Development of Indian Philosophical Systems

Development of Indian Philosophical Systems

I. Context for Philosophical Inquiry

• Ultimate Happiness: The central pursuit is the attainment of ultimate happiness.
• The Self (Jiva): The inquiry begins with the self (Jiva), a core concept in Indian philosophy.
  • The Jiva exists in a world (Jagat), which creates the basis for exploration of life.
• The Divine (Ishvara): The philosophical quest often leads to exploring the nature of an ultimate entity variously called Ishvara, God, or Brahman.
• These three concepts of Jiva, Jagat and Ishvara, create the philosophical context.

II. Conceptual Phases of Development

A. Inquiry into the Jagat (External World)

• Early Focus: The initial inquiry began by exploring the external world (Jagat).
• Nasadiya Sukta: The Nasadiya Sukta in the Rigveda (10th Mandala) tries to understand the origin and nature of the world, and how the world came into being, and from what.
• Observation: Early Vedic philosophers observed the various phenomena and realised that these are regulated by some governing principle.

B. Inquiry into the Divine (Ishvara)

• Divine Entities: To explain the natural phenomena, a divine entity (Deva/Ishvara) was posited.
• Understanding the Divine: Inquiry shifted to understanding the nature of this regulating divine entity (Ishvara)
• Varied Interpretations: Divine entity was either perceived as a personified entity (like Indra or Varuna), or as an abstract principle (like Rita, cosmic order).

C. Inquiry into the Self (Jiva)

• Realization: Realization that ultimate happiness cannot be found by looking outward.
• Focus Shift: The focus of the enquiry shifted to exploring the self (Jiva).
• Kathopanishad: The Kathopanishad beautifully captures this inward shift of focus.
• The creator made the senses to be directed outward; however, some wise people direct their gaze inward to search for the truth.

III. Conceptual Development

• Initial Quest: began by examining the external world and exploring the divine.
• Internal Exploration: The realization that inner exploration is the pathway to finding answers and happiness, shifts the focus to the self.
• Focus Shifts Different schools or systems of philosophy focused on different aspects of this context.
• Not Universal: Not all traditions in India focus only on the self; each has its own emphasis.

IV. Varying Emphasis among Philosophical Traditions

A. Theistic Darshanas

• Emphasis is on the divine (Ishvara).
• Examples: Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, Dvaita Vedanta, and Saiva Darshanas.
• God is considered important and prayers play a key role in the practices.

B. Darshanas Focusing on the Jagat

• Emphasis is on the material world (Jagat) and material aspects.
• Examples include: Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya and Jaina systems, which explore the nature of the world.

C. Darshanas Focusing on the Self (Jiva)

• Emphasis is exclusively on self or almost exclusively on self.
• Examples include Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, and Yoga which seek to explore the nature of the self.

D. Conclusion

• Although all philosophical traditions talk about all the three components of Jiva, Jagat and Ishvara, their focus and emphasis vary.
• Theistic schools focuses on the Jiva and Ishvara, while Nyaya and Vaisesika focus on the Jagat.
• Each system has its own approach within this broad framework.