Tag: Indian Philosophy

  • A better understanding of The Devotional School

    I recently discovered the beautiful poetry of Tukaram, one of the Poet Saints of Maharashtra. This poetry resonates deeply with me, especially living in the Lohegaon area of Pune.

    I found a book titled, Life and Teachings of Tukaram on the Internet Archive. The book is written by J Nelson Fraser and Rev. J F Edwards. The book contains a brilliant Foreward by Dr. Sir Narayan G. Chandavarkar (I want to learn more about him). While I suggest that you read the Foreword in full, I have pasted some of my favourite excerpts from the Foreword so that it may entice you to read the Foreword in full.

    This Foreword presented a much better introduction to the School of Devotion than that I read in the book on Indian Philosophy. It provides a much better perspective and understanding about the School when set in it’s historical context.

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  • Poetry of the Maharashtrian Saints

    The wari passed through Pune last week, just like it did every month. As always, it disrupted life in the city but people have been used to it for centuries. The wari reminds me to look up about the lives and teachings of the saints of Maharashtra.

    A surprisingly large number of these saints had their samadhi in places close to Pune. This added to my fascination to learn about them and to understand their teachings. When we had visited our pediatrician last week, he had mentioned that my daughter’s school name was a name for Sant Tukaram, part of the Warkari tradition. We get similar reminders about the existence of these saints in various parts of Pune.

    Mani Rao wrote in Scroll about a chat that she had with Priya Sarukkai Chabria, the editor of the e-journal, Poetry at Sangam, which was going to shut after beginning in 2013. Among the various questions was about the fact that the e-journal contained English translations present in the e-journal from various Indian languages, besides poetry in the English language.

    I did not find mention of poems in Malayalam but did find poems in Marathi. Poetry at Sangam had English translations of poetry in Marathi by Anjali Purohit, Jerry Pinto, and Neela Bhagwat. The translation of a riddle in the Bharoods of Sant Eknath (1533-1599) specifically caught my eye. And thereafter, I read each one of them.

    Contradiction is the sign of Natha’s home
    Where the water is parched with thirst.

    The pot goes in, surrounded by water
    Water submerges in water.

    Today I saw the strangest sight:
    Water flowing backwards from the eves to the ridge.
    The farmer sowed the field and
    The field swallowed up the guard.

    The cooking pot was eaten and the rice thrown away
    God slaughtered in sacrifice before the goat.

    Says Eka, Janardan’s path is antithetical
    He that understands this is a true follower.

    Codey/Riddles, Sant Eknath, translated into English by Anjali Purohit

    I am also trying to place them in my understanding of Indian philosophy and the various philosophical darsanas. As I understand them, these are songs called abhangs which explain Vedantic philosophy in the format of songs made famous by the bhakti saints. Vedanta seems to have moved from explanations through debate with other philosophical systems to explanations in terms of analogies to this form.

  • Suffering and Tranquility

    In 2017, I listened to an episode of the Art of Manliness podcast with author and philosopher, William B Irvine. I, then, went on to listen to his book, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy on Audible.

    Photo by mukesh s on Pexels.com

    In the time of the Greeks and Romans, Philosophy was something that was practiced and not just thought. Students went to these schools for practical lessons in living.

    Each philosophy taught that there was an ideal that played a central role more than all the others. Epicureans believed that pleasure played such a central role. Stoics believed that tranquility played a central role.

    The book busts several myths about Stoicism. The Stoics were not emotionally dead. They offer several practical tips and tricks to prepare one for the emotional roller-coaster of life. These practices helped Stoics maintain tranquility.

    In comparison, the various darsanas of Indian Philosophy seem to say that there is only one theme that plays the central role – the reduction of or end of suffering.