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