Philosophical Concepts in the Hindu Tradition: Global Impact

Dear Colleagues,

The two ancient civilizations in which philosophy was actively pursued were India and Greece. Scholars have pointed to similarities in the metaphysical, cosmological, medical, and value theories in both these philosophies, which have led to the belief that there must have been an exchange of views between them. As for the West, the translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Charles Wilkins in 1846 was a watershed moment in history. It led to the rise of the transcendentalists, such as Thoreau and Emerson. Emerson was the leader of the Transcendental Movement, which originated in Concord, Massachusetts, near Boston, and reached its height in 1840. As is well known, Emerson wrote a beautiful poem on the subject, entitled “Brahma”, and an essay “The Over-Soul”. This interest continued and spread with the writings of Oriental scholars such as Max Muller and others. It will not be an overstatement to say that there never was a time when this interest abated. Twentieth-century scholars, such as J.L Mehta, J.N.Mohanty, and B.K.Matilal have pointed out and written books on the mutuality of ideas of Heidegger, Husserl, and theories of consciousness and the close similarities between Navya-Nyaya ideas and symbolic logic. While Upanishadic ideas and Indian philosophical schools of thought captured the imagination of the West starting with the Transcendentalists and the Oriental scholars, the impact that these ideas had on physicists such as Oppenheimer, Heisenberg, Schrodinger, and David Bohm are well documented.

This Special Issue aims to bring into focus philosophical ideas in the Hindu Tradition both theoretically as well as by reflecting on their global impact. Scholars in the traditional Indian philosophical schools, such as Advaita, Samkhya, and Yoga, will address both the theory and application of these textual ideas globally. The grammatical tradition of Pāṇinian grammar, which gave rise to many a philosophical concept in India, is perhaps unique to the Hindu tradition. This will also be covered in this Special Issue.

The contribution of modern-day scholars, such as Aurobindo and Gandhi, who have played stellar roles in a global sense by living their lives in accordance with some of these philosophical principles, have significantly contributed to the global spread of these ideas. We have extended the scope of the topic to also include an article on Kalidasa, the renowned Sanskrit poet, whose writings have also referenced ecological and environmental ethics.

This Special Issue represents an attempt to continue to engage with this exchange of ideas well into the present times and cover recent writings furthering this same intent. We have been able to gather leading scholars who are all eminent in their respective areas of research as contributors for this Special Issue

Prof. Dr. Trichur S. Rukmani
Guest Editor

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• the Hindu tradition
• different schools of philosophy
• Advaita
• Samkhya
• Yoga
• Paninian grammar
• Kalidasa
• Gandhi
• Aurobindo