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Yoga and Classical Indian Philosophy
India's Six Classical Philosophies form a Holistic System of Self Development
Yoga has always been thought of as one part of a process of self-development. It is one of six allied philosophical systems that support each other, and which create a mega-philosophical system called the 'shad darshana', the 'six philosophies'.
The word for philosophy in Sanskrit is ‘darshana’, from the root ‘drsh’, which means to view or look at, contemplate, comprehend, and see by divine intuition. 'Darshana' translates as 'seeing, looking at, knowing, observing, noticing, becoming visible and a philosophical system'. Darshana implies that one looks at life and sees the truth; we see things as they are. Yoga teaches us to see life more clearly, to examine the body-mind and our behavior with greater awareness. From this perspective yoga philosophy or darshana is a means to divine intuition.
Yoga is one of the six major darshana, or philosophical and cosmological systems of India.
The Six Classical Darshana
- Vaisheshika (scientific observation), formulated by Kanada
- Nyaya (logic), formulated by Gotama
- Samkhya (cosmology), formulated by Kapila
- Yoga (introspection), formulated by Patanjali
- Mimamsa (profound intuition), formulated by Jaimini
- Vedanta (the end of the Vedas), formulated by Badarayana
There is a seventh important philosophical system, called Kashmir Shaivism, also called Triadic or Trika philosophy, or ideal monism.
The six classical darshana form three pairs, and each pair consists of an experiential method and a method of intellectual rationalization. Each pair feeds the two main areas of human life, knowledge (jnana) and action (karma). These three pairs work together and are three steps to a higher and more complete vision of human existence. Each philosophy builds on the other and expands our awareness of who we are.
The Three Pairs of Classical Darshana
- Nyaya and Vaisheshika
- Yoga and Samkhya
- Mimamsa and Vedanta
Of these six classical philosophies, the three most important are Yoga, Samkhya and Vedanta. Samkhya provides knowledge of the elements of the body-mind and was a strong influence on Patanjali. Vedanta gives us an understanding of the ultimate attainments possible through yoga practice. Yoga provides the tools to work on the elements of the body-mind in order to attain the Vedantic vision.
A good synthesis of all these philosophical systems can be found in the Bhagavad Gita, in which Krishna teaches Arjuna yoga and shows him how to live his life from within the highest yogic vision.
About the Author(s):
In 2004, Dr Swami Shankardev and Jayne Stevenson decided to pool their talents to create Big Shakti. They co-create various seminars and workshops, which Swami Shankardev presents throughout Australia, USA, Europe and India.
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