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M. Hiriyanna
ಎಂ. ಹಿರಿಯಣ್ಣ
The sage of Indian aesthetics — the philosopher of Mysore
Years
1871 – 1950
Known as
Mysore Hiriyanna — the philosopher of Indian aesthetics
Birthplace
Mysore, Karnataka
Field
Scientists & Thinkers
“The aim of philosophy is not escape from the world, but the illumination of life itself.”
— M. Hiriyanna
The Story
Born in 1871, Hiriyanna studied Sanskrit and philosophy at Mysore and became a professor at the University of Mysore, where he taught for more than three decades. His scholarship ranged over the entire field of Indian philosophy — from the Vedic age to the systems of the classical period — and his lectures were famed for their clarity and depth.
His major works — Outlines of Indian Philosophy, The Essentials of Indian Philosophy, and his studies of Indian aesthetics — became standard texts, admired in Bhārat and abroad for their precision and insight. He was one of the first scholars to present the aesthetic theory of Bhārat — the theory of rasa — to the modern world in a systematic form.
He died in 1950, honoured as one of the most distinguished philosophers the land has produced. His students remembered him as the ideal guru — a scholar whose learning was matched by his humility, and whose teaching was itself a work of art.
Core Ideas
Outlines of Indian Philosophy
His classic survey, still a standard text.
The Aesthetics
He presented the theory of rasa to the modern world.
The Teacher
Famed for the clarity and depth of his lectures.
The Scholar
Mastery of the whole field of Indian thought.
The Humble Sage
Learning matched by humility.
Why it matters today
M. Hiriyanna is honoured as one of the greatest philosophers of modern Bhārat — the scholar whose works on Indian philosophy and aesthetics are admired across the world. His books still teach, and his name stands among the finest minds the University of Mysore has produced.