Philosophy as a science appeared at about the same time in different states of the ancient world - in Greece, China and India. It happened in the period of 7-6 centuries. BC e.
The word "philosophy" has Greek roots. Literally from this language it is translated as phileo - “I love”, and sophia - “wisdom”. If we consider the interpretation of the last of these words, it means the ability to apply theoretical knowledge in practice. That is, having studied something, the student tries to use it in life. In this way, a person gains experience.
One of the oldest philosophies of the world is Vedic. She is also considered the most perfect. This philosophy was able to explain the nature of all living things, indicating that man is the most intelligent of them. She also illuminated for all people the path through which you can achieve the perfection of life.
The value of Vedic philosophy is that it logically soundly and clearly gave answers to such questions: “What is perfection? Where are we from? Who are we? What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? ”
History of occurrence
Philosophy in the countries of the East appeared thanks to mythology. After all, those thoughts that were contained in legends and fairy tales were the initial form of social knowledge. Nevertheless, in mythology, one can clearly trace the man’s inability to somehow distinguish himself from the world around him and explain the phenomena occurring in him, which become the lot of actions of heroes and gods. Nevertheless, in the legends of the ancient period, people already began to pose some questions. They were interested in the following: “How did the world arise and how is it developing? What is life, death, and more? ”
Having become one of the forms of social consciousness, the philosophy of the East arose during the period of the emergence of statehood. In the territory of ancient India, this happened around the 10th century. BC e.
In the philosophy of the East, there is clearly an appeal to universal values. This scientific direction examines the problems of good and evil, justice and injustice, beautiful and ugly, love, friendship, happiness, hate, pleasure, etc.
Thought development
The philosophy of the Vedic period was a significant step in a person's knowledge of the surrounding being. Her postulates helped to find out the place of people in this world.
In order to more clearly understand the main features of the Vedic period of Indian philosophy, it is worth pointing out the problems that the doctrine allowed to solve.
If we consider philosophy as a whole and compare it with theology, it becomes clear that the first direction considers the relationship of man with the world, and the second - with God. But such a division is not able to give true knowledge about who the person is and what his place in the world is. It is impossible to understand who God is, and how relations should be built with him.
Some philosophical schools have come quite close to solving this problem. An example of this is Plato, who recognized the personal concept of deity. Nevertheless, in all the teachings of thinkers, white spots continued to remain. Vedic ancient Indian philosophy allowed them to be eliminated. When a person studies its basic canons, he approaches the realization of God.
In other words, in the Vedic philosophy two directions have found their connection. This is a general philosophy and theology. At the same time, people received simple and clear definitions and answers to all their questions. This made the Vedic philosophy of ancient India perfect and able to show a person the true path. Having walked through it, he will come to his happiness.
From lectures on Vedic philosophy one can learn how the described direction explains the differences from God and the unity of living beings with him. One can gain an understanding of this by examining the personal and impersonal aspects of the Higher Power. Vedic philosophy considers the Lord as the Supreme Person and the main enjoyer. All living things are subordinate to him. Moreover, they are particles of God and his borderline energy. Higher enjoyment of living beings is possible only through loving service to God.
The history of the development of the science of human being
Indian philosophy includes theories of various thinkers of antiquity and modernity - Indians and non-Indians, atheists and theists. Since its inception, its development has been continuous and has not undergone any sharp turns like those that took place in the teachings of the great minds of Western Europe.
Ancient Indian philosophy in its development has gone through several stages. Among them:
- Vedic period. In the philosophy of ancient India, he covered the time period from 1500 to 600 BC. e. It was an era of resettlement of the Aryans with the gradual spread of their civilization and culture. “Forest universities” arose in those days, where the origins of Indian idealism were developed.
- Ethical period. It lasted from 600 BC. e. 200 g. e. This was the time of writing the epic poems of Mahabharat and Ramayana, which became a means of expressing the divine and heroic in human relations. During this period, the ideas of Vedic philosophy democratized. The philosophy of Buddhism and the Bhagavad Gita accepted them and continued their development.
- Sutra period It began in 200 BC. e. At this time, the need arose to create a generalized scheme of philosophy. This led to the appearance of sutras, which cannot be understood without appropriate comments.
- Scholastic period. Its beginning also serves the 2nd century. n e. A clear line cannot be drawn between it and the previous period. Indeed, during the scholastic period, when the philosophy of India reached its peak and at the same time the limit of development, commentators, the most famous of which were Ramanuja and Shankara, gave a new account of the old teachings that had already taken place. And all of them were valuable to society.
It is worth noting that the last two periods in the history of Indian philosophy continue today.
The emergence of the Vedas
Consider the first stage of the science of the world and the place of man in it, which developed on the territory of ancient India. The roots of Vedic philosophy can be found in the first sacred books created in this state. They were called Vedas. Along with religious ideas, these books laid out philosophical ideas regarding issues of a single world order.
The creators of the Vedas are the Aryan tribes who came to India from Iran, Central Asia and the Volga region in the 16th century. BC e. The texts of these books, which are written in the language of scholars and art connoisseurs, Sanskrit, include:
- "Scriptures" - religious hymns, or samhites;
- brahmanas describing the rituals used during religious ceremonies;
- aranyakas — books owned by forest hermits;
- Upanishads, which are philosophical commentaries on the Vedas.
The time of writing these books is considered the second millennium BC. e.
The characteristic features of the Vedic period of Indian philosophy are the following:
- The presence of brahmanism as the main religion.
- The lack of differences between the philosophical worldview and the mythological.
- Description of the worldview and the foundations of Brahmanism in the Vedas.
The characteristic features of the Vedic period of Indian philosophy are the tribal customs and beliefs of the ancient people. It is they who underlie Brahmanism.
The texts of the Vedas cannot be classified as truly philosophical. This is due to the fact that they are more folklore works. In this regard, a characteristic feature of the Vedic period of Indian philosophy is also the lack of rationality. But still, the literature of that period is of great historical value. It allows you to get an idea of the views of the people of the ancient world on the reality surrounding them. We gain an understanding of this from the verses contained in the Vedas about the gods (rain, heavenly planets, fire, and others), from texts describing sacrificial rituals, rituals, and also being spells and songs intended for the most part to cure diseases. In addition, the Vedas are not in vain called the "First of all existing monuments of thought of the ancient people of India." They played a significant role in the development of the spiritual culture of the population of this state, including the formation of a philosophical direction.
The meaning of the Vedas
Almost all philosophical literature written in subsequent periods is closely connected with commentary and interpretation of the first religious texts. All the Vedas, according to an already established tradition, are divided into four groups. They include Samhites and Brahmins, Aranyakas and Upanishads. Such a division into groups is not accidental. In Vedic philosophy, the most ancient texts are represented by samhites. These are four collections of hymns, prayers, magic spells and chants. Among them are Rigvedas and Samaveds, Yajur Vedas and Atharva Vedas. All of them are included in the first group of Vedas.
A little later, each collection of samkhits began to grow in various additions and comments of a philosophical, magical and ritual orientation. They became:
- Brahmanas. These are sacred Hindu scriptures related to the Sruti literature. Brahmanas are commentaries on the Vedas that explain rituals.
- Aranyaki.
- Upanishads. The literal translation of these scriptures sounds like "sitting around." That is, to be at the feet of the teacher when receiving instructions from him. Sometimes this commentary is interpreted as a "secret secret teaching."
Books included in the last three groups are only additions to the collections of the first. In this regard, Samhites are sometimes called Vedas. But in a broader sense of the word, this includes all the four groups listed above, which are a complex of philosophical literature of Ancient India.
Vedangi
The literature of the Vedic period of Indian philosophy as a whole was religious. However, it was closely connected with folk traditions and everyday life. That is why often it was considered secular poetry. And this can be attributed to the characteristic features of the Vedic period of Indian philosophy.
In addition, the literature of this direction reflected the specificity of the religion of Brahmanism, as well as the anthropomorphism of various ideas about the world. The gods in the Vedas were represented by beings like humans. That is why in appeals and hymns to them, the authors sought to convey their feelings and experiences, talking about the joys that came to them and the misfortunes that befell them.
Such literature also includes Vedangas. These writings reflected a new stage in the development of scientific knowledge. There are six Vedangas in total. Among them:
- shiksha, which is the teaching of words;
- vyakarana, giving concepts about grammar;
- nirukta - the doctrine of etymology;
- kalpa describing the rites;
- chandas introducing metrics;
- a do-it-yourself tutorial about astronomy.
These scriptures related to the sruti, that is, to what they heard. In later literature, they were replaced by smriti, which meant "remembered."
Upanishads
Anyone who wants to get acquainted with Vedic philosophy briefly should study this particular group of texts. The Upanishads are the end of the Vedas. And it was in them that the main philosophical thought of that period was reflected. Based on the literal translation, only those students who were sitting at the feet of their teacher could receive such knowledge. A little later, the name "Upanishads" began to be interpreted somewhat differently - "secret knowledge." It was believed that not everyone could get it.
In the Vedic period of Indian philosophy, about a hundred such texts were created. In the most famous of them you can find a mythological and religious interpretation of the world around us, developing into a kind of differentiated understanding of emerging phenomena. Thus, ideas arose that various types of knowledge exist, including logic (rhetoric), grammar, astronomy, as well as military science and the study of numbers.
In the Upanishads you can see the emergence of the idea of philosophy itself. She was presented as a kind of field of knowledge.
The authors of the Upanishads failed to completely get rid of the religious and mythological representations of the world during the Vedic period of the philosophy of Ancient India. Nevertheless, in some texts, for example, in such as Katha, Kena, Isha and some others, an attempt has already been made to clarify the essence of a person, his fundamental principles, role and place in the surrounding reality, cognitive abilities, behavioral norms and the role of the human psyche in them. Of course, the explanation and interpretation of such problems are not only contradictory, but also sometimes mutually exclusive. Nevertheless, in the Upanishads, the first attempt was made to resolve many issues from the point of view of philosophy.
Brahman
How did Vedic philosophy explain the root principles and root causes of world phenomena? The leading role in their occurrence was assigned to the brahmana, or the spiritual principle (it is atman). But sometimes, instead of interpreting the root causes of environmental phenomena, food was used - anna, or a bay, which served as a kind of material element, most often represented by water or its combination with fire, earth and air.
Some quotes about Vedic philosophy make it possible to realize its basic idea. The shortest of them is a six-word phrase: "Atman is Brahman, and Brahman is Atman." Having clarified this saying, one can understand the meaning of philosophical texts. The Atman is an individual soul, an internal "I", the spiritual subjective principle of each thing. Brahman, however, is what serves as the beginning of the whole world with its elements.
It is interesting that in the Vedas the name Brahma is absent. It is replaced by the concept of "brahman", which the people of India called priests, as well as the prayer that was addressed to the creator of the world. Reflections on the fate and origin of the creator God and understanding of his role in the Universe became the basis of Brahmanism - religious philosophy, which is reflected in the Upanishads. Brahmin can achieve his universality only by knowing himself. In other words, a brahmana is an objective object. Atman is something personal.
Brahman is the highest reality, the absolute and impersonal spiritual principle. From it arises the world and all that is in it. In addition, what is destroyed in the environment, certainly dissolves in Brahman. This spiritual principle is located outside of time and space, free from actions and qualities, from causal relationships, and cannot be expressed within the boundaries of human logic.
Atman
This term refers to the soul. This name comes from the root "az", meaning "breathe".
The description of the atman can be found in the rigveda. Here it is not only breathing as a physiological function, but also the spirit of life, as well as its principle.
In the Upanishads, the atman is the designation of the soul, that is, the psychic subjective principle. This concept can be interpreted both in the personal plan, and in the universal. In the latter case, the atman serves as the basis of everything. It literally permeates the surrounding reality. Its value is simultaneously "less than the kernel of a millet seed and more than all worlds."
In the Upanishads, the concept of atman grows substantially and becomes the cause of everything in Brahman. And he, in turn, is a force materialized in all things, creating, supporting, preserving and returning to him all nature and “all worlds”. That is why the quote “Everything is Brahman, and Brahman is Atman” is so important for understanding the essence of Vedic philosophy.
Samsara
The moral and ethical doctrine of Brahmanism adheres to the basic principles. They became concepts such as samsara, karma, dharma, and moksha. The first of them in its literal translation means "continuous passage." The concept of samsara is based on the idea that all living things have souls. Moreover, the soul is immortal, and after the body dies, it is able to move to another person, to an animal, to a plant, and sometimes to God. Samsara is thus an endless path of reincarnation.
Karma
This principle has become one of the main provisions of many Indian religions. At the same time, karma also had a certain social sound. This concept made it possible to indicate the cause of human adversity and suffering. For the first time, not the gods, but man himself began to be considered a judge of his own deeds.
Some provisions of karma were used somewhat later in Buddhism, as well as in Jainism. She was considered a causal law of fate and the force that gives rise to action and which is capable of exerting a certain influence on a person. So, his good deed will allow something joyful to happen in his next life, and a bad one - to cause misfortune.
Interesting in this regard is the following quote from the Vedas:
If you want to start your life tomorrow, it means that today you are dead, and you will remain dead tomorrow.
Dharma
Observance or neglect of this principle leads to the rebirth of the human soul. Thus, dharma has a direct effect on raising or lowering the social status of people in subsequent life, and also includes the possibility of transformation into animals. A person who constantly and zealously performed the dharma is able to achieve liberation, which will give him the flow of samsara, and merge with the brahman. Such a state is described as absolute bliss.
This is confirmed by the following quotes from the Vedas:
The soul receives a material body in accordance with its past activities, therefore everyone should follow the commandments of religion.
No one can ever be the source of our suffering, except for ourselves.
To the one who gives everything, everything comes.
