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| # योगः Yoga (Maharishi Patanjali) | | # योगः Yoga (Maharishi Patanjali) |
| # पूर्वमीमांसा Poorva Mimamsa (Jaimini) | | # पूर्वमीमांसा Poorva Mimamsa (Jaimini) |
− | # उत्तरमीमांसा Uttara Mimamsa or वेदान्त Vedanta (Badrayana or Vyasa) | + | # उत्तरमीमांसा Uttara Mimamsa or वेदान्त Vedanta (Badarayana or Vyasa) |
− | Samkhya sashtra or Sankhya (Sanskrit: साङ्ख्य शास्त्रम्) is one of the '''Shad Darshanas.''' Kapila Muni is the founder of Samkhya Darsana. The word Sankhya means number. The Samkhya system gives an enumeration of the twenty five principles of universe<ref name=":0">Swami Sivananda, All About Hinduism, Page 202-216 </ref>. | + | Samkhya sashtra or Sankhya (Samskrit: साङ्ख्य शास्त्रम्) is one of the '''Shad Darshanas.''' Kapila Muni is the founder of Samkhya Darsana. The word Samkhya means number. The Samkhya system gives an enumeration of the twenty five principles of universe<ref name=":0">Swami Sivananda, All About Hinduism, Page 202-216 </ref>. |
| + | |
| + | == परिचय || Introduction == |
| + | In the context of ancient Indian philosophies, Samkhya philosophy is based on systematic enumeration and rational examination. Samkhya || साङ्ख्य means "number". The school specifies the number and nature of the ultimate constituents of the Universe and thereby imparts knowledge of reality. The term also means "perfect knowledge. Hence it is a system of perfect knowledge.<ref>Umapati Nath's paper Samkhya published in Academia</ref> |
| + | * Samkhya is strongly dualist accepting the roles of प्रकृति || Prakriti and पुरुष || Purusha in the Creation of this Universe. |
| + | * Samkhya siddhanta accepts that enumeration of truth can be done by using three of six accepted प्रमाणाः || pramanas (proofs). |
| + | * The Trigunas exist in all life forms in different proportions. |
| + | * It 'enumerates' twenty five Tattvas or true principles; and its chief object is to effect the final emancipation of the twenty-fifth Tattva, i.e. the purusha or soul. The evolutionary process involves Pradhana (Prakruti), Purusha, Mahat (Buddhi), Ahankaraara, Pancha Jnanendriyas, Pancha Karmendriyas, Panchatanmatras, Panchabhutas and Manas |
| + | * Samkhya denies that reaching God is the goal of life. |
| + | * While the Samkhya school considers the Vedas as a reliable source of knowledge, a key difference between Samkhya and Yoga schools, state scholars, is that Yoga school accepts a "personal, yet essentially inactive, deity" or "personal god". |
| + | * The existence of God or supreme being is not directly asserted, nor considered very relevant by the Samkhya philosophers. |
| + | * Samkhya school considers मोक्ष || moksha as a natural quest of every soul. |
| + | |
| + | == Founder - Kapila Maharshi == |
| + | Maharshi Kapila is traditionally credited as a founder of the Samkhya school. |
| + | |
| + | Kapila appears in ऋग्वेद || Rigveda, but context suggests that the word means "reddish brown color". Both Kapila as a "seer" and the term Samkhya appear in hymns of section 5.2 in Shvetashvatara Upanishad (~300 BCE), suggesting Kapila's and Samkhya philosophy's origins may predate it. |
| + | |
| + | Numerous other ancient Indian texts mention Kapila, |
| + | * Baudhayana Grhyasutra in chapter IV.16.1 describes a system of rules for ascetic life credited to Kapila, called Kapila Sannyasa Vidha. |
| + | * A 6th century CE Chinese translation and other texts consistently state Kapila as an ascetic and the founder of the school, mention Asuri as the inheritor of the teaching, and a much later scholar named Pancasikha as the scholar who systematized it and then helped widely disseminate its ideas. Isvarakrsna is identified in these texts as the one who summarized and simplified Samkhya theories of Pancasikha, many centuries later (roughly 4th or 5th century CE), in the form that was then translated into Chinese by Paramartha in the 6th century CE. |
| + | * Bhagavadgeeta discusses the Samkhya yoga. |
| | | |
| == Detailed Discussion == | | == Detailed Discussion == |
| The Samkhya system discusses an original primordial Tattva or principle called Prakriti, that which evolves or produces or brings forth (Prakaroti) everything else. | | The Samkhya system discusses an original primordial Tattva or principle called Prakriti, that which evolves or produces or brings forth (Prakaroti) everything else. |
| | | |
− | === Core Concepts<ref name=":0" /> === | + | === Core Concepts === |
− | प्रत्यक्ष (Pratyaksha, Perception), अनुमान (Anumana, inference) and आप्त वाक्य (Apta Vakya, right affirmation or trustworthy testimony) are the three Pramanas or proofs in Samkhya system. The Word Apta means fit or right. It is applied to the Vedas or inspired teachers. [[Nyaya Darsana]] has four kinds of proofs: प्रत्यक्ष, अनुमान , उपमान, शब्द. The Mimamsakas recognise six kinds of proofs.
| + | |
| + | === प्रमाणाः || Pramanas === |
| + | Samkhya philosophy is based on systematic enumeration and using the three of six pramanas (प्रमाणाः || pramanas or proofs) as the only reliable means of gaining knowledge.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Dasgupta, Surendranath (2012 7th Reprint) ''A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1.'' Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.</ref> These include |
| + | * प्रत्यक्षप्रमाणाः || pratyaksha-pramana (perception) |
| + | * अनुमानप्रमाणाः || anumana-pramana (inference) |
| + | * शब्दप्रमाणाः || sabda-pramana (आप्तवचनम् aptavacana, word/testimony of reliable sources). |
| + | The Word Apta means fit or right. It is applied to the Vedas or inspired teachers. [[Nyaya Darsana]] accepts four kinds of proofs: प्रत्यक्ष, अनुमान , उपमान, शब्द. The Mimamsakas recognise six kinds of proofs.<ref name=":0" /> |
| | | |
| ==== Dual Concept of Purusha and Prakriti<ref name=":0" /> ==== | | ==== Dual Concept of Purusha and Prakriti<ref name=":0" /> ==== |
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| The impressions of actions done in various births are embedded in the subtle body. The conjunction of the Linga-Deha with the gross physical body Constitutes birth and separation of the Linga-Deha from the gross physical body is death. This Linga-Deha is destroyed by the knowledge of the Purusha. | | The impressions of actions done in various births are embedded in the subtle body. The conjunction of the Linga-Deha with the gross physical body Constitutes birth and separation of the Linga-Deha from the gross physical body is death. This Linga-Deha is destroyed by the knowledge of the Purusha. |
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− | == परिचय || Introduction ==
| |
− | In the context of ancient Indian philosophies, Samkhya philosophy is based on systematic enumeration and rational examination. It's philosophical treatises also influenced the development of various theories of Hindu ethics. Samkhya || साङ्ख्य is, thus, depending on the context, means "to reckon, count, enumerate, calculate, deliberate, reason, reasoning by numeric enumeration, relating to number, rational".
| |
− | * Samkhya is strongly dualist accepting the roles of प्रकृति || Prakriti and पुरुष || Purusha in the Creation of this Universe.
| |
− | * Samkhya siddhanta accepts that enumeration of truth can be done by using three of six accepted प्रमाणाः || pramanas (proofs).
| |
− | * The Trigunas exist in all life forms in different proportions.
| |
− | * It 'enumerates' twenty five Tattvas or true principles; and its chief object is to effect the final emancipation of the twenty-fifth Tattva, i.e. the purusha or soul. The evolutionary process involves Pradhana (Prakruti), Purusha, Mahat (Buddhi), Ahankaraara, Pancha Jnanendriyas, Pancha Karmendriyas, Panchatanmatras, Panchabhutas and Manas
| |
− | * Samkhya denies that reaching God is the goal of life.
| |
− | * While the Samkhya school considers the Vedas as a reliable source of knowledge, a key difference between Samkhya and Yoga schools, state scholars, is that Yoga school accepts a "personal, yet essentially inactive, deity" or "personal god".
| |
− | * The existence of God or supreme being is not directly asserted, nor considered very relevant by the Samkhya philosophers.
| |
− | * Samkhya school considers मोक्ष || moksha as a natural quest of every soul.
| |
− |
| |
− | == Founder - Kapila Maharshi ==
| |
− | Sage Kapila is traditionally credited as a founder of the Samkhya school.
| |
− |
| |
− | Kapila appears in ऋग्वेद || Rigveda, but context suggests that the word means "reddish brown color". Both Kapila as a "seer" and the term Samkhya appear in hymns of section 5.2 in Shvetashvatara Upanishad (~300 BCE), suggesting Kapila's and Samkhya philosophy's origins may predate it.
| |
− |
| |
− | Numerous other ancient Indian texts mention Kapila,
| |
− | * Baudhayana Grhyasutra in chapter IV.16.1 describes a system of rules for ascetic life credited to Kapila, called Kapila Sannyasa Vidha.
| |
− | * A 6th century CE Chinese translation and other texts consistently state Kapila as an ascetic and the founder of the school, mention Asuri as the inheritor of the teaching, and a much later scholar named Pancasikha as the scholar who systematized it and then helped widely disseminate its ideas. Isvarakrsna is identified in these texts as the one who summarized and simplified Samkhya theories of Pancasikha, many centuries later (roughly 4th or 5th century CE), in the form that was then translated into Chinese by Paramartha in the 6th century CE.
| |
− | * Bhagavadgeeta discusses the Samkhya yoga.
| |
− |
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− | == Origin of Samkhya ==
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− | '''Some 19th and 20th century scholars suggested that Samkhya may have non-Vedic origins and that the Samkhya philosophy is, in its essence, not only atheistic but also inimical to the Veda (Richard Garbe).''' While Dandekar, similarly wrote in 1968, "The origin of the Samkhya is to be traced to the pre-Vedic non-Aryan thought complex". Disagreeing with it Arthur Keith, for example in 1925, stated, "Samkhya owes its origin to the Vedic-Upanisadic-epic heritage is quite evident," and "Samkhya is most naturally derived out of the speculations in the Vedas, Brahmanas and the Upanishads". Many other scholars have discussed the probable reasons for the origin of this school of thought, though none of them can be proved or accepted as totally factual.
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− | Between 1938 and 1969, two previously unknown manuscript editions of '''Yuktidipika''' were discovered and published. युक्तिदिपिका || Yuktidipika is an ancient review and has emerged as the most important commentary on Samkhyakarika – itself an ancient key text of the Samkhya school. This discovery and recent scholarship(Paul Hacker and others) suggests Samkhya was well established and existed vedic period in ancient India. However, almost nothing is preserved about the centuries when these ancient Samkhya scholars lived.
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− |
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− | '''Larson, Bhattacharya and Potter state that the newly discovered literature hints, but does not conclusively prove, that Samkhya may be the oldest school of Indian philosophy,''' one that evolved over time and influenced major schools, as well as Buddhism and Jainism. These scholars place the earliest references to Samkhya ideas in the Vedic period literature of India (~1500 BCE to ~400 BCE).
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| == Samkhya Siddhantam == | | == Samkhya Siddhantam == |
− | '''Pramanas''' | + | '''Pramanas''' |
− | | + | * |
− | It is based on systematic enumeration and using the three of six प्रमाणाः pramanas (proofs) as the only reliable means of gaining knowledge. These include
| |
− | * प्रत्यक्षप्रमाणाः || pratyaksha-pramana (perception), | |
− | * अनुमानप्रमाणाः anumana-pramana (inference) and
| |
− | * शब्दप्रमाणाः sabda-pramana (aptavacana, word/testimony of reliable sources).
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| '''Dvaita Tatvam''' | | '''Dvaita Tatvam''' |
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| It 'enumerates' twenty five Tattvas or true principles. | | It 'enumerates' twenty five Tattvas or true principles. |
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− | [[File:Samkhya_Siddhantam.jpg|1148x1148px]] | + | [[File:Samkhya_Siddhantam.jpg|787x787px]] |
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| '''Moksha for the Purusha''' | | '''Moksha for the Purusha''' |