Duration of Program
45 Hours
Credits: 3
L-T-P ratio: 3-0-0
Hours: 45
Course designer: Prof. Dr. Nagaraj Paturi
OBJECTIVES
- Pursuing “philosophy of life” by itself as one of the Indic knowledge systems
- Understanding the same (Vedic worldview) as the context of various Indic knowledge disciplines being pursued
OUTCOME
- To understand the spirit behind the so-called “Unity in Diversity” in the demographic patterns, settlement patterns, inter-group interactions of Indian society
- Perspective of how that can help the contemporary world as a role model
- To understand the spirit behind the lifestyle or day-to-day life of Indians from a Vedic perspective
- To understand the ideas about life before death and life after death that govern the motives of individual and social actions of Indians from a Vedic perspective
DETAILS
1. As reflected in settlement patterns: urban, rural and tribal; nāgara, grāmya, āraṇya/pārvata:
- Reference to tribal life in various scriptures, poetic and other kinds of pre-modern Samskrit works
- References to urban-rural, rural-tribal and urban-tribal interface in various pre- modern Samskrit texts
- Mahabharata and Ramayana: references to multiple lifestyles, particularly, Mahabharata as a book of cultural relativist understanding of diverse lifestyles
- Contrast with urban-centric, uniformity imposing, messianic, globalizing, philosophies
2. As reflected in organic unity of social structure:
- Puruṣasūkta and human body model of social structure
- Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ vs birth-based views
- Arjuna-Aśvatthāma
- Svadharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ: all svadharmas are dharmas, as such can bestow puṇya etc.
- Dharmavyādha-upākhyānam (pativratā-upākhyānam) from Araṇyaparva
3. As reflected in Trivarga and Caturvarga (Pravṛtti and Nivṛtti; Iha and Para) balance:
3a. Pravritti/Iha:
- No negation or looking down upon trivarga view
- Due consideration for artha and kāma:
o Foundation in Vedas
o Continuity in later texts - Artha as power and wealth
- View of arthasādhana in various sources:
o Acquisition of power as legitimate
o Purpose of Power: “Kṣatām trāyate iti kṣattraḥ” - Acquisition of wealth as legitimate:
o Purpose of wealth
o Dāna: Praise of dāna right from Śruti, all through the ancient Sanskrit texts - Kāma (sexual or general pleasure) as legitimate (dharmabaddha)
- Kāmasādhanā as puṇya-giving
- Paňcāgnividyā
3b. Pravritti / Iha: Dharma:
- Dharma as the means/path/method for artha and kāma
- Method as goal
- Dharma as end in itself (not necessarily a step towards mokṣa)
- Dharma as a means for puṇya (as such, a means of svarga or uttamajanma)
- Dharma-centrality of Vedic philosophy of life
- Mīmāṁsā view as karma-centric view, dharma-centric view and yajňa-centric view
- Yajňa-centrality right from Vedas
o Extended meaning of yajňa: vratas in Purāṇas
o Vṛkṣāropaṇa, taṭākoddhāra etc. as vratas
o Gārhasthya as yajňa: yajamāna as the common word for householder
3c. Para-pravṛtti: Afterlife (non-mokṣa afterlife):
- Cycle of birth and death
- Paralokas:
o Pitṛloka
o Punnāma naraka - Svarga and naraka
- Various Deva-gaṇas such as yakṣa, gandharva and Devalokas
- Āditya-vasu-rudrādi-lokas
- Āditya-vasu-rudrādi-rūpas
- “kshiṇe puṇye martyaloke viśanti”
- Śrāddha rituals
- Marriage as a duty towards pitṛs through giving birth to offspring and thus delivering
the pitṛs from the naraka of waiting to be born again
3d. Para-nivṛtti: Mokṣa-oriented afterlife:
- Brahmaloka
- Mokṣa, various mokṣalokas
- Śāśvata-brahmaloka-prāpti
- Vedānta as Mokṣa-śāstra
- Upaniṣads and understanding of mokṣa aspect of afterlife
- Dharma and karma as a step towards mokṣa
- “na hi kaścit kṣaṇamapi jātu tiṣṭhatyakarmakṛt”
- Dharma > punya as essential even for a mokṣa seeker
- Gita: Various paths for Mokṣa
o Equal status of all paths
o Paths as mutual alternatives - Spiritual paths: Each path for each: Karma-mārga, Jňāna-mārga, Bhakti-mārga, Rāja- yoga or Yoga-mārga, Tantra-mārga etc.
3e. Iha and para as a pair:
- Iha and para as twin goals for puṇya-oriented activities
- Bhakti (iṣṭadevatā, kuladevatā, grāmadevatā, rāṣṭradevatā; household worship,
collective temple worship) for iha-para vs bhakti for mokṣa
3f. Gītā: Samanvaya of Pravṛtti and Nivṛtti, Trivarga and Caturvarga:
- Views on the necessity of giving up of iha for mokṣa
- Janaka to Yājňavalkya
- Karmaphalasannyāsa-yoga or Karma-yoga
- Metaphor of war
4. Karma theory:
- Various understandings and misunderstandings
- Karma-yoga different from Karma theory
- Daivam – Puruṣakārah
- Encouragement for puruṣakāra while recognizing Daiva
- Karma theory as puruṣakāra-motivating but not fatalistic justification of the existing conditions
5. Violence and non-violence:
- Distribution of violence and non-violence between Rājadharma – Ṛṣidharma
- Viśvāmitra invites Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa
- Mutual respect between Rājā and Ṛṣi
- Rājā-Ṛṣi pairing
- Mutual dependence of Gṛhastha and Sannyāsa
6. View towards nature:
- Ecology, Ecosystem
- “parasparaṁ bhāvayantah” – In contrast to extremisms