IKS-102

Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems

 India - a historical analysis
History of India going back to antiquity

The only surviving/thriving ancient civilization

A tradition of ‘churning’ for knowledge - Manthan (मंथन)

That is the way festivals and traditions are designed/developed e.g. Kumbha Melā

This tradition has produced a huge body of texts/knowledge -

‘Shāshtras’

But how does one gain ‘knowledge’?

IKS-102: About the Course
Psychology from Indian perspective, Yoga and Indian Linguistics:
Introduction and foundational concepts of IKS: Overview of various streams of
Introduction to Ashtānga Yoga; Rasa Siddhānta of Nāṭyaśāstra (theory of
knowledge in India and classification of ancient Indian texts; Various philosophical
emotions), Pāṇini’s contribution to linguistics; Contributions of the Vākyaśāstra
systems of India and fundamental principles inlaid in them
and Pramāṇaśāstra to linguistics

Indian Mathematics and Astronomy: An overview of Indian mathematics,

Development of arithmetic geometry and Trigonometry; Introduction to spherical
Medicinal traditions in India: An Introduction to Āyurveda; Distinct features of
geometry and calculus in India. Vedic system of arithmetic computation, Vedic sutra for
arithmetic computation. An introduction to Indian Astronomy, Pre and Post Siddhantic Āyurveda, as compared to Alopathy; Excerpts from Sūtrasthāna
period

Economics, Management and Governance: An overview of Indian economic

Indian Architecture and Planning: Traditional measurement system used in
thought–Arthaśāstra and Nitiśāstra, Leadership and Motivation, Planning and
Vāstuśāstra; Prescriptions for residential Vāstu, City planning as per Vāstuśāstra
Organizing, Financial Management etc.

Evaluation
MTE - 50%
ETE - 50%
(Mostly) Objective Type
 Methods of ‘gaining’ knowledge/wisdom
यत् तत्
First person ‘empiricism’
“whatever is there in the microcosm
is also there in the macrocosm”
Patanjali Yoga sutra is an important
text. च तारा ह नम् || 3.27 ||

Third person empiricism

Modern scienti c framework is

largely based on this.
न्द्रे
पि
ण्डे
व्यू
ज्ञा
ब्र
ह्मा
ण्डे
fi
 Indian Texts/Scriptures

Shruti Smriti Āgama Miscellaneous

(Darshan, Kalā,
( ) ( ) (आगम)
Bhakti Lit.
etc.)
श्रु
स्मृ
ति
ति
 Shruti ( ) - The Vedas
The name derived from the root ‘ द्’ - to know (knowledge)

The knowledge is not only external, it is also internal knowledge

Composed by Rishis who have the vision of ‘Beyond’

Pre-historic texts

It is believed that the Vedas were written down around 1500 BCE

But the oral tradition goes back to 5000 - 8000 BCE more years (according to the traditional belief)

The earliest hymns of Indic civilization and human civilization as a whole - survived with perfection due to
strict discipline around the language over generations

No other language has survived with such precision

श्रु
ति
वि
 The Shruti ( )
Shruti is that which is eternal

with no beginning or end

It is the absolute truth un ltered by the human mind or context

It is only available to the ‘highest’ level of consciousness

Also called the ‘rishi state’

This is a state, ‘potentially' available to every human being

Various paths to achieving this are available in the Vedic system of knowledge
and practices

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श्रु
fi
ति
 Shruti ( ) Rigveda Yajurveda Sāmveda Atharvaveda
(ऋ द) (यजु द) (सामवेद) (अथ वेद)

Apaurusheya (अपौ षेय)

“that which is heard” Veda-shākhā

(वेद-शाखा)
"not of human origin” or "impersonal,
authorless” - beyond human agency Samhita Brāhmana
(सं ता) ( ण)
That’s why - ‘darshan’ (द न) - the truth
is ‘seen’ not ‘conveyed’ by someone. Aranyak Upanishads
(अर क) (उप षद)
ब्रा
हि
ग्वे
ह्म
नि
र्व
ण्य
र्वे
श्रु
ति
रु
र्श
 The Vedāngs
śikṣā ( ): phonetics, phonology, pronunciation

This discipline has focused on the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, accent, quantity, stress, melody and rules of euphonic combination
of words during a Vedic recitation.

Chandas (छं द): prosody, meter

This discipline has focused on the poetic meters, including those based on xed number of syllables per verse.

Vyākaraṇa ( करण): grammar and linguistic analysis

This discipline has focused on the rules of grammar and linguistic analysis to establish the exact form of words and sentences to
properly express ideas.

Nirukta ( ): etymology, explanation of words, particularly those that are archaic and have ancient uses with unclear meaning.

This discipline has focused on linguistic analysis to help establish the proper meaning of the words, given the context they are used in.

Kalpa (क ): ritual instructions

This eld focused on standardizing procedures for Vedic rituals associated with major life events such as birth, wedding as well as
discussing the personal conduct and proper duties of an individual in different stages of his life.

Jyotisha ( ष): Right time for rituals with the help of position of nakshatras and asterisms and astronomy
fi
शि
क्षा
नि
ल्प
ज्यो
रु
क्त
व्या
ति
fi
 Vedānga (वेदांग) and Upa-Veda (उपवेद)

Shikshā

Vyākaran आयु द

Chanda धनु द
Vedānga Upa-veda

(वेदांग ) (उपवेद )
Nirukta ग वेद

Kalpa प वेद
( वेद)/अ शा
Gańita Jyotisha
Jyotisha
Falita Jyotisha
स्था
न्ध
शि
र्वे
र्व
र्वे
ल्प
त्य
र्थ
स्त्र
 The Vedas
There are three ways of understanding the Vedas/three layers of
meaning
आ -भौ क (Physical) - Performing physical rituals, to ful l some desire

आ - क (Related to divine beings, Devatās) - to please the Devatās.

आ क (the spiritual) - this is considered as the ‘secret’ of the Vedas.

In recent times, the secret of the Vedas has been popularized by Mahrishi
Aurobindo and Swami Dayananda Saraswati.
दि
दि
ध्या
दै
त्मि
वि
ति
fi
 Smriti ( )
"that which is remembered”

Generally refers to a body of Indian texts attributed to an

author, written down by a scholar.

Includes ‘Itihās’, ‘Purāna’, ‘Vedānga’, ‘Dharmashāstra’,

‘Darshan shāstra’, ‘Bhāshya’, texts on polity, medicine,
culture and society etc.
स्मृ
ति
 The Smriti ( )

Smriti is the knowledge as cognized by human conditioning/mind

Everything that humans produce in the normal state is conditioned by the lters
of our intellect

As humans advance, they develop new needs and build new capabilities to ll
those needs

Hence, new genres of smriti are always emerging as a result of human creativity.

A new Smriti can supersede an old one if it is a superior model of the something

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स्मृ
ति
fi
fi
 Smriti ( )

Dharmashastra Itihās Purāna

(ध शा ) (इ हास) (पुराण)

18
Manusmṛti
रामायण
Mahāpurānas

Yājñavalkya
Smṛti महाभारत Upapurāna

Parāsara-
इ हास: ध -काम-मो णम् उप श सम तम् l पू वृतम् कथायु म् इ हासं च ll
Smṛti Only such an account of the past, which has the interest of a tale and also bears in it, such teachings
which assist a man in attaining righteousness, wealth, desire and salvation/liberation, is worthy to be termed 'history'.

The term Dharma is derived from the root dhṛ which means to nourish, to uphold, to sustain, to protect
ति
ति
र्म
स्त्र
र्मा
र्थ
स्मृ
क्षा
ति
दे
न्वि
र्व
क्त
ति
प्र
क्ष
ति
 History and Itihāsa
इ हास: ध -काम-मो णम् उप श सम तम् l पू वृतम् कथायु म् इ हासं य ll
‘Only such an account of the past, which has the interest of a tale and also bears in it, such teachings
which assist a man in attaining righteousness, wealth, desire and salvation/liberation, is worthy to be termed 'history'.

History is the study and the documentation of the past.

Non-translatables
ति
र्मा
र्थ
क्षा
दे
न्वि
र्व
क्त
ति
प्र
क्ष
ति
The relation between Shruti and Smriti
These are not two disconnected realms

In fact, one can lead to the other

Each path to attain the rishi state starts out in the vyavaharika ( वहा क) realm

And each such path is based on smriti knowledge

Most forms of Sādhana or spiritual practice we do are based on some Smriti

And these have the potential to eventually lead us to the rishi state

Many texts used for yoga, bhakti, jnana and various other process are Smritis

This is the relationship between absolute and relative knowledge

Between the transcendent and worldly realms

व्य
रि
 Prominent वै क ऋ एवं ऋ का वै क ऋ का
रोमशा
लोपामु
वै क ऋ Six Elements of a Mantra
अपाला
क प (षडांग ) क
अ घोषा
क प वारा
भार ज ऋ
ऋ द जू
छ (meter) वागा
गौतम शची पौलोमी
व Devatā ( वता) यामी
इ णी
जमद
Seed (बीज) सा
अं रा वयानी
पराशर श नोधा
अकृ भाषा
क सामवेद
लकम कत व
क ल गौपायन
वि
वि
दे
सि
की
न्द्रा
शि
न्द
क्ति
त्रि
गि
हू
दि
दि
श्य
पि
ण्व
श्य
श्वा
श्व
षि
वि
ग्वे
द्रू
द्वा
ष्ट
ष्ठ
म्भृ
त्री
ग्नि
मि
नि
द्रा
णि
त्र
रि
दे
षि
षि
यें
दि
षि
षि
यें
 How to learn

https://vedaclassonline.in/
 Āgama (आगम)
Literally - “received knowledge”, कलौ आगमस त:
Knowledge coming through “tradition”

Large portion: conveying ritual knowledge

Considered to have been revealed by a divine form

Complementary to the Vedas. भारतीय सं = गमागममूलक || गम (=वेद), आगम (=तं )||

E.g. Shaiva-Siddhanta, Vaishnav Tantra texts, Shākta Tantra texts

Temple construction - transformation of mundane to divine

“आगमात् वव त् गतं च जा मुखम्। स तं वासु वेन आगमः इ क ते ॥”

वाच
स्प
ति
मि
शि
श्र
म्म
क्त्रा
गि
रि
स्कृ
ति
नि
म्म
दे
नि
ति
थ्य
त्र
 Āgama Shāstras
Each Āgama consists of the following four parts:

Jnāna pāda (Vidyā pāda) – consists of the doctrine, the philosophical and spiritual
knowledge, knowledge of reality and liberation.

Yoga pāda – precepts on yoga, the physical and mental discipline.

Kriyā pāda – consists of rules for rituals, construction of temples (Mandir); design
principles for sculpting, carving, and consecration of idols of deities for worship in
temples, for different forms of initiations or diksha

Charyā pāda – lays down rules of conduct, of worship (puja), observances of religious
rites, rituals, festivals and prayaschittas.
 Vedas and Āgama (Tantra)
Tantra involves Mantra and Yantra

Mantra is already there in Upanishads - the consciousness of the Rishis

The Yantra - the form that carries the power of the divine
The approach is given in the Vedas itself

How to do पना of the in nite in a form in a nite entity

आगम is based on initiation. वेद on परंपरा

Āgama is about divinizing the mundane!

स्था
fi
fi
 Āgama (आगम)

Vaidik
Non-vaidik
(वै क)
Non-vaidik
शैव शैव

Non-vaidik
वै व
वै व

शा Non-vaidik
शा

गाणप
जैन (46)

कौमार
बौ

सौर Others
ष्ण
ष्ण
द्ध
क्त
क्त
दि
त्य
 वै व आगम

वैखानस

पंचरा

सार

नल ता
प्र
वि
ति
ज्ञा
ष्ण
ष्ठा
त्र
लि
 शैव आगम

शैव त

पाशुपत

5 faces — 7 crore मं
त्रि
सि
द्धां
त्र
 शा आगम
Divine feminine as the ultimate source of existence

Tantra texts

Kāmākhyā, Kaula Tantra

Srikula (Southern India)

Kālikula (Northern & Eastern India)

क्त
 Indian Texts/Scriptures

Shruti Smriti Āgama Miscellaneous

(Darshan, Kalā,
( ) ( ) (आगम)
Bhakti Lit.
etc.)
श्रु
स्मृ
ति
ति
 Miscellaneous

Darshan Kalā Sutra

• नी शा
(द न) (कला) (सू )
• का शा
• ग त
• य
• • भौ
वैशे क • ना -शा • कौ अ शा
• • Works of traditional
सां • कामसू
• वा -शा ācharyas
• योग
•
• Total 64 kalā अ
• पू -मीमांसा
• उ र-मीमांसा
(वेदा )
न्या
त्त
णि
र्व
न्य
ट्य
ति
स्तु
ति
ख्य
टि
व्य
र्श
षि
त्र
की
न्त
ल्य
त्र
स्त्र
स्त्र
स्त्र
स्त्र
र्थ
स्त्र
 Classi cation of Indian Texts (Scriptures): summary

Shruti Smriti Agama

Miscellaneous
( ) ( ) (आगम)

ऋ द

यजु द

सामवेद

अथ वेद
श्रु
स्मृ
ग्वे
ति
र्वे
र्व
ति
fi
 Science/tech tradition of India
Mathematics Physics
Others
(ग त) (भौ )

Vedic period
Kaṇāda’s Vaiśeṣika Metallurgy
Samhitas and Brahmanas
(-600 BCE) Chemistry
Śulbha Sūtras
- The idea of atom Etc.
Baudhayana, Manava, Apastamba
and Katyayana. - Laws of motion
Pingala (300 BCE – 200 BCE) -
Chandaḥśāstra

Jain mathematics (400 BCE – 200 CE)

Kerala school of astronomy and Mathematics

(14th - 16th century CE)
णि
ति
की
Thank you!