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Alternative Standpoint in Philosophy
This is one of the most seminal works of Kalidas Bhattacharyya. Bhattacharyya speaks of the constant need that philosophers have felt to justify their work and their discipline. Bhattacharyya thinks that the modern defense of Philosophy is only possible through what he calls logic of alternation. Bhattacharyya’s position is that we can provide Philosophy with such a defense only by attempting a novel understanding of the knowledge-object unity. Bhattacharyya claims that this attempt is ingrained in the very being of all the important Indian systems of thought. This book is both a historical and comparative study of the basis of all Philosophy. The book has four chapters. Chapter One is on “Knowledge of Object” where the close unity of knowledge and its object is emphasized. In this connection, Bhattacharyya discusses subjective and objective attitudes and also the contradiction between subjectivity and object. Chapter Two is on “Types of Philosophy”. In this chapter, Bhattacharyya tries to show that the Unity of Knowledge and Object is Unrejectable and their unity is inevitable. Those who reject the knowledge-object unity do so because they think that such a unity would definitely lead to some kind of contradiction. But Bhattacharyya would like to show that this contradiction too is not rejectable. Actually, the Unity that he speaks of is a Disjunctive Unity. This disjunctive unity actually indicates that we have to stand alternatively on the subjective and the objective attitudes and reach a kind of dialectical unity. He then goes on to speak of the subject-object and the absolute as alternatives. In Chapter Three, “Cognition Feeling and Conation” Bhattacharyya takes up these three notions which seem to be opposed to each other. The first three chapters are analyses of these notions while the last section sees Cognition, Feeling and Conation as Alternatives. In Chapter Four Bhattacharyya considers “Further Alternatives” such as Jñāna Bhakti and Karma. He speaks of the three kinds of infinity in this chapter. The book ends with the idea of the Ultimate Alternation.
Jainadarśaner Digdarśana জৈনদর্শনের দিগ্দর্শন
Satindra Chandra Nyāyāchārya presents an outline of Jaina philosophy in this book. The author argues that Syādvāda and Nayavāda are the two main fundamental theses of Jainism. The book contains a detailed presentation of the Jaina theory of pramāṇa. The author explains why the Jainas accept pratyabhijñā as an indirect pramāṇa. There is also a discussion on the Jaina view that upamāṇa pramāṇa could be included in pratyabhijñā. The author ends his discourse with a discussion on Nayavāda.
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.
Darśana Manīṣā Categories
क्रोड्पत्त्रसंग्रहः (Krodapattrasangraha or Critical Notes)
This book is a collection of short essays by Kāliśankara Siddhāntavāgīsa on different issues in Navya-Nyāya. The essays in the present collection include discourses on Gadādhara’s theory of Prāmāṇya, 2. Gadādhara’s theory of Anumāna, 3. On Vyāptipañcaka, 4. On Siṅhavyāghralakṣaṇa, 5. Gadādhara’s theory of Vyādhikaraṇa, 6. On the Siddhāntalakṣaṇa, 7. Gadādhara’s theory of Anugama of Vyāpti, 8. Gadādhara’s theory of Pakṣatā, 10. Gadādhara’s theory of Avayava, 11. Gadādhara’s theory of Sāmānyanirukti, 12. On Savyabhicara, 13. On Sādharaṇa, 14. On Asādharaṇa and 15. On Satpratipakṣa.
নদিয়ার সংস্কৃতি চর্চা (Nadiyar Samskriti Carca)
The present book contains several essays on the history of Nadia. Some of the essays focus on the history and archaeological importance of Nadia. Some other essays focus on the cultural activities in Navadvipa. There are some other essays that describe the literacy and library in Nadia. Folk theaters (jātrā) and modern theaters in Nadia have also been talked about in some essays.
मुक्तिबादबिचारः (Muktivādavicaraḥ)
This book is an essay on Nyāya theory of liberation. Harirāma Tarkavāgīśa, in this book, critically assesses the generally accepted definition of liberation as permanent (ātyantika) cessation (nivṛtti) of suffering (duhkha). The debate revolves around explaining the terms like ‘atyanta’ and ‘nivṛtti’. Harirama argues that the widely accepted understanding of these words fails to cover all the different kinds of liberation that philosophers talk about. Harirama proposes to describe liberation as the destruction of final suffering and the idea of finality could be understood as a universal inhering in suffering. Harirama argues that if knowledge of reality is to be regarded as the cause of liberation, then liberation is to be regarded as the permanent post-negation of sin and not of misery.
अनुमितेमानसत्त्वबिचाररहस्यम् (Anumiter Mānasatvavicārarahasyam)
Harirama Tarkavagisa, in this book, examines the proposal that inference could be subsumed under supersensual perception as accepted in Nyāya. Harirama argues that not all cases of inference could be so explained. He imagines all sorts of possible objections to the view that inference, really speaking, is a kind of perception and refutes all these, defending the thesis that inference is to be regarded as an independent source of knowledge.
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.
अवच्छेदकत्वनिरुक्ति: (Avacchedakattvaniruktiḥ)
In this book, Jagadīśa offers commentary on the nature of vyāpti as mentioned by Raghunatha Śiromaṇī in his Didhīti. Jagadīśa talks about two kinds of vyāpakatva in great detail. In this context, Jagadīśa alludes to the concept of avacchedakata and explains these allaying all the possible questions that one could raise in this context.
BROWSE BY LANGUAGE
Yoga Psychology of Patañjali And Some Other Aspects of Indian Psychology
In this book Dinesh Chandra Bhattacaharya presents an analysis of different aspects of mind as put forward by Patanjali. There are ten chapters in the book: 1. Yoga psychology of Patañjali, 2. The unconsciousness in Yoga psychology, 3. The four emotional categories in Advaita Vedānta, 4. Pratibhā jñāna or intuitive knowledge in Indian philosophies, 5. Indian psychology with special reference to Ayurveda, 6. Dream in Indian psychology, 7. Psychology of emotions, 8. Avasthā or states of mind, 9. Illusion, hallucination and fantasy and 10. Psychology of education and educational conduct. Thus this book offers an understanding of Patanjali’s theory of mind.
