A Wisdom Archive on Vedic Philosophy

In the east, Indian philosophy begins with the Vedas where questions related to laws of nature, the origin of the universe and the place of man in it are asked. In the famous Rigvedic Hymn of Creation the poet says: "Whence all creation had its origin, he, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not, he, who surveys it all from highest heaven, he knows--or maybe even he does not know." In the Vedic view, creation is ascribed to the self-consciousness of the primeval being (Purusha). This leads to the inquiry int ...

Read more here: » Ancient philosophy: Encyclopedia II - Ancient philosophy - Vedic philosophy

Ten celebrated formulae of Vedanta.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Vedantic Wisdom: Vedic Philosophy - Celebrated Vedantic Wisdom Quotes

Philosophy is the rational aspect of religion. It is an integral part of religion in India. It is a rational enquiry into the nature of Truth or Reality. It gives clear solutions for the profound, subtle problems of life. It shows the way to get rid of pain and death and attain immortality and eternal bliss.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Vedic Philosophy: Philosophy - Its Origin And Its Limitations

Knowledge: All knowledge implies four conditions: (i) the subject or the Pramata, the cogniser, (ii) the object or the Prameya, (iii) the resulting state of cognition or the Pramiti and (iv) the means of knowledge or the Pramana.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Knowledge: Vedic Philosophy - Knowledge

Short definition of God, Soul And Universe according to Vedic Philosophy.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » God, Soul And Universe: Vedic Philosophy - God, Soul And Universe

The Jiva or the individual soul is enclosed within five sheaths (Kosas), which are like the sheaths of an onion. The five sheaths are food-sheath (Annamaya Kosa), vital sheath (Pranamaya Kosa), mental sheath (Manomaya Kosa), intellectual sheath (Vijnanamaya Kosa) and the bliss-sheath (Anandamaya Kosa).
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Jiva: Vedic Philosophy The Jiva

Prakriti: Prakriti means that which is primary, that which precedes what is made. It comes from Pra (before) and Kri (to make). It resembles the Vedantic Maya. It is the one root of the universe. It is called Pradhana or the chief, because all effects are founded on it and it is the root of the universe and of all objects.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Prakriti: Vedic Philosophy - Prakriti

The Gunas: Guna means a cord. The Gunas bind the soul with a triple bond. These Gunas are not the Nyaya-Vaiseshika Gunas. They are the actual substances or ingredients, of which Prakriti is constituted. They make up the whole world evolved out of Prakriti. They are not conjoined in equal quantities, but in varying proportions, one or the other being in excess. Just as Sat-Chit-Ananda is the Vedantic trinity, so also the Gunas are the Sankhyan trinity.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Gunas: Vedic Philosophy - The Gunas