Before the beginning of the Christian era, six philosophical systems, or darshanas, had taken shape in India. Darshan is from the Sanskrit root drish, meaning “to see,” referring to the most important element of Hinduism — the eye-to-eye contact between an iconic divinity (the image of the divinity) and the devotee or worshipper. Each one of the six represents a different, independent approach, a separate philosophical argument, and each is part of a larger plan. The six systems are Nyaya, or analysis; Vaishesika, or personal characteristics; Sankhya, or the count; Yoga; Mimamsa, or enquiry; and Vedanta, or the end of the Vedas.