India is a complex civilisation especially where its literary tradition is concerned.
The Indian philosophy consists of six schools of thought namely Yoga, Sankhya, Nyaya, Vaishesika, Vedanta and Mimamsa.
This is an important source of Indian thought. The thirteen principal Upanishads consist of philosophical enquiries into inner life and ultimate destiny of 86 Early Sociology human beings.
Besides these we have the Buddhist and Jain religions which have many philosophical works. Generally, these schools of thought concern the evolution of mankind towards certain ultimate goals.
Salvation, which in India means freedom from the cycle of births and deaths, is the objective of enquiry and cogitation in many of these philosophies. Indian society has all the same been changing and adapting itself to new conditions.
Indian social thought in pre-modern times was the articulation of a multiethnic society. We have had the impact of Islamic tradition which gave rise to the Sufi cult and had a wide ranging influence on the life style and values, especially in the North.
The Sikh religion is a very good example of the mixture of Hindu and Islamic thought.
All through, the freedom of enquiry prevailed in India and there was hardly any persecution of a group on grounds of belief. Hence, a tolerant attitude towards each other characterised the Indian social groups.
While Indian religions thrived among the common populace, Indian philosophy was mainly cultivated among the literate, urban-based classes.
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