Darśana
The Six Philosophical Schools
The āstika darśanas — six systematic inquiries into reality, knowledge, and liberation. Grouped as three traditional mithuna pairs.
Nyāya
Logic & Valid Reasoning
Nyāya Sūtras · Akṣapāda Gautama
"How do we arrive at valid knowledge?"
Liberation through tattvajñāna — correct knowledge of the 16 padārthas. Valid reasoning structured around the five-membered syllogism (pañcāvayava) is the primary instrument of philosophical inquiry.
Pramāṇas: 4 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, upamāna, śabda
Vaiśeṣika
Atomism & Categories of Being
Vaiśeṣika Sūtras · Kaṇāda (Ulūka)
"What are the irreducible constituents of existence?"
Reality consists of seven padārthas — dravya, guṇa, karma, sāmānya, viśeṣa, samavāya, abhāva — built from eternal indivisible paramāṇus. Liberation is knowledge of these categories.
Pramāṇas: 2 — pratyakṣa, anumāna (+ śabda accepted later)
Sāṃkhya
Enumeration — Dualism of Puruṣa & Prakṛti
Sāṃkhya Kārikā · Kapila (legendary) · Īśvarakṛṣṇa (historical)
"What is the relation between consciousness and matter?"
25 tattvas unfold from Prakṛti. Liberation is viveka — the Puruṣa recognising its absolute separation from Prakṛti. The only āstika darśana that is explicitly atheistic.
Pramāṇas: 3 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, āptavacana
Yoga
Discipline — Stilling of Mental Fluctuations
Yoga Sūtras · Patañjali
"How does the mind achieve complete stillness?"
Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ. Liberation through stilling all modifications of the mind-stuff. Accepts Sāṃkhya's 25-tattva metaphysics but adds Īśvara and the aṣṭāṅga practice as the reliable vehicle for vivekakhyāti.
Pramāṇas: 3 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, āgama (+ yogic direct perception)
Mīmāṃsā
Inquiry into Vedic Injunctions
Mīmāṃsā Sūtras · Jaimini
"What constitutes dharmic duty and how is it known?"
Dharma is what the Veda enjoins — codanālakṣaṇo'rtho dharmaḥ. The Veda is apauruṣeya: eternal, unauthored, self-validating. Mīmāṃsā is the science of Vedic hermeneutics.
Pramāṇas: 6 (Bhāṭṭa) — pratyakṣa, anumāna, upamāna, arthāpatti, anupalabdhi, śabda · 5 (Prābhākara)
Vedānta
End of the Vedas — Inquiry into Brahman
Brahma Sūtras · Bādarāyaṇa
"What is the relation between the individual self and ultimate reality?"
Inquiry into Brahman, Ātman, and their relation via the Prasthānatraya. Three sub-schools — Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Dvaita — give mutually exclusive answers to every question in the comparative matrix.
Pramāṇas: 3 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, śabda (śruti primary; anumāna must not contradict)
Comparative Philosophy
Compare across all six schools
Pramāṇa · Tattva · Ātman · Mokṣa — how each school answers differently
| School | Pramāṇa | Ontology | Ātman | Mokṣa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyāya | 4 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, upamāna, śabda | Pluralist realism · 16-category inquiry framework · individual ātmans real | Multiple, real; unconscious substances becoming conscious via manas-conjunction | Niḥśreyasa — permanent cessation of all pain; not positive bliss |
| Sāṃkhya | 3 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, āptavacana | Radical dualism · Puruṣa (×∞) + Prakṛti (1) · 25 tattvas · atheistic | Infinite individual Puruṣas — pure consciousness, passive, never actually bound | Vivekakhyāti — discriminative cognition separating Puruṣa from Prakṛti |
Vaiśeṣika · Yoga · Mīmāṃsā shown in full matrix — open to compare all six
Note: Vedānta row reflects the range across Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, and Dvaita — not a single school.