Religions & Philosophies

Indian philosophy is divided into Astika (orthodox) and Nastika (heterodox). Jainism, Buddhism, and Charvaka are the primary Nastika schools as they reject Vedic authority.

Syadvada is a fundamental doctrine of Jainism which suggests that all judgments are conditional and relative.

Adi Shankaracharya established the Advaita Vedanta school, which advocates for the non-dualism of the individual soul (Atman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman).

The Eightfold Path is the central teaching of Buddhism, designed to lead to the cessation of suffering (Dukkha) and attainment of Nirvana.

The Vaisheshika school, founded by Maharishi Kanada, developed an early form of atomic theory asserting that the universe is composed of discrete atoms.

The four Purusharthas are Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (desire), and Moksha (liberation).

The Bhagavata Purana is a core text of Vaishnavism, emphasizing the devotion (bhakti) to Lord Vishnu and his incarnations, especially Krishna.

Ramanujacharya advocated for Visishtadvaita, which holds that individual souls are part of Brahman but remain distinct from Him.

Charvaka (or Lokayata) is a school of ancient Indian materialism that rejects supernaturalism and considers perception the only source of knowledge.

The Triratna of Jainism are Samyak Darshana (Right Faith), Samyak Jnana (Right Knowledge), and Samyak Charitra (Right Conduct).

The Sankhya school, which posits a dualism between Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (matter), is attributed to the sage Kapila.

In Jainism, a Tirthankara is a teaching god or 'ford-maker' who shows the path to liberation; there are 24 such Tirthankaras.

The six orthodox schools (Shad-darshana) are Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta. Buddhism is a heterodox (Nastika) school.

The Upanishads, also known as Vedanta, focus on metaphysical questions concerning the nature of the self (Atman) and ultimate reality (Brahman).

The Yoga school, formalized by Patanjali, emphasizes meditation, breath control, and physical postures to achieve union with the divine or liberation.

Madhvacharya founded the Dvaita school, which maintains a clear distinction between the individual soul and the Supreme Being.

Jataka tales are a voluminous body of literature concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form.

Moksha refers to the ultimate goal in Indian philosophy, representing the liberation from the cycle of samsara (birth, death, and rebirth).

The Upanishads, particularly the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, introduced the systematic concept of Karma as the moral law governing the fate of the soul.

The Purva Mimamsa school focuses on the exegesis of the Vedas, specifically the performance of rituals (Yajnas) as the path to righteousness and heavens.

The Yoga school is one of the six orthodox (astika) schools, primarily concerned with the systematic practice of meditation and mental control as detailed in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.

Anekantavada is a core Jain philosophical principle, suggesting that truth and reality are complex and have multiple aspects, which cannot be captured by any single point of view.

Vallabhacharya is the founder of the Shuddhadvaita school, which asserts that the world is not an illusion (Maya) but a manifestation of God (Brahman) in its pure form.

Anicca, or impermanence, is one of the essential doctrines in Buddhism, teaching that all conditioned existence is in a constant state of flux.

The Nyaya school is famous for its development of a rigorous system of logic, methodology, and epistemology, emphasizing the study of the sources of knowledge (Pramanas).

Badarayana is credited with the composition of the Brahma Sutras, which synthesize the teachings of the Upanishads into a systematic philosophical framework.

The Pancha-Shila are the fundamental ethical guidelines for Buddhist laypeople, including abstinence from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants.

The Samkhya school is a dualistic philosophy that explains the universe through the interaction of Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (matter/nature).

The Jain Agamas are the canonical texts based on the teachings of Mahavira, with the 'Angas' being the most significant part of the Svetambara collection.

Nimbarkacharya propounded the Dvaitadvaita philosophy, which argues that the soul (Jiva) is both distinct and non-distinct from God (Brahman).

Uttara Mimamsa, commonly known as Vedanta, focuses on the knowledge-based portion of the Vedas (Upanishads) and the nature of Brahman.

Makkhali Gosala was the primary teacher of the Ajivika sect, known for its fatalistic philosophy that rejected free will and human agency.

The Purusha Sukta is found in the 10th Mandala of the Rigveda and provides the metaphysical basis for the division of society into four Varnas.

The Majjhima Nikaya is one of the five Nikayas of the Sutta Pitaka, containing the medium-length discourses attributed to the Buddha.

Samsara refers to the continuous cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation in Indian religious thought, which one seeks to transcend via Moksha.

Purva Mimamsa focuses on the analysis of Vedic rituals and mantras, asserting that the performance of Dharma (specifically sacrifice) leads to results.

Pramanas are the epistemological tools or methods—such as perception (Pratyaksha) and inference (Anumana)—used to attain true and verifiable knowledge.

The Vaisheshika philosophy classifies all existence into seven distinct categories, including substance (dravya), quality (guna), and action (karma).

The movement led by saints like Kabir and Guru Nanak focused on Nirguna Bhakti, rejecting idol worship and ritualism in favor of direct union with a formless Divine.

The Charvaka school is often referred to as Lokayata (philosophy of the people/world), representing the materialistic and atheistic branch of ancient Indian philosophy.

Sage Gautama is the author of the Nyaya Sutras, which form the foundation of the Nyaya school, known for its emphasis on logic and epistemology.

Pratityasamutpada (Dependent Origination) is the Buddhist doctrine that all phenomena arise in dependence upon other phenomena; nothing exists independently.

Kevala Jnana refers to omniscience or the infinite knowledge attained by a Tirthankara after the destruction of all karmic veils.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu founded the Achintya Bhedabheda school, which emphasizes the relationship between the individual soul and God as simultaneously identical and different.

The 'Sankhya Karika', written by Ishvarakrishna, is the earliest surviving systematic exposition of the Sankhya school of philosophy.

Apaurusheya means 'not of human origin'. The orthodox schools believe the Vedas are eternal, divine revelations not composed by humans.

The Mahayana tradition emphasizes the Bodhisattva path, where the goal is the liberation of all sentient beings rather than just individual enlightenment.

The Pancha-Mahabhuta (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) form the foundation of Vedic and later Hindu physical cosmology.

Madhava Vidyaranya, a 14th-century philosopher, authored the Sarvadarshanasangraha, which summarizes 16 major Indian philosophical systems.

In Advaita Vedanta, Maya is the illusion or the cosmic power that masks the true nature of reality (Brahman) and makes the world appear manifold.