Post Graduate Diploma in Hindu Studies (HS)
Hindu Studies is nothing but a study of perennial traditions of wisdom of Hindus encapsulating various aspects of their life and activities. The intellectual system of Hindus are inter-disciplinary where the textual and the oral, the verbal and the visual, the scientific and the metaphysical, the transcendental and the functional are interlocked as parts of a whole.
The course, thus endeavours to critically study the origin and history of the Hindus and their literature, mythology, religion, art, culture, philosophy, institutions, and ethics. It focuses to collect, translate, and illustrate the important texts from the rich manuscript corpus of the Hindus.
The students will be provided first-hand opportunity to participate in intellectual discussions and exchanges with leading scholars of the field bringing the contemporary relevance of Hindu Studies. This course has four papers of 32 credits (4 credits per each paper) in a semester. 4 credits will be equivalent to 8 hours of learning including participating in discussion forums and other interactions, working on assignments and activities designated for the course etc per week, 15 weeks course.
COURSE OUTLINES
Semester-1
1. TATTVA VIMARSA (4 credits)
1.1 Understanding the term “Hindu” (its historicity, and its geographic and jīvana-drsti
aspects)
1.2 Enumeration of Astādaśa vidyās and Upangas with their respective Acāryas
1.3 Bhartiya Darsana (Indian Philosophical Systems): the consequential idea of all
inclusiveness
1.3.1 Padārtha/tattva/ātmā across traditions and underlying unifying themes
1.3.2 Enumeration of rșis and muni from different social backgrounds
1.4 Position of women in Bharata: Parallel sovereignty principles
1.4.1 Sakti and Prakyti principles
1.4.2 Self-definitions: Vāk-Sūkta, Devya-atharva-śīrşca sūkta, Prithvi-Sukta, and
Bhagavadgita (10.20-40)
1.4.3 Ardhanārīśvara concept, Brhadaranyaka Upanişad (1.4.3)
1.4.4 Position of feminine in Jaina-darśana, Bauddha-darśana, and Sri Guru Granth Sahibji
1.5 Bhārtiya Sāmaj (Understanding Indian Society):
1.5.1 Varnaśrama (Social Structure)
1.5.2 Puruşartha (Indian way of life)
1.5.3 Bhagavadgītā (18.41-45).
2. PURUŞĀRTHA VIMARSA (4 credits)
2.1 Dharma: Definitions, meanings and sources (Mahābhārata, Manusmrti, Vaiseşika Sūtra, Bhagavadgita-Sankarabhāşya-upodghāta, definitions in Sramana traditions)
2.1.1 Dharma as the organizing principle for Vedic and Sramana traditions and in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, Rāja-dharma, Apaddharma, Samāja-dharma, and Svadharma
2.2 Karma
2.2.1 Karma yoga, Karma Mimāmsā, Bagavadgitā 4.16 and corresponding Sänkarabhāşya
2.2.2 Concept of Samskāra, Karma, phala, prārabdha
2.2.3 Six karmas: Kāmya, nitya, nisiddha, naimittika, prāyaśchitta, and upāsanā
2.2.4 Nişkāma (Brahma/Sarvam as the real doer) and sakäma karma
2.3. Artha-Kāma: (Ishopanishad, Kautilya Arthashastra and Shukraniti)
2.4 Moksa in Bhartiya Darsana (Indian Philosophical System: (Kathopanişad, Mandukyopanişad and Yogavāśistha)
2.4.1 Conceptions of mokşa and nirvana
2.4.2 Multiple pathways for moksa (Yoga): abhyāsa, karma, bhakti, jñāna
2.5 Bhakti: The fifth Puruşārtha (Bhakti Sūtra, Nārada, Sandilya Sūtra, Tulsi, Mīrā, Saiva,
Vaisnava.
3. JĪVA, JAGAT- BRAHMA VICHĀRA (4 credits)
3.1 Concept of jīva
3.1.1 Definitions of bandhana (prākytika, vaikytika, dākṣanika from Samkhyakārika 44 with Samkya-tattva-kaumudi)
3.1.2 Punarjanma: The root cause and process of bandhana: Bhagavadgitā, Jain literature and Pratītya-samutpädasiddhanta
3.2 Jagat: Concept & Cause
3.3 Brahma-Vicāra: Bhartiya Darsana me Brahma ki Avadhārana, Upanişad etc.
4. PRAMĀŅA (4 credits)
4.1 Definition of pramāņa
4.2 Indian model of philosophical analysis: pramātā, pramāna, prameya, and pramā
4.3 Svatah-prāmanya, and paratah-prāmānya
4.4 Nature, definition, method, and limits of different types of pramānas : Pratyakşa, Anumana, Upamāna, Sabda, Anuplabdhi, Arthāpatti, Aitihya
4.5 Sabda-sakti: abhidha, laksana, vyañjanā, and tätparya
4.6 Applications of pramāņa
Semester-II
5. VĀDA-PARAMPARĀ (4 credits)
5.1 Vāda-Paramparā: The method of Sastrărtha
5.2 From doubt to determination: Sansaya to Nirnaya
5.3 Katha (nature and types of kathā): Vāda, jalpa, vitanda
5.4 Embarking on knowledge: Anubandha-chatustaya (adhikari, visaya, sambandha,
prayojana)
5.5 Organization of knowledge: Sūtra, bhāşya, vārtika, vrtti, tikā, tippaņi and sangraha
5.6 Analysing “tātparya”
5.6.1 Sravana vidhi: Upakrama, Upasamhāra, Abhyāsa, Apūrvatā, Phala, Arthawāda, Upapatti
5.6.2 six-fold process (Şadvidha tātparya nirnāyaka linga) śruti, linga, vākya,
prakarana, sthāna, sāmākhyā
5.7 Tantrayukti: “Research methodology” in context of natural sciences
6. RĀMĀYAŅA (4 credits)
6.1 Rāmāyana: Kavya and Itihāsa
6.2 Rāmāyana and its traditions: Forms and Types
6.3 Rāmāyana as one of the two source-epics (Upajīvya) for much of Indian literature, and arts (folk, classical, and contemporary arts)
6.4 Rāma and Rāmarājya
6.5 Nature and Society (e.g. Nişadarāja, Jatāyu, etc.), geography, fauna and flora in India
6.6 Woman characters in Rāmāyana
6.7 The role of rsi in society
6.8 The Rāmāyana: Beyond Borders
7. MAHĀBHĀRATA (4 credits)
7.1 Mahābhārata: Kavya and Itihasa
7.1.1 Mahābhārata as epic source (Upajīvya) for much of Indian literature, and arts (folk, classical, and contemporary arts)
7.1.2 Calendars (samvat) of Yudhishthira (yugăbda), Krsna, and Vikrama
7.2 Mahābhārata and its tradition
7.3 The core narrative of Mahabharata. 10 stories about 10 Laksanas of dharma: dhrti (Gangāvataran), kşamā (Vasistha and Viśwāmitra), dama (Yayāti and Puru), asteya (Yudhishthira- Yakşa samvāda), sauca (the tale of golden mongoose), indriyanigraha (dharma vyādha’s upadeśa), dhih (Savitri), vidyā (tale of man-tiger-snake-elephant from Strīparva), satyam (Hariscandra/ Satyakama), akrodha (the story of Pariksita and his insult to Rsi Samika)
7.4 Viduranīti and Bhagavadgita
7.5 Rajdharma, and rajanīti: Santiparva
7.6 Geography of Bhārata-varsa
7.7 Woman character in Mahābhārata
7.8 Vana-Parva: Yaksa Yudhisthira Samvāda
8. Aagam:- Saiva-śākta and Vaişnava (4 credits)
8.1 Tirtha
8.2 Parva
8.3 Vrata-Upvāsa
8.4 Parmukh Festival
8.5 Samskāra
Eligibility Criteria: – Graduation in any subject