दर्शन

अङ्गानि वेदाश्चत्वार: मीमांसा न्यायविस्तर: ।
पुराणं धर्म शास्त्रं च विद्या ह्येताश्चतुर्दश ।।

The above verse states that there are 14 domains of knowledge. These areas are considered to be all-encompassing and give an explanation for all the events that occur around us. These are the Vedas (Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda ), Meemamsa  (a discussion on the vedas), Nyaya    (logic), Puranas (of which there are 18) and Dharmasaastra.

The Vedas themselves have 6 angas or parts. These are Shiksha (the pronunciation of the Vedas), Chandas   (prosody), Vyakaranam (grammar), Jyotisham  ( astronomy), Niruktam   (the meanings of words) and Kalpa  (the rules for the performance of rituals).

Out of the above 14 topics, we cover five, these being

• Indian Mathematics
  All of us are very fond of getting to the finish line in the easiest way possible. Be it in going from one place to another or in solving a problem, we would always like to take the shortest route possible. Arithmetic, in the Indian way, abounds with such shortcut methods and mental calculations. There has also been tremendous work done in the fields of algebra, geometry and trigonometry - so much so that most of what we see in our textbooks today, is only an offshoot of the work our ancestors did. This portion is considered to be a part of Jyotisham
  
  
• Tarka Shaastra
  Logical reasoning is the most special among all of man's different faculties. He observes, interacts and arrives at conclusions. It is that ability which sets him apart from all other beings. He has always wished to know about the things around him, the way they work and why they work the way they do. Tarka Shaastra, which is  a branch of Nyaya ,  was the science in which a complete understanding of the universe was attempted. Rules were specified for classifying all that we see around us and for inferring other rules from their behaviour.
  
  
• Indian Astronomy
  
  Our fascination with the sky would have begun right from that age, when our parents would have pointed out to us, the silvery moon, in their endeavours to feed us. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star .... Like a diamond in the sky" goes a popular nursery rhyme, and several poets have written verses eulogising the sky and the stars. But there is so much of science and mathematics behind the beautiful facade of a clear night's sky. Astronomy(Jyotisham)had been a great strength of ancient Indian scientists and they accomplished a great deal in this area. Many astronomical observatories existed in earlier times and most mathematicians were also astronomers.
  
  
• Chhandas
  All of us enjoy good rhythmic music, or for that matter, any verse that is recited in the musical way that it should be. Chhandas is the domain of rhythms and metres, which emphasises the occurrences of different patterns in 'shlokas'. Combinatorial mathematics plays an important role in Chhandas.
  
  
• Vyakaranam
  Vyakaranam means 'grammar'. This section examines the necessity for a grammar, and how effective it is, in getting across what we want to say, in as simple a way as possible. This section also does a comparison of Indian grammar (Tamil & Sanskrit) and English grammar, stressing on the need for precision and clarity in expression. There exist different rules for different grammars, all put forth in a concise fashion.