At the fundamental level, it is the Vision of Reality (Drști) that guides the Generation of True Knowledge (Prama). The visions of reality, in turn, are shaped by the culture we live in. Culture comprises the thoughts, perceptions, and values that we imbibe, uphold, and cherish concerning both the physical and the metaphysical worlds.
As are the visions of reality, so are their corresponding epistemologies. This book closely examines and compares the Western and Bharatiya traditions of knowledge generation in terms of their ontological and epistemological positions upheld by their respective schools of thought, the domains of knowledge they explore, the frameworks they have developed, the nature of enquiry they undertake, and the processes of knowledge they practice.
NARAYAN PRASAD is a Professor of Economics in the School of Social Sciences at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). In addition to his academic position, he has served as Director, Research Unit, Director, Academic Coordination Division, and Member Secretary of the Research Council.
He has contributed over 30 research papers to reputed national and international journals and authored seven books. He has also designed and developed an innovative course on Research Methods in Economics for the M.A.. Economics program and teaches research methodology to Ph.D. scholars. Under his supervision, twenty-two students have been awarded doctoral degrees.
His areas of interest include Human Well-being, Human Development, and Research Methodology. Prof. Prasad was awarded a UGC Fellowship to visit France for research and has been invited to deliver lectures on Vedänta at various venues, including New York, Washington, and Los Angeles in the USA.
SANT KUMAR, an alumnus of IGNOU, is a Senior Assistant Professor at the Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies (VIPS), Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics, M.Phil, M.A. (Economics), PGDAST, M.Com, B.Com (Hons), and CA (Inter) qualifications.
His research and teaching interests span Economics, Econometrics, Finance, Mathematics, Statistics, and the Philosophy of Science. His research papers have been published in several reputed journals indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and ABDC.
His contributions have earned him numerous awards and honors, including recognition from the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He is also a recipient of the G.C. Lagan Samman and Rajya Puruskar. Additionally, he has appeared as a panelist on the Gyan Darshan Channel (IGNOU) and TV 100.