Duration of Program

30 Hours.

Code: VSF004

Credits: 2

L-T-P ratio: 2-0-0

Course designer: Prof. Shrinivasa Varakhedi

Prerequisites: None

OBJECTIVES

  • To enable the participants to understand the organization and methodology of
    Indic sources as per their hierarchical classification

OUTCOME

  • Ability for independent study of Indic shaastra texts to explore contemporary relevance
  • Ability to navigate Indic texts for concept search and knowledge mining applications
  • Ability to paraphrase Indic shaastra content to novice mainstream-educated audience

DETAILED SYLLABUS:

Indian world view:
  • What is the world according to Indic perspective
  • Purpose of life (Puruṣārthas – the purpose that Indic literature meet)
Indic knowledge sources:
  • Aṣṭādaśa-vidyāsthānas
  • Darśanas
  • Classical literature
    o History vs literature
    o Rasa as the primary purpose
    o Maṅgalāśaṁsana – Message/teaching promoting optimism
  • Technical literature
  • Commentarial tradition and reading the original work
Transmission methods from oral to written:
  • Oral tradition is the watermark for written tradition (human centric rather than
    paper centric knowledge tradition)
  • Methods of paraphrasing a text (śruti-liṅga-vākya-prakaraṇa-samākhyā)
  • Interpretation of a text – Tātparya-nirṇaya (upakrama-upasaṁhāra-abhyāsa-
    apūrvatā-phalam-arthavāda-upapatti)
  • Structural hierarchy and purpose – Sūtra – Bhāṣya – Vyākhyā – Ṭīkā – Ṭippaṇī –
    Prapaňcikā – Saṅgraha – Kārikā – Vṛtti – Vārtika – Prakaraṇa – Vāda – Khaṇḍana etc.
  • Features in Indic sources
    •             Anubandha-catuṣṭaya
    •             Maṅgalācaraṇao
    •             Uddeśa-lakṣaṇa-parīkṣā
    •             Vāda-paddhati
    •             Nyāya-vākya
    •            Dṛṣṭānta
    •            Laukika-nyāya
    •            Śāstrīya-nyāya
    •            Adhikaraṇa-racanā
  • Discussions on etymology, grammar, apparent contradiction, mild apprehension (mandā śaṅkā)
Scientific literature:
  • Soft sciences – dealing with mind, soul, psychology
  • Hard sciences – pertain to world and worldly endeavour
  • Gleanings of Indic ‘scientific’ sources (Mathematics, Āyurveda, Siddhauṣadha etc.)
  • Tantrayukti – manuals/tools prescribing how to study the text – e.g. Tantrayukti for
    Amarakoṣa, Āyurveda, Arthaśāstra, Jyotiṣa etc.
Project topics:
  • Maṇḍala and aṣṭaka structures of Ṛgveda
  • Vedāṅga structures
  • Link between Saṁhitā and Āraṇyaka sections of Yajurveda
  • Structure of Āgama texts
  • Structure of Tantra texts
  • Structure of Mahābhārata
  • Structure of Purāṇas
  • Structure of Mahākāvyas
  • Caraṇavyūha – Vedalakṣaṇa
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