अनेकशास्त्रं बहु वेदितव्यम् अल्पञ्श्च कालो बहवश्च विनाः।
यत्सारभूते तदुपासितव्यं हंसो यथा क्षीरमिवाम्बु मध्यात् ॥
Anekasastram bahu veditavyam alpasca kalo bahavasca
Vighnah
Yatsarabhutam tadupasitavyam hamso yatha ksirami-
vambu madhyat THERE are many sastras (bodies of knowledge/doctrines) and an abundance of knowledge. But we have limited time with a lot of obstacles. Therefore one should study the essence of the Sastras, like a swan extracts milk from a mixture of milk and water.
Indian philosophy of religion critically examines the religious traditions and practices that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It appreciates Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, including their subsects and similar traditions while reviewing certain aspects therein. In Indian tradition, philosophy and religion are not poles apart. Instead, they are related in theory and also to some extent in practice. Every Indic religion has a certain philosophy in its background and most of them assure the ultimate destiny of man, the fulfilment of human life, by the accomplishment of puruşārthas (dharma, artha, kāma, and mokşa). There have been vibrant, argumentative religious traditions, lived experiences and foundational institutions in all Indic religions explaining life and ultimate human destiny. There is no closed compartment for religious views. One may encounter absolutely new viewpoints and methodologies to explore fundamental questions concerning the meaning of life, or the ultimate human destiny. One of the important elements of Indian philosophy of religion is that it investigates the nature of religion that underlines the essential human duties by upholding moral and spiritual values for life by transforming the material to spiritual, profane to sacred, and natural to supernatural. It also explains the inexplicable and attempts to access the inaccessible in the paths of reason, devotion and action in symbiosis. This serves as the foundation of religions in India. Indian philosophy of religion moves on with an objective to resolve the doubts in the ideal plane, which seem more fundamental than any other material needs. In this context, this anthology aims to bring together the different views in Indian philosophy of religion as reflected in the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, the Purāņas, and the modern perspectives thereof.
Indian religious and philosophical traditions are holistic. This is due to the accommodability in the understanding of various viewpoints ranging from polytheism, monotheism, pantheism, monism, and so on. Where there is no conception of God, the same place is given to a universal and objective truth and power. The Indic religions are neither God-centric nor man-centric, but holistic. Religious or divine knowledge is given importance in life as a source of understanding the very purpose of life and its relationship with the whole universe. It is only in this understanding or knowledge wherein the purpose of life is also fulfilled along with others; there is no purpose of God to be fulfilled as He is the ultimate and a complete whole. This includes a moderate man-centricity within the holistic spiritual achievements. God is not there at the centre of religion and religious beliefs, unlike in the Medieval West.
Hindu (1780)
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Comparative (71)
Dictionary (12)
Ethics (49)
Language (351)
Logic (81)
Mimamsa (59)
Nyaya (137)
Psychology (519)
Samkhya (61)
Shaivism (67)
Shankaracharya (231)
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