Part 2 - The Popular Indian Philosophical Schools (Āstika and Nāstika)

Philosophy can be broadly defined as:

“Rational enquiry into the open nature of reality.^[1]”.

Man has been in eternal search of the ultimate truth. There are several fundamental questions that have been of interest to the mankind. The search for answers to such questions is ‘Philosophy’. It is a way of life. The different systems of Philosophy in India are founded on mystical experiences of the seers and sages.

Darśanas help open the third eye, eye of knowledge—jñānacakṣu [=jñānacakṣus]. This deals with intuitive experiences. The different schools of Indian Philosophy are different points of view from which reality can be seen. Intuition brings an awareness of the divine reality as the thing, directly known and experienced. Philosophy based on intuition is not opposed to reason.

Indian schools of philosophy are mainly of two types:

1. Orthodox (āstika)
2. Heterodox (nāstika)

There are various meanings of the above classifications. Āstika may mean to be -

1. One who believes in the life after death.
2. One who believes in the existence of ‘God’
3. One who believes in and accepts the authority of Vedas

Whereas, nāstika mean the opposite.

Orthodox (āstika):

The āstika system consists of six darśanas and they are:

1. nyāya,
2. vaiśeṣika,
3. sāṅkhya,
4. yoga,
5. mīmāṃsā and
6. vedānta.

Heterodox (nāstika):

The nāstika system consists of:

1. Cārvaka,
2. Bauddha and
3. Jaina.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mahadevan T.M.P., Outlines of Hinduism, Chetana Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, 1984 (1956), p. 98