FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
Prahelika Sangraha প্রহেলিকা সংগ্রহ
Prahelika Saṁgraha is a collection of short verses, both in Sanskrit and Bengali, that apparently depicts meaning not in a straightforward manner. It is a kind of puzzle that friends or people assembled in family gatherings like weddings etc participate in. The book is written by Kalinath Bhattacharya.
India of the age of the Brāhmaṇas
This book, written by Jogiraj Basu, offers a detailed history of ancient Indian society and culture as found in the Brāhmaṇa texts. The book contains four major parts, each part containing many more chapters. The first part (Book I) contains a discussion on the social and economic aspects of ancient society. The second part (Book II) contains a discussion on the political and military aspects of the ancient society. In the third part (Book III) one finds a description of the religio- philosophical speculations of the ancient society. The last part (Book IV) contains a discussion on the flora and the fauna, the ideas of calendar and astronomy as found in Brahmanic literature.
Darśana Manīṣā Categories
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.
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.
প্রস্থানভেদঃ (Prasthānaveda)
The present work is a commentary by Madhusudana Saraswati on a part of Śivamahimāstotra (Hymns to the glory of Śiva) written by Puṣpadanta. In this commentary, Madhusudana talks about eighteen disciplines of knowledge. All the āstika and nāstika systems of knowledge could be included in the eighteen disciplines and all these systems of knowledge, either directly or indirectly, aimed at determining the nature of god. According to Madhusudana, even the philosophy of art written by Bharata aims at worshiping god. Madhusudana argues that one could talk about three fundamental prasthānas viz. ārambhavāda, parināmavāda and vivartavāda. We start our intellectual journey from ārambhavāda and then through pariṇāmavāda reach vivartavāda. It is only in vivartavāda that one realizes that the world is a vivarta of Brahmaṇ. The varieties of prasthānas have been created only to cater to the needs of people of various inclinations.
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.
BROWSE BY LANGUAGE
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.
On The Concepts of Relation and Negation in Indian Philosophy
The present book, written by Kalidas Bhattacharya, offers an analysis of the two important Indian philosophical notions, viz. relation and negation. Both these notions have been formulated by Indian philosophers and have been applied to advance their respective metaphysical and epistemological theses. The author brings in several corresponding ideas from Western philosophy to highlight the uniqueness of these two notions as formulated by classical Indian philosophers.
Philosophical Foundation of Bengal Vaisnavism
In this book, written by Sudhir Chandra Chakrabarti, one finds a detailed exploration of the philosophical ideas as found in the Vaiṣṇava philosophical school of Bengal. The philosophy of achintyabhedābheda has been explained. The nature of bhakti as the means of attaining the ultimate goal of human life viz. Love for God has been elucidated. The aesthetic significance of the conception of Krṣṇa as the embodiment of all rāsas have been presented. The fifteen chapters in the book are 1. The attitude towards epistemology, 2. The psychological basis of knowledge and the nature of the error, 3. A synoptic view of Bengal Vaiṣṇavism, 4. Jīva Goswamin’s conception of Bhagavat, 5. The Bhagavat as the Ground of Jīva-śakti and Māya-śakti, 6. The doctrine of Causation in Bengal Vaiṣṇavism, 7. Kriṣṇa and His incarnations, 8. Bhakti, the means of God-Realisation, 9. The supreme realisation, 10. Bengal Vaiṣṇavism and Kierkegaard’s Existentialism, 11. The Place of Ethics in Bengal Vaiṣṇavism, 12. Acintya-Bhedābheda, 13. Rāsa (Relish), 14. Christianity and Bengal Vaiṣṇavism, 15. Conclusion.
Fundamental Questions of Indian Metaphysics and Logic
Susil Kumar Maitra, in this book, offers an analysis of some of the key metaphysical and logical ideas available in classical Indian philosophy. The book is divided into two parts: I. Metaphysics and II. Logic. Under the part ‘Metaphysics’ the author discusses the Buddhist doctrine of momentariness, Nyāya theories of causality, universal, samavāya, viśeṣa, self etc. The Nyāya proofs for the existence of god and the Sāṃkhya theory of plurality of puruṣa have also been presented. The author incorporates an analysis of Jaina’s theory of saptabhaṅginaya and Saṅkarācārya’s analysis of the idea of falsity. Under the Logic part, the author presents the different theories of perception, inference, śabda, upamāna, arthāpatti and anupalabdhi. The author also includes discussions on Apoha and theories of validity.
The Philosophy of Martin Heidegger
The present book is a detailed exposition of the philosophy of Martin Heidegger written by J.L.Mehta. The book is divided into three parts. The first part offers an introduction to Heidegger’s thought. The second part offers an analysis of the main themes that Heidegger deals with in his Being and Time. In the third part, Mehta situates Heidegger in the context of Western Metaphysical tradition and brings out the philosophical significance of his thoughts.