a glimpse into the Indian philosophical approach

A glimpse into the Indian philosophical approach
From time immemorial, Indian thinkers have ventured in both the directions- material and spiritual. Just as we see many sciences and arts based on their experiments with the material world around, so do we see a treasure of their hypothetical and experiential theories of the spirituality too. Since the oldest vedic ages, Indian thinkers have never ceased to venture into the subtle world of lofty spiritual truths. They also recorded these for posterity in the Upanishads, darshanas and other scriptures. Added to these time and again were the experiences and insights of many realized souls.
The striking nature of the bharatiya darshana or Indian philosophical perspective is that the direct experience of the seers has been valued the more than mere logical expositions. That is why a scholar, however adept in intellectual exercises and logical analysis, is never given the place that a realized soul or spiritual seer commands. Adi Shankaracharya rightly opines-
Vaivaikhari shabdajhari shaastravyaakhyaana koushalam
vaidushyam vidushaam ete bhuktaye na tu muktaye (Viveka chudamani)
(The brilliance of shastric knowledge and oratory are only for material profit(or intellectual satisfaction) and not liberation)
On the other hand, in western philosophical heritage, we see that a philosopher need not always be a realized soul. If only he can logically analyze and convincingly present his views with a sound contextual understanding of the available philosophical treatises he qualifies as a ‘philosopher’ and his works get accepted. But in the Vedantic tradition, Scholarship and logic are only a part of the path and never the final qualifications to spiritual realization. Here only a rishi’s words based on his direct experience or intuition or those based on vedic injunctions get accepted. Not that scholarship and logic are dismissed off as insignificant, but they should rather supplement to the spiritual contemplation than proceed on its own. (Infact it is in India that the schools of Logic have developed to very sophisticated levels ever).
This perspective, wherein the true seeker stops at nothing but direct experience, is what makes the Indian philosophical view a ‘science’ and not merely a path of belief. In this context we see numerous examples of great yogis who have dared to break through the conventional thought lines in order to access spiritual experiences on their own. That is why in India, from ages, an amazing number of schools of philosophy and saadhana margas(paths to realization) have come into being. Never in the Bharatiya darshana, can a single school of thought propounded by a particular seer dictate the conscience of all people at all times. This openness to choose, analyze, accept or refute is the mark of Vedanta- the glorious Indian psycho-spiritual and philosophical science.
Extracted from my key note address at National science congress session- psycho-spiirtual and philosophical sciences, at AIISH, Mysore, hosted by SVAK, 2009