Most of what we write draws on one philosophy. We would rather say so clearly than let it look like our own.
Where our ideas
come from
Madhyasth Darshan
Madhyasth Darshan, also called Sah-astitvavad, the philosophy of coexistence, was given by Shri A. Nagraj. It sets out to describe existence as it is: the self, the body, relationships, society and nature, and how a human being can live in harmony with all of them.
Its central idea is that existence is coexistence. Everything exists in relationship, and each part, understood properly, completes the others. The human goal it names is the four things this site is organised around: समाधान (clarity), समृद्धि (enough), अभय (trust) and सहअस्तित्व (harmony).
How we use it
- Our definitions in What our words mean are drawn from its Paribhasha Sanhita, the book of definitions. Each one names the Hindi term and the page.
- Our essays credit it by name wherever an idea comes from it, and list the references under “Sources”.
- The English wording is ours. Translating carefully is hard, and where our words fall short, the original is the authority, not us.
- Our own lines, the short sentences that open many essays, are our attempts to say these ideas in everyday language. They are not quotations from the source.
Books we draw on
All by Shri A. Nagraj, in Hindi:
- मानव व्यवहार दर्शन (Manav Vyavahar Darshan)
- मानव कर्म दर्शन (Manav Karm Darshan)
- मानव अभ्यास दर्शन (Manav Abhyas Darshan)
- मानव अनुभव दर्शन (Manav Anubhav Darshan)
- समाधानात्मक भौतिकवाद (Samadhanatmak Bhautikvad)
- व्यवहारात्मक जनवाद (Vyavaharatmak Janvad)
- अनुभवात्मक अध्यात्मवाद (Anubhavatmak Adhyatmavad)
- व्यवहारवादी समाजशास्त्र (Vyavaharvadi Samajshastra)
- आवर्तनशील अर्थशास्त्र (Avartanshil Arthashastra)
- मानव संचेतनावादी मनोविज्ञान (Manav Sanchetanavadi Manovigyan)
- मानवीय संविधान सूत्र व्याख्या (Manaviya Samvidhan Sutra Vyakhya)
- जीवन विद्या एक परिचय (Jeevan Vidya: Ek Parichay)
Where we might be wrong
- We are students of this philosophy, not authorities on it. Our readings may be incomplete or mistaken.
- Putting Hindi concepts into English always loses something. Some of our words may carry meanings the original doesn’t.