Inder Garg
2026
Indian philosophy is centered around Vedas, the ancient scriptures revealed through the minds of ancient sages. So, we have Vedic philosophy which accepts the authority of the Vedas and is rooted in six branches, namely, Sānkhya, Nyāya, Yoga, Vaiśeṣika, Mimānsa and Vedānta. Then there are philosophies which do not accept the authority of the Vedas, namely, Buddhist and Jain philosophies and some viewpoints which are not in the mainstream, e.g., Traita and Chārvāk philosophies. Vedas are organized in four classes of texts, namely, Samhitās, Brāhmanas, Aranyakas and Upaniṣads progressing from the ritualistic to the contemplative. Thus, these are concerned with two subjects - Karma-Kānda i.e. the ritual part which is dealt with under Mimānsā, and Gyāna-Kānda i.e. the knowledge part which is the subject of Vedānta. Vedānta, enshrined in the Upaniṣads, is the culmination of the Vedas as the anta in Ved-anta means the highest point, not the end of it. It is called thus because the knowledge part follows the ritual part. In Vedic philosophy, rituals (or works) are necessary for purification before commencement of journey on the path to knowledge, i.e., Brahma-Vidyā. We deal with Vedanta here.
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