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
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