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CHAPTER VIII
THE CONSTRUCTIN AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COSMOS
As the Samkhyas and the Vedantists classify in different
ways the twenty-five elements described above in the form
of a tree, it is necessary to give here some explanation about
this classification. According to the Samkhyas, these
twenty-five elements fall into the four divisions of (i)
fundamental prakrti, (ii) prakrti-vikrti, (iii) vikrti and
{iv) neither prakrti nor vikrti. (1) As Prakrti is not created
from anything else, it is called fundamental prakrti (Matter).
(2) When you leave this fundamental Matter and come to the
second stage, you come to the element Mahan. As Mahan
springs from Prakrti, it is said to be a vikrti or an evolute
of fundamental Matter; and as later on, Individuation comes
out of the Mahan element, this Mahan is the prakrti or root
of Individuation. In this way this Mahan (Reason) becomes
tike prakrti or root of Individuation on the one hand, and the
vikrti. (evolute) of the fundamental Prakrti (Matter) on the
other hand. Therefore, Samkhya philosophers have classified
it under the heading of ' prakrti-vikrti ' ; and in the same way
Individuation ( ahamkara ), and the five Tanmatras are also
classified under the heading of ' prakrti-vikrti '. That element
which, being itself horn out of some other element, i. e., being
a vikrti, is at the same time the parent ( prakrti ) of the
subsequent element is called a ' prakrti-vikrti '. Mahat (Reason)
Individuation, and the five Tanmatras, in all seven, are of this
kind. (3) But the five organs of Perception, the five organs
of Action, the Mind, and the five Gross primordial elements,
which are in all sixteen, give birth to no further elements.
On the other hand, they themselves are born out of some
element or other. Therefore, these sixteen elements are not
called 'prakrti-vikrti', but are called 'vikrti' (evolutes).
(4) The Spirit (Purusa) is neither prakrti nor vikrti; it is an
independent and apathetic observer. This classification has
been made by Isvarakrsna, who has explained it as follows :-
mulaprakrtir avikrtih mahadadyah prakrtivikrtayah sapta I
sodasakastu vikaro na prakrtir na viktrtih purusah II
that is: "The fundamental Prakrti is ' a-vikrli ', that is, it is
the vikara ( evolute ) of no other substance ; Mahat and the
others, in all seven — Mahat, Ahamkara and tbe five Tanmatras
are prakrti-vikrti and the eleven organs, including the Mind,
and the five gross primordial elements, making in all sixteen,
are called merely vikrti or vikara ( evolutes ). The Purusa
(Spirit) is neither a prakrti nor a vikrti" [1]. And these
twenty-five elements are again classified into the three classes
of Imperceptible, Perceptible and Jna. Out of these, funda-
mental Matter is imperceptible, the twenty-three elements,
which have sprung from Matter are perceptible, and the Spirit
is'Jna'. Such is the classification according to Samkhya
philosophy, In the Puranas, the Smrtis, the Mahabharata
and other treatises relating to Vedic philosophy, these same
twenty-five elements are generally mentioned [2]. But in the Upanisads, it is stated that
all these are created out of the Parabrahman, and there is no
further discussion or classification.
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