2. Darśana (Introduction)

The root verb of darśana is drs or ‘see’. Darśanam means seeing. In addition to that, darśana has a definite meaning in Hindu tradition. Seeing is an ordinary action. However, when a ṛṣi sees, the simple act of seeing becomes much more meaningful. In addition to seeing, he contemplates on what is seen, reflects on it from different perspectives, investigates it, and discusses it. To the great ṛṣis, darśana was not merely the act of seeing, but a sincere, mature, and diligent spiritual reflection aimed at attaining the ultimate truth. Over time, this contemplation resulted in the gradual emergence of various streams of philosophical thought within India. Within their respective times, the maharṣis molded these streams of thought into the form of sacred texts from which different darśanas emerged. Within India, there are six prominent Vedic darśanas collectively known as the Shaddarśana.^[1]

These six darśanas are the:

1. Sāṃkhya Darśana,
2. Yoga Darśana,
3. Nyāya Darśana,
4. Vaiśeṣika Darśana,
5. Karmamīmāṃsā Darśana and
6. Vedanta Darśana.^[2]

Each of these six darśanas originated at different times and their founders were also different. In order to better understand the Svaminārāyaṇa Darśana, it is necessary to acquire a basic introduction of these six darśanas. A brief overview of each darśana is given below.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Lakhani Seeta, Ed. Jaya Lakshmi, Hinduism for Schools, Vivekananda Centre London Ltd 2005, pp.33-36

[2]:

Bhadreśadāsa Sādhu, Akṣara-Puruṣottama Darśana an Introduction, June 2018, pub. Svāminārāyaṇa Aksharpith, p.5