Indian Knowledge System

In Indian traditions of thought, jna, knowledge, is an instrument of liberation of the self from the narrow bounds of body and mind. As such it leads to man’s freedom, mok•a. God is not a factor in the acquisition or attainment of Knowledge – Man is free to chose any of the three paths, of knowledge, of action and of devotion. There is no imperative of One Given Truth and therefore a plurality of truths is allowed. While allowing for the fact that there must always be a truth out there, the Indian thinkers are sceptical about the possibility of accessing or recognizing it. They allow therefore ‘several/multiple paths’ to Truth. There is no requirement to conform; the individual is not subjected to the communal – if he shares a view, it is of his own volition. Thus after explaining all the issues involved in the need to fight the Mahabharata war, a societal/ communal point of view some may argue, Krishna leaves it to Arjuna to take the final decision. Faced with immense variety and multiplicity so characteristic of Indian geographical and social reality, the Indian mind has concluded that the highest form of knowledge is the knowledge of Oneness of all, of non-difference, of transcending the opposition between the Self and the Other(s). The goal therefore is not promotion of man’s material comfort but the enhancement of mental and physical well-being of all, a position finally and decisively articulated by Lord Buddha in seeking nirvna of all the suffering humanity rather than one’s own, individual nirvna. Knowledge thus has never been divorced from justice. In fact it has always been imbricated with ethics, with the dominant ethical value of dharm. Beginning 11th Century CE, this ‘Knowledge’ enshrined in multiple disciplinary formations was ‘vernacularised’ through transfer from classical to to modern Indian languages. Further, as part of India’s oral culture, this ‘Knowledge’ has been traditionally disseminated among the masses in the public discourse (katha, pravaccana) mode. As such knowledge in India has not been either a privileged discourse nor for the privileged alone.