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The Art of the Conceptual
This is a collection of essays on different aspects of philosophy, written by Daya Krishna. The essays are divided into three sections: 1. Logic and Epistemology, 2. Moral Philosophy and 3. Social, Political and Economic Philosophy. These essays give an overview of Daya Krishna’s philosophical insights into some of the salient questions in philosophy in general.
Nivāsaḥ Śaraṇaṁ Suhṛta নিবাস: শরনং সুহৃৎ
Praśastapādbhāṣya (Volume-1) প্রশস্তপাদভাষ্য (১ম খন্ড)
This is a Bengali translation and explanation of Prasastapada’s commentary authored by Shyamapada Nyāyatarkatīrtha and Damodar Asrama. This book has eighteen chapters viz. 1. Invocation, 2. Introducing padārthas, 3. Tattvajñāna being the cause of mukti, 4. Dharma being the cause of moksa, 5. Introducing dravya, 6. Definition of dravya, 7. Introducing guṇa, 8. Classification of guṇa, 9. Introducing karma, 10. Introducing sāmānya, 11, Classification of sāmānya, 12. Examination of sāmānya, 13. Introducing viśeṣa, 14. Examination of viśeṣa, 15. Introducing samavāya, 16. Examination of samavāya, 17. Part and whole, 18. Atom. This book introduces the reader to the metaphysics of Vaiśeṣika philosophy.
Uttarakurukṣetram उत्तरकुरुक्षेत्रम्
प्रामाण्यवाद: (Prāmāṇyavādaḥ)
In this book, Harirama Tarkavagisa critically assesses the Mīmāṃśa theory of self-luminosity of knowledge. According to Prabhākara, the knower, the object of knowledge and the knowledge itself are apprehended in one go. The Bhaṭṭa Mīmāṃsakas hold that knowledge is inferred through a property called knownness. Murāri Miśra, another Mīmāṃsaka philosopher, holds that knowledge is known in a subsequent knowledge called introspection. Harirāma, following the footsteps of Gaṅgeśa, argues that since sometimes doubt regarding the validity of knowledge arises in the third moment after the origin of knowledge, the validity of the knowledge is apprehended by something other than the totality of the causal conditions of that knowledge. Harirama further argues that there is something wrong with the thesis that knowledge is self-luminious.
Darśana Manīṣā Categories
शब्दशक्तिप्रकाशिका (Śabdaśaktiprakāśikā (Vol-1))
Śabdaśaktiprakāśikā is an important text written by Jagadīśa Tarkālaṃkāra containing an analysis of śabda pramāna following the Navya-Nyāya tradition. This work is a defence of many of the theses of Gaṅgeśa, the author of Tattvacintāmaṇi. In many places, the views of Bhatṛhari and Srīpatidatta, the author of Kalapa-pariśiṣta, have been critically assessed and defended. The author offers a detailed analysis of how the knowledge of the meaning of a sentence is generated through the presence of the elements like ākāṁṣkā, yogyatā and āsatti. Since the meaning of a word is defined in terms of śakti, a question arises with regard to the locus of śakti. Bhāṭṭa Mīmāṁsakas hold that śakti stays in the universal. Jagadīśa refutes this thesis of the Mīmāṁsakas. The author also refutes the thesis that the locus of śakti is the individual object, a view that is propagated by Raghunātha Śiromaṇi. Jagadīśa defends the view that combines both the insights that the locus of śakti is the individual object and the locus of śakti is the universal. In this book, Jagadīśa presents an analysis of the nature of lakṣanā. In this work we also find an analysis of how ākaṁkṣā, yogyatā and āsatti could be treated as the cause of understanding the meaning of a sentence. Jagadīśa, however, refutes the view that the knowledge of tātparya is the cause of understanding the meaning of a sentence, instead proposes the view that prakaraṇajñāna is the cause of understanding the meaning of a sentence. Thus in the present work the author, after defending śabdapramāṇa as an independent pramāṇa, offers his analysis of the ways of generating linguistic understanding.
Gadādhara’s Theory of Objectivity Viṣayatāvāda (Part-Two)
In this book, Sibajiban Bhattacharyya offers a detailed analysis of the text called Viṣayatāvāda, written by Gadādhara. After explaining the traditional Navya-Nyāya theory of objectivity, the author presents the later Navya-Nyāya theory of objecthood where it has been argued that objecthood cannot be cognition itself. Gadādhara’s theory of relation has been analyzed in terms of objecthood of qualified cognition. A detailed analysis of the ideas of qualificandness, qualificandumness, predicatehood could be found in this book.
जागदीशीव्याधिकरणम् (Jāgadīśvyādhikaraṇam)
This is a prakaraṇa text on the Nyāya theory of vyāpti written by Jagadīśa. The main theme of the work centres around the nature of vyāpti.Knowledge of vyāpti is the cause of inferential knowledge. If the definition of vyāpti is constructed in terms of avyābhicāritatva, then one could explain avyābhicāritatva in five alternative ways. And none of these alternatives is acceptable, for this understanding of vyāpti would fail to account for kevalānvayi inference. In order to remove this problem, the definition of vyāpti is reconstructed as pratiyogivṛttidharmāvacchinna-pratiyogitākabhāvarupa vyādhikaraṇadharmāvacchinnabhāva. Jagadīśa examines this new definition of vyāpti and offers his justification, refuting all the possible objections.
प्रामाण्यवाद: (Prāmāṇyavādaḥ)
The original text of Gaṅgeśa, called Tattvacintāmaṇi, has been commented on by both Raghunātha Śiromaṇi and Gadāhara Bhattācārya. If knowledge is gained through the ways of knowing, then the very nature of knowledge rests on the nature and veridicality of these recognised ways of knowing. An examination of the veridicality of the ways of knowing is known as pārāmānya. In this book, both Raghunātha and Jagadīśa offer a detailed analysis of the debate concerning the nature and veridicality of the very idea of pramāṇa.
নদিয়ার ইতিহাস- চর্চা (Nadiyar Itihas Carca)
This book is a collection of essays on varieties of aspects of life in Nadia, presently a district in West Bengal, India. Since once upon a time Navadvipa was the main centre of Nadia, and later Krisnanagar became the capital from where the ruler ruled his kingdom including Navadvipa, much of the history of Navadvipa is closely associated with the history of Nadia. This book is divided into five chapters. In the first chapter, the essays focus on the different archaeological sites found in Nadia and bring to light their historical importance. The second chapter focuses on the rivers, waterways and road transport of Nadia. In the third chapter, the essays highlight the importance of the local festivals and the contribution of logical artisans with special reference to weavers. The essays in the fourth chapter take note of the contribution of the musicians and theatre personalities of Nadia. The book ends with a chapter containing articles on different religious and political movements that took place in Nadia.
Gadādhara’s Theory of Objectivity Viṣayatāvāda (Part-One)
In this volume, Sibajiban Bhattacharyya presents an analysis of the fundamental concepts in Navya-Nyāya. The themes that have been discussed in this book are 1. Navya-Nyāya theory of Relation, Being in Aristotle and Navya-Nyāya, Navya-Nyāya theory of universals, Navya-Nyāya theory of abstraction, Navya-Nyāya theory of definition, Navya-Nyāya theory of causation, Comparative analysis of Frege and Gadādhara.
Swapnavasavadattam
Svapnavasavadattam is an English rendering of the drama Svapnavasavadattam written by Bhasa. Saradaranjan Ray has added his own Sanskrit commentary along with a Bengali translation of the original text. In the introduction, the translator offers an analysis of the features of the literary contribution of Bhasa.
Non-Absolutes
A History of Sanskrit Literature सारस्बत – शतकम
A History of Sanskrit Literature by Arthur A. Macdonell is one of the earliest accounts of the History of Sanskrit Literature published in Europe. The book consists of sixteen chapters other than Bibliographical Notes and Index. The chapters focus on the life and thoughts of Ancient India as they appear in classical Sanskrit literature.
Knowledge Freedom and Language (An Interwoven Fabric of Man, Time and World)
Knowledge, Freedom and Language, written by D.P.Chattopadhyaya, is a collection of fifteen essays. All the essays attempt to explore the two major aspects of human behaviour, viz. 1. Language using animal and 2. Freedom-seeking animal. The essays present Chattopadhyaya’s views on the nature and role of language in human experience, while some other essays deal with several philosophical issues regarding freedom, determinism etc.
Natural Science of the Ancient Hindus
In this book, written by Surendranath Dasgupta, one finds an analysis of some of the ideas in Natural Science as entertained in classical India. The book contains three parts: 1. Matter and Motion, 2. Theories of Cosmic Changes and 3. Genesis of Tanmāntras. This book offers an exposition of several scientific ideas as available in the classical Indian texts.
Nicolai Hartmann and Alfred North Whitehead: A Study in Recent Platonism
This book, written by J.N.Mohanty, is a comparative study of Idealism as found in the works of Hartmann and Whitehead. The book contains four chapters: 1. Nichilao Hartmann’s Philosophy of Ideal Being, 2. A.B.Whitehead’s Doctrine of Eternal Objects, 3. Nicholai Hartmann and Alfred North Whitehead: A critical and Comparative Study and 4. Conclusions. The author presents how Platonism has been articulated in the works of these two philosophers.