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Philosophy and Life
109
and God – have become three chief subject-matters for the philosophical discipline.
A consideration of these three topics has been undertaken by so many different people in different geographical regions and in different periods of time. Not all of them were equipped with the same sort of capacity, starting--point, viewpoint or means. The result was that even if they all were bent upon investigating into truth the net outcome of their investigations was not identical in each case. This explains why we find that as regards the nature of the external worlds, the internal-soul and the Supreme Soul so many trends of thought have been current. When viewed superficially - and sometimes even from the standpoint of essentials -- these trends appear to be mutually divergent; and yet within them all the chief voice to be heard is that each of these trends is seeking after nothing save truth. This is verily an achievement on the part of the philosophical trends of thought. Certainly, if each trend of thought insists on but truth then thro. ugh the instrumentality of it man will sooner or later be able to untie bis koot of ignorance.
Whatever branches of learning man has cultivated are all certainly meant to achieve his some ultimate-aim or other. Thus he has given birth to the branches of learning that are meant to achieve wealth and sensuous enjoyment, also those that are meant to achieve a religious end, and finally he has also given consideration to the pathways that lead to an achievement of emancipation. Not only that, in so many cases he, through act, ually traversing those pathways, has also tested them on the criterion of practice. Thus uptil this day man has undertaken a very long journey of learning as also that of experience. The conclusions arrived at as a result of this journey and found described in Indian literature in a most satis. factory manner - in the form of a modest illustration of a prolonged per. usal and the resultant enjoyment of those conclusions I have attempted to serve their cream in the course of these lectures.
My aim has been to make it possible for every student of the philosophical discipline to briefly understand and also to compraratively study as to what different speculations and in what different forms have been undertaken by the lodian systems of philosophy as to the world, soul and God. If the basic question is properly understood then there can arise in one a desire to know the details thereof and with a view to satisfying that desire one can also feel inclined to undertake a study of the original texts. With this end in view I have offered in the footnotes references to many such texts as might be useful in an understanding of these and those topics and that of the differences of opinion arising in connection with them.
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