Publications
Studies in the Upaniṣads
This book is a detailed study of the philosophical significance of the Upaniṣads. Govinda Gopal Mukhopadhyay, the author of the book, reconstructs the salient themes of the Upaniṣads in seven chapters: 1. The Problem of Reality, 2. The Problem of Knowledge, 3. The Preparation, 4. Contemplation, 5. The Synthetic Way, 6. The Analytic Way and 7.The Problem of Attainment. The first two chapters deal with the metaphysical and epistemological views of the Upaniṣads. The next four chapters present an analysis of the different methods of attaining the ultimate reality as prescribed in different Upaniṣads. The last chapter deals with the nature of the state where one attains the ultimate goal by contrasting the Upaniṣadic views with other alternative theories.
Swapnalabdha Bharatbarsher Itihas স্বপ্নলব্ধ ভারতবর্ষের ইতিহাস
Swapnalabdha Bharatvarsher Itihas is a collection of articles written by Bhudev Mukhopadhyay. All the articles present different aspects of the history of Europe with special reference to the history of England. This volume contains a historical novel and also some proposals regarding the education system in Bengal.
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.
Tantra O Āgamaśāstrer Digdarśan তন্ত্র ও আগম শাস্ত্রের দিগদর্শন
This book written by Gopinath Kaviraj is an introduction to the philosophy of Tantra. This book is divided into three sections: 1. Theories of Tantra, 2. Schools of Tantra and 3. Fundamental Tantric texts. The first section presents the dualist perspective of Śaivagama. Some of the fundamental concepts of this school have been analyzed. The second section contains a discussion on two main schools of Tantra philosophy, viz. Kaula school and Kapalika school. The third section presents a brief history of the salient works written on Tantra philosophy like daśa śivagama, astadaśa rudragama etc.
Tantrālokaḥ (Volume-1) তন্ত্ৰালোক: (প্রথম ভাগ)
In this book, the author Brahmacari Medhacaitanya offers detail analysis of the first chapter of Tantrāloka written by Abhinavagupta. A detailed analysis of the ultimate reality, known as Śiva, has been offered followed by a discussion on the nature of the individual self as advocated by Abhinavagupta.
Tantrālokaḥ (Volume-2) তন্ত্ৰালোক: (দ্বিতীয় ভাগ)
In this book, the author Brahmacari Medhacaitanya offers a detailed analysis of the first chapter of Tantrāloka written by Abhinavagupta. The second part contains a detailed discussion on the nature and varieties of knowledge. Since ignorance is the cause of one’s bondage, it is only when complete knowledge dawns on us, that liberation arrives.
Tattvacintāmaṇi তত্ত্বচিন্তামনি
In the present book, Brahmacari Medhacaitanya, the author, presents the views of Gaṅgeśa as one finds in the chapter on perception in his Tattvacintāmaṇi. There are eleven chapters in the book: 1. Maṅgalavāda, 2. Prāmānyavāda, 3. Pramālakṣaṇa-purvapakṣa, 4. Pramālakṣaṇa-siddhānta, 5. Anyathākhyātivāda, 6. Sannikarsavāda. 7. Samavāyavāda, 8. Anupoalabdhi-apramānyavāda, 9. Abhāvavāda, 10, Pratyakṣakaraṇavāda and 11. Mano-anutvavāda.
Tattvamīmāṃsādarśnam तत्त्वमिमांसादर्सनम्
In this book, the author Girindranatah Vedantaratna presents his views on different aspects of classical Indian Metaphysics. The book has sixteen chapters. The author discusses several issues like the nature of the world, the nature of the individual self, the nature Adhikāri, the nature of upāsanā and the nature of liberation.
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.
The Brahmasūtra – Śāṅkarabhāṣya: Bhāmatī (Volume-1) ব্রহ্মসূত্র – শাঙ্করভাষ্য ভামতী (১ম খন্ড)
This book is a detailed Bengali translation and explanation of the Bhāmatī commentary on Saṅkarāchārya’s commentary, written by Srimohan Bhattacharya. Vācaspati Miśra is the author of Bhāmatī commentary. During the course of the explanation, Srimohan Bhattacharya highlights the views held by the author of Bhāmatī as different from another commentarial tradition of Advaita Vedānta, viz. the Vivaraṇa school. The Bhāmatī commentator defends his interpretation of some of the fundamental concepts of Advaita Vedānta viz. the nature of the discourse on Brāhman, the nature of svādhyāya, refutation of Śabdaparikṣāvāda, the nature of the individual jīva, the locus of ajñāna, etc. This is a fine example of intra-school philosophical debate that could be found in many other classical Indian philosophical systems.
The Chief Currents of Contemporary Philosophy
The present book, authored by D.M.Datta, is an exhaustive analysis of the main trends in the philosophical world as found in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The book is divided into thirteen chapters: 1. Neo-Hegelian Idealism, 2. Italian Idealism, 3. Indian Idealism, 4. Pragmatism, 5.The Philosophy of Bergson, 6. Realism, 7. The Philosophy of Sense-Data, 8. Emergent Evolution, 9. Whitehead’s Philosophy of Organism, 10. Logical Positivism and Analysis, 11. The Philosophical Aspects of Marxism, 12. Existentialism, 13. Japanese Philosophy of Zen and Mu (Nothingness). In the Appendix, the author presents the views of some modern Indian philosophers like Rabindranath Tagore and M.K.Gandhi. Thus the book presents the salient theses of some of the philosophical schools of Europe, America, India and Japan.
The Concept of Philosophy
The present book, written by Nikunja Vihari Banerjee, is an attempt to formulate the very idea of philosophy mainly banking on the philosophy of K.C.Bhattacharyya. The book is divided into six chapters: 1. Introduction, 2. Philosophy and Science, 3. The Epistemological Background, 4. Empirical Thought and Philosophical Thought, 5. What then is Philosophy? and 6. Conclusion. The author presents K.C.Bhattacharya’s idea of philosophy as distinct from science and elaborates on the concept of philosophy as an independent spiritual activity.
The Fundamentals of Religion
The present book, written by Nalinikanta Brahma, undertakes a detailed study of the essence of all religions. The author classifies all the religions under three groups: 1. Impersonal, 2. Personal and 3. Supra-Personal. The doctrines and beliefs of all the great regions have been presented in terms of this classification. The author makes a critical assessment of the objections to religion as advanced by Russell, Freud and Marx. The author defends what he calls “ Supre-Personal Religion”. The book ends with an analysis of the possibility of a universal religion.
The Nyāya Theory of Knowledge
The present book is a detailed exposition of Nyāya epistemology. The book contains twenty chapters: 1. Introduction, 2. The nature and forms of knowledge, 3. Valid knowledge and its method, 4. The factors of valid knowledge, 5. The test of truth and error, 6. The definition of perception, 7. The psychology of perception, 8. Ordinary perception and its objects, 9. Three modes of ordinary perception, 10. Extraordinary perception, 11. The nature of inference, 12. The grounds of inference, 13. Classification and Logical forms of inference, 14. The fallacies of inference, 15. The nature and forms of upamāna, 16. Upamāna as an independent source of knowledge, 17. The nature and classification of śabda, 18. Of words, 19, Of sentences, 20. Other sources of knowledge. This book thus offers an analysis of the different pramāṇas accepted by Nyāya.
The Padārthatattva-Nirūpaṇam (পদার্থতত্বনিরুপনম)
The present book, written by Raghunātha Śiramaṇi and translated and explained in Bengali by Madhusudan Bhattacharya, is an attempt to present his views on the metaphysical categories generally accepted in the Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika tradition. Raghunātha, of course, refutes some of the categories accepted by earlier Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika philosophy. He even does not hesitate to accept some of the views of the Mīmāṁsā philosophy, thereby going against his own tradition.
The Philosophy of Kalidas Bhattacharyya
This book on the Philosophy of Kalidas Bhattacharyya was edited by Daya Krishna with the assistance of A.M. Ghose and P.K. Srivastava. This Volume came out as a part of the Indian Philosophical Quarterly Publication. This can be seen as reflections on the final formulation of Kalidas Bhattacharyya’s entire philosophical position. This is a Festschrift volume in honour of Kalidas Bhattacharyya. The contributors have written on the philosophical works of Bhattacharyya to which he has responded in the end. The volume includes the following essays:
- K.L. Sharma – “A Step Beyond K.C. Bhattacharyya
- Daya Krishna – “Kalidas Bhattacharyya and the Logic of Alternation”
- S. K. Chattopadhyaya – “Alternative Standpoints of Philosophy
- K.K. Bagchi – “Subjective and Objective Attitudes as Alternatives – A Study of Kalidas Bhattacharyya’s View of ‘Knowledge – Object Unity’”
- N.K. Sharma – “Kalidas Bhattacharyya’s Philosophy of Absolute Alternatives”
- R.S. Bhatnagar “Philosophy and Meta-Philosophy – Study of a Fundamental Dichotomy in Kalidas Bhattacharyya’s Thought”
- Yogesh Gupta – “Presuppositions of Science and Philosophy – A Critical Note on the Notion of Metastudy in Kalidas Bhattacharyya’s Philosophy”
- M.K. Bhadra – “Kalidas Bhattacharyya’s View of Freedom and Existentialist Thought”
- R.P. Pandey – “Kalidas Bhattacharyya and the Indian Concept of Man”
- K.J. Shah – “Religion – Sophisticated and Unsophisticated”
- Kalidas Bhattacharyya – My Reflections
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.
The Philosophy of Science
The present book, written by Pravas Jivan Chaudhury, contains essays on different aspects of the philosophy of science. The author presents his views on the problem of induction, the nature of scientific explanation, science and normative ethics, the problem of free-will etc. The author presents his analysis of the quantum theory in science and its epistemological significance. In some cases, the author sheds new light on the Indian philosophical perspective.
The Philosophy of Whitehead
Rasvihary Das, in this book, offers an analysis of the main ideas of the philosophy of Whitehead. The book is divided into fourteen chapters: 1. Philosophy and its method, 2. Some primary Ideas, 3. Actual Entities, 4. Eternal objects, 5. Groups and Grades of Actual Entities, 6. The Extensive Continuum, 7. Propositions, 8. Feelings, 9. Feelings (Continued). 10. Perception, 11. Truth, 12. God, 13. Some Difficulties and 14. Conclusion. This book gives the reader a comprehensive knowledge of the philosophy of Whitehead. The author also highlights how his interpretation of Whitehead differs from other works on Whitehead.
The Philosophy of Word and Meaning
Gaurinath Sastri, the author of this book, reconstructs the whole philosophy of Bhartṛhari. Bhartṛhari is the first philosopher in Indian tradition to build an entire philosophical system on a theory of language. The present book contains the following chapters: 1. The Supreme Reality, 2. The Supreme Power, 3. Functioning of Powers, 4. Correspondence of Form and Matter, 5. The Empiric World of Realities, 6. Word: What It Is, 7. Import of Words, and 8. Import of Propositions. The author presents Bhartṛhari’s thesis on the metaphysics of word and its manifestation in the form of the empirical world. There is a detailed discussion on the nature of sub-sentential parts like varṇa, pada etc. An elaborate discussion on the nature of knowledge of the different parts of a sentence resulting in the knowledge of the whole sentence can be found in this book. A comparative estimate of the relevant views of other Grammarians and other schools of classical Indian philosophy has been attempted by the author.
