WHindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that emerged in Ancient India. These include six systems (shad-darśana) – Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta. In Indian tradition, the word used for philosophy is Darshana, from the Sanskrit root drish.
WAncient Mithila University was an ancient university and was famous for Nyaya Shastra and logical Sciences. It was gradually started from the philosophical conferences held by Janaka, the king of Mithila at his court. These philosophical conferences led to the formation of a seat of learning and this seat of learning converted into the university of Mithila. It was prominent seat of Brahmanical system of education.Mithila is the seat of Maithil Brahmins. From ancient times there were many notable Maithil Brahmins who gave different dimensions to the ancient Indian Philosophy. Nyaya Shastra, Tarka Shastra, Mimansa and Shankhya Shastra were mostly emerged in Mithila. Uddalaka Aruni discovered the theory of three elements of the life. Ashtavakra taught King Janaka the metaphysical nature of existence and the meaning of individual freedom. The philosophical conversation between Ashtavakra and Janaka is recorded as ancient philosophical texts known as Ashtavakra Gita or Ashtavakra Samhita. Similarly Yajnavalkya taught Brahman Vidya to the King Janaka.He is the author of Satapatha Brahman. He is also considered as the Father of Indian philosophy. Gargi Vachaknavi was a Brahmavadini. She composed several hymns in the Rig Veda that questioned the origin of all existence. She was honoured as one of the Navaratnas in the court of King Janaka of Mithila. She took part in the Shastrarth with Yajnavalkya, in which she asked some questions related to the foundation of the existence of the nature. Yajnavalkya answered all her questions. Maitreyi was another Brahmavadini who lived during the later Vedic period in ancient India. She is mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad as one of two wives of the Vedic sage Yajnavalkya. She was Advaita philosopher. In the Rigveda about ten hymns are attributed to Maitreyi. She explores the Hindu concept of Atman in a dialogue contained in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The dialogue, also called the Maitreyi-Yajnavalkya dialogue, states that love is driven by a person's soul, and it discusses the nature of Atman and Brahman and their unity, the core of Advaita philosophy. She is estimated to have lived around the 8th century BCE. Aksapada Gautama founded Nyaya Shastra. Mandana Mishra was a Hindu philosopher who wrote on the Mīmāṁsā and Advaita systems of thought. He was a follower of the Karma Mimamsa school of philosophy and a staunch defender of the holistic sphota doctrine of language. He was a contemporary of Adi Shankara. Maṇḍana Miśra is known to be a student of a mimamsa scholar Kumarila Bhatta, but who also wrote a work on Advaita, the Brahma-siddhi. He is best known as the author of the Brahmasiddhi. In the 9th to 10th century, Vācaspati Miśra was philosopher of Advaita Vedanta and wrote one non-commentary, Tattvabindu, or Drop of Truth, which focuses on Mīmāṃsā theories of sentence meaning. In the 14th century, Vidyapati emerged as Maithili and Sanskrit poet, composer, writer, courtier and royal priest in Mithila. He was a devotee of Shiva, but also wrote love songs and devotional Vaishnava songs. He knew Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhramsha, and Maithili.
WThe Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic Mahabharata, dated to the second half of the first millennium BCE and is typical of the Hindu synthesis. It is considered to be one of the holy scriptures for Hinduism.
WIn Hinduism, the Brahma Sampradaya is the disciplic succession (sampradaya) of gurus starting with Brahma. The term is most often used to refer to the beliefs and teachings of Madhvacharya and his Dvaita philosophy.
WHaṭha yoga is a branch of yoga. The Sanskrit word हठ haṭha literally means "force" and thus alludes to a system of physical techniques.
WMahanubhava refers to Krishnaite Hindu denomination in India that was founded by Sarvajna Shri Chakradhar Swami, an ascetic and philosopher who considered as a reincarnation of Krishna by his devotees Some sources list the founders as Chakrapani and Govinda Prabhu with Chakradhara as the first "apostle" and propagator of Mahanubhava Pantha. Mahanubhava Sampradaya was formally formed in modern-day Varhad region of Maharashtra in 1267. It has different names such as Jai Krishni Pantha in Punjab and Achyuta Pantha in Gujarat. Mahanubhava Pantha was also known as Paramarga by its followers in 13th century. Nagadevacharya, also known as Bhatobas, became the head of Sampradaya after Chakradhara.
WPashupata Shaivism is the oldest of the major Shaivite Hindu schools. The mainstream which follows Vedic Pasupata penance are 'Maha Pasupatas' and the schism of 'Lakula Pasupata' of Lakulisa.
WShuddadvaita is the "purely non-dual" philosophy propounded by Vallabhacharya, the founding philosopher and guru of the Vallabhā sampradāya or Puśtimārg, a Hindu Vaishnava tradition focused on the worship of Krishna. Vallabhacharya's pure form (nondualist) philosophy is different from Advaita. The Shrinathji temple at Nathdwara, and compositions of eight poets, including Surdas, are central to the worship by the followers of the sect.
WVishishtadvaita is one of the most popular schools of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Vedanta literally means the end of the Vedas. VishishtAdvaita is a non-dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy. It is non-dualism of the qualified whole, in which Brahman alone is seen as the Supreme Reality, but is characterized by multiplicity. It can be described as qualified monism or qualified non-dualism or attributive monism. It is a school of Vedanta philosophy which believes in all diversity subsuming to an underlying unity.
WYoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated in ancient India, aimed at controlling ('yoking') and stilling the mind, and recognizing the detached 'witness-consciousness' as untouched by the activities of the mind (Citta) and mundane suffering (Duḥkha). There are a broad variety of the schools of yoga, practices, and goals in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and traditional forms and modern methods of yoga are practiced worldwide.