Indian philosophy

Indian philosophical traditions

Yajnavalkya (c. 8th century BCE), an important Vedic sage associated with the thought of the early Upanishads.[1] Jain philosophy was propagated by Tirthankaras, notably Parshvanatha (c. 872 – c. 772 BCE) and Mahavira (c. 599-527 BCE). Buddhist philosophy was founded by Gautama Buddha (c. 563–483 BCE). Sikh philosophy was developed by Guru Gobind Singh (c. 1666–1708 CE).

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Indian philosophy includes the different thinking traditions from the Indian subcontinent. These philosophies are often called darśana, meaning "to see" or "looking at." Another term, ānvīkṣikī, means "critical inquiry" or "investigation." Ancient Indian thinkers like Chanakya used ānvīkṣikī to describe Indian philosophies.^[2]

There are two main groups of Indian philosophies^[3]:

1. Āstika: These schools accept the Vedas (ancient texts) as a source of knowledge.
2. Nāstika: These schools do not accept the Vedas.

The āstika group believes in:

• Vedas as a valid source of knowledge.
• Concepts of Brahman (universal soul) and Atman (individual soul).
• The existence of an afterlife and gods (Devas).

The main āstika schools are:

• Nyaya
• Vaisheshika
• Samkhya
• Yoga
• Mīmāṃsā
• Vedanta

The nāstika group does not follow the Vedas. Major nāstika schools include:^[4]

• Jain
• Buddhist
• Ajivika
• Ajñana
• Charvaka

These philosophies were mainly developed between 500 BCE and the later centuries of the Common Era. Some schools like Jainism, Buddhism, Yoga, Śaiva, and Vedanta survived, while others like Ajñana, Charvaka, and Ājīvika did not.

Ancient Indian philosophical texts discuss many topics, including:

• Ontology (study of being and existence)
• Epistemology (study of knowledge)
• Axiology (study of values)

1. ↑ Scharfstein, Ben-Ami (1998). A comparative history of world philosophy: from the Upanishads to Kant. Albany: State University of New York Press. pp. 9–11. ISBN 978-0-7914-3683-7.
2. ↑ www.wisdomlib.org (2012-10-01). "A History of Indian Philosophy Volume 1". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
3. ↑ Madhava Acharya (1882). The Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha, or Review of the different systems of Hindu philosophy. Robarts - University of Toronto. London, Trübner.
4. ↑ Mysore Hiriyanna (1948). Mysore Hiriyanna - The Essentials of Indian Philosophy. Sabyasachi Mishra.