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Samkhya elements in the Bhagavata-purana

by Jumli Nath | 2017 | 62,959 words

This page relates ‘effects of Tamas-guna� of the English study dealing with the treatment of Samkhya elements in the Bhavata-Purana. The Puranas are a vast reservoir of Indian religious and cultural wisdom. Sankhya refers to one of the oldest and the authentic system of Indian philosophy ascribed to sage Kapila. This analytical study delves into the reflection of Samkhya philosophy within the Bhagavatapurana by researching original texts, translations, commentaries and scholarly articles.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

[Full title: The effects of ղ-ṇa as portrayed in the 岵ٲܰṇa]

When ٲDzṇa becomes predominant people become dull, suffer from grief and delusion, lose their powers of discretion and turn prone to excessive sloth, sleep and run after help from others.[1] Śridhara Śwāmi seconds this notion, commenting that when ٲDzṇa stupefies men they become tedious which ruins their rational powers, obscures one’s vision; a person suffers from grief and delusion, become harmful and constantly expects help from others.[2]

The person who cultivates this ṇa stands at the culmination point of bad habits; he fails to produce right thinking, grows dull day by day, becomes unable to focus on things and goes about groping in dark. Such a person, being the victim of tamoguna, loses his material body only to go to hell. One who is firmly attached with the household affairs is purely a person endowed with ٲDzṇa as is the person who worships God through righteous duties with an expectation to harm others.

The daily performance, occasional duties assigned to one’s position in life is ٳٱ첹, the performance of religion for the gratification of desires i.e., 峾ⲹ dharma is Ჹ첹, the performance of the duties of married life i.e. ṛhٳ dharma is also 峾첹. Thus, a man is ٳٱ첹 when he is endowed with the ٳٱ첹 attributes, he is Ჹ첹 when he is attributed with the Ჹ첹 features, he is when he gets the attributes.

When the mind resides in a state of calm and quiet, the senses become ascetic, the body free from fear and the mind from attachments, sattva is manifest; all these good qualities help to perceive the Absolute one. By imbibing the attribute of sattva, people go higher and higher and it helps to relate with the Āٳ. When the mind becomes distracted by action, desires to multiply, when the senses of action become disordered and the mind always wanders away, it signifies that rajoṇa has its hold over man. Again when the mind cannot grasp, when there is melancholy and ignorance, they all proceed from ٲDzṇa. With the sattva, the deva elements prevail, with rajoṇa the asura elements prevails and with ٲDzṇa, the ṣa element prevails.[3]

From the aforesaid discussion it is clear that when sattva prevails over the two ṇas, man acquires religiousness, wisdom and other lofty attributes. When rajoṇa prevails, it causes distraction, attachments and a sense of separateness. Man acquires fame and wealth but he turns miserable and when ٲDzṇa prevails delusion, inaction and ignorance occurs.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

ٲ ᲹᲹ� ٳٱ� tamo ḍh� ⲹ� Ჹḍa/
yujyet śokamohābhyā� nidrayā hiṃsayā�ś// 岵ٲ-ܰṇa , 11.25.15

[2]:

ḍh� vivekabhraṅśaka�. layamāvaraṇātmakam. jaḍamanudyamātmakam/ Śridhara’s commentary on Ibid

[3]:

edhmāne guṇe sattve devānā� balamedhete/
asurāṇāṃ ca rajasi tamasyauddhava rakṣāsām// 岵ٲ-ܰṇa , 11.25.19

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