Four Major Periods of Indian Philosophy
There are four major periods of Indian philosophy, namely:
1) The Vedic Period : 2500 BCE – 600 BCE
2) Epic Period : 600 BCE – 200 CE
3) Sutra Period : 200 CE (early centuries of the Christian Era)
4) Scholastic Period : till the 17th century CE
Normally, the periods of Indian philosophy are divided into four major periods. However, contemporary Indian philosophers added a fifth period, namely: Modern and Contemporary Indian Philosophy.
Also, it is important to note that philosophy in general is divided into two in terms of beginning, that is, the First Beginning (in the East) from 2500 BCE to 1700 CE and Second Beginning (in the West) from 600 BCE to 1900 CE. The years 1900 to 2000 (and the succeeding years) are considered the beginning of post-modern, post-classical period. According to records, this was the period when the West meets with the East.
The Vedic Period (2500 BCE – 600 BCE)
The Vedic Period is characterized successively by religion, superstition, and philosophy.
The term “Vedas” is usually translated as “wisdom”. As is well known, there are four Vedas, namely:
1) Rg Veda 2)
2) Yajur Veda,
3) Sama Veda, and
4) Atharva Veda.
These four Vedas are called Srutis, which are not authored by any man. The term “Sruti” is the word for “revealed, authoritative texts”. As we can see, this is equivalent to the Old Testament of the Bible.
Each Veda has four parts, namely:
1) the Mantras, the hymns of the poets,
2) the Brahmanas, the religious texts by the priests which specifically include rituals and
sacrifices,
3) the Aranyakas (forest treatises), derived from the term Aranya which means “forest”,
are meditations for the forest dwellers who, in classic stages of life, have progressed
beyond the ritual of the household, and
4) the Upanishads (philosophical treatises), the philosophical abstracts by the
philosophers.
The traditional number of the Upanishads is 108, but there actually more than 200. The authors of the Upanishads are not known, just as the authors of the book of Genesis in the Old Testament.
The Epic Period (600 BCE – 200 BCE)
If Sruti is the name for the traditional texts in the Vedic period, Smriti is the name for the traditional texts in this period. In the Epic period, the doctrines are presented in mythical form, usually in non-systematic and non-technical literature.
There are two great epics in Indian history, namely, 1) the Ramayana and 2) Mahabharata. On the one hand, Ramayana tells of the conflict between the Aryans and the Dravidians. On the other hand, the Mahabharata tells of the dynamic struggle among the descendants of Bharata, that is, the Pandavas and the Kurus.
The Bhagavad-Gita is a part of Mahabharata and is regarded as one of the three most authoritative texts of Indian philosophy. The other two are the Upanishads and Samkara’s commentary on the Vedanta.
It is important to note that the epics are the occasions for cosmology and ethics.
The Sutra Period (from 200 CE)
The Sutra Period is the period of orderly, systematic, aphoristic, extremely brief and enigmatic texts. The system of this period is divided into two schools, namely:
1) Heterodox School and
2) Orthodox School.
The Heterodox School dares to defy the classical tradition. There are three Sutras under this school, namely:
1) Charvaka Sutra,
2) Jainism Sutra, and
3) Buddhism Sutra.
The leading proponent in Charvaka Sutra was Brihaspati, Mahavira for Jainism Sutra, and the Buddha (Sidharta Gautama) for the Buddhism Sutra.
The Orthodox School follows the classical tradition. There are six Sutras under this school, namely:
1) Nyaya Sutra,
2) Vaiseshika Sutra,
3) Sankhya Sutra,
4) Yoga Sutra,
5) Purva (Mimamsa) Sutra, and
6) Vedanta Sutra.
The leading proponent in Nyaya Sutra is Gotama (or Gautama). The theme in this kind of Sutra is logical realism.
The leading proponent in Vaiseshika Sutra is Kamada (or Kanada). The theme in this kind of Sutra is realistic pluralism.
The leading figure in Sankhya Sutra is Kapila. The theme in this kind of Sutra is evolutionary realism.
The leading figure in Yoga Sutra is Patanjali. Adherents in this kind of Sutra seek perfection of the self.
The leading figure in Purva (or Mimamsa) Sutra is Jaimini. The theme in this kind of Sutra is an early investigation of dharma, that is, duty as stated in the Veda.
Lastly, the Vedanta Sutra is the crowning achievement of Indian philosophy. Vedanta Sutra is also known as Brahmasutra, since it deals with the doctrines of Brahman, and Sarirakasutra, since it deals with the embodiment of the unconditional self.
The Scholastic Period: ‘till the 17th century CE
Indian philosophy lost its dynamic spirit about the sixteenth century when India became a victim of outside power. By the 17th century, Indian philosophy is done.
The Scholastic period is the period of commentaries upon the sutras. The writing style of this period is characterized by “noisy commentaries”, but the best work is of very high quality.