Shada-Darsana
There are six Darshanas (windows to Truth) that treat Veda as authority. They are called aastika darshanas. They are Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa. There are six nastika darshanas that do not accept the Veda as authority and are called nastika darsanas.
The astika darsanas can be grouped into three pairs - Nyaya-Vaiseshika, Sankhya-Yoga, Purvottara Mimamsa. Nyaya and Vaiseshika are called arambha vada. Sankhya and Yoga are called parinama vada. Purva and Uttara Mimamsa discuss philosophy of Veda. Purva Mimamsa discusses the philosophy of karma kanda and Uttara Mimamsa discusses the spiritual philosophy (esp. Upanishads). Nyaya, Yoga and Uttara Mimamsa say that there is an Isvara the Lord of All souls. The other three are Nireeswara vaadas. They talk of Atman, but not of Paramatman. Nireeswara vaada is not necessarily nastika vaada and these darsanas do lay equal amount of stress on Dharma and that is the reason they are called aastika darsanas and not because they accept a Parabrahman different from individual atman. They differ in their basic tenets like Isvara.
All these darsanas hold that atman is different from manas (mind), buddhi (intellect) and prakruti (nature) and that binding is because of the contact of these with the Purusha. Once the contact is rid, that is liberation. They differ in which of these causes binding, what causes creation and whether creation is an appearance or true in a given state. They also differ in whether atman is same as Brahman or not. Differentiating these and understanding the uniformity of these is very important both in understanding Hinduism as well as differentiating Hindu from non-Hindu ideology. Here is a brief note of each darsana.
Vaiseshika
Text: Vaiseshika darsana by Kanada; Bhashya kaara by Prasasta Pada; and Vartika kaara by Jagadidh Bhattacary.
It has 10 chapters, 20 ahnikas, 370 sutras. It accepts 2 pramanas (criteria for verifiability) and 7 padarthas. Vaiseshika is one of the earliest darsanas hypothesised. According to it, atma-manas contact causes the nine Gunas - buddhi, sukha, dukha, iccha, dvesha, prayatna, dharma, adharma, sanskara. This is the samsara for atman. Realising this and separating mind from atman so that the Gunas get dissolved and do not arise again, is Moksha. This is possible through satkarma, sravana, manana and so on. According to Vaiseshika darsana, Guna-nasha forever is moksha.
Nyaya
Text - Nyaya darsana by Gotama; Bhashya kaara by Vatsayana; Vartika kaara by Udyota kaara.
It has 5 chapters, 10 ahnikas and 528 sutras. It accepts 4 pramanas and 16 padarthas.
According to Nyaya, midhya jnana (nascience) causes sansara and tatva jnana (gnosis) brings liberation. Destroying misery (dukha) forever is Moksha. Jiva is different from Isvara. Isvara is a nominal (nimitta karana) cause for creation, the substantial cause of creation is paramaanus (upadana karana). Jivas are multiple because of multiple bodies (sareera). But Iswara is one. Iswara created the Veda.
It is called Nyaya because it is constituted of five "laws" - Pratijna, Hetu, Udaharana, Upanaya, Nigamana. Nyaya includes formal logic and modes of scientific debate. It explains the logical constructs like antecedent and laws of implying. It expounds various modes of scientific debate and methods for debate, like tarka, vitanda, chala, jalpa and so on.
Sankhya
Text - Sankhya darsana, Sankhya karikas; Author - Narayana avatara Kapila gave 25 sutras and Vaiswanara avatara Kapila gave 6 chapters. Disciple line of the latter Kapila - Asuri, Panca Sikhacarya, Iswara Krishna. Iswara Krishna wrote the Sankhya Karikas with 70 aryavrittas. Bhashya to these are given by Gauda pada. Vartika is given by Vijnana Bhikshu. It accepts 3 pramanas and 25 tatvas (principles).
Sankhya is also an old school. It says that binding is bevause of mistaking Prakruti for Purusha. Realising their difference is liberation. As such, binding and liberation are for the Prakruti and not Purusha. They appear on the Purusha because of contact with Prakruti. Nyaya recognizes Iswara. The world is true. Purusha is asanga and chidrupa, not touched by creation or action. He is Jnana rupa, but not Jnanasraya. That is, Purusha is himself knowledge and not seen as a result of knowledge. In liberated state Purusha is neither jada nor ananda rupa. Multiple Purushas exist. There is no single Iswara, and Prakruti Herself does creation. Sukha, dukha and moha are because of the three gunas (satva, rajas, tamas).
Yoga
Text - Yoga sutras; Author - Patanjali; Bhashya - Badarayana; Vartika - Vijnana Bhikshu. It has 4 padas and 194 sutras. It accepts 3 pramanas and 25 tatvas.
According to Yoga, mistaking buddhi for Purusha causes binding. Realising their difference is liberation. Purusha is asanga and chidrupa. Buddhi satva has three qualities (satva-rajas-tamo gunas) and it attracts Purusha. Atman separated from buddhi and its qualities is Moksha. Yoga of eight limbs (yama, niyama, asana, pratyahara, pranayama, dharana, dhyana, Samadhi) gets one to Samadhi state. By the grace of Iswara too one gets to Samadhi state. One can realize the buddhi-atman difference in that state. Avidya is binding and jnana is Kaivalya (liberation). Binding and liberation are for buddhi and not for atman, they only appear over the atman. Iswara is one.
Purva Mimamsa
Text - Purva Mimamsa darsana; Author - Jaimini; Bhashya - Sabara Swamy; Vartika - Kumarila Bhatt. It has 16 chapters in the adhikarana way. It accepts 6 pramanas. Purva Mimamsa is also called Karma-Mimamsa.
Dharma develops by performing Vedic rituals. By refraining from prohibited deeds and actions inspired by desires, one can be cleansed from sins. It leads to a state beyond dharma and adharma. After experiencing the result of past karma, body (sareera) dies. If the state beyond dharma and adharma is attained by then, the atman does not assume sareera any more. Thus liberation from sareera forever is Moksha. Moksha is a result of nivritti dharma. One can get to swarga (heaven) by pravritti. Atman is different from those like sareera and indriyas (sense organs). There is no Iswara separate from atman. Atman is jnanasraya but not jnanarupa. That is, atman can be known through jnana but is not jnana itself. Veda is accepted as pramana in Purva Mimamsa. Atma-manas contact causes the nine Gunas (spoken of by Vaiseshika). In liberated state when atman liberates from contact with manas, gunas get dissolved. Atman is jada rupa in that state.
Uttara Mimamsa
Text - Brahma sutras; Author - Vyasa; Bhashya - Adi Sankara; Vartika - Narayana Saraswati. It has 4 chapters, 16 padas and 555 sutras. It accepts 6 pramanas (pratyaksha, anumana, upamana, agama, ardhapatti, anupalabdi) and 25 tatvas.
According to Uttara Mimamsa, binding is lack of discrimination between atman and non-atman. From knowledge of atman and its true nature, ignorance is dissolved. Experiencing it as nirguna (without qualities), advaya (one without second), and Brahman is Moksha. Jiva-Iswara difference is because of nascience. Once that goes, the natural unity of Jiva-Para realizes. Until the unity is realized, Jagat (world/universe) is true. Jagat appears over Brahman. Once that is realized, the world is an illusion (mithya) and only Brahman remains. Brahman is the undifferentiated (abhinna), nominal (nimitta) and substantial (upadana) cause for creation. Thus, Uttara Mimamsa holds the indefinable nature of Brahman. Purushas are not multiple. There is one Iswara and Prakruti does not create by Herself - She does it for and inspired by Iswara.
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