In this paper, I propose to discuss the theory of error or Khyativāda with special reference to Nyāya philosophy. The error is an epistemological concept. As such it is contrasted with the truth. Philosophers, while dealing with the concept of error, have analyzed it from logical, metaphysical and psychological perspective. The problem of error in Indian philosophy is discussed in the different theories known as the Khyativāda. According to Nyāya School error is known as anyathākhyativāda. Here 'anyathā' literally means 'otherwise' (...) or 'else-wise'. When shell is perceived as silver, the erroneous cognition consists in the fact that the shell is perceived otherwise i.e. as other than what it really is. Error is an instance of erroneous judgement resulting from mischaracterization. Naiyāyikas bring in jñānalaksana pratyaksa to account for perceptual error. And the later Naiyāyikas are trying to explain the perceptual character of illusory experience, undoubtedly, an illusion, there is the attribution of false character to a perceived fact. (shrink)

This study explores a unique poetic narrative from two perspectives: a sociolinguistic point of view within the framework of functional discourse analysis and a literary critique through the prism of Indian philosophic ideas in the text. The research method is based on juxtaposing a social-semiotic interpretation and a literary commentary. Firstly, the article applies the Hallidayan model of the dimensions of discourse – field, tenor and mode – to an excerpt from Yeats's poetic drama, as the context of situation. Secondly, (...) the article identifies specific Indian philosophic concepts in the text and establishes how they influence the structure of dramatic verse and the characterization of protagonists. The discussion reveals the extent of complementarity and tension between the two approaches and how they change the reading of the text when open to disparate disciplinary perspectives. Final results signify the potential and applicability of the analytical categories to research across diverse discourses. (shrink)

(2014). The Rāga Bhāva in the Sāṁkhya Kārikā: Rectifying an Age-Old Mistake. Asian Philosophy: Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 133-146. doi: 10.1080/09552367.2014.917831.

In this paper I attempt to understand the implications of a kara's claim that liberation is not an action. If liberation is not an action, how is it up to us and therefore our responsibility? What role do actions have in a life concerned with liberation? The key to understanding a kara's view, I suggest, requires broad reflection on his claim in his commentary on Brahma S tra I.1.4 that cessation of action in accordance with Vedic prohibition is not an (...) action. I will conclude by discussing the implications of this interpretation on the nature of m y in a kara. (shrink)

Madhyamaka defines existence in self-being. There is interdependency between all beings and the human mind. Everything is empty from self-being. Emptiness is universal. Madhyamaka stands midway between affirmation and negation or being and non-being. The only way to comprehend absolute reality is to abandon the realm of reason which, in turn, leads to non-dual experience. Ultimate reality is nothing but universal Emptiness. However, Shunya is empty of self-being as well. In this paper, I have tried to elucidate and criticize Emptiness (...) from the ontological aspect for everything of which the existence of interconnection or interdependency of all entities and mind is inevitably apprehended, though still empty of self-being. From the epistemological perspective, I confronted the fact that it is not possible to describe the emptiness of the world, outcome of intuitional experience of Nirvana, unless the consciousness preserves to maintain, basis for establishing Yogacara thesis. (shrink)

PurposeThe intent of this study is to make a vigilant reading of Kotta Satchidananda Murty with special reference to his The Indian Spirit that has much relevance in today’s philosophical discourse in India. This study also aims at showing how the works of contemporary Indian thinkers excite one to search for new philosophical avenues by basing oneself on the tradition, yet creating ideas anew.MethodologyThe first part of the paper is an epigrammatic unearthing of the central ideas in K. Satchidananda Murty’s (...) The Indian Spirit, while the second part is my analysis of the strengths and limitations of Murty, the heterodox insider of The Indian Spirit. In the third part, by taking cue from Murty’s The Indian Spirit, I conclude with submission that Indian philosophical tradition is like a ‘salad bowl’ with its unique diversity and plurality.Result and ConclusionA thorough reading of Murty would make one consider him as a ‘heterodox insider’ in Indian philosophy in general, and Hindu tradition in particular. One of the major points that he brings home is a counteractive to the uninformed generalization about Indian thought that the philosophical tradition of India was one of an unbroken idealism or spiritualism. According to Murty, Philosophy in India has been like a ‘salad bowl’ where different convictions and ideologies find their place and significance without getting merged into a ‘melting pot’ of uniformity. A vigilant reading of Murty makes it clear that he had a critical, not a conventional-conformist, view with regard to Indian philosophy, and this stands out to be the philosophical ingenuity in him. However, the ‘heterodox insider’ one finds in Murty is context-sensitive and sounds like an apologetic occasionally. (shrink)

The purpose of the present project is to study the Upaniṣads and Mullā Sadrā as expounders of mystical philosophy dealing with the question of the nature of Ultimate Reality and its concomitant issues. To be more specific, this study is an examination focused on the metaphysical theories propounded by them. The mystical and philosophical systems constructed by Upaniṣads and Mullā Sadrā are often viewed as being representative of absolutism found within their respective traditions. The striking differences generally perceived between aspects (...) of Hinduism and Islām have, however, somewhat prevented scholars to develop interest in the comparison of philosophies rooted in these two philosophical traditions. This study will be exploring the systems of these influential traditions to ascertain if this approach is true. (shrink)

Jīvanmukti or ‘living liberation’ has been identified as a distinguishing feature of Indian thought; or, upon drawing a narrower circle, of Hindu thought; and upon drawing an even narrower cocentric circle of Vedānta—of Advaita Vedānta. In some recent studies the cogency of its formulation within Advaita Vedānta has been questioned—but without reference to the testimony of its major modern exemplar, Rama a Mahar i. This paper examines the significance of the life and statements of Rama a Mahar i for the (...) current debate in the context of neo-Hinduism. (shrink)

This essay is an attempt to analyze, classify and illustrate different scholarly approaches to the Sanskrit philosophical commentaries as reflected in some influential and especially thoughtful studies of Indian philosophy; at the same time it highlights some specific features involving commentary and annotation in general, drawing from results of studies on commentaries conducted in other disciplines and fields, such as Classical and Medieval Studies, Theology, and Early English Literature. In the field of South Asian Studies, philosophical commentaries may be assessed (...) from various overlapping and not always exclusive points of view, such as preservation of otherwise lost historical information, historical authenticity and reliability, interpretational innovation, spiritual or experiential insight, philosophical creativity, intellectual liveliness, doxographic intent, degree of incidentality, expository breadth and explanatory depth. The essay provides numerous examples taken from classical to early modern philosophical literature, especially of the Brahminical and Buddhist traditions, and also discusses their diverging perception by modern scholars and interpretators. (shrink)

In this article I look at the Buddha's refusal to answer certain questions in light of the dynamics of ancient Indian debate. Doing so foregrounds a dimension of the Buddha's interaction with his interlocutors that is central for understanding the problem of what are known as the Undetermined or Unanswered Questions: namely, the Buddha's knowledge and authority vis-à-vis rival teachers.

This thesis is a Tamil to English translation of Tirukkaḷirruppaṭiyar, composed by Uyyavanta Tevanayanar toward the end of the twelfth century C.E. The work contains one hundred quatrains of Tamil poetry composed in veṇpa meter. It is a poetic expansion of Tiruvuntiyar, an earlier composition likely by the author's teacher's teacher. The TKP is a transitional text between the devotional religious bhakti hymns of the nayanmar, who lived between the sixth century and the twelfth, and the Saiva-Siddhanta Theo-philosophical system, which (...) developed between the thirteenth and the fourteenth centuries. TKP is the second work in the canon of fourteen texts called the Meykaṇṭa Sastra, TU being the first. The introduction in the thesis discusses the date of the author, his position in the lineage of teachers, major themes found in the work such as the importance of a teacher, types of worship, miracles of the Saiva saints and final release from the cycle of births and deaths. TKP's similarities and differences with the TU, and how the TKP provides a foundation for later Saiva Siddhanta thought are addressed. Besides translation, each verse has a gloss and there are several appendices, tables and charts with additional information. (shrink)