Here are the chief riches of more than 3,000 years of Indian philosophical thought-the ancient Vedas, the Upanisads, the epics, the treatises of the heterodox and orthodox systems, the commentaries of the scholastic period, and the contemporary writings. Introductions and interpretive commentaries are provided.
"This book . . . is not only for the Western student, but for all of us who must gauge our impacted twentieth-century world and find our path in its confusion."—New York Times
"This long-awaited book gives a splendid coverage of indispensable source material in Indian philosophy. Both editors are uniquely qualified to choose the readings, which begin with the oldest theosophical-philosophical literature, the Rg Veda, and end with selections from Radhakrishnan’s An Idealist View of Life, written in the twentieth century. Examples of Indian Philosophy from Vedic to contemporary times are provided in selections from well-known sources such as the Upanishads, Bhagavadgita, and the Laws of Manu and also from less commonly known works such as Kautilya’s Arthasastra (with its interesting parallels with Machiavelli’s Prince), the Tattvopaplavasimha (with its extremist empiricism), and the Syadvadamanjari (thirteenth-century Jainism). Selections exemplifying the best of Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva-Mimamsa, the three major schools of Vedanta, and Sri Aurobindo are included. Many of these have been available in English translations in the nineteenth century scattered about in our major university and public libraries, but to have them all together in a single volume is a great boon to teachers and others concerned with Indian thought. An excellent bibliography and useful index are also provided."—Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
