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Samkhya thoughts in the Mahabharata

by Shini M.V. | 2017 | 51,373 words

This page relates ‘Resume� of the study of Samkhya thought and philosophy as reflected in the Shanti-Parva of the Mahabharata. Samkhya represents one of the six orthodox schools of Indian Philosophy and primarily deals with metaphysical knowledge and explains the Universe without the need to introduce God. The Mahabharata is an ancient Sanskrit epic which includes many Sankhya theories while expounding twenty-five principles.

The philosophical systems, the ʲ峾ܰṇa and Bha.P., all consider that Kapila is the incarnation of վṣṇ. Kapila, is lauded and exalted in ī. The word �ṃkⲹ� is elaborated to count.

It is dualistic realism because it advocates two ultimate realities ʰṛt and ʳܰṣa. These realities were the knowing subject and the known object. This ṃkⲹ doctrine is very relevant in 貹Ծṣa, Ѳٲ, ī, Smṛtīs and ʳܰṇa. It also includes of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.

ṃkⲹkārikā of Iśvarakṛṣṇa is the most celebrated text of ṃkⲹ. It has seventy two verses. This text names ṃkⲹ as secret. Also it presents interesting information about the origin and formulation of ṃkⲹ principles.

The relevance of ṃkⲹ Philosophy is the uprooting three fold miseries. The three miseries are Āٳ첹, Ādhibaudika and Ā󾱻岹첹. The three ṇa are the elements of ʰṛt. They are connected like threads to make up the rope of ʰṛt. Three ṇa are Sattvaguṇa, Rajoguṇa, and Tamoguṇa. Sattva is connected with happiness that means real and produces pleasure. Rajas is concerned with the actions of the objects. It is connected with activity and motion. Tamas is essentially concerned with inertia and inaction. ʰṇa are in three ʰٲⲹṣa -direct sense perception, ԳܳԲ -logical inference and Ś岹 or Āptavacana -verbal testimony. Perception is definite sense organ. The term perception means what is defined. The remainder of the sentence is the definition by which word meant is the differentiation from the things of the same classes. Inference has been proclaimed to be of three kinds and it is based upon the intuition of the middle term and then major term and valid assertion is right revelation. The ṃkⲹ Philosophy recognizes the validity of Śܳپ though with reservation and there by gives validity to ś岹 as one of the means of knowledge. Causation means the appearance or manifestation of a quality due to certain changes of collocations in the causes which were already held in them in a potential form. ٰⲹ岹 maintains that is sat or real. It is present in the ṇa in the potential form, even before its manifestation. Production of effect only means an internal change of the arrangements of form. The manifestation of the phenomenal world is only an evolution of the cosmic substance i.e. nothing new is created. ʰṛt is the ūṛt, because it is the cause of the whole universe. It is non-evolutes because, it being infinite, comes from nothing else. The seven ʰṛt ṛt’s are Mahat, ṃk and the five ٲԳٰ. Each is the evolutes of the former and the evolving of the latter. They are both causes and effects. The fiveٲԳٰ are the evolvents of the sixteen principles Manas, the five sense organs, the five organs of action and the five ṇa that are mere evolutes. These sixteen principles are only effects. ʳܰṣa being an eternal entity is neither an evolutes nor can evolve because it is not born out of anything else and it does not produce anything else.

The branches of ṃkⲹ designed as Ahorātraś, ś, Atriś and the Pradhānastambha, and its sub branches are also detailed. ṃkⲹ Philosophers and along with this the works on ṃkⲹ are also mentioned.

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