A History of Indian Philosophy, Vol. 1 | Page 2

course of the process of the
future reconstruction of modern thought. The discovery of the
important features of Indian philosophical thought, and a due
appreciation of their full significance, may turn out to be as important

to modern philosophy as the discovery of Sanskrit has been to the
investigation of modern philological researches. It is unfortunate that
the task of re-interpretation and re-valuation of Indian thought has not
yet been undertaken on a comprehensive scale. Sanskritists also with
very few exceptions have neglected this important field of study, for
most of these scholars have been interested more in mythology,
philology, and history than in philosophy. Much work however has
already been done in the way of the publication of a large number of
important texts, and translations of some of them have also been
attempted. But owing to the presence of many technical terms in
advanced Sanskrit philosophical literature, the translations in most
cases are hardly intelligible to those who are not familiar with the texts
themselves.
A work containing some general account of the mutual relations of the
chief systems is necessary for those who intend to pursue the study of a
particular school. This is also necessary for lay readers interested in
philosophy and students of Western philosophy who have no
inclination or time to specialise in any Indian system, but who are at the
same time interested to know what they can about Indian philosophy.
In my two books The Study of Patanjali and Yoga Philosophy in
relation to other Indian Systems of Thought I have attempted to
interpret the Sämkhya and Yoga systems both from their inner point of
view and from the point of view of their relation to other Indian
systems. The present attempt deals with the important features of these
as also of all the other systems and seeks to show some of their inner
philosophical relations especially in regard to the history of their
development. I have tried to be as faithful to the original texts as I
could and have always given the Sanskrit or Pâli technical terms for the
help of those who want to make this book a guide
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for further study. To understand something of these terms is indeed
essential for anyone who wishes to be sure that he is following the
actual course of the thoughts.
In Sanskrit treatises the style of argument and methods of treating the
different topics are altogether different from what we find in any
modern work of philosophy. Materials had therefore to be collected
from a large number of works on each system and these have been knit

together and given a shape which is likely to be more intelligible to
people unacquainted with Sanskritic ways of thought. But at the same
time I considered it quite undesirable to put any pressure on Indian
thoughts in order to make them appear as European. This will explain
much of what might appear quaint to a European reader. But while
keeping all the thoughts and expressions of the Indian thinkers I have
tried to arrange them in a systematic whole in a manner which appeared
to me strictly faithful to their clear indications and suggestions. It is
only in very few places that I have translated some of the Indian terms
by terms of English philosophy, and this I did because it appeared to
me that those were approximately the nearest approach to the Indian
sense of the term. In all other places I have tried to choose words which
have not been made dangerous by the acquirement of technical senses.
This however is difficult, for the words which are used in philosophy
always acquire some sort of technical sense. I would therefore request
my readers to take those words in an unsophisticated sense and
associate them with such meanings as are justified by the passages and
contexts in which they are used. Some of what will appear as obscure
in any system may I hope be removed if it is re-read with care and
attention, for unfamiliarity sometimes stands in the way of right
comprehension. But I may have also missed giving the proper
suggestive links in many places where condensation was inevitable and
the systems themselves have also sometimes insoluble difficulties, for
no system of philosophy is without its dark and uncomfortable corners.
Though I have begun my work from the Vedic and Brâhma@nic stage,
my treatment of this period has been very slight. The beginnings of the
evolution of philosophical thought, though they can be traced in the
later Vedic hymns, are neither connected nor systematic.
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More is found in the Brâhmanas, but I do not think it worth while to
elaborate the broken shreds of thought of this epoch. I could have dealt
with the Upani@sad period more fully, but