Indian Knowledge System (IKS): A Blueprint of the Purushartha Scheme for Human Flourishing

Abstract

Indian Knowledge System (IKS) embodies a vast civilizational wisdom collected from texts, discourses, and experiential wisdom, and transferred through guru-shishya parampara (the teacher-disciple mentorship model). Much more than ritual or religious training, IKS provides a multi-dimensional framework of human development that includes social, cultural, ethical, spiritual, economic and intellectual dimensions. At the core of the system is the purushartha scheme, which includes artha, kama, dharma and moksa, a holistic plan for a well-rounded and fulfilling life. This worldview encourages responsibility and valu-based behavior in daily life. Contemporary Indian philosophers have reinterpreted and restated these foundational concepts, applying them to today’s global issues— varied as they are from ecological emergencies and morality degeneration to disorientation and identity crisis. Hence, the present study explores how IKS could guide current practices in the everyday life through a blueprint of the purushartha scheme, providing a universal and time-transcending approach to human flourishing in the 21st century.
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MLA Citation: Chauhan, Abnish Singh. “Indian Knowledge System (IKS): A Blueprint of the Purushartha Scheme for Human Flourishing.” Naagfani, vol. 13, no. 44, Jan-March 2023, pp. 121-126 (IF=1.3. UGC Care-Listed Journal)

Keywords: Indian Knowledge System (IKS) embodies a vast civilizational wisdom collected from texts, Purushartha Scheme, Human Flourishing, Framework of Knowledge, Wisdom, Values-based Living, Everyday Life