Background
Model based reasoning is the hallmark of all sciences. A model is a compact representation of a real-world system that makes it amenable to explain, predict and control the system. A model consists of concepts and their relationships. Abstraction and classification are the techniques used to extract concepts from the system.
However, deriving the concepts is non-trivial. A system can be viewed in multiple ways resulting in a variety of models. To arrive at a sound model which represents the system accurately, we need a methodology that views the system.
Shaastras provide such models of real-world phenomena, but the concepts they embed are derived using standard perspectives common across all shaastras. These perspectives are provided by Vedic darshanas. Understanding the darshanas enables one to understand the abstractions of shaastric models accurately. We call these perspectives as thought-models. There are 4 thought models Nyaaya/Vaiseshika, Sankhya/Yoga, Vyaakarana, and Mimaansa.
Proposal
Our ultimate aim is to transform shaastras into deployable models which can in turn be used to develop real-world applications such as : wellness, jurisprudence, state craft, construction, psychology, jyotisha. To develop such models one needs to understand the fundamental thought models of Vedic knowledge.
This project extracts the thought models from 4 main darshanas separating their thought perspective from content.
These thought models can then be taught via courses at high-school, under-graduate and graduate levels. To groom the next generation of shaastra experts who can recontextualize bhaaratiya vignaan and make it deployable.
