Samkhya thoughts in the Mahabharata
by Shini M.V. | 2017 | 51,373 words
This page relates 鈥楾hree-fold misery (i.e., Three kinds of pain)鈥� 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.
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Three-fold misery (i.e., Three kinds of pain)
The earthly life is full of three kinds of pain. 顿耻岣丑补 鈥榯ray the triad of pain鈥� means the three kinds of pain. The three kinds of misery are 膧诲丑测腻迟尘颈办补-intra organic, 膧诲丑颈产丑补耻迟颈办补-caused by external influences and 膧诲丑颈诲补颈惫颈办补-caused by supernatural agencies.
S膩峁僰hyak膩rika says that鈥�
du岣hatray膩bhigh膩t膩jjij帽膩s膩 tadapagh膩takehetau || [1]
The 膧诲丑测腻迟尘颈办补 includes bodily disease and mental infirmity or suffering. Pain arising from particular states of the body and mind i.e. from what is considered as parts of own being is 膧诲丑测腻迟尘颈办补. The intra organic is twofold, bodily and mental. Bodily pain is caused by the disorder of trido峁, the wind (惫腻迟补), the bile (pitta) or (heat) and the phlegm (kapha). The mental misery is caused by 办腻尘补 (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (infatuation), bhaya (fear), 墨谤峁腻 (envy), 惫颈峁Ｄ乨补 (grief) and known as the perception of particular objects. All these are called 膧诲丑测腻迟尘颈办补 as they belong to internal remedies. Pain caused by other living beings e.g. snake, man etc., is 膧诲丑颈产丑补耻迟颈办补. It is caused by external influences. 膧诲丑颈产丑补耻迟颈办补 misery is caused by man, beasts, birds, reptiles and plants and inanimate things. 膧诲丑颈诲补颈惫颈办补 is caused by super natural influences. This misery is caused by the evil influences of 驰补办峁, 搁腻办峁蝉补, 痴颈苍腻测补办补 and planets etc. One must first ascertain the root cause of all pain and know the means where by the root cause can be eradicated. Elimination of all miseries by such means leads to attainment of liberation. That is kaivalya or 苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺 惭辞办峁. These three types of pains depending upon the alternation arising from the lack of balance of the 驳耻峁嘺蝉 are to be experienced by every individual and cannot be prevented.
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