Sthitaprajna as an Ideal within Indian Knowledge Systems
By Dr. Ashwini Mokashi
Lecturer of Hindi and Tutor of Marathi at Oxford University,
Fellow of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS), Oxford, UK.
Introduction
This paper serves three-fold purposes. One, it introduces my research on the ideal wise person ‘Sapiens and Sthitaprajna’ (2019) as a foundational reference. The research/book is about the comparative study of the ideal wise person of Stoic Philosophy and that of the Bhagavad-Gita.
Two, the paper will establish a connection between ancient wisdom and its modern application to solve some real-world problems such as mental health issues and discuss how ancient philosophy can show us ways for growth and development of human mind as well as accomplishing health and well-being through philosophical counseling. The paper discusses a case study of how these principles can help a person gain mental clarity and recover from confusion to gain mental clarity, by referring to the principles of Indian heritage, offering cultural and philosophical insights.
Third, the paper displays the connection of the concept of “Sthitaprajna,” with IKS ideals of self-realization and liberation (moksha). Practices such as yoga and meditation, central to IKS, serve as transformative tools for achieving mental stability and wisdom. IKS also provides a comprehensive framework for personal and societal development, emphasizing education, ethical conduct, the principle of duty (dharma), and liberation, which are central to the philosophy of Sthitaprajna.
This talk was presented at the JNU/ICSSR conference online in January 2025. My talk starts at 2.08 hour in the following video.
The research paper will be published soon as a part of the conference proceedings.
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