Remodelling Indian Thoughts: Homage to Bimal Krishna Matilal

This anthology is actually a product of an International Conference organized to commemorate the 25th death anniversary of Professor Bimal Krishna Matilal, Spalding Professor of Oxford University. In line with the thoughts of their respected teacher, students of Professor Matilal, the contributors of this anthology have focused to show that the theories proposed by traditional Indian scholars from either the orthodox tradition or from the heterodox tradition can be found to deal with questions discussed by modern Western scholars. The papers of Shoryu Katsura, Arindam Chakraborty, Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty, Mainak Pal, O’Brien, and others exhibit evidence in this regard. Not only logic or epistemology, but also ethics and aesthetics had attracted Professor Matilal to such an extent that he provided a new analysis of dharma on the basis of the two great epics Rāmāyana and Mahābhārata along with the views of contemporary Indian intellectual thinkers like Bankimchandra and Radhakrishnan to show how in Indian tradition, even in contemporary writings, philosophical theory and practical life go hand in hand. In accordance with this ideal, contributors like Robert P. Goldman, Indrani Sanyal, Aparajita Mukhopadhyay and others have referred to the different instances of moral dilemma, disputes and conflicts as found in epics to delineate the discourse of Dharma-ethics. When philosophy is viewed through the lens of the debate between a śāstra and its prayoga or application, the Śilpaśāstras or art treatises are best seen as a cross between an art manual meant for practice and a text that maintains quality control. Thus this book is a must-read text for anyone who wants to know the relevance of Indian philosophy in the solution of modern philosophical issues generally believed to belong to the Western philosophy.