Introduction to Indian Knowledge

Systems-1
HSS-433
Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems-1 (IIKS-1)

Need for the Course

Indian knowledge systems encompass many aspects of philosophy,

society, arts, culture, sciences and life as a whole
There are several courses on IKS and there are several degree and
certificate programs in these topics.
There are Universities and Institutions for yoga,
dance, music, philosophy, linguistic studies,
architecture, ayurveda and astronomy/astrology and
we need to be exposed to at least some of them.
DO YOU AGREE?
Course Contents:
•A broad overview of disciplines included
in the IKS, and historical developments.
The present course will consider
philosophies, linguistics, dance, music,
architecture, ayurveda, economics and
astronomy.
•8 topics in the course
• The Vedic Corpus and Philosophical Systems: Samkhya, Yoga,
Vaisheshika, Nyaya and Mimamsa

• Foundational Concepts of Linguistics, Knowledge Framework and

Classification, Grammatical Structure of Indian Languages, Panini’s
Astadhyayi and applications.
• Indian music systems, Hindustani and Carnatic, thaats, raagas, shrutis
and swaras; raaga timings and emotions, Raaga based popular film
songs
• Dances in India, classical and folk dances, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali,
Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam
•
• Ancient Indian art and architecture, evolution and regional variations
in temple architecture, rock cut architecture, structural temple
architecture, tirthkshetras- Kashi, Dwaraka, Kanchi, Avantika,
Ayodhya, Prabhas-kshetra etc.
• Ayurveda: Philosophy, history, and practice; the Dinacharya,
In-depth physiology of the digestive process. ayurvedic
informed yoga routines. The three guna's of nature, the 10
pairs of opposites in nature, and how to use them to
cultivate overall balance. The five elements of Nature
(Pancha Maha Bhutas) and how to use them in self-
assessment; how to identify a person’s primary doshas (vata,
pitta, kapha), and their areas of imbalance; Self-assessment
tools of Ayurveda including pulse, tongue, and eyes; Specific
lifestyle guidance in each month and season.
• History of Indian Economic Thoughts, New Indian
Economic Model and Sectorial Contribution Past vs
Present; Context from Dharmashastras, Shukraniti and
Arthashastra; Kautiya’s Economic thoughts
• The science of Astronomy and the different units of
time. Spherical trigonometry and Celestial Sphere, Five
elements that constitute Pañcāṅga– and their
astronomical significance, Concepts pertaining to
planetary computations and Computation of the true
longitudes of planets; Precession of equinoxes –
sāyana and nirayaṇa longitude, Lagna and its
computation Eclipses and their computation
References
• An Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems: Concepts and Applications,
• B Mahadevan, V R Bhat, and Nagendra Pavana R N; 2022 (Prentice Hall of India)
• Indian Knowledge Systems: Vol I and II, Kapil Kapoor and A K Singh; (D.K. Print World Ltd). 2005
• Indian Philosophy, S. Radhakrishnan, Macmillan, 1929
• An Introduction to Indian Philosophy, R. W. Perrett, Cambridge University Press, 2016
• Ashtadhyayi of Panini, S. C. Vasu, Indian Press, Allahabad, 1891
• Language vs grammatical tradition in Ancient India, Leonid Kulikov, Folia Linguistica Historica 34
(2013), 59–91.
• Linguistic History of India (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_history_of_India#Notes)
• https://www.satyavedism.org/evolution-of-languages/ashtadhyayi-of-panini-volumes-01-thru-
08-and-intro-panini
• Indian Classical dance, K. Vatsyayan, Nataraj Books, 2018
• Dances of India, Vivekananda Kendra Patrika Handout
• The Raagas of North Indian Music, Their Structure and Evolution, N. A. Jairazbhoy, Faber and
Faber,1971
• Articles on Carnatic Music, P. S. Iyer, Kamala Press, 1937
• Sangeeta Praveshika, K. N. Shivakumar, Sangeet Bharati, 2022
• https://www.drishtiias.com/printpdf/temple-architecture
• Fundamental Principle of Ayurveda, Volume-1, V. D. Lad, Ayurvedic
Press, 2002
• Introduction to Ayurveda, C. G. Thakkur, Gulabkunverba Ayurvedic
Society, 1975
• Kanagasabapathi; “Indian Models of Economy, Business and
Management”, Third Edition, Prentice Hall India Ltd., Delhi. Lotus
and Stones; Garuda Prakashan, 2020
• S. N. Sen and K. S. Shukla, History of Astronomy in India, 2nd Ed.,
INSA, Delhi, 2001.
• S. Balachandra Rao, Indian Astronomy an Introduction, Universities
Press, Hyderabad, 2000
What you are expected to learn!
• Exposure to philosophy and darshanas and develop/recognise your
own philosophy
• Develop an awareness of the structure of Sanskrit and compare its
structure with your own mother tongue/other Indian languages
• Enjoy music and assess your own level of singing/instrumental music
• Learn a few dance steps and recognise your expressive abilities
• Brief exposure to architecture of religious places
• Avurveda principles, your own prakruti
• Atrhashstra and its relevance
• Exposure to objects in space and their relevance to our lives
Evaluation
• The course will involve about two hours of effort
(study/practice) on your part per week (that includes
submitting assignments)
• Course evaluation will be approximately on the following lines:
• Assignments/Workshops/Field trips/reports/…. 25%
• Mid-semester Examination… (25%)
• Final Examination (Closed book, some data sheets may be
allowed) … 50% (out of which some demonstrations/oral
examination may constitute about 20%). The demonstrations
will emphasize what you have learnt in the course rather than
what you already know. The meaning of this will be explained
in the classes). We plan to have a choice of topics in the final
examination
Assignments (25%) (This will help in exam
preparations as well) The aim is to enjoy these
activities
One/two page hand written report/audios/videos on
• 1) Comparison of one of Buddhist/Jain/Sikh/Muslim/Christian/Jewish
philosophy with any one or more of the Shad-darshanas
• 2) Structure of sandhis, samasas/vibhaktis in your mother tongue
• 3) One short audio (about one minute) of your song
• 4) Set of dance steps that you learn (videos) and your 9 expressions
• 5) Architecture of a temple/church/mosque on your home town
• 6) Ayurveda/triguna prakruti questionnaires
• 7) Your view on Indian political economy/development
• 8) Recognising your own astronomical birth chart (????)
ANCIENT LANGUAGES
LANGUAGE WRITING SYSTEM
HINDI DEVNAGIRI

ENGLISH LATIN

KASHMIRI SHARDA

PUNJABI GURMUKHI

TAMIL- OLDEST LANGAUGE IN THE WORLD 500 B.C. ABUGIDA/ BRAHMI

SANSKRIT – 3500 B.C. DEVNAGIRI

Position of the tongue and mouth:
Vowels No blocks
Consonants different types of blocks

The
Science of
Phonetics
and
Linguistics
Sounds have impacts on
different aspects of personality

Eg, If you chant Omkar or do a Bhramari Pranayama,

its vibrations have impacts on each of your cells in
your body and it impacts you in so may ways that
several research papers are being written on these.
Vedic Suktas are written in such a way so
that your wellbeing is improved, eg.
Bhagya Suktam
Ashtadhyayi’, or ‘Eight Chapters’ - Panini’s grammar

• It is a linguistics text that set the standard for how Sanskrit was
meant to be written and spoken.
• The Ashtadhyayi laid down more than 4,000 grammatical rules,
couched in a sort of shorthand (sutras), which employs single letters
or syllables for the names of the cases, moods, persons, tenses, etc.
in which linguistic phenomena are classified.
• The earlier works had recognised the root as the basic element of a
word, and had classified some 2,000 monosyllabic roots which, with
the addition of prefixes, suffixes and inflexions, were thought to
provide all the words of the language.
Panini’s ‘Ashtadhyayi’
• New Interpretation of Ashtadhyayi:
• Ashtadhyayi delves deep into the language’s phonetics, syntax and
grammar.
• It also offers a ‘language machine’, where you can feed in the root
and suffix of any Sanskrit word, and get grammatically correct words
and sentences in return.
• To ensure this ‘machine’ was accurate, Panini wrote a set of 4,000
rules dictating its logic.
• When two or more of the rules could apply at the same
time, Dr Rishi Rajpopat took an approach, that for rules
applying to the left and right sides of a word, readers
should use the right-hand side rule.
What are the Six Systems of Indian Philosophy (Darshanas)?

The Goal of the Darshanas is the removal of ignorance

and its effects of pain and sufferings, and the attainment
of freedom, perfection, and eternal bliss by the union of
the individual soul or Jivatman with the Supreme Soul
or Paramatman.
• The Nyaya: (Gautama) The Indian logical system. The Nyaya is
considered as a prerequisite for all philosophical inquiry.
• The Vaiseshika: The Vaiseshika is a supplement of the Nyaya.
Kanada composed the Vaiseshika Sutras.
• The Sankhya: Kapila founded the Sankhya system: Duality,
Purusha and Prakruti
• The Yoga: The Yoga is a supplement to the Sankhya. Patanjali
systematized the Yoga school and composed the Yoga Sutras.
• The Mimamsa: Jaimini composed the Sutras of
the Mimamsa school, based on the ritual sections of the
Vedas.
• The Vedanta: The Vedanta is an amplification and fulfillment
of the Sankhya. Badarayana composed the Vedanta-
Sutras or Brahma-Sutras which expound the teachings of the
Upanishads.
Other Darshanas
• 1. Sautrāntika
• 2. Vaibhāṣika
• 3. Yogācāra
• 4. Mādhyamika
• 5. Svetāmbara
• 6. Digambara
• The first four nāstika- are classified under Buddhism
and the last two under Jainism
Dances in India
• Kathak
• https://
www.google.com/search?q=kathak+dance&oq=kathak&aqs=chrom
e.0.69i59l2j69i57j0i433i512j0i512l3j0i433i512j46i131i433j0i512.393
4j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:00dd0765
,vid:5oqrvqqnTeQ
• Bharata natyam
• https://www.google.com/search?q=kathak+dance&ei=WkPeY-q3E6e
UseMPg5uswA4&oq=kathak&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQARgC
MgcIABCxAxBDMgcIABCxAxBDMgcIABCxAxBDMgQIABBDMgUIABCA
BDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMggIABCABBCxAzIFCAAQgAQyBAgAEEM6
BAguEEM6CwguEIMBELEDEIAESgQIQRgASgQIRhgAUABYywhghRtoA
HABeACAAbcBiAGKCJIBAzAuNpgBAKABAcABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-ser
p#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:00dd0765,vid:5oqrvqqnTeQ
Indian Music: Two raagas: Bhoop(ali) and
Shivaranjani
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9ULWBTokzw
• Shivaranjani Jane kaha gaye Wo Din

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51E50HhFfto
• Bhoop Dil Hoom Hoom Kare
Ayurveda: Objectives
स्वास्थस्य स्वास्थ्य रक्षणम् ,आतुरस्य विकार प्रशमनं च​|| च​. सू. १

The purpose of Ayurveda is

• To maintain the health of healthy person and
• Cure the ailment of diseased
• Maintain an equilibrium of the body, mind and soul
28 Nakshatras -
The Real Secrets of
Vedic
Astrology/Astrono
my
Zodiac Signs: There are 12 signs in a
horoscope. Signs are marked using numbers
in a birth chart. 1 represents Aries followed by
rest of the signs in the following sequence –
Taurus (2), Gemini (3), Cancer (4), Leo (5),
Virgo (6), Libra (7), Scorpio (8), Sagittarius (9),
Capricorn (10), Aquarius (11) and Pisces (12).
Planets: There are 9 planets in a horoscope.
Planets are given in abbreviated form in the
chart. In the first house, Mo stands for Moon,
and Ju stands for Jupiter. In rest of the
houses, you can spot different planets – Rahu
(Ra), Mars (Ma), Mercury (Me), Venus (Ve),
Saturn (Sa), Sun (Su) and Ketu (Ke).

The image on top shows a typical Vedic birth chart, a unique map
of an individual that tells all about your past, present and future.
This chart covers all aspects of life, personal, emotional, financial,
marital, physical, spiritual, familial and so on. Understanding the
basics of the chart is one thing, interpreting it is wholly another.
• Chausath Kalas (64 forms of art)
• Geet vidya: art of singing.
• Vadya vidya: art of playing on musical instruments.
• Nritya vidya: art of dancing.
• Natya vidya: art of theatricals.
• Alekhya vidya: art of painting.
• Viseshakacchedya vidya: art of painting the face and body with color
• Tandula-kusuma-bali-vikara: art of preparing offerings from rice and flowers.
• Pushpastarana: art of making a covering of flowers for a bed.
• Dasana-vasananga-raga: art of applying preparations for cleansing the teeth, cloths and painting the
body.
• Mani-bhumika-karma: art of making the groundwork of jewels.
• Aayya-racana: art of covering the bed.
• Udaka-vadya: art of playing on music in water.
• Udaka-ghata: art of splashing with water.
• Citra-yoga: art of practically applying an admixture of colors.
• Malya-grathana-vikalpa: art of designing a preparation of wreaths.
• Sekharapida-yojana: art of practically setting the coronet on the head.
Nepathya-yoga: art of practically dressing in the tiring room.
Karnapatra-bhanga: art of decorating the tragus of the ear.
Sugandha-yukti: art of practical application of aromatics.
Bhushana-yojana: art of applying or setting ornaments.
Aindra-jala: art of juggling.
Kaucumara: a kind of art.
Hasta-laghava: art of sleight of hand.
Citra-sakapupa-bhakshya-vikara-kriya: art of preparing varieties of delicious food.
Panaka-rasa-ragasava-yojana: art of practically preparing palatable drinks and tinging draughts
with red color.
Suci-vaya-karma: art of needleworks and weaving.
Sutra-krida: art of playing with thread.
Vina-damuraka-vadya: art of playing on lute and small drum.
Prahelika: art of making and solving riddles.
Durvacaka-yoga: art of practicing language difficult to be answered by others.
Pustaka-vacana: art of reciting books.
.
• Kavya-samasya-purana: art of solving enigmatic verses.
• Pattika-vetra-bana-vikalpa: art of designing preparation of shield, cane and arrows.
• Tarku-karma: art of spinning by spindle.
• Takshana: art of carpentry.
• Vastu-vidya: art of engineering.
• Raupya-ratna-pariksha: art of testing silver and jewels.
• Dhatu-vada: art of metallurgy.
• Mani-raga jnana: art of tinging jewels.
• Akara jnana: art of mineralogy.
• Vrikshayur-veda-yoga: art of practicing medicine or medical treatment, by herbs.
• Mesha-kukkuta-lavaka-yuddha-vidhi: art of knowing the mode of fighting of lambs, cocks and birds.
• Suka-sarika-pralapana: art of maintaining or knowing conversation between male and
female cockatoos.
• Utsadana: art of healing or cleaning a person with perfumes.
• Kesa-marjana-kausala: art of combing hair.
• Akshara-mushtika-kathana: art of talking with fingers.
• Dharana-matrika: art of the use of amulets.
•
• Desa-bhasha-jnana: art of knowing provincial dialects.
• Nirmiti-jnana: art of knowing prediction by heavenly voice.
• Yantra-matrika: art of mechanics.
• Mlecchita-kutarka-vikalpa: art of fabricating barbarous or foreign sophistry.
• Samvacya: art of conversation.
• Manasi kavya-kriya: art of composing verse
• Kriya-vikalpa: art of designing a literary work or a medical remedy.
• Chalitaka-yoga: art of practicing as a builder of shrines called after him.
• Abhidhana-kosha-cchando-jnana: art of the use of lexicography and meters.
• Vastra-gopana: art of concealment of cloths.
• Dyuta-visesha: art of knowing specific gambling.
• Akarsha-krida: art of playing with dice or magnet.
• Balaka-kridanaka: art of using children’s toys.
• Vainayiki vidya: art of enforcing discipline.
• Vaijayiki vidya: art of gaining victory.
• Vaitaliki vidya: art of awakening master with music at dawn.
• 14 Vidyas (techniques)
• 4 Vedas RigVeda SamVeda YajurVeda AtharvaVeda
• 4 UpaVedas (abodes of knowledge)
• ArthaShastra: Ancient treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy.
• Dhanurveda: Science of archery
• GandharvaVeda: Treatise on performing arts, encompassing theatre, dance and music.
• Ayurveda: The word ayurveda consists of the words ayus, meaning “longevity”, and veda, meaning
“related to knowledge” or “science”. Thus Ayurveda is the science of life.
• 6 Vedangas
• Shiksha: science of phonetics and phonology of Sanskrit
• Kalpa: art of rituals
• Vyakaran: Sanskrit grammatical tradition of vyakarana.
• Nirukta: art of etymology, particularly of obscure words
• Chhanda: study of Vedic meter in Classical Sanskrit poetry.
• Jyotish: system of astrology, traditionally consisting of three branches:
1. Siddhanta: traditional Indian astronomy
2a. Samhita
2b. Medini Jyotisha: prediction of important events based on analysis of astrological dynamics in a
country’s horoscope of general transit events such as war, earthquakes,
Some Asssignments

• Arrange the 64 skills in the decreasing order of your

interest. How many are obsolete? How many new
ones can you add? List your top 5. List your top 5
personal interests which you would like to pursue.
How many of them belong to IKS?
• Distinguish between Kathak and Bharatanatyam
dances
• Classify ragas into happy, serious and melancholy
types.
• What aspects of Ayurveda would you like to
incorporate into your life?