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	The term Indian philosophy (Sanskrit: Darshanas), may refer to any of several traditions of philosophical thought Eastern philosophy Eastern philosophy includes the various philosophy of Asia, including Indian philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Iranian philosophy, Japanese philosophy, and Korean philosophy.... that originated in the Indian subcontinent Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a large section of the Asian continent consisting of the land lying substantially on the Indian Plate. The subcontinent includes parts of various countries in South Asia, including those on the continental crust , an Island#Continental islands country on the continental shelf , and an Island#Oceanic islands countr... , including Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit nastika schools of thought, or darshanas :#Sankhya, a strongly dualist theoretical exposition of mind and matter.... , Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy deals extensively with problems in metaphysics, Phenomenology , ethics, and epistemology.The Buddha rejected certain precepts of Indian philosophy that were prominent during his lifetime.... , and Jain philosophy Jain philosophy Jain philosophy deals extensively with the problems of metaphysics, reality, cosmology, ontology, epistemology and divinity. Jainism is essentially a transtheistic religion of ancient India.... . Having the same or rather intertwined origins, all of these philosophies have a common underlying theme of Dharma Dharma The term , is an Indian Indian philosophy and Indian religions term, that means one's righteous duty or any virtuous path in the common sense of the term.... , and similarly attempt to explain the attainment of emancipation. They have been formalized and promulgated chiefly between 1,000 BC to a few centuries A.D, with residual commentaries and reformations continuing up to as late as the 20th century by Aurobindo and ISKCON among others, who provided stylized interpretations. The characteristic of these schools is that they may belong to one "masthead" and disagree with each other, or be in agreement while professing allegiance to different banners. An example of the latter is the non-Vedic Jain and the Vedic Samkhya Samkhya Sankhya, also Samkhya, is one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered to be the founder of the Sankhya school, although no historical verification is possible.... schools, both of which have similar ideas on pluralism; an example of the former would be the Dvaita Dvaita Dvaita is a dualist school of Vedanta Hindu philosophy. The Sanskrit word dvaita means "dualism". This school was established as a new development in the Vedanta exegetical tradition in the thirteenth century CE with the south Indian Vaishnavism theologian Madhvacharya, who wrote commentaries on a number of Hindu scriptures.... and the Advaita schools, both of whom are Vedic. However, every school has subtle differences. Competition between the various schools was intense during their formative years, especially between 800 BC to 200 AD. Some like the Jain, Buddhist, Shaiva and Advaita schools survived, while others like Samkhya Samkhya Sankhya, also Samkhya, is one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered to be the founder of the Sankhya school, although no historical verification is possible.... and Ajivika Ajivika Ajivika was an ancient philosophical and ascetic movement of the Indian subcontinent. The Ajivikas were contemporaries of the early Buddhism and historical Jainism; the Ajivika movement may have preceded both of these groups.... did not. The Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India.... term for "philosopher" is , one who is familiar with the systems of philosophy, or . Common themes Indian thinkers viewed philosophy as a practical necessity that needed to be cultivated in order to understand how life can best be led. It became a custom for Indian writers to explain at the beginning of philosophical works how it serves human ends . They centered philosophy on an assumption that there is a unitary underlying order, which is all pervasive and omniscient. The efforts by various schools were concentrated on explaining this order. All major phenomena like those observed in nature, fate, occurrences, etc. were outcomes of this order. The earliest mention of this appears in the Rig Veda, which speaks of the Brahman, or the universally transcendent and "ethereal" building block of all the world. It is described as dimensionless, timeless and beyond reach of the known frontiers of happiness and knowledge. The idea of , translated as "righteousness" or "the cosmic and social order" by Gavin Flood, also plays an important role. Periods pre-1500 BC - the Vedas Vedas The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in History of India. They form the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest Hindu scripture of Hinduism.... and Upanishads pre-500 BC - the Jaina Jainism Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness.... , the Buddha Buddha In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect bodhi attained by a .In Buddhism, the term 'buddha' usually refers to one who has become enlightened .... , the Bhagavad Gita Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita is an important Sanskrit Hindu scripture. It is revered as a sacred scripture of Hinduism, and considered as one of the most important religious classics of the world.... , the Manu Smriti Manu Smriti , also known as 'Manava-Dharmasastra' , is the most important and earliest metrical work of the Dharmasastra textual tradition of Hinduism.... pre-300 BC - the rise of the orthodox Darshanas 200 AD - Nagarjuna Nagarjuna File:Nagarjuna at Samye Ling Monastery.JPGFile:Nagarjuna.JPGAcharya Nagarjuna was an Indian philosophy and the founder of the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana Buddhism.... and the rise of Mahayana Buddhism 600 AD - Shankaracharya Shankaracharya Shankaracharya, is a commonly used title of heads of mathas in the Advaita tradition. The title derives from Adi Shankara, a theologian of Hinduism, who established four mathas in four regions of India.... and the rise of Vedanta Vedanta Vedanta is a spiritual tradition explained in the Upanishads that is concerned with the self-realisation by which one understands the ultimate nature of reality and teaches the believer's goal is to transcend the limitations of self-identity and realize one's unity with Brahman.... post-900 AD - rise of other Vedantic schools: Visishtadvaita, Dvaita Dvaita Dvaita is a dualist school of Vedanta Hindu philosophy. The Sanskrit word dvaita means "dualism". This school was established as a new development in the Vedanta exegetical tradition in the thirteenth century CE with the south Indian Vaishnavism theologian Madhvacharya, who wrote commentaries on a number of Hindu scriptures.... , etc. Schools Classical Indian philosophy can be roughly categorised into "orthodox Orthodoxy The word orthodox, from Greek language orthodoxos "having the right opinion," from orthos + Doxa , is typically used to mean adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith, especially in religion.... " (astika) schools of Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit nastika schools of thought, or darshanas :#Sankhya, a strongly dualist theoretical exposition of mind and matter.... , and "heterodox" (nastika) schools that do not accept the authorities of the Vedas Vedas The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in History of India. They form the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest Hindu scripture of Hinduism.... . Orthodox Schools (Astika) Many Hindu Hinduism 'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners.... intellectual traditions were codified during the medieval period of Brahmanic-Sanskritic scholasticism into a standard list of six orthodox (astika Nastika Astika and Nastika are technical terms in Hinduism used to classify Hindu philosophy and persons, according to whether they accept the authority of the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures, or not.... ) schools (darshanas), the "Six Philosophies" (), all of which cite Vedic Vedas The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in History of India. They form the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest Hindu scripture of Hinduism.... authority as their source: Nyaya Nyaya is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika schools of Hindu philosophy—specifically the school of logic. The Nyaya school of philosophical speculation is based on texts known as the Nyaya Sutras, which were written by Aksapada Gautama from around the 2nd century AD.... , the school of logic Vaisheshika Vaisheshika 'Vaisheshika', or , is one of the six Hindu schools of philosophy of India. Historically, it has been closely associated with the Hindu school of logic, Nyaya.... , the atomist school Samkhya Samkhya Sankhya, also Samkhya, is one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered to be the founder of the Sankhya school, although no historical verification is possible.... , the enumeration school Yoga Raja Yoga Raja Yoga is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, outlined by the sage Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Raja yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve moksha.... , the school of Patanjali (which assumes the metaphysics of Samkhya) Purva Mimamsa (or simply Mimamsa), the tradition of Vedic exegesis, with emphasis on Vedic ritual, and Vedanta Vedanta Vedanta is a spiritual tradition explained in the Upanishads that is concerned with the self-realisation by which one understands the ultimate nature of reality and teaches the believer's goal is to transcend the limitations of self-identity and realize one's unity with Brahman.... (also called Uttara Mimamsa), the Upanishad Upanishad The Upanishads are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings of Vedanta. They do not belong to any particular period of Sanskrit literature: the oldest, such as the Brhadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanishads, date to the late Brahmana period , while the latest were composed in the medieval and early modern period.... ic tradition, with emphasis on Vedic philosophy. These are often coupled into three groups for both historical and conceptual reasons: Nyaya-Vaishesika, Samkhya-Yoga, and Mimamsa-Vedanta. The six systems mentioned here are not the only orthodox systems, they are the chief ones, and there are other orthodox schools such as the "Grammarian" school. The Vedanta school is further divided into six sub-schools: Advaita (monism Monism Monism is any philosophical view which holds that there is unity in a given field of inquiry, where this is not to be expected. Thus, some philosophers may hold that the Universe is really just one thing, despite its many appearances and diversities; or theology may support the view that there is one God, with many manifestations in different... /nondualism Nondualism Nondualism implies that things appear distinct while not being separate. The word's origin is the Latin duo meaning "two" and is used as the English translation of the Sanskrit term advaita.... ), Visishtadvaita (monism of the qualified whole), Dvaita Dvaita Dvaita is a dualist school of Vedanta Hindu philosophy. The Sanskrit word dvaita means "dualism". This school was established as a new development in the Vedanta exegetical tradition in the thirteenth century CE with the south Indian Vaishnavism theologian Madhvacharya, who wrote commentaries on a number of Hindu scriptures.... (dualism Dualism Dualism denotes a state of two parts. The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two" . The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general usage.... ), Dvaitadvaita Dvaitadvaita Dvaitadvaita was proposed by Nimbarka, a Vaishnava Philosopher who hailed from Andhra Region. Nimbarka?s philosophical position is known as Dvaitadvaita .... (dualism-nondualism), Suddhadvaita, and Achintya Bheda Abheda Achintya Bheda Abheda Achintya-Bheda-Abheda is a school of Vedanta representing the philosophy of inconceivable one-ness and difference, in relation to the power creation and creator, , svayam bhagavan.... schools. The shramana Shramana A shramana is a mendicant in certain ascetic traditions of ancient India, including Jainism, Buddhism, and Ajivika religion . Famous include religious leaders Mahavira and Gautama Buddha.... schools, including Jainism Jainism Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness.... and Buddhism Buddhism Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal.... , also developed. Heterodox schools (Nastika Nastika Astika and Nastika are technical terms in Hinduism used to classify Hindu philosophy and persons, according to whether they accept the authority of the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures, or not.... ) Schools that do not accept the authority of the Vedas are defined by Brahmins to be unorthodox (nastika) systems. Jain philosophy Jainism came into formal being after Mahavira Mahavira Mahavira is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism.... synthesized philosophies and promulgations, during the period around 550 BC, in the region that is present day Bihar Bihar Bihar is a States and territories of India in East India. Bihar is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size 38,202 square mile and 3rd largest by population.... in northern India India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world.... . This period marked an ideological renaissance, in which the patriarchal Vedic dominance was challenged by various groups. Buddhism also arose during this period. Jains however believe that the Jaina philosophy was in fact revived by Mahavira Mahavira Mahavira is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism.... , whom they consider as the 24th and final Jain Tirthankar Tirthankar In Jainism, a Tirthankar is a human being who achieves Enlightenment through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance.... s (enlightened seers), a line that stretches to time immemorial. The 23rd seer, Parsva may be dated to around 900 B.C. Jainism may not be a part of the Vedic Religion (Hinduism Hinduism 'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners.... ), , even as there is constitutional ambiguity over its status. Jain tirthankars find exclusive mention in the Vedas and the Hindu epics EPICS The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System is a software environment used to develop and implement distributed control systems to operate devices such as particle accelerators, telescopes and other large experiments.... . During the Vedantic Vedanta Vedanta is a spiritual tradition explained in the Upanishads that is concerned with the self-realisation by which one understands the ultimate nature of reality and teaches the believer's goal is to transcend the limitations of self-identity and realize one's unity with Brahman.... age, India had two broad philosophical streams of thought: The Shramana Shramana A shramana is a mendicant in certain ascetic traditions of ancient India, including Jainism, Buddhism, and Ajivika religion . Famous include religious leaders Mahavira and Gautama Buddha.... philosophical schools, represented by Buddhism Buddhism Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal.... Jainism Jainism Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness.... , and the long defunct Samkhya Samkhya Sankhya, also Samkhya, is one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered to be the founder of the Sankhya school, although no historical verification is possible.... and Ajinkya on one hand, and the Brahmana Brahmana The s are part of the Hindu texts sruti literature. They are commentaries on the four Vedas, detailing the proper performance of rituals.... /Vedantic/Puranic schools represented by Vedanta Vedanta Vedanta is a spiritual tradition explained in the Upanishads that is concerned with the self-realisation by which one understands the ultimate nature of reality and teaches the believer's goal is to transcend the limitations of self-identity and realize one's unity with Brahman.... , Vaishnava and other movements on the other. Both streams are known to have have mutually influenced each other. The Hindu scholar, Lokmanya Tilak credited Jainism with influencing Hinduism in the area of the cessation of animal sacrifice in Vedic rituals. Bal Gangadhar Tilak Bal Gangadhar Tilak Bal Gangadhar Tilak –, was an Indian nationalism, social reformer and independence fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement and is known as "Father of the Indian unrest".... has described Jainism as the originator of Ahimsa Ahimsa in Jainism means ?non-violence?, ?non-injury? or absence of desire to harm any life forms. Ahi?sa is the fundamental principle of Jainism forming the cornerstone of its ethics and doctrine.... and wrote in a letter printed in Bombay Samachar Bombay Samachar The *Bombay Samachar* is the oldest continuously published newspaper in India. It is published in Gujarati language and is one of the most trusted newspapers of Mumbai ... , Mumbai:10 Dec, 1904: "In ancient times, innumerable animals were butchered in sacrifices. Evidence in support of this is found in various poetic compositions such as the Meghaduta. But the credit for the disappearance of this terrible massacre from the Brahminical religion goes to Jainism." Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta is the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna and the founder of Ramakrishna Mission.... also credited Jainsim as one of the influencing forces behind the Indian culture. A Jain is a follower of Jinas, spiritual 'victors' (Jina is Sanskrit for 'victor'), human beings who have rediscovered the dharma Dharma The term , is an Indian Indian philosophy and Indian religions term, that means one's righteous duty or any virtuous path in the common sense of the term.... , become fully liberated Moksha In Indian religions, Moksha or Mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth or reincarnation and all of the suffering and limitation of worldly existence.... and taught the spiritual path for the benefit of beings. Jains follow the teachings of 24 special Jinas who are known as Tirthankar Tirthankar In Jainism, a Tirthankar is a human being who achieves Enlightenment through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance.... s ('ford Ford (crossing) A ford is a place in a watercourse that is shallow enough to be crossed by wading, on horseback, or in a wheeled vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.... -builders'). The 24th and most recent Tirthankar, Lord Mahavira Mahavira Mahavira is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism.... , lived in c Circa Circa means "in approximately", generally referring to a year. It is widely used in genealogy and historical writing, when the dates of events are approximately known.... .6th century BC, which was a period of cultural revolution all over the world. Socrates Socrates Socrates was a Classical Greece Philosophy. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known only through the classical accounts of his students.... was born in Greece, Zoroaster Zoroaster Zoroaster or Zarathushtra , also referred to as Zartosht , was an ancient Iranian peoples prophet and religious poet. The hymns attributed to him, the Gathas, are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism.... in Persia, Lao-Tse and Confucious in China and Mahavira Mahavira Mahavira is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism.... and Buddha Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age.... in India. The 23rd Thirthankar of Jains, Lord Parsvanatha is recognised now as a historical person, lived during 872 to 772 B.C.. . Jaina tradition is unanimous in making Rishabha Rishabha Rishabha may refer to:* Rishabha , the first Jain tirthankar* Rsabha, a sage mentioned in the Vaishnava texts, incarnation of Visnu, the son of King Nabhi and Merudevi; father of the great king - Bharat... , as the First Tirthankar. One of the main characteristics of Jain belief is the emphasis on the immediate consequences of one's physical and mental behavior. Because Jains believe that everything is in some sense alive with many living beings possessing a soul, great care and awareness is required in going about one's business in the world. Jainism is a religious tradition in which all life is considered to be worthy of respect and Jain teaching emphasises this equality Egalitarianism Egalitarianism or Equalism is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have the same political freedom, economic freedom, social justice, and civil rights rights.... of all life advocating the non-harming of even the smallest creatures. Non-violence ( Ahimsa Ahimsa Ahimsa is a Sanskrit term meaning to do no harm . It is an important tenet of the religions that originated in ancient India . Ahimsa is a rule of conduct that bars the killing or injuring of living beings.... ) is the basis of right View, the condition of right Knowledge and the kernel of right Conduct in Jainism. Jainism encourages spiritual Spirituality Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religion and faith, transcendence , or one or more Deity.... independence (in the sense of relying on and cultivating one's own personal wisdom) and self-control (????, vratae) which is considered vital for one's spiritual development. The goal, as with other Indian religions, is moksha Moksha In Indian religions, Moksha or Mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth or reincarnation and all of the suffering and limitation of worldly existence.... which in Jainism is realization of the soul's true nature, a condition of omniscience (Kevala Jnana Kevala Jñana or in Jainism, is the highest form of knowledge that a soul can attain. A person who has attained is called a Kevalin. He is also known as Jina or Arhat .... ). Anekantavada Anekantavada is one of the most important and fundamental doctrines of Jainism. It refers to the principles of Pluralism and multiplicity of viewpoints, the notion that truth and reality are perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is the complete truth.... is one of the principles of Jainism Jainism Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness.... positing that reality is perceived differently from different points of view, and that no single point of view is completely true. Jain doctrine states that only Kevalis, those who have infinite knowledge, can know the true answer, and that all others would only know a part of the answer. Anekantavada is related to the Western philosophical doctrine of Subjectivism Subjectivism Subjectivism is a philosophical tenet that accords primacy to subjective experience as fundamental of all measure and law. In an extreme form, it may hold that the nature and existence of every object depends solely on someone's subjective awareness of it.... . Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy is a system of beliefs based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age.... , an India India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world.... n prince later known as the Buddha. From its inception, Buddhism has had a strong philosophical component. Buddhism is founded on the rejection of certain orthodox Hindu philosophical concepts. The Buddha criticized all concepts of metaphysical being Being In ontology being is anything that can be said to be, either Transcendence or Immanence.The nature of being varies by philosophy, given different interpretations in the frameworks of Parmenides, Leucippus, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hegel, Heidegger, and Sartre.... and non-being, and this critique is inextricable from the founding of Buddhism. Buddhism shares many philosophical views with Hinduism, such as belief in karma Karma Karma is the concept of "action" or "deed" in Indian religions understood as that which causes the entire cycle of causality originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhism philosophies.... , a cause-and-effect relationship between all that has been done and all that will be done. Events that occur are held to be the direct result of previous events. The ultimate goal for both Hindu and Buddhist practitioners is to eliminate karma (both good and bad), end the cycle of rebirth and suffering, and attain freedom (Moksha Moksha In Indian religions, Moksha or Mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth or reincarnation and all of the suffering and limitation of worldly existence.... or Nirvana Nirvana In sramana thought, Nirvana is the state of being free from both dukkha and the cycle of rebirth. It is an important concept in Buddhism and Jainism.... ). However, a major difference is the Buddhist rejection of a permanent, self-existent soul (atman Atman Atman may refer to a concept in several Indian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism:* Atman * Atman Atman may also refer to:... ). This view is a central one in Hindu thought but is rejected by all Buddhists. Carvaka Carvaka is characterized as a materialistic Materialism The philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that can be truly proven to existence is matter, and is considered a form of physicalism.... and atheistic school of thought. While this branch of Indian philosophy is not considered to be part of the six orthodox schools of Hinduism, it is noteworthy as evidence of a materialistic movement Atheism in Hinduism Atheism or disbelief in Deity has been a historically propounded viewpoint in many of the ?heterodoxy? and astika streams of Hindu philosophy. ... within Hinduism Hinduism 'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners.... . Modern Philosophy Modern Indian philosophy was developed during British period (1750- 1947). The philosophers in this era gave contemperory meaning to traditional philosophy. Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta is the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna and the founder of Ramakrishna Mission.... , Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore , also known by the sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali people mystic, Brahmo poet, visual artist, playwright, novelist, and composer whose works reshaped Bengali literature and Music of Bengal in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.... , Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo was an demographics of India nationalist, scholar, poet, mysticism, Evolution , yoga and spiritual Guru. After a short political career in which he became one of the leaders of the early movement for Indian independence movement from British rule, Sri Aurobindo turned to the exploration of the subtle realms of human existence... , Anandkumar Swami, Ramana Maharshi Ramana Maharshi Sri Ramana Maharshi , born Venkataraman Iyer, was an Indian sage. He was born to a Tamil Hindu Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After having attained moksha at the age of 16, he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus, at Tiruvannamalai, and lived there for the rest of his life.... and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Order of Merit, Fellow of the British Academy , , was an Indian philosopher and statesman.One of the popular scholars of comparative religion and philosophy, he was among the scholars of 20th century that built a bridge between Eastern and Western thought showing each to be comprehensible within the terms of th... interpreted traditional Indian philosophy in terms of contemperory significance. Acharya Rajnish Osho *Osho* is the Japanese language reading of the Chinese language he shang , meaning a high-ranking Buddhist monk or highly virtuous Buddhist monk.... , also known as Osho, and J. Krishnamurti are rebellious philosophers who refused all the traditional schools, with the former an excellent example of synthesis of Eastern and Western schools. Nilaabh Bhowmick is one of the only prominent philosophers currently in practice in the 21st century. Political philosophy The Arthashastra Arthashastra The *Arthashastra* is an ancient Indian treatise on Public administration, economics policy and military strategy which identifies its author by the names Kautilya and , who are traditionally identified with Chanakya , who was a professor at Taxila and later the prime minister of the Maurya Empire.... , attributed to the Mauryan minister Chanakya Chanakya Chanakya was an adviser and a prime minister to the first Maurya Empire Emperor Chandragupta Maurya , and architect of his rise to power. Kautilya and Vishnugupta, the names by which the ancient Indian political treatise called the Arthasastra identifies its author, are traditionally identified with Chanakya.... , is one of the early Indian texts devoted to political philosophy Political philosophy Political philosophy is the study of questions about the city, government, politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what makes a The purpose of government, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it should take and why, what t... . It is dated to 4th century BCE and discusses ideas of statecraft and economic policy. The political philosophy Political philosophy Political philosophy is the study of questions about the city, government, politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what makes a The purpose of government, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it should take and why, what t... most closely associated with India is the one of ahimsa Ahimsa Ahimsa is a Sanskrit term meaning to do no harm . It is an important tenet of the religions that originated in ancient India . Ahimsa is a rule of conduct that bars the killing or injuring of living beings.... (non-violence) and Satyagraha Satyagraha Satyagraha is a philosophy and practice of nonviolent resistance developed by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi . Gandhi deployed satyagraha in campaigns for Indian independence and also during his earlier struggles in South Africa.... , popularized by Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of satyagraha?resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence?which led India to Indian independence movement and inspired movements for civi... during the Indian struggle for independence Indian independence movement The term Indian independence movement incorporates various national and regional campaigns, agitations and efforts of both Nonviolent and Revolutionary movement for Indian independence philosophy.... . It was influenced by the Indian Dharmic Dharma The term , is an Indian Indian philosophy and Indian religions term, that means one's righteous duty or any virtuous path in the common sense of the term.... philosophy (particularly the Bhagvata Gita) and Jesus Christ Jesus Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation .... , as well as, secular writings of authors such as Leo Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy, or Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy's further talents as essayist, dramatist and Education reform made him the most influential member of the aristocracy Tolstoy.... , Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau was an United States author, poet, Natural history, tax resistance, development criticism, surveyor, historian, philosophy, and leading Transcendentalism.... and John Ruskin John Ruskin John Ruskin was a British art critic and social thought, also remembered as an author, poet and artist. His essays on art and architecture were extremely influential in the Victorian era and Edwardian period eras.... . In turn it influenced the later movements for independence and civil rights Civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights ensuring things such as the protection of peoples' physical integrity; procedural fairness in law; protection from discrimination based on sexism, religious intolerance, Racism, Homophobia, etc; individual freedom of freedom of belief, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom... , especially those led by Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the first President of South Africa of South Africa to be elected in a universal suffrage democratic election, serving in the office from 1994?99.... and Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an United States pastor, activist and prominent leader in the African-American African-American Civil Rights Movement .... See also Indian religions Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit nastika schools of thought, or darshanas :#Sankhya, a strongly dualist theoretical exposition of mind and matter.... Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy deals extensively with problems in metaphysics, Phenomenology , ethics, and epistemology.The Buddha rejected certain precepts of Indian philosophy that were prominent during his lifetime.... Jain philosophy Jain philosophy Jain philosophy deals extensively with the problems of metaphysics, reality, cosmology, ontology, epistemology and divinity. Jainism is essentially a transtheistic religion of ancient India.... Indian logic Indian logic The development of Indian logic can be said to date back to the anviksiki of Medhatithi Gautama ; the Vyakarana rules of Pa?ini ; the Vaisheshika school's analysis of atomism ; the analysis of inference by Nyaya Sutras , founder of the Nyaya school of Hindu philosophy; and the tetralemma of Nagarjuna .... Svayam bhagavan Svayam Bhagavan Svayam Bhagavan , "The Lord" or Lord Himself, is a Sanskrit theological term. The term refers to the concept of absolute representation of the monotheistic God as Bhagavan within Hinduism.... Advaita M Hiriyanna External links A recommended reading guide from the philosophy department of University College, London: The application of Indian Philosophy to contemporary issues in Psychology