Publications
A Study of Patañjali
The present book, written by Surendranatah Dasgupta, is a philosophical exposition of the views of Patañjali. There are ten chapters in the book: 1. Introductory: Beginning with Puruṣa and Prakṛti, 2. Puruṣa and Guṇas in Sāṁkhya-Yoga Cosmogony, 3. Cosmic Evolution: An Analysis, 4. Theories of Evolution and God, 5. Ethical Doctrines, 6. Lead to Salvation: Ethical Practices, 7. Yogic Conduct of Life, 8. Analysis of Miscellaneous Doctrines, 9. Sphoṭavāda: Semantic Theory and 10. Recapitulation. In this book, the reader finds a detailed analysis of the entire philosophy of Patañjali.
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.
An Introduction to Indian Philosophy
This book, written jointly by Satischandra Chatterjee and Dhirendramohan Datta, offers an introduction to the three nāstika and six āstika schools of classical Indian Philosophy. The authors present the salient epistemological, logical, metaphysical and ethical views of each of the schools of classical Indian philosophy.
Basanta Kumar Mallik: A Garland of Homage from Some who knew him well, with a Biography
This is a collection of articles on the philosophy of Basanta Kumar Mallik. The book is divided into four parts. The first part offers a detailed biography of Mallik while the second part contains two letters addressed to him. The third part contains essays on the different aspects of philosophy of Mallik. In the fourth part, one comes across some personal memoirs of people who came into contact with Mallik.
Classical Indian Philosophies: Their Synthesis in The Philosophy of Sri Ramakrishna
In this book, Satischandra Chatterjee, presents the salient views of different classical Indian philosophical systems and shows how these divergent views could be synthesized in the philosophy of Ramakrishna. The book contains ten chapters: 1. Introduction, 2. The Cārvāka Philosophy, 3. The Bauddha Philosophy, 4. The Jaina Philosophy, 5. The Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika Philosophy, 6. The Sāṃkhya-Yoga Philosophy, 7. The Mīmāṃsā Philosophy, 8. The Vedānta Philosophy, 9. The Synthesis of the Systems and 10. The Philosophy of Ramakrishna. The author argues how on the basis of the idea of adhikāri-veda the divergent views of the different philosophical systems could be synthesised and the author takes cues from the ideas advocated by Sri Ramakrishna in this attempt.
Facts of Buddhist Thought
The present book comprises three chapters: 1. Pratītyasamutpāda in Buddhist philosophy, 2. The Mādhyamika and the philosophy of language and 3. Idealism and Absolutism - A Buddhist synthesis. In the first chapter A.K.Chatterjee, the author, traces the theory of pratītyasamutpāda from the Abhidharmika stage through Mādhyamika and Yogācāra interpretations. In the second chapter, the author defends the Mādhyamika position in terms of metalanguage and object-language distinction. The third chapter takes up the issue of Yogācāra idealism in terms of sahopalambha-niyama and shows how idealism culminates in Absolutism.
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.
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.
Gaṅgeśa’s Theory of Indeterminate Perception (Nirvikalpakavāda) Part- 1
In the part one of this book, Sibajiban Bhattacharyya, presents an introductory analysis of Navya-Nyāya philosophy. The book is divided into five chapters: 1. The Navya-Nyāya Theory of Cognition, 2. Some basic Concepts of Navya-Nyāya, 3. Navya-Nyāya Theory of Inference, 4. Some Terms of the Technical Language of Navya-Nyāya and 5. Some Aspects of Navya-Nyāya Theory of Language.
Gaṅgeśa’s Theory of Indeterminate Perception (Nirvikalpakavāda) Part- 2
The present book is an English translation and explanation of the chapter on Nirvikalpakavāda in Tattacintāmaṇi by Gaṅgeṣa. Each of the parts of the original text has been followed by an explanation. Many objections to Gaṅgeṣa’s theory of indeterminate perception have been explained and responded to by the author.
Gopinath Kaviraj’s Thoughts – Towards a Systematic Study
This book by Kalidas Bhattacharyya is a collection of Mahamahopadhyay Gopinath Kaviraj Memorial lectures delivered by Kalidas Bhattacharyya in the year 1980. Bhattacharya here explores the works of Gopinath Kaviraj written in the later years of his life. Kaviraj was an extraordinary scholar who was well-versed in both the philosophical and religious literature of India as well as the west. Above all, he was a sādhana. He was principally a Śaiva, particularly of the monistic kind, However, as Bhattacharyya claims, this Śaiva doctrine received certain innovative twists in the hands of Kaviraj and became a kind of Śaiva Dualism. Kaviraj was equally interested in Tantra, Yoga, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Gauḍiya Vaiṣnavism and also Śankara’s Advaita Vedānta. In this book, Kalidas Bhattacharyya explores the notion of Transcendence and the justification of this notion that we find in the works of Gopinath Kaviraj. He discusses the different regions of Transcendence and finally goes on to discuss the idea of Pūrṇatā or Ultimate Perfection as developed by Kaviraj.
Heteroclitic Fragments and Heretical Comments
This book is a collection of six essays written by A.P.Rao. All the essays offer the author’s own views on some of the issues that have been dealt with in recent Logic and Metaphysics. The book starts with an essay on Leibnitz. The author articulates his own understanding of some of the logical problems attended to by Russell and Wittgenstein. Also, there are discussions on views on ontology expressed by Quine.
History of Navya Nyāya in Mithilā
The present book is a detailed history of Navya-Nyāya scholarship in Mithilā, located in the state of Bihar, India. Of the two main centres of Navya-Nyāya, Mithilā is well-known for being the birthplace of Gaṅgeśa, the originator of Navya-Nyāya. The book has six chapters: 1. Udayanācarya: his predecessors and successors, 2. Pre-Gaṅgeśa writers, 3. Gaṅgeśa Upādhyaya and his son Vardhamāna, 4. The age of expansion, 5. The age of four M’s and 6. Modern scholarship. The author presents brief life-sketches and brief descriptions of the works of these philosophers.
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.
Inference in Indian and Western Logic
The present book is an analysis of the theory of inference. In the seven chapters, the book deals with 1. Introducing the theme, 2. Judgement and Truth, 3. Inference and Validity, 4. Implication, 5. Constituents of Inference, 6. Types of Inference and 7. Concluding observation. In many contexts, the author brings in the insights of several western philosophers and compares these with those of Indian philosophers.
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.
Language, Testimony and Meaning
The present book, authored by Sibajiban Bhattacharyya, is an analysis of the philosophy of language as one finds in Navya-Nyāya tradition. The book is divided into five chapters: 1. Some Alternative Conceptions of language, 2. Some Themes and Theories of Navya-Nyāya, 3. Epistemology of Testimony, 4. Some Indian Theories of Testimony and 5. Some features of Navya-Nyāya Semantic Theory. This book is an analysis of some of the salient issues in the classical philosophy of language defending the Navya-Nyāya perspective.
Materialism Marxism Determinism and Dialectics
The present book, written by B.N.Dasgupta, is an attempt to understand and explain the key ideas of Marxism in terms of some classical Indian philosophical systems. This book is divided into four chapters: 1. Materialism, 2. Marxism, 3. Determinism and 4. Dialectics. In and through these chapters, the author makes a comparative analysis of classical Indian theories of causality and the law of karma with Marxist dialectics. The book also contains an analysis of Quantum theory in light of Marxism.
Modern Polity and Vedanta
In this book, Satkari Mookerjee, the author, relates the basic insights of Vedānta with the social and political situation in India. The author presents his views in five chapters: 1. Present-day Crisis in Education, 2. Democracy in India, 3. The Religion of the Hindus, 4. The Individual (jīva) and the Absolute (Brahman), 5. The Influence of Vedānta on Life. The author draws our attention to how the Vedānta philosophy has a lasting influence on Hindu social organization.
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.
Neo Hegelianism
The present book is a historical introduction to the philosophical movement known as Neo Hegelianism. This book is divided into fifteen chapters where the contributions of T.H.Green, Edward Caird, John Caird, William Wallace, D.G.Ritchie, F.H.Bradley, Bernard Bosanquet, John Watson, Henry Jones, J.H.Muirhead, J.S.Mackenzie, Lord Haldane and J.E.McTaggart have been presented. In the appendix is an essay entitled ‘Hegelianism and Human Personality’ where the author articulates how to own understanding of Hegel’s philosophy and its significance.
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.
Object Content and Relation
This book by Kalidas Bhattacharyya considers the relation between Consciousness and it’s Object. Once we ask the question “Is there anything intermediate between consciousness and object?”, we come up with the answer “Content”. Now, what is this Content and is there such an intermediate thing between Consciousness and Object? This is a question that needs to be answered. This book explores the relationship between Objects and Consciousness via the idea of Content. The book is divided into two chapters. This first chapter is on “Object and Content”. The second is on “Relation”. The first chapter deals with:
- Analysis of Thought and Memory
- Analysis of Perception: Idealism and Realism
- Analysis of Perception – Illusion as to Judgment
- Some Theories of Illusion Examined
- Content and Object as Alternatives
- Criterion of Reality
- Real and Non-Real Appearances
- The Notion of Relation
- Classification of Relations
- The So-called Puzzles of Relation
- Relation – Is it Subjective, Objective or Dialectical?
- External and Internal Relation
- Some Theories of Relation
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.
Pāṇinidarśanam
The present book is an analysis of the chapter on Pāṇini’ s philosophy as found in the Sarvadarśanasaṃgraha of Mādhavāchārya. Chinmayi Chatterjee, the author of this book, offers a detailed analysis of Mādhavāchārya’s formulation of the central philosophy of Pāṇini, the grammarian. The book discusses the idea of sphoṭa as advocated by Panini as well as the criticisms of sphoṭa as advanced by different philosophers. The correlation between word and its meaning has also been taken up for discussion.