Hinduism - 11

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11. The Dharma Sastras

 

Compilations of treatises on ethical and social philosophy are known as

the Dharma Sastras. They deal systematically with the proper conduct of

life and describe social, ethical and religious obligations. The Sutras,

of which the Brahma Sutra is the chief, are brief aphorisms or maxims.

They contain interpretations of philosophic systems and refutations of

opposing beliefs. It is remarkable that all philosophical systems in

India are known as Darsanas, literally meaning calling insights or

points of view. In the well known Sarvadar sanasangraha compiled by

Madhavacarya, a great successor of Sankaracarya , the Carvaka or

atheistic school, Buddhism, Jainism, the Vaisnava philosophy of Ramanuja

and Madhva, the Saiva system and several other doctrinal variants, are

all described as Darsanas and as legitimate developments of Hindu

thought: There are Sutras dealing with the Logical Realism of Nyaya, the

Atomistic Pluralism of Vaisesika, the Evolutionism of Samkhya, the

technique of Mind-control or Yoga, the ritualistic philosophy of

Purva-Mimamsa and the metaphysics of Vedanta which attained its climax

in the work of Sankara.

 

The Puranas

 

The Puranas cover the intermediate period between the Vedic and the

Classical epochs. Cast in the form of parables and narratives, they

became the scripture for the common people. Apart from their religious

and often sectarian significance, they furnish a picture of social,

political and cultural life and comprise an astonishingly varied

repertory of folklore and information regarding diverse topics including

philosophy, ethics, legal institutions, popular festivals, and several

arts; they deal even with subjects like grammar, prosody, rhetoric,

archery and care of horses and elephants; many of them also describe

places of pilgrimage. At one time their historical value was discounted;

but it is now being gradually appreciated.