Skanda Purāṇa—one of the eighteen Purāṇas, or Vedic historical scriptures. It extensively describes Kali-yuga.Prabhupada ›Glossary›-S-›Skanda Purana-one of the Skanda Purana-one of the eighteen Puranas, or Vedic historical scriptures. It extensively describes Kali-yuga. Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/glossary/s/skanda-purana-one-of-the-eighteen-puranas-or-vedic-historica Previous: Six systems-There are six systems of philosophy associated with the Vedic scriptures. These together are known as the sad-darsana. The sad-darsana (six views) are: 1) Nyaya (logic), 2) Vaisesika (atomic theory), 3) Saṅkhya (analysis of matter and spirit), 4) Yoga (the discipline of self-realization), 5) Karma-mimamsa (the science of fruitive work) and 6) Vedanta (the science of God realization). The sad-darsana are termed astika philosophies (from asti, or it is so), because they all acknowledge the Veda as authoritative, as opposed to the nastika philosophies of the Carvakas, Buddhists and Jains (nasti, it is not so), who reject the Vedas. Beginning with Nyaya, each of the sad-darsana in their turn presents a more developed and comprehensive explanation of the aspects of Vedic knowledge. Nyaya sets up the rules of philosophical debate and identifies the basic subjects under discussion: the physical world, the soul, God and liberation. Vaisesika engages the method of Nyaya or logic in a deeper analysis of the predicament of material existence by showing that the visible material forms to which we are all so attached ultimately break down into invisible atoms. Saṅkhya develops this analytical process further to help the soul become aloof to matter. Through Yoga, the soul awakens its innate spiritual vision to see itself beyond the body. Karma-mimamsa directs the soul to the goals of Vedic ritualism. Vedanta ultimately focuses on the supreme spiritual goal taught in the Upanisads. As can be seen in Srimad-Bhagavatam, the basis of these darsanas was an original, unified spiritual science (bhagavad-tattva-vijnana) taught in very olden times by the twelve Mahajanas: Brahma, Narada, Siva, Kumaras, Kapila, Manu, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhisma, Bali, Sukadeva and Yamaraja. But due to the influence of maya, scholars who followed the teachings of later sages like Gautama, Kanada, Nirisvara Kapila, Patanjali and Jaimini, became divided and contentious. The Vedic philosophy was misunderstood, and opposing schools came into being to serve sectarian ends. For instance, Karma-mimamsa (which by 500 BC had become the foremost philosophy of the brahmana class) was misused by bloodthirsty priests to justify their mass slaughter of animals in Vedic sacrifices. But the unexpected rise of a novel non-Vedic religion challenged the power of Karma-mimamsa. This new religion was Buddhism. By 250 BC, the influence of Karma-mimamsa and other darsanas had weakened considerably. When King Asoka instituted the Buddha's doctrine as the state philosophy of his empire, many brahmanas abandoned Vedic scholarship to learn and teach nastika concepts of ahimsa (nonviolence) and sunyata (voidism). Buddhism in its turn was eclipsed by the teachings of the Vedantist Saṅkaracarya, who revived the Vedic culture all over India in the seventh century after Christ. But Saṅkaracarya's special formulation of Vedanta was itself influenced by Buddhism and is not truly representative of the original Vedanta-darsana. After Saṅkaracarya, Vedanta was refined by the schools of great teachers (acaryas) like Ramanuja and Madhva. Having shed the baggage of Saṅkaracarya's crypto-Buddhism, Vedanta philosophers brought Vedic studies back to their original form as seen in Srimad-Bhagavatam. See Advaita, Analysis, Dvaita, Four Vaisnava Sampradayas and Siddhantas, Mayavada philosophy, Veda, Vedanta. Next: Slesokti-a statement having two meanings.