[Footnote 1: May the noble-minded scholars instead of cherishing ill feeling kindly correct whatever errors have been here committed through the dullness of my intellect in the way of wrong interpretations and misstatements.] CONTENTS CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY.....................................................1 CHAPTER II THE VEDAS, BRÂHMA@NAS AND THEIR PHILOSOPHY 1 The Vedas and their antiquity.................................10 2 The place of the Vedas in the Hindu mind......................10 3 Classification of the Vedic literature........................11 4 The Sa@mhitâs.................................................12 5 The Brâhma@nas................................................13 6 The Âra@nyakas................................................14 7 The @Rg-Veda, its civilization................................14 8 The Vedic gods................................................16 9 Polytheism, Henotheism, and Monotheism........................17 10 Growth of a Monotheistic tendency; Prajâpati, Vis'vakarma.....19 11 Brahma........................................................20 12 Sacrifice; the First Rudiments of the Law of Karma............21 13 Cosmogony--Mythological and Philosophical.....................23 14 Eschatology; the Doctrine of Âtman............................25 15 Conclusion....................................................26 CHAPTER III THE EARLIER UPANI@SADS (700 B.C.-600 B.C.) 1 The place of the Upani@sads in Vedic literature...............28 2 The names of the Upani@sads; Non-Brahmanic influence..........30 3 Brâhma@nas and the Early Upani@sads...........................31 4 The meaning of the word Upani@sad.............................38 5 The composition and growth of diverse Upani@sads..............38 6 Revival of Upani@sad studies in modern times..................39 7 The Upani@sads and their interpretations......................41 8 The quest after Brahman: the struggle and the failures........42 9 Unknowability of Brahman and the Negative Method..............44 10 The Âtman doctrine............................................45 11 Place of Brahman in the Upani@sads............................48 12 The World.....................................................51 13 The World-Soul................................................52 14 The Theory of Causation.......................................52 15 Doctrine of Transmigration....................................53 16 Emancipation..................................................58 CHAPTER IV GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE SYSTEMS OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHY