Gita Rahasya -Tilak
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CHAPTER VII
THE KAPILA SAMKHYA PHILOSOPHY OR THE CONSIDERATION OF THE MUTABLE AND THE IMMUTABLE
(KAPILA SAMKHYA-SASTRA OR KSARAKSARA-VICARA) According to Sarhkhya philosophy, all the objects in the world are divided into three classes :-the amjalda (the fundamental Matter or nature), the vyakta (the forms taken by it), and the purusa (j'Jia), the Spirit or the Knower. But in as much as the form of perceptible objects out of these is destroyed at the time of pralaya ( total destruction ), imperceptible Matter (prakrti) and Spirit (purusa) are the only two elements which remain in the end ; and in as much as it is a proposition of the Sarhkhya philosophers, that these two fundamental principles are eternal and self-created, ,they are called ' dvaiti ' (those who accept TWO principles). They do not accept any other fundamental principle besides Matter and Spirit, such as Isvara, Time, inherent Nature or anything else. * Because, in as much as [1] [2] according to that philosophy the qualified Isvara, Time, or inherent Nature are all perceptible, they are included in the perceptible objects which arise out of imperceptible Matter; and if you look upon the Isvara as qualitylass, then having, legard to the law of satktiri/ai'arlri, Matter with its three consti- tuents cannot spring out of a qualitylass fundamental element. Therefore, they have definitely laid down that there is no third fundamental element in addition to prakrti and purmxt as a cause of the universe; and having in this way defined only two fundamental elements, they have according to their own opinion worked out how the entire universe was created out [3] [4] of these two fundamental elements. They say that though the qualityless purusa (Spirit) is unable to do anything itself, yet,, in the same way as the cow gives milk for its calf, or iron acquires the quality of attraction by the proximity of a magnet, so also immediately on the purusa coming into union with prakrti, prakrti which was originally imperceptible "begins to place before the purusa the subtle, and the gross perceptible diffusion of its own constituents [5] Although the purusa may be sacetana (vitalised) and a jnata (knower), yet, in as much as it is kevala (isolated), that is qualityless it has not got the necessary perquisites for peforming actions itself'; and although prakrti can perform actions, yet, in as much as it is gross and acetana (lifeless), it cannot understand what to do and what not to do. |
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References And Context
- ↑ Isvarkrsoa w»a a total atheist (niiiharavadi). tlu has stated in the last three summarising arya couplets of his Samkhya-KariB, that tlere were 70 aryas (conpkts) in the Samkhya-Brika on the principal Bubject-matter. Bat in the hdition which has beeu printed in Bombay by Tukaram Tatya, which contains the translations of Colebrooke and Wilson, there are only 69arySsoa the principal
- ↑ SAMKHYA SYSTEM & KSARAKSARA-VIOARA 321
- ↑ subject. Therefore, Mr. Wilson was necessarily faced with the question which this ' <Kh unuplet was; but that couplet not having been available to him, bis difficulty has remained unsolved. In my opiniou, tilid couplet must bii after the present 6[st couplet. Because,. the commentary uf Gaudapada on the 61st couplet is not on one couplet, but on two couplets. And if the symbolical phrasts ill this commentary are taken and a verse is written, it will run as- follows : karanam ismram eke Iruvate kalam pure swibhamia va i pryal} kathatii niryunato vyakt<ih Lal,h svabhtivub ca || And this verse fits in with the anterior and posterior context. I thisk that some one ba9 subsequently omitted fcr.is arya t as it supports atueisn. But as this ultra-critical man who has omitted the original couplet, forgot to delote tbe commentary on the verse which was omitted, we can now reconstruct that verse. For this, we must be grateful to this officious man. It would appear from the first hymn of tho sixth chapter of the Svetasvataropanisad, that in ancient times, people used to look upon Inherent Nature and Time as the fundamental causes of the world and the Vedantists used to go further and to look upon the 'Isvara' as such cause. That hymn is as follows : — svabliatam eh kavnyo vadanti kalam tnthanye parimuhyamanah [ devasyai^a mahimti tut hke yenedalii bhramyate brahmacakram || And in order to Bhow that not even one of these three were accepted by the Samkhya philosophers as a fundamental Oause,- IsvarakrsBa put tbe couplet mentioned above after the 61st. couplet.
- ↑ GITA-RAHASYA OR KARMA-YOGA
- ↑ ( Sam. Ea. 57 ).