Thinkers and Systems
Any philosophical tradition requires thinkers who spend their lives analyzing, defending, and refuting various theories to build systems that are further analyzed and commented over the years. That’s how we get the richness and depth for different philosophical views. The Indian philosophical tradition is no different. In fact, philosophy has also been referred to as Ānvīksikī (आन्वीक्षिकी ) in many Indian texts that means critical inquiry/investigation.
Sūtra and Bhāshya
All the philosophical schools have their roots in a collection of aphorisms called Sūtra (सूत्र) (translated as thread).1 These Sūtras were verbally communicated by sages in ancient India and transcribed over centuries. Each philosophical school has its origin in a particular Sūtra. These were then analyzed and commented on by various thinkers to form elaborative systems in texts called Bhāshya (भाष्य) (commentaries or expositions).
“Each word in the Sūtra was analyzed in various ways - etymologically, semantically, contextually, and philosophically.” - Edward Bryant, Yoga Sūtra of Patanjali
The objectives of Bhāshya were twofold:
A systematic analysis of Sūtra to form a cohesive system of thought. This involved author’s creative interpretation with analogies and metaphors.
Refuting the philosophical theories of other schools.
A classic example is the Brahma Sūtra Bhāshya by Adī Shankarācharya. It begins with deliberation on Brahman (ब्रह्मन)and explains various concepts related to spiritual practice and liberation. But it also has a chapter on the refutation of philosophical theories of other schools, including Sankhya, Vaisesika, Buddhism, and Jainism.
Another example of Sūtra and Bhāshya can be seen in Nyāya school.
It has its origin in Nyāya Sūtra attributed to Akṣapāda Gautama composed in the third century BCE. Vātsyāyana made a detailed commentary on it in Nyāya Bhāshya. This was later followed by the work of Uddyotakara in Nyāyavārttika (sixth century CE) and Vācasapati’s Nyāyavārttikatāparyatīkā in ninth century CE.
The following chart shows the relation between Sūtra, Bhāshya, and thinkers of various philosophical schools. The chart is not complete and only highlights some of the key works across different schools.
We hope that this post gives some insight into the thinkers and systems of Indian philosophy. We will feature some interesting concepts related to epistemology, metaphysics, and logic in upcoming posts.
References
Indian Philosophy - Vol 2 by Radhakrishnan, Classical Indian Philosophy by Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri