Shad Darshanas (षड्दर्शनानि)

The Six Darsanas (Shad Darshanas, Sanskrit षड्दर्शनानि) are the intellectual section of the Hindu writings. They are schools of philosophy based on the Vedas.

कणादेन तु संप्रोक्तं शास्त्रं वैशेषिकं महत् । गौतमेन तथा न्यायं सांख्यं तु कपिलेन वै ॥

kaṇādena tu saṃproktaṃ śāstraṃ vaiśeṣikaṃ mahat । gautamena tathā nyāyaṃ sāṃkhyaṃ tu kapilena vai ॥

Meaning : The great Vaisheshika shastra has been given by Kanada, while the Nyaya shastra was elucidated by Gautama Rishi, and Sankhya shastra was by Kapila Rishi.

These are the six systems of Hindu philosophy which are known as Shad Darsanas. They are:

1.  न्यायः || Nyaya (Rishi Gautama)
2.  वैशेषिकः || Vaiseshika (Rishi Kanada)
3.  साङ्ख्यः || Samkhya (Kapila Muni)
4.  योगः || Yoga (Maharishi Patanjali)
5.  पूर्वमीमांसा || Poorva Mimamsa (Jaimini)
6. उत्तरमीमांसा || Uttara Mimamsa or वेदान्त || Vedanta (Badrayana or Vyasa) 

The six heterodox systems of philosophy are:

1. The Materialistic School of Charvaka
2. The System of the Jainas
3. The School of Presentationists or Vaibhashikas (Buddhistic)
4. The School of Representationists or Sautrantikas (Buddhistic)
5. The School of Idealism or Yogacharas (Buddhistic)
6. The School of Nihilism or the Madhyamikas (Buddhistic).

When the term Shad Darsanas is employed, it means the six Astika Darsanas. In this article these six orthodox (Astika) systems will be discussed.

Detailed Discussion

Indian Philosophy has six Aastika schools called the Shad-darsana--the six ways of seeing things, the six different schools of thought. The six schools of philosophy are six demonstrations of Truth. Each school has developed, systematised and correlated the various parts of the Veda in its own way. Each system has its Sutrakara, i.e. the one great Rishi, who systematised the doctrines of the school and put them in short aphorisms or Sutras. The Sutras are terse and laconic. The Rishis have condensed their thoughts in the aphorisms. It is very difficult to understand them without the help of commentaries by great sages or Rishis. Hence, there arose many commentators or Bhashyakaras. These Bhashyas are glosses, notes and commentaries on the original commentaries.

न्यायः || Nyaya Darsana

Rishi Gautama was the founder of the Nyaya system of philosophy. The word Nyaya signifies going into a subject, i.e., investigating it analytically. In this sense of analysis, the word Nyaya is exactly opposed to Sankhya, synthesis. The Nyaya is sometimes called Tarka-Vidya or the Science of Debate, Vada-Vidya or the Science of Discussion. Tarka is the special feature of the Nyaya. Nyaya is not merely formal logic, but a complete epistemology. Logic is merely one part or a single topic under Nyayya Darsana. Nyaya Sutra by Gautama is the first work on Nyaya Darsana. This is the most famous book of this school. Numerous commentaries. have been written on this book by various authors viz. Nyaya-Bhashya by Vatsyayana, Nyayalankara by Shrikantha, Nyaya-Manjari by Jayanta, Nyaya-Bodhini by Govardhana, Nyaya-Varttika-Tatparya-Tika by Vachaspati Misra.

Nyaya—A Method of Philosophical Enquiry

The purpose of Nyaya is critical examination of the objects of knowledge by means of the canons of logical proof. The Nyaya system deals critically with metaphysical problems. It contains discussions on psychology, logic, metaphysics and theology. The Nyaya is intended to furnish a correct method of philosophical enquiry into all the objects and subjects of human knowledge, including the process of reasoning and laws of thought. The evidence of the senses is submitted to a critical enquiry. The Nyaya gives a description of the mechanism of knowledge in detail.

Nyaya is the basis of all Sanskrit philosophical studies. It is an introduction to all systematic philosophy. It is the preliminary course for a student of Philosophy. A study of the Nyaya Darsana develops the power of reasoning or arguing.

Discussion of Certain Metaphysical Concepts under Nyaya Darsana

1. Knowledge

Knowledge implies four conditions:

1. The subject or the Pramata, the cogniser
2. The object or the Prameya (प्रमेय)
3. The resulting state of cognition or Pramiti
4. The means of knowledge or the Pramana

The Prameya, or the objects of which right knowledge to be obtained, are twelve, viz.,

(1) Soul (Atman), Bod" (Sarira), (iii) Senses (Indnyas), (iv) Objects of seriseYs (Artha), (v) Intellect (Buddhi), (vi) Mind (Manas), (vii) Activity (Pravritti), (viii) Fault (Dosha), (ix) Transrnigra tion (Pretyabhava), (x) Fruit (Phala), (xi) Pain (Duhichal, and (xii) Salvation (Apavarga). Perception (Pratyaksha), inference (Anumang comparison (Upamana), and word, or verbal testimony (Sabda) are the Pramanas or the means of right knowledge. Sabda, or verbal testimony, includes Vedic revelation. Pratyaksha is perception by the senses. GOD, SOUL AND UNIVERSE God The Nyaya says that the actions of man produce their fruits, called Adrishta, under the control of God. God supervises the work of Adrishta. The intelligentst principle of Adrishta, which governs the fate of man, acs under the direction of God. God does not alter the course of Adrishta. but renders possible its operation. G°c1,isdt is bestower of the fruits of actions of human beings' u°-,d a Special Soul endowed with omnipotence Pthe omniscience, by which He guides and regulates world.

Similarities Between Nyaya and Vaiseshika

The Nyaya and the Vaiseshika are analytic types of philosophy. The Nyaya and the Vaiseshika explore the significance of time, space, cause, matter, mind, soul and knowledge for experience, and give the results in the form of a theory of the universe. The Nyaya and the Vaiseshika are regarded as parts of one whole. The Vaiseshika is a supplement to the Nyaya. They are allied systems. They both believe in a Personal God, a plurality of souls and an atomic universe. Further, they use many arguments in common.

riiNDU PHILOSOPHY—I 193

God is a Personal Being. He is free from ithYa-Jnana (false knowledge), Adharma (demerit), and ,,raniada (carelessness). He has Jnana (knowledge), ichlia (desire) and Prayatna (volitional effort). God is ONE, Creator, who is endowed with Nitya Jnana (eternal iucnowiedge) and Ichha-Kriya (desire-action) as His Gunas (attributes). He is Vibhu (all-pervading). The Soul The soul is a real being. It is an eternal entity. Desire, aversion, volition, pleasure, pain, intelligence and cognition are its qualities or marks. The object of the notion of T is the soul. No cognition or recollection is possible without a soul. The eye cannot see objects and the ear cannot hear sounds without a soul. There should be an agent to use the instruments (senses). That agent is the soul. After an object is seen, even if the eyes are both destroyed, the knowledge that I have seen remains. This knowledge is not a quality of either the objects or the senses. The mind is not the soul. It is only an instrument of the soul, by means of which it thinks. The self is the subject. The soul exists even when the body perishes, the senses are cut off and the mind is controlled. There are infinite numbers of souls. 

The Universe The universe is a composite of eternal, unalterable, causeless atoms, which exists independently of our thoughts. The universe is the modification of the atoms (Paramanus) of the physical elements: Earth (Prithvi), Water (Apas), Fire (Tejas) and Air (Vayu). The Nyaya !chits nine objects (Dravyas), viz., Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, Time, Space (Quarters), Mind and the Self (Atrrian). rNE CAUSE OF BONDAGE AND THE MEANS TO EMANCIPATION 44:Misapprehension (Mitliya-Jnana), faults (Dosha), cons,itY (Pravritti), birth (Janma) and pain (Duhkha) iltute the world. False notion or false knowledge is at 

वैशेषिकः || Vaiseshika Darsana

साङ्ख्यः || Samkhya (Kapila Muni)

योगः || Yoga (Maharishi Patanjali)

पूर्वमीमांसा || Poorva Mimamsa (Jaimini)

उत्तरमीमांसा || Uttara Mimamsa or वेदान्त || Vedanta (Badrayana or Vyasa)