In this benchmark five-volume study, originally published between 1922 and 1955, Surendranath Dasgupta examines the principal schools of thought that define Indian philosophy. A unifying force greater than art, literature, religion, or science, Professor Dasgupta describes philosophy as the most important achievement of Indian thought, arguing that an understanding of its history is necessary to appreciate the significance and potentialities of India's complex culture. Volume I offers an examination of the Vedas and the Brahmanas, the earlier Upanisads, and the six systems of Indian philosophy.
Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri present a lively introduction to one of the world's richest intellectual traditions: the philosophy of classical India. They begin with the earliest extant literature, the Vedas, and the explanatory works that these inspired, known as Upaniṣads. They also discuss other famous texts of classical Vedic culture, especially the Mahābhārata and its most notable section, the Bhagavad-Gīta, alongside the rise of Buddhism and Jainism. In this opening section, Adamson and Ganeri emphasize the way that philosophy was practiced as a form of life in search of liberation from suffering. Next, the pair move on to the explosion of philosophical speculation devoted to foundational texts called 'sutras,' discussing such traditions as the logical and epistemological Nyāya school, the monism of Advaita Vedānta, and the spiritual discipline of Yoga. In the final section of the book, they chart further developments within Buddhism, highlighting Nagārjuna's radical critique of 'non-dependent' concepts and the no-self philosophy of mind found in authors like Dignāga, and within Jainism, focusing especially on its 'standpoint' epistemology. Unlike other introductions that cover the main schools and positions in classical Indian philosophy, Adamson and Ganeri's lively guide also pays attention to philosophical themes such as non-violence, political authority, and the status of women, while considering textual traditions typically left out of overviews of Indian thought, like the Cārvaka school, Tantra, and aesthetic theory as well. Adamson and Ganeri conclude by focusing on the much-debated question of whether Indian philosophy may have influenced ancient Greek philosophy and, from there, evaluate the impact that this area of philosophy had on later Western thought.
In this benchmark five-volume study, originally published between 1922 and 1955, Surendranath Dasgupta examines the principal schools of thought that define Indian philosophy. A unifying force greater than art, literature, religion, or science, Professor Dasgupta describes philosophy as the most important achievement of Indian thought, arguing that an understanding of its history is necessary to appreciate the significance and potentialities of India's complex culture. Volume III offers an examination of the Bhaskara school of philosophy, the Pancaratra, the Arvars, the Visistadvaita school of thought, the philosophy of Yamunacarya, the Ramanuja school of thought, Nimbarka's philosophy, the philosophy of Vijnana Bhiksu, and the philosophical speculations of some of the selected Puranas.
The old civilisation of India was a concrete unity of many-sided developments in art, architecture, literature, religion, morals, and science so far as it was understood in those days. But the most important achievement of Indian thought was philosophy. It was regarded as the goal of all the highest practical and theoretical activities, and it indicated the point of unity amidst all the apparent diversities which the complex growth of culture over a vast area inhabited by different peoples produced. It is not in the history of foreign invasions, in the rise of independent kingdoms at different times, in the empires of this or that great monarch that the unity of India is to be sought. It is essentially one of spiritual aspirations and obedience to the law of the spirit, which were regarded as superior to everything else, and it has outlived all the political changes through which India passed. The Greeks, the Huns, the Scythians, the Pathans and the Moguls who occupied the land and controlled the political machinery never ruled the minds of the people, for these political events were like hurricanes or the changes of season, mere phenomena of a natural or physical order which never affected the spiritual integrity of Hindu culture. If after a passivity of some centuries India is again going to become creative it is mainly on account of this fundamental unity of her progress and civilisation and not for anything that she may borrow from other countries. It is therefore indispensably necessary for all those who wish to appreciate the significance and potentialities of Indian culture that they should properly understand the history of Indian philosophical thought which is the nucleus round which all that is best and highest in India has grown. Much harm has already been done by the circulation of opinions that the culture and philosophy of India was dreamy and abstract. It is therefore very necessary that Indians as well as other peoples should become more and more acquainted with the true characteristics of the past history of Indian thought and form a correct estimate of its special features.
Here are the chief riches of more than 3,000 years of Indian philosophical thought-the ancient Vedas, the Upanisads, the epics, the treatises of the heterodox and orthodox systems, the commentaries of the scholastic period, and the contemporary writings. Introductions and interpretive commentaries are provided.
This Volume, A General Introduction To Indian Philosophy, Covers The Vedic And Epic Periods, Including The Expositions On The Hymns Of The Rig Veda, The Upanishads, Jainism, Buddhism And The Theism Of The Bhagvadgita.
Samkhya is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, system of classical Indian philosophy. This book traces its history from the third or fourth century B. C. up through the twentieth century. The Encyclopedia as a whole will present the substance of the various Indian systems of thought to philosophers unable to read the Sanskrit and having difficulty in finding their way about in the translations (where such exist). This volume includes a lengthy introduction by Gerald James Larson, which discusses the history of Samkhya and its philosophical contours overall. The remainder of the book includes summaries in English of all extant Sanskrit texts of the system. Originally published in 1987. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
A Princeton Classics edition of an essential work of twentieth-century scholarship on India Since its first publication, Philosophies of India has been considered a monumental exploration of the foundations of Indian philosophy. Based on the copious notes of Indologist, linguist, and art historian Heinrich Zimmer, and edited by Joseph Campbell, this book is organized into three sections. “The Highest Good” looks at Eastern and Western thought and their convergence; “The Philosophies of Time” discusses the philosophies of success, pleasure, and duty; and “The Philosophies of Eternity” presents the fundamental concepts of Buddhism, Brahmanism, Jainism, Sankhya and yoga, and Tantra. This work examines such areas as the Buddhist Tantras, Buddhist Genesis, the Tantric presentation of divinity, the preparation of disciples and the meaning of initiation, and the symbolism of the mandala-palace Tantric ritual and twilight language. It also delves into the Tantric teachings of the inner Zodiac and the fivefold ritual symbolism of passion. Appendices, a bibliography, and general and Sanskrit indexes are included.
The work deals with the subject comprehensively. The treatment closely follows the basic texts of the various schools, which is a unique feature of the work. These volumes deal with the evolution of religious and spiritual thought and philosophical speculation from the principal Upanisads to the Puranas and the Gitas through the Manusamhita and Ramayana and explains the ideas common to them. The book is based on the study of the original texts. It deals with the epistemology, logic, ontology, psychology, ethics and theology of the different systems, though it specializes in their ontology. It gives comprehensive accounts of the Carvaka, the Vaisesika, the Nyaya, and the Navya Nyaya logic of Gangesa. It deals with BhartrhariÍs linguistic monism as expounded in his Vakyapadiya (Brahma-kanda), which is a unique type of philosophy. The subject matter of Vol. I is the philosophies of the Upanisads, the Epics, the Puranas, the Gita, the Philosophies of the Carvakas, the Vaisesika, the Nyaya, the Navya Nyaya, the Mimamsa, and the _abdika of Bhartrhari. Vol. II deals with the philosophies of Samkhya, the Yoga, Jainism, Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta and other Theistic Vedanta, Saivism, Saktism: while Vol. III contains the philosophies of Bhëskara, Saivism and different _aiva schools and the problem of post Sankara Advaitavada. Dr. Jadunath Sinha's significant work on Indian Philosophy in three volumes deals with the subject comprehensively. His treatment closely follows the basic texts of the various schools, which is a unique feature of the work. The topics included in the volumes are as under: Volume I: The major and minor Upanisads; Epics; Puranas; Gita, Carvaka, Vaisesika; Nyaya; Navya Nyaya; Mimamsa; Sabdika. Volume II: Samkhya; Yoga; Jaina; Early Buddhism; Schools of Buddhism; Background of Vedanta; Advaita; Bhagavad Gita; Bhagavata; Pancaratra; Ramanuja; Madhva; Nimbarka; Vallabha; Caitanya; Saivism & Saktaism. Volume III: Bhaskara; Kasmira Saiva; Pasupata; Saiva Siddhanta; Srikantha; Vira Saiva; Post-Sankara Advaita.
