SIX SCHOOLS OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

SIX SCHOOLS OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

1. Sankhya According the the early Sankhya philosophy, the world was created and it has evolved more by nature or prakriti, than by God. However, Purusha or spirit was later introduced as an element in the Sankhya system. The new theory says that nature and spiritual element together created the world.
2. Yoga The Yoga school says a person can attain salvation through meditation. and physical application. Yoga throws light on development of the knowledge of physi­ology and anatomy in ancient times.

3. Nyaya Nyaya-the school of analysis-was devel­oped as a system of logic. It says salvation is attainable through the acquisition of knowledge. The school has helped in development of systematic thinking and reason­ing.

4. Vaisheshika According to the Vaisheshika philoso­phy, earth, water, fire, air and ether (sky), when combined, give rise to new objects. The school propounded the atom theory marking the beginning of physics in India. However, it preached belief in God and spiritualism.

5. Mimamsa According to the Mimamsa philosophy, the Vedas contain the eternal truth. Hence, it strongly recommended the performance of Vedic sacrifices to attain salvation.

6. Vedanta Badarayan's Brahmasutra formed the basic text of the Vedanta philosophy. According to this school, brahma is the reality and everything else is unreal (maya). The self (soul) or atma is identical with brahma. The Vedantic philosophy is traced to the earlier Upanishads. The theory of Kilrma was linked to this school of philosophy.

Though the two epics-the Mahabharata and the Ramayana-were compiled later, they reflect the state of affairs of the later Vedic period. The Mahabharata, attributed to Vyasa, is older than the Ramayana and describes the period from the tenth century Be to the fourth century AD. Originally, it contained 8800 verses and was called ]aya Samhita. Later, the number of verses was raised to 24,000 and the book became known as Bharata. Today, the book is called Mahabhtirata, having one lakh verses-also called Satasahsri Samhita. The Ramayana, attributed to Valmiki, originally had 6,000 verses, but later the number of verses was raised to 12,000 and finally to 24,000. Its composition started in the fifth century Be and passed through five stages; the fifth stage ended in the twelfth century AD. It may be remarked that while the Ramayana depicts conflicts between the Aryans and non-Aryans, the Mahabharata is concerned with conflicts between Aryans themselves.
The Dharmashastras deal with religious duties and civil law. The principal Dharmas1!astras are attributed to Manu, Vishnu, Yajnavalkya and Narada. They were probably composed in the early Christian centuries. They prescribe rigidity in the caste system and, apart from the four traditional varnas, refer to the 'mixed castes'. They give us a clear idea of the four ashramas (stages of life) through which every 'twice-born' was expected to pass. They also clearly indicate the declining position of women. The Yajnavalkasmriti is more advanced and unconventional in doctrines than the others; it allows widows to inherit property.