga and Vedanta

ontents

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedantahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedantahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C4%81rv%C4%81kahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidyaranyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidyaranyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidyaranyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saivahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saivahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81%E1%B9%87inihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81%E1%B9%87inihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81%E1%B9%87inihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81%E1%B9%87inihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81%E1%B9%87inihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasesvarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasesvarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasesvarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedantichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishishtadvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishishtadvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#cite_note-cowell-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#cite_note-cowell-2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Vedism&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Vedism&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gupta_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Overviewhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Samkhyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Yogahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Nyayahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Vaisheshikahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Purva_Mimamsahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Vedantahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Advaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Vishishtadvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Dvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Dvaitadvaita_.28Bhedabheda.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Shuddhadvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedantahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C4%81rv%C4%81kahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidyaranyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saivahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81%E1%B9%87inihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasesvarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedantichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishishtadvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#cite_note-cowell-2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Vedism&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gupta_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Overviewhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Samkhyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Yogahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Nyayahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Vaisheshikahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Purva_Mimamsahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Vedantahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Advaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Vishishtadvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Dvaitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Dvaitadvaita_.28Bhedabheda.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy#Shuddhadvaita


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Samkhya?editA

Main article: Samkhya

Samkhya is the oldest of the orthodox philosophi"al systems in Vedism?FAIt espousesdualism *et#een

"ons"iousness and matter*y postulating t#o 2irredu"i*le, innate and independent realities @4 "ons"iousnessitself

orPurusha3Sanskrit8 , self, atma or soul4 ;4 primordial materiality or Prakriti3"reative agen"y or energy42 Theun"ons"ious primordial materiality, Prakriti "onsists of varying levels of three dispositions or "ategories of 1ualities

3gunas4 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?ord2?@FAThe intimate relationship *et#een Samkhya and Yoga is explained

*y 0einri"h immer8

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, analying their manner of "o'

operation in a state of *ondage 3bandha4, and des"ri*ing their state of disentanglement or separation in release

3mok a 4, #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 $isolation'integration$ 3kaivalya42?@


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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 Nyayas"hool is *ased on the Nyaya Sutras They #ere #ritten *y +ksapada )autama, pro*a*ly in the sixth

"entury ./!?;JAThe 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 Ishvarain 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 Vaisheshikas"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 7a Bda 3or Kana-bhuk, literally, atom-eater4 around the ;nd "entury ./?;@AMa6or ideas "ontained in theVaisheshika Sutraare8?;;A

There are nine "lasses of realities8 four "lasses ofatoms3earth, #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 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 oftheir "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#oper"eption and inferen"e

Purva Mimamsa?editA

The main o*6e"tive of the PurvaMimamsas"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
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propounded un1uestiona*le faith in the Vedas and regular performan"e of theya!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*erationstemmed 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 laterMimamsa s"hool, "on"entrates on the philosophi"al tea"hings of the Upanishadsrather 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 ofVedi" religionthat 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 Upanishadis *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

"dvaitaliterally means 2non'duality2 This is the oldest and most #idely a"kno#ledged Vedanti" s"hool Its first great

"onsolidator #as+di Shankara"harya3EHH /! 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,$rahmanis the only reality, and there exists nothing #hatsoever #hi"h isnot $rahman The appearan"e of dualities and differen"es in this #orld is an superimposition on $rahman,

"alled Maya Mayais the illusionary and "reative aspe"t of $rahman, #hi"h "auses the #orld to arise Mayais 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# $rahmanthrough his mind, due to the influen"e of Maya, $rahmanappears 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,meditationR self'less a"tionet" 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
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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?;


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of loving devotion 3bhakti4 0e follo#ed the %vaita "on"ept of Sri Madhva?;AThis philosophy of 2in"on"eiva*le

oneness and differen"e2

Shaivism?editA

!arly history of Shaivism is diffi"ult to determine?FJA0o#ever, the LvetBCvatara '&anishad 3ord, #ho is the "ause of the universe, the pati, or the ruler?F


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Sanhya by +hag,an apil! (-) og by Sage Patan/ali! and (0) ttar Mimansa (+rahm S%tra) by

+hag,an 'ed 'yas. 2ll the six Darshan Shastras are insutraform.

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 PoorvMimansa S%tras to facilitatethe 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. Sanhya S%tras explain the extent of mayic creationand the Divinity beyond that. 3t tells that the

entire mayiccreation is ,orthdiscarding 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 (ttar 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 generalo%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!

definingthe 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 liberationco%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 revealsthe tr%e theme of

the pnishads! 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 mayicbondage 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 thatthe %niverse is not the manifestation of onlymayaas Sanhya Darshan says! it is also the embodiment of

$od. Thissutra is the exact translation of the pnishadic

statement! This ,orldis 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.


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3n the second chapterit 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 fractionalpart 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 $od9lie Divine by nat%re! lie a drop

of,aterof the ocean is s%bstantially the same as the ocean.

Philosophy of Yog Shastra

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