Sad-darsanam: The Six Systems of Vedic Philosophies

– compiled by Suhotra Swami

Traditionally, six schools of thought propagated Vedic wisdom, each from a different philosophical perspective. Each of these perspectives or darsanas is associated with a famous sage who is the author of a sutra (code) expressing the essence of his darsana. Vyasa’s Vedanta sutra, which carefully examines and judges the six systems of Vedic philosophy (as well as other philosophies), forms the third great body of Vedic literature after the sruti-sastra and smrti-sastra. This is known as the nyaya-sastra, scriptures of philosophical disputation.

The sad-darsana (six philosophical views) are Nyaya (logic), Vaisesika (atomic theory), Sankhya (analysis of matter and spirit), Yoga (the discipline of self-realization), Karma-mimamsa (science of fruitive work) and Vedanta (science of God realization).

Indian print, 210 pages, hardbound, 4 EUR + postage