General Information about the curriculum
This curriculum offers Shaastric methodologies of Samskrit Shastra texts to obtain the skills to read and analyze them. This course has been designed keeping in mind the needs of MSc Vedic Sciences students and their future needs. All the modules discussed in the curriculum are highly essential and help to read and analyze Samskrit Shastra texts. Thorough research has gone into the design of the curriculum.
Course Objectives
- To enable the participants to understand the organization and methodology of Indic sources as per their structural framework.
Course Outcomes
At the end of the course the student will be able to –
- Practice of Indic shaastra texts independently to explore contemporary relevance.
- Investigate Indic texts for concept search and knowledge mining applications.
- Paraphrase Indic shaastra content to novice mainstream-educated audience.
Curriculum
Module I
Indian world view:
- What is world according to Indic perspective
- Purpose of life (Purushaarthas – the purpose that Indic literature meet)
Module II
Indic knowledge sources:
- Ashtaadasa-vidyaasthaanas
- Darsanas
- Classical literature
- History vs literature
- Rasa as the primary purpose
- Mangalaasaamsana – Message/teaching promoting optimism
- Technical literature
- Commentarial tradition and reading the original work
Module III
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
- Maṅgalācaraṇa
- Uddeśa-lakṣaṇa-parīkṣā
- Vāda-paddhati
- Nyāya-vākya
- Dṛṣṭānta
- Laukika-nyāya
- Śāstrīya-nyāya
- Adhikaraṇa-racanā
- Discussions on etymology, grammar, apparent contradiction, mild apprehension (mandā śaṅkā)
Module IV
Scientific literature:
- Soft sciences – dealing with mind, soul, psychology
- Hard sciences – pertaining 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
Evaluation & Assessment Methods Used
Formative Assessment:
-
- Continuous Evaluation (Continuous Assessment)
- 100% weightage: 100 marks
- Formative Assessment will be based on a continuous comprehensive pattern
- There shall be assignments and quizzes
Formative Evaluation – The answer sheet of the formative examination will be shown to individual students, and the student will be guided on how to improve upon the performance.
References
- Tantrayukti, by PV Kane
- Nyaya paribhasha Pradeepa by Prof. V.N. Jha
Indic Knowledge Landscape
Credits 2 (L-T-P 2-0-0, Lecture 30 hours)
Why should you attend?
If you are curious to know whether there is an indigenous knowledge in India and its diversity and spread of coverage, this course is for you. It will demystify the various sources from vedas to folklore encompassing Indian culture in just 30 hours. You will get to know what is the subject matter of the Vedas, Upanishads, Shastras, Puranas etc., in a way you can relate to modern knowledge.
Course Objectives
To introduce learners to the landscape of Vedic literature with broad taxonomy of Indic knowledge systems.
Learning Outcomes
- Knowledge of the sources of Vedic knowledge
- Comprehension of the seamless nature of Vedic knowledge
- Understand the purpose and utility of Vedic knowledge systems in enriching human life
Indic Reasoning and debating
Credits 2 (L-T-P 2-0-0, Lecture 30 hours)
Why should you attend?
Have you ever felt that something you read on social media does not make any logical sense but do not know why? Have you felt the need to win arguments with friends regardless of their motive of argument? Did you know that there are sixteen types of mistakes one can commit and you can counter any opponent in a debate by learning India’s celebrated science of debate?
If so, this course is for you. It will make you appreciate why India was the capital of knowledge and debates for millennia and why people came from all over the world to study here. This course will introduce Tarka – The Indian logic system and methodology of structured debate.
After completing this course you can exactly pinpoint fallacies in social media arguments.
Course Objectives
- Ability to make use of debate exchanges and definitions and classification systems drawn from Indic manuals, learners understand the systematic process to challenge and defend assertions made in the course of debate.
Learning Outcomes
Learner transforms into a persuasive communicator with ability to-
- Defend statements using clear, logical reasons
- Choose relevant statements to defend
- Support the arguments with well-chosen evidence, which is explanatory and thoroughly analyzed
The structure and method of Indic shastras
Credits 2 (L-T-P 2-0-0, Lecture 30 hours)
Why should you attend?
Did you know that India is unique in having a science of how to do scientific enquiry? All Indian sciences follow a standard template that enables the systematic mining of Indic texts. If you know this template you can understand any shastra(Indic sciences) easily. It also helps in artificial intelligence where knowledge representation is crucial.
Course Objectives
To understand the exposition style common to all Indian Shaastras or scientific treatises. This throws light on Bhaaratiiya method of scientific discourse.
Learning Outcomes
- 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
Vedic human psychology
Credits 3 (L-T-P 3-0-0, Lecture 45 hours)
Why should you attend?
Who does not want to be happy all the time? But we are constantly surrounded by things that make us unhappy. What is in us that causes grief. Is it the outside circumstance or something in us that responds? Who am I? How Many Grades of Happiness exist? Why do I like some things and do not like others? How to help others in distress?
The answer to all these questions was the central pursuit of India for millenia. India offers the most comprehensive understanding of human nature that is central to all aspects of human life. This course gives you the essence of this knowledge without overwhelming you with the details.
It unifies spirituality, religion, psychology, aesthetics by enunciating their common underlying principles.
Course Objectives
To give a basic understanding of human psychology and the motives of human behavior. To serve as the foundation for all humanities disciplines. This course integrates several western models of psychology with a common taxonomy derived from Vedic perspective. It also introduces a novel Vedic model derived from several Vedic sources including Upanishads, Sankhya-Yoga, Tantra, Bhaagavatam, Jyotisha, Natyashaastra and Mimaamsa.
Learning Outcomes
After completion of this course students will be able to
- Comprehend the basic meaning & nature of western psychology
- Compare and contrast various paradigms of western psychology
- Understand and evaluate various fundamental concepts of Vedic psychology
- Juxtapose western and Vedic understanding of human personality
- Diagnose various psychological issues and create an intervention plan by integrating western and Vedic principles
Scientific thinking
Credits 2 (L-T-P 2-0-0, Lecture 30 hours)
Why should you attend?
Modern-day parents want their children to imbibe scientific thinking and be innovators in whatever area they choose to pursue. However, today’s school education system focuses on informing the findings of science but not the method of scientific thinking and model-based reasoning in a formal way. This course hones three key skills of scientific thinking, namely, abstraction, classification and inference essential to become a creative scientist.
This course introduces India’s science of building scientific models and analyzing the soundness of any theory. It helps one become a discerning scientist and appreciate scientific works better.
Course Objectives
To elucidate the fundamental aspects of knowledge, its creation, its process and the method of scientific inquiry. To introduce the Navya Nyaya approach of model building.
Learning Outcomes
After the completion of this course students will be able to
- Understand Model based reasoning as the method of all scientific inquiry
- Assess the robustness of scientific models according to criteria laid out in Vedic scientific system
- Build robust scientific models for use in simulating real world systems
- Recontextualize Vedic shaastras as scientific models for a contemporary application.
