Hindu Philosophical Schools – The Darshanas An Overview

The Darshanas are the intellectual aspect of the Hindu scriptures while the agamas cover theological aspects of Hinduism. The Agamas, Puranas, and itihasas are meant for the regular Hindu public. Puranas and Itihasas appeal to the emotion of Hindus. The Darshanas are meant for the Hindus who are intellectual, analytical with strong reasoning ability and subtle judgment.

The different philosophical schools of Hinduism are called the Darshanas. Etymologically, the root word in Sankrit for Darshanas means to see or to experience. The Darshanas are of six types and are together termed as the “Shad Darshanas.” These could be considered as the six ways to discover the same truth. Each of the six Darshanas is based on the Holy Vedas.

Let us now briefly focus on the six Darshanas:
The Nyaya: The Nyaya attempts to understand the World’s truths purely based on rational inquiry and logic. Obtaining the knowledge that is provided by Nyaya is essential for the analysis of diverse philosophical facets. This school of philosophy accepts the existence of Godhead, which it considers as the most superior of all souls in the universe.

The Vaiseshika: The Vaiseshika states that everything in the universe is a combination of atoms. This atomic principle is the most prominent aspect of this system of philosophy. Though Vaiseshika started as a school stressing atheism, it still got transformed into atheistic philosophy, with the passage of time. This is attributable to the fact that the Vaiseshika got merged into the Nyaya.

The Nyaya and the Vaishika are grouped together as they rely on human reasoning. However, in matters of transcendental nature – reasoning has limitations.

The Samkhya: The Samkhya philosophy strongly maintains that the number of realities is only two: Individual soul and nature. The founder of Samkhya philosophy was Kapila Muni. Knowledge of Hindu psychology can be gained by knowing the Sankhya philosophy as the founder of Samkhya was also considered the founder of Hindu psychology. Just like the Vaiseshika, even the Samkhya had the atheistic approach in its initial phase. But later on, it went on to embrace theism. Sankhya is currently not a living faith in the Hindu people.

The Yoga: Yoga deals with ways to discipline the mind and the senses. This is done with control of the thought waves with meditation. Thought waves are called Vrittis. The goal of Yoga is to develop concentration, single-pointedness of mind and enter into a superconscious state called Nivikalpa Samadhi. This philosophy conveys that there are numerous purushas (individual souls) and one unique entity (supreme cosmic source). The Yoga philosophy gives a lot of importance to individual souls, as it says that a soul is a divine source for the corresponding body. Yoga helps to gain mastery over the mind and the senses

The Samkhya and the Yoga philosophies are grouped together. Yoga is the supplement of Samkhya

The Mimamsa: The word Mimamsa means deep analysis of a pious subject. The Vedas have the karma khanda and the jnana khanda. Since it appears first karma khanda is called Purva Bhaaga and one that appears later is called Uttara Bhaaga. The word Mimamsa without any pre-fix ‘Purva’ or ‘Uttara is used only for Purva Mimansa. The Purva Mimamsa elaborates on the various right actions as stipulated by the Vedas. Occasionally in Purva Mimamsa, it touches upon Uttara Mimamsa or Vedanta.

The Vedanta: The translation of “The Vedanta” means “the end of the Vedas.” The philosophy of Vedanta gives a detailed explanation about the nature of the individual soul and God. The Vedanta says that when one seeks liberation, then; adherence to the spiritual aspects found in the Vedas is indispensable. As per the Vedanta, the realization of the self is way superior to the performance of rites and rituals.

The Mimamsa and Vedanta are grouped together.

This is only an introduction or overview of the Darshanas. After reading this article, you can gain more knowledge by finding some books for further reading or by listening to a Hindu learned man for further detailed knowledge.

Note: Published with the permission of hindueshop.com.