God
Introduction To The Purva Mīmāṃsā
The book, while offering an introduction to Purva-Mīmāṃsā, is divided into three chapters, each chapter divided into several sections. The first chapter contains a general discussion on the nature of darśana, on the general significance of Purva-Mīmāṃsā and Uttara-Mīmāṃsā including both the schools of Kumarila and Prabhākara. Chapter two contains a discussion on pramā and pramāṇa in Mīmāṃsā philosophy. In chapter three, one finds discourse on the nature of Ātman, God and liberation. The last part of the book contains a discussion on the relationship between Mīmāṃsā maxims and Hindu Law.
Īśvarasiddhivivecanam (Part-II) ईश्वर – सिद्धि – विवेचनम्
This book written by Dīnanāth Tripathi contains a discussion on the Mīmāṃṣā argument that tries to prove that one does not need to prove god since the consequences like attainment of svarga etc. are the results of the performance of Vedic sacrifices. In this context, the author explains the Nyāya view that justifies the existence of god in terms of parataḥ prāmānyavāda. The author also presents the Nyāya arguments against the Sāṃkhya view and concludes that if the views of Kapila etc are accepted, then the prāmānya of the Vedas would be threatened.
Philosophy, Logic and Language
This book by Kalidas Bhattacharyya is a collection of essays on different topics. However, the first seven essays and the eleventh one do have a thematic unity. They are in one way or another linked to the questions regarding the nature and method of philosophy – a theme that we find often in the writings of Kalidas Bhattacharyya. Essays 1 to 5 and essay 6 are directly concerned with the role of language and logic in philosophical reflections. He touches upon Logical Positivism and Analytical Philosophy in this regard.
The other key issue that Bhattacharyya considers here is the nature of Self. In particular, Bhattacharyya has been keen on exploring the nature of the self we refer to by the pronoun “I” and its relation to the other selves.
The concept of God also finds its place in two of his essays here. Bhattacharyya also discusses the problem of freedom in almost all the essays, in particular the ones on self. One interesting yet rather divergent topic that is discussed by Bhattacharyya is the idea of the Given and its Appearance. Two essays are on specific philosophers – one on Rabindranath Tagore and another on Basanta Kumar Mallik.
The Essays are:
- Is Philosophy Linguistic Analysis
- The Business of Philosophy
- Language, Logic and Fact
- Objective Attitude and Idealism Proper
- Thought and its Validity
- The Given and its Appearance
- The Nature of Reflection in Metaphysics
- Modern Psychology and Hindu Thought
- Self and Others
- The Concept of Self in Buddhism
- Formal and Actual Freedom
- Approaches to Spiritual Life
- Studies in Ethical Theory
- A Modern Defense of Orthodoxy
- Rabindranath on Religion
- An Aspect of Mallik’s Philosophy
- Classical Philosophies of India and the West
- An Outline of Indian Philosophy
Sāṃkhyadarśan সাংখ্যদর্শন
This book, written by Bhupendranath Bhattacharya, is a detailed presentation of the main features of Sāṃkhya philosophy. There are seven chapters in the book that contain discussions on Saṃkhya theory of pramāṇa, Sāṃkhya theory of god, Sāṃkhya theory of causation, Sāṃkhya theory of guṇa, Sāṃkhya theory of prakṛti, Sāṃkhya theory of puruṣa, Sāṃkhya theory of mahat-tattva, Sāṃkhya theory of subtle body, Sāṃkhya theory of bhautika sarga, Sāṃkhya theory of pralaya, Sāṃkhya theory of liberation respectively.