Indian Philosophies

The philosophies of India can be divided into two kinds, Vedic (believers) and non-Vedic (non believers) or Astiks (believers) and Nastiks (non-believers) Believer here refers to one who believes in the concept of an eternal soul. The Nastiks (Buddists and Jainists) do not believe in the concept of an individual and eternal soul, but rather the concept of 'mind' plus 'karma'.

The sources of Vedic philosophies are;
1. the Vedas, books compiled over hundreds of years which function like cultural encyclopedias for the Indus region;
2. the Upanishads, scholarly and philosophical exeges of the Vedas;
3. the Puranas, which explain spiritual duties through accessible stories about the gods.

The ´Vedas´ are comprised of four books, which were edited and reedited over a period of five centuries between 1200 and 700 BCE. The definitive written version of the Vedas was said to have been dictated by Ganesh the elephant god to the scribe Vedvyasa, for whom they are named. 'Ved' (the 'a' came to be added to the English pronunciation of this and many other Sanscrit words and thus to their spelling. The plural 's' is also an anglicism) means 'knowledge' and/or 'science'. The Vedas can be considered 'revealed' as opposed to 'heard' truths.

The four books are:
1. the Rig Veda, concerning knowledge of rituals and mantras
2. the Sam Veda, concerning classical musical forms
3. the Yajur Veda, concerning the art/science of war, martial arts and weaponry
4. the Atharva Veda, concerning medicinal plants

It is not clear whether Ayurveda ('science/knowledge of life') as a medical system and philosophy is a sub-Veda of the Atharva Veda or derives from a fifth Veda.

The Upanishads are written records, made by students (often many years later) of scholarly commentaries on the Vedas given by a number of different teachers. 'Up' means 'seated' or 'sitting' and 'nishad' means 'near to', reflecting the fact that the Upanishads emerged from the notes made by students who were sat close to (perhaps ´at the feet of´) their teachers, listening to commentaries and 'shlokas' ('sayings' 'verse') which were spoken or chanted aloud. These teaching commentaries were philosophical in nature, focusing on the question 'who am I?' at a deep level and on the very nature of the supreme being (Brahm) and supreme reality.

The Upanishads focus on the discriminating mind - the mind capable of seeing the truth - and remain impenetrable to many people. A shloka states that ''the mind cannot be known through much study, nor through the intellect, nor through much listening, it can be known through the self alone.´´  ´´The self of the seeker reveals its true nature,'' it concludes, emigmatically. The self which finds its true nature will have access to the true nature of all things and reach '' the end of the road'', ie Moksha, 'liberation'.

While urging the reader to ''arise, awake by approaching the illustrious ones'' it warns that the path is ''impassable as a razor's edge which has been sharpened'' and points out that in the midst of ignorance, even those who consider themselves enlightened are not adequate guides. For example,  '' the unintelligent people follow external desires and get entangled in the snares of widespread death. Therefore the discriminating people, having known what true immortality is, in the midst of impermanent things, do not pray in this world.''  Ultimately liberation will take the seeker beyond prayer, as the perception of duality dissolves.

There are no direct commentaries in the Upanishads on Ayurveda, which like forms of medicine generally, is an umbrella science comprising many different aspects of scientific, social, pychological and ethical knowledge. In the case of Ayurveda, as opposed to allopathic medicine, we should include spiritual knowledge too.

The Puranas are stories about the gods and goddesses and are much more accessible and well-known to the general  public. They work as morality tales or parables and clearly explain spiritual duties to be fulfilled.

The Vedic philosophies, ie those philosophies propounded by later thinkers using the Vedas as their primary source materials, are six in number.

1. Nayaya    'scrutiny'
2. Vaisesika    'distinctiveness'

3. Samkhya    'numbers'
4. Yoga    'union'

5. Mimansa    'investigation´
6. Vedanta    'the end' ´last knowledge´

These philosophies are arranged in a sequence that is logical for the human mind to follow in its search for ultimate reality. They form duplets, Nayaya and Vaisesika, Samkhya and Yoga and Mimansa and Vedanta, with the former in each pair leaning towards the theoretical and the latter towards the practical. Vedanta, 'the ending', both completes and transcends the other philosphies.