Welcome to Professor Balaji Hebbar

[Guest guest]

Harih Aum:

 

It is my pleasure to introduce Professor Balaji Hebbar of George Washington

University, Washington, DC to the list. Sri Balaji has been teaching several

philosophical courses at George Washington University, University of Maryland

and also privately to interested individual groups. Yesterday, I met him at

Nataraj Bookstore where he came to order books for the spring semester. Sri

Balaji is very knowledgeable and well versed in Indian Philosophical systems

and has indicated that he will participate in the on going discussions Brahma

Suutra and Gita Satsang. We can all look forward to his active participation

and thoughtful articles and discussion.

 

warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends:

 

I thank shrImati and shrI Ram Chandran for inviting me and

putting me on the list. I'm no great scholar as shrI Ram

Chandran makes me out to be. I'm just someone who has managed

to pick things here and there from the really learned folks.

 

My emphasis in this series of electronic articles will be to

show the richness of classical Indian thought (Hindu, Jaina &

Bauddha) as a whole by showing these systems in a comparative

light on a given topic, and not just the views of one system

to the exclusion of all else. It is important to do this as

the systems grew up together and "influenced" each other.

 

With this brief introduction, here's the first topic.

 

 

Classical Indian Philosophy constitutes three major

religio-philosophical trains of thought:

1. Hindu

2. Jaina

3. Buddhist

 

The Hindu Philosophical systems are:

 

1. the haituka darshanas, i.e. those systems that make only a

provisional acceptance of Vedic Authority.

a) nyAya-VaisheShika

b) SAmkhya-Yoga

 

2. the shrotriya darshanas, i.e. those systems that make a

total acceptance of Vedic Authority.

 

a) MImAmsA

-school of PrabhAkara Mishra

-school of KumArila BhaTTa

 

b) VedAnta

-school of AcArya shankara (advaita)

-school of AcArya rAmAnuja (VishiShTAdvaita)

-school of AcArya Madhva (dvaita)

-school of AcArya nimbArka (svAbhAvikadvaitAdvaita)

-school of AcArya Vallabha (shuddhAdvaita)

-school of AcArya Caitanya (AcintyadvaitAdvaita)

 

Of the VeAntic schools, the first three are the most

important.

 

Every system of thought has expressed its views on the

following areas which then make it a complete scheme of

thought.

1. PramAna vicAra (Epistemology)

2. tattva vicAra (Ontology)

3. Isvara vicAra (Theology)

4. Jagat VicAra (Cosmology)

5. JIva VicAra (Psychology)

6. Moksa VicAra (Soteriology)

 

 

EPISTEMOLOGICAL ISSUES

1. Sources of Knowledge

2. Nature of Knowledge

3. Validity of Knowledge

 

SOURCES of Knowledge:

1. Jainism: accepts 3: perception (pratyaksa), inference

(anumAna), Teachings of the 24 Jinas (JinashAsana)

2. Buddhism: accepts 3: perception (pratyaksa), inference

(anumAna), Teachings of the Buddha (Buddhavacana)

3. nyAya-Vaisesika: accepts 4: perception (pratyaksa), inference

(anumAna), analogy (upamAna), Vedas.

4. SAmkhya-Yoga: accepts 3: perception (pratyaksa), inference

(anumAna), Vedas.

5. PrabhAkara MimAmsA: accepts 5: perception (pratyaksa),

inference (anumAna), analogy (upamAna), implication (arthApatti),

Vedas.

6. KumArila MimAmsA: accepts 6: perception (pratyaksa), inference

(anumAna), analogy (upamAna), implication (arthApatti),

non-apprehension (anupalabdhi), Vedas.

7. shankara (advaita) VedAnta: accepts the same 6 as KumArila's

system. (vyAvahAre bhATTa nayah)

8. rAmAnuja (VisistAdvaita) VedAnta: accepts 3: perception

(pratyaksa), inference (anumAna), Vedas+4000 ALvAr Prabandhams

(hence called ubhaya VedAnta)

9. Madhva (dvaita) VedAnta: accepts 3: perception (pratyaksa),

inference (anumAna), Vedas.

 

kindest regards

B.N.Hebbar

[Guest guest]

It is nice of you, shri Ram Chandran- for having

introduced Prof. Balaji to the List. We look forward

to his contributions.

 

Warm welcome to you, Praofessor Balaji.

 

Hari Om!

 

Swaminarayan

 

-- Ram Chandran <rchandran wrote:

> Harih Aum:

>

> It is my pleasure to introduce Professor Balaji

> Hebbar of George Washington

> University, Washington, DC to the list. Sri Balaji

> has been teaching several

> philosophical courses at George Washington

> University, University of Maryland

> and also privately to interested individual groups.

> Yesterday, I met him at

> Nataraj Bookstore where he came to order books for

> the spring semester. Sri

> Balaji is very knowledgeable and well versed in

> Indian Philosophical systems

> and has indicated that he will participate in the on

> going discussions Brahma

> Suutra and Gita Satsang. We can all look forward to

> his active participation

> and thoughtful articles and discussion.

>

> warmest regards,

>

> Ram Chandran

>

 

 

 

 

Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products.

/

[Guest guest]

advaitin , Shree Balaji Hebbar <bhebbar@e...> wrote:

> Dear Friends:

>

> I thank shrImati and shrI Ram Chandran for inviting me

> kindest regards

> B.N.Hebbar

 

Dear Shree Balaji Hebbar,

We are fortunate and are honored, Sir, for this kind opportunity of

your esteemd participation. Our warmest welcome, kind Sir.

 

I have made a chart to understand Shree Balaji's notes. I thought I

will present it here.

Hindu Philosophical systems:-

- Jaina

- Buddhist

- Hindu

-- haituka darshanas

--- nyAya-VaisheShika

--- SAmkhya-Yoga

-- shrotriya darshanas

--- MImAmsA

---- school of PrabhAkara Mishra

---- school of KumArila BhaTTa

--- VedAnta

---- school of AcArya shankara (advaita)

---- school of AcArya rAmAnuja (VishiShTAdvaita)

---- school of AcArya Madhva (dvaita)

---- school of AcArya nimbArka (svAbhAvikadvaitAdvaita)

---- school of AcArya Vallabha (shuddhAdvaita)

---- school of AcArya Caitanya (AcintyadvaitAdvaita)

 

I have a question. Upanishadic and Vedic perspectives which were in

day-to-day use for a long time in history before most of the above

schools, themselves do not seem to have been categorised in the

above. If that is true, where do they fit in ?

 

With Warmest Regards and Welcoming Shree Balaji once again,

Raghava

[Guest guest]

Dear shrI Raghava:

 

The History of Indian Philosophy may be classified into three

major periods.

 

1. the Vedic Period (from XXX to 500 BCE)

2. the Heterodox Period (from 500 BCE to 500 CE) Period when

many anti-Vedic movements took birth of which only two

survived, i.e. Jainism and Buddhism.

3. the Orthodox Period (from 100-1500 CE) Period of the

Classical Hindu philosophical systems.

 

BCE=Before the Common Era=BC

CE=Common Era=AD

 

The history of Indian Philosophy seems to have followed a

Hegelian model of history, i.e. thesis (Vedic Period),

anti-thesis (Heterodox Period) and synthesis (Orthodox Period).

 

The Vedas including the upaniShads come under the first period.

This is when great upaniShadic philosophers like YAjn~avalkya,

uddAlaka etc. flourished fearlessly expressing their views and

spiritual experiences.

 

kindest regards

B.N.Hebbar