Introduction to philosophy in India

Philosophy is known in India as ‘Darśana’, which means ‘Vision’. It is the vision of the Reality as a whole and an insight to the nature of ultimate reality.^[1] One cannot deny the fact that Indian philosophy is predominantly spiritual. Philosophy and religion are intimately connected with each other in India,^[2] where the latter is not a system of dogmas, but a living experience, the practical realization of the spiritual truth.

The schools of Indian philosophy are divided into two broad classes. They are orthodox (āstika) and heterodox (nāstika).^[3] The orthodox school recognizes the authority of the Vedas.

The heterodox schools do not recognize their authority. The cārvāka, the Buddha and the Jaina are the heterodox schools. They are called heterodox not because they are atheists, but because they reject the authority of the Vedas. Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Saṃkhya, Yoga, Mīmāṃsa and Vedanta are the orthodox schools. Among them Saṃkhya and the Mīmāṃsa are atheists. Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Yoga and Vedanta are theists.^[4]

Śaṅkarācārya is one of the most outstanding figures in the history of Indian philosophical literature. He was a great and multi-faced personality. His contribution to the cultural and religious integration of India is enormous.

Śaṅkara played a very prominent part in the cultural history of India as a mystic philosopher and propogater of Advaita doctrine. Swami Vivekananda, who was the best exponent of Śaṅkara’s Advaita in modern times has admired his keen intellect and philosophic genius and his work for the regeneration of the country. Some of the western orientalists like Prof. Max Muller and Prof. Paul Deussen have paid glowing tributes to his works and have expounded his philosophy.

Śaṅkara lived only thirty two years, but that short life span was full of tremendous constructive activity and dynamic universal thought. The forces he released through his life and work brought about a new epoch and shaped the course of the cultural history of India. The momentum of those forces for the rejuvenation of religion and society on a philosophical and scientific basis continued unabated even to this day, and the work of regeneration of man initiated by him is still progressing, through the instrumentality of the great Swami Vivekananda and Śrī Nārāyaṇa Guru he is now reaching out to the whole world.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosophy (Vol.I), New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2010, p.44.

[2]:

Dr. Ramnath Sharma, Philosophy of Religion, Delhi: Kedarnath, Ramnath, 2010, p.6.

[3]:

Surendranath Das Gupta, A History of Indian Philsophy (Vol.I), Delhi: Motilal Banarasidas Pvt., Ltd., 2012, p.67.

[4]:

Ibid., p.68.