There are six major schools in Hindu philosophy. They can be classified into two categories, which are Astika Darshana and Nastika Darshana. “Darshana” means philosophy and refers to the ‘earned inquiry into the nature of reality’. Astika Darshana accepts the authority of the Vedas, whereas Nastika Darshana doesn’t – though influenced. Each Darshana texts are based on Sutras created by a great sage. These sages have founded and systematised the doctrines of the schools.

Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkism and Charvaka belong to Nastika Darshana.
Astika Darshana includes Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Purva Mimansa, Vedanta (Uttara Mimansa), Samkhya and Yoga Philosophy.

Vedanta Philosophy 

The Vedanta school of philosophy contains many sub-traditions, ranging from dualism to non-dualism, but all of them have a common textual connection to the Upanishads, the Bhrama Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. The most recognised and important one is Advaita-Vedanta. Generally speaking, Vedanta philosophy does not discuss a concept of God, so that its non-dualistic. The aim is liberation by overcoming the illusion. The principle concepts of Vedanta include the nature of reality, the status of Brahman and nature, the cause of creation, the status of Brahman and Atman, the means of liberation etc. Atman is the soul or “individual self” (the direct Sanskrit translation is breath as well).

Vedanta says that man is Brahman. Brahman is the creative principle which lies realised in the whole world. The nature of Brahman is Satya (truth), Ananda (contentment), Jnana (wisdom) and Ananta (infinity). It therefore means that the soul of a human is the same as the higher spirit and by walking the four paths of Yoga, one can purifies oneself. It is like a pot with air in a room with air. The air inside and outside the pot is the same, but can only be connected by breaking the pot. Liberation is attained when a person overcomes the illusion of duality and division.

Samkhya Philosophy 

The Samkhya philosophy is one of the most prominent and oldest of Indian philosophy and was propounded by the sage Kapila. It is understood as the philosophy of perfect/right knowledge or numbers. Samkhya is termed as an uncompromising dualism, atheistic realism and as spiritual pluralism. It is called dualistic because it is based on two ultimate realities or principles: Purusha and Prakriti.

PURUSHA

Purusha is the principle of matter. Samkhya is called atheistic realism because both, matter and spirit (Purusha and Prakriti) are equally real. Plus there is no discussion about `God`. It is pluralistic because of its teaching that Purusha is not one but many. It is innumerable, all-pervading and eternal. Samkhya believes in the creation of the universe as a result of the union between Prakriti and Purusha.

PRAKRITI

Prakriti comprises of three Gunas: Satva, Rajas and Tamas. It is the material cause of the universe. Therefore, all objects in the universe, living and non-living, physical and mental, are made of Prakriti: The Gunas are attributes or qualities.

GUNAS EXPLAINED

Satva symbolises the cosmic intellect and stability. Its qualities are balanced. It stands for purity, holiness or empathy. Rajasic qualities are irregular and in movement. It symbioses activation, activity, motion and drive. All emotions, like pride or a confused mind-state, are rajasic.

The characteristic of Tamas is no movement and inertia. The concept of Triguna has been utilised to explain the concept of personality and the development of consciousness. Knowledge (Jnana) of the distinction between Prakriti and Purusha is at the heart of Samkhya. It is a practise of acquiring the knowledge by discerning the difference between the manifest, the unmanifest and the seer of the manifest and unmanifest forms of Prakriti.

This knowledge, however, is no more intellectual or in other ways material, but is an intuitive, meditative knowlege, cultivated through deep practise. Duality exists in Dhahran and Dhyana (Eight-limps) when there is an object to mediate on and a person who meditates and the process of meditation. Real knowledge we get by meditation on only one meditative object. The next step is that the `image´ of this object goes, so that we gain, thirdly, a thoughtless state. This is called Samyama.

The goal of human life in Samkhya philosophy is the liberation from the cycle of life and death by reaching Moksha – the total freedom of all suffering. Suffering, or physical and mental pain, called Dukham is a life-drive cause through Dukham we are looking for happiness. Samkhya grounds its teaching on suffering. And only with the right knowledge we can distinguish our real self from our unreal self (Prakriti).

Therefore, Samkhya follows Jnana Yoga. Samkhya philosophy and Yoga philosophy are linked. Samkhya philosophy is considered as the theoretical Yoga and Yoga philosophy as the practical Samkhya. 

Yoga Philosophy

Yoga Darshana is based on Maharashi Patanjali who wrote the Yoga Sutras which are considered as the basic text of Yoga. In those Sutras the eight-limbs path or “Ashtanga Yoga” has been described. The practical aspects of Yoga play a more important part than does its intellectual content, which is largely based on the philosophy of Samkhya, with the exception that Yoga assumes the existence of God. Therefore, Yoga is a dualistic philosophy as well, since the seeker finds spiritual release by reuniting with the higher self through ending the separation.

It is a process of dephenomenalizing the self unit it reenter its original state of consciousness (reuniting). The concept of Prakriti and Purusha has been adopted too. Ignorance is the cause of suffering and only the removal of ignorance (to reach Samadhi by concentration) is the goal of Ashtanga Yoga. Patanjalis Yoga mainly deals with mind management to achieve concentration. Ashtanga means literally “eight limbs”.