Six Philosophical Systems

or "Darshanas" ("means of viewing")

Vaisesika

Practitioners: the Vaisesikas or Vaishéshikas (Atomists)

Specialty: pluralistic, realistic, substantist analysis

Sound bite: "The pot on the ground inheres in its material cause, the pot-halves, which are composed of atoms of earth, because they have aroma."

Nyaya

Practitioners: the Naiyáyikas (Logicians)

Specialty: (Old School:) Formal debate and logical argument, accepting most of the metaphysics of the Vaisesikas. (New School:) Highly technical analysis of cognition and especially of inference, sometimes with a reworking of the older metaphysics.

Sound bite: (Old school:) "The pot on the ground has earthness, because it has aroma which is pervaded by earthness. Each locus of aroma is a locus of earthness, such as a piece of sandalwood. And this is thus. Therefore it is so." (New school:) "There occurs in the pot superstratum-ness limited by inherence and by pot-ness and described by locus-ness in the pot-halves limited by pot-half-ness and inherence and described by pot."

Sankhya or Samkhya

Practitioners: the Sánkhyas ("Enumerators")

Specialty: Analysis of reality using a traditional dualist scheme involving the evolution of the physical universe from a single material source separate from the individual souls.

Sound bite: "As the pot had lain latent in the clay from which it was shaped, so the intellect, ego, and mind have evolved from unmanifest matter."

Yoga

Practitioners: the Yogins or Yogis

Specialty: Practice of yogic techniques designed to gain control over inner phenomena, accepting most of the metaphysics of the Sankhyas.

Sound bite: "I will focus upon the pot as a means of withdrawing the attention of my mind from other objects."

Mimamsa

Practitioners: the Mimámsakas (Ritualists)

Specialty: Hermeneutics, in particular the analysis of the ritual-portion (karma-kanda) of the Veda, i.e., the Brahmanas with their emphasis on the sacrificial ritual.

Sound bite: "He who desires a nice pot in heaven should perform the Jyotistoma sacrifice."

Vedanta

Practitioners: the Vedántins or Vedántis

Specialty: Analysis of the wisdom-portion (jnana-kanda) of the Veda, i.e., the Upanisads with their emphasis on the nondifference of the Self and the world from Brahma, accepting many of the exegetical techniques of the Mimamsakas and parts of the psycho-physical apparatus of the Sankhyas.

Sound bite: "As the omnipresent ether appears to be divided into the individual spaces within pots, so the one indivisible Self appears as individual selves."