•Philosophy arose in India as an enquiry into the mystery of life and existence. Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Vedas as a valid source of knowledge; whether the school believes in the premises of Brahman and Atman; and whether the school believes in afterlife and Devas.
•The Hindu philosophy is categorized into six Orthodox and three Heterodox philosophies. The classification is based on the acceptance of the authority of the Vedas.
•The Orthodox school of philosophy also called the Aastika school believes in the authority of Vedas, while the Heterodox school of philosophy, popularly known as Nastika school rejects the principle of authority of Vedas.
Six Orthodox Schools Of Indian Philosophy
This school believed that Vedas were the supreme revealed scriptures that hold the secrets to salvation. They did not question the authenticity of the Vedas. They had six subschools that were called the Shada Darshana: Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Veisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta. Of the historical division into six darsanas, only two schools, Vedanta and Yoga, survive.
•Samkhya Philosophy
•Yoga Philosophy
•Nyaya Philosophy
•Vaisheshika Philosophy
•Purva mimansa (mimansa)
•Uttara Mimamsa (Vedanta)
| School | Author | Main Book | Core Philosophy |
| Nyaya | Gautama | Nyayasutra | focus on logical thinking. |
| Vaisheshika | Kanaad | Vaisheshik Sutra | It is a form of atomism in natural philosophy. |
| Samkhya | Kapila | Sankhya Sutra | postulates that everything in reality stems from purusha (self, soul or mind) and prakriti (matter, creative agency, energy). |
| Yoga | Patanjali | Yog Sutra | Yogic techniques control body, mind & sense organs, thus considered as a means of achieving freedom or mukti. |
| Poorva Mimansa | Jaimini | Poorva Mimansa Sutra | emphasis on the power of yajnas and mantras. |
| Uttar Mimansa or Vedanta | Badrayan or Maharishi Vyas | Uttar Mimansa Sutra | believes world is unreal and the only reality is Brahman |
Three Heterodox Schools Of Indian Philosophy-
•Charvaka School or Lokayata Philosophy
•Buddhist Philosophy
•Jain Philosophy
