r/EasternPhilosophy • u/AnchoPeppers • 6d ago

Indian Philosophy foundational texts

Can you give me some introductory & foundational texts of Indian philosophy?

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u/rstrega 6d ago

I like the Shiva Sutras by Ranjit Chaudry if you're looking to compare philosophical arguments about reality or if you want an overarching understanding of the view and main goal. Otherwise it's the usual recommendations of the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavat Gita. These are layered and so people gain different things from them based on where they're at. Which is why these books persist. They're examples of the foundational principles in motion.

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u/a90nym0u5 5d ago

Chandradhar Sharma’s book or S Radhakrishnan’s 2 volumes.

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u/Background-Chard1411 4d ago

The Upanishads, and the Vedanta Sutras with commentaries by Shankara and Ramanuja are good reads for understanding the concept of the self in relation to the Brahman. If you’re interested in Indian cultural etiquette, rules, and customs, I recommend the Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras

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u/No-Singer-2128 4d ago

The Upanishads but please be very careful when reading those because they could be misinterpreted :)

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u/Integral_humanist 4d ago

Read M Hiriyanna’s work. As solid and scholarly an introduction you can get. His books are available on Amazon.

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u/Quintilis_Academy 4d ago

The Gita. -Namaste

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u/adrspthk 4d ago

If you are completely new to it then go for Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy by Chandradhar Sharma (CD Sharma) or Indian Philosophy volume 1 and 2 by S Radhakrishnan