Cultural, Philosophical and Spiritual Underpinnings of Indian Knowledge Systems with focus on Mathematics and Astronomy
M. Pramod Kumar and Probal Roy Chowdhury
Abstract
The Muṇḍakōpaniṣad, which is embedded in the Atharva Veda and is one of the most widely translated spiritual texts, distinguishes between Knowledge as parā vidyā (higher knowledge) and aparā vidyā (lower knowledge). Knowledge of the Self is parā vidyā while all knowledge of the material universe is classified as aparā vidyā. This is the unique perspective that one finds in Bhāratīya Jnana Parampara or Indian Knowledge Traditions, which indicates that scientific knowledge may be considered as a useful tool and a stepping stone to attainment or realisation of parā vidyā or higher knowledge. It may be said that this aspect of thought has not been given sufficient attention in mainstream academic discourse as scientists have been more concerned with scientific discoveries made by Indian stalwarts even as the spiritual moorings of such talented individuals are less regarded or even ignored as being insignificant within the parameters of mainstream academic scholarship. However, this is to elide available evidence such as the fact that Aryabhata (ca. 476-550 CE), invoked Brahman at the beginning of his treatise Āryabhaṭiya (ca. 510 CE), and Bhāskara II (ca. 1114-1185 CE) employed powerful mystical metaphors to refer to the unknown in algebraic terms. Even as recently as the early twentieth century, the renowned mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920) openly acknowledged his religious and spiritual experiences as sources of his inspiration for the brilliant mathematical breakthroughs he made. In this paper, we propose to explore the cultural, philosophical and spiritual underpinnings documenting our classical and indigenous Jnana Parampara and why it is important to appreciate the cultural milieu in which the heritage of the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) evolved. We argue that it would be a serious lacuna to ignore the spiritual aspects of IKS traditions since our understanding of IKS cannot be isolated from these underpinnings.
Keywords: Indian Knowledge Traditions, Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), spiritual underpinnings, parā vidyā, aparā vidyā.
📥 Download PDF