Samkhya thoughts in the Mahabharata
by Shini M.V. | 2017 | 51,373 words
This page relates 鈥楴ature of Samkhya thoughts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.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
The Nature of 厂腻峁僰丑测补 thoughts
The Mok峁dharma parva of the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 discusses the various aspects of the concept of liberation, including philosophical views about life and death, human slavery and the path of deliverance, creation and 厂补峁僪腻谤补, essential world and self. These are discussed in the form of conversations, narratives and religious poems. The 厂腻峁僰丑测补 principles dealing with these portions particularly are explained by some sages like 叠丑峁沢耻 and 叠丑补谤补诲惫腻箩补, Adhy膩tma and 叠丑墨峁补, Manu and Bh峁沨aspati, Adhy膩tma and 碍峁涐梗峁嘺, 笔补帽肠补艣颈办丑补v膩kya, 闯补颈驳墨峁惫测补 and As墨ta Devala, 痴测腻蝉补 and 艢耻办补, 厂测奴尘补谤补艣尘颈 and Kapila, 狈腻谤补诲补 and As墨ta Devala, 厂腻峁僰丑测补 and Yoga by 叠丑墨峁补, 痴补蝉颈峁ａ弓丑补 and 碍补谤腻濒补箩补苍补办补, 驰腻箩帽补惫补濒办测补 and Daivar膩ti Janaka, 笔补帽肠补艣颈办丑补 and Janaka.[1] A structural feature is discussed about 厂腻峁僰丑测补 in the Mok峁dharma parva of 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补
The 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 gives some ideas about original 厂腻峁僰丑测补. To realise the impact and implication of the three fold pain is the essential pre-requisite of Deliverance.[2] In the 艢膩ntiparva , 313th chapter describes the three fold pains of 膧诲丑测腻迟尘颈办补-(Spiritual) 膧诲丑颈产丑补耻迟颈办补 (Eternal) and 膧诲丑颈诲补颈惫颈办补 (Accidental). 驰腻箩帽补惫补濒办测补 said to Janaka about the subject of these triad of pain (duhkhatraya) 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺蝉 well read in the subjects of enquiry speak of the two feet as spiritual, the act of walking as elemental and 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 as accidental. The Anus is spiritual, its function of throwing out the faeces and urine are elemental and Mitra (Surya) is Accidental. The organ of generation is called spiritual. It鈥檚 agreeable function is called elemental and 笔谤补箩腻辫补迟颈 is its accidental. The 厂腻峁僰丑测补 scholars opine that the elemental part is the hands which are spiritual and the limbs are accidental and it is Indra.[3] The organs of speech are spiritual, the words uttered by them are Elemental and Agni is their accidental. The eye is spiritual, vision or form is its Elemental and Surya is the Accidental of that organ. The ear is Spiritual, sound is Elemental and the points of the compass are its Accidental. The tongue is spiritual taste is it鈥檚 Elemental and water is its Accidental. The sense of scent is spiritual, odour is its Elemental and Earth is its Accidental. The skin is spiritual, touch is it鈥檚 Elemental and wind is its Accidental. Mind is called spiritual with which the mind is employed is Elemental and the moon is its Accidental. Consciousness is spiritual, conviction in one鈥檚 oneness with Nature is its Elemental and Mahat or Buddhi is its Accidental. Buddhi is spiritual that which is to be understood is its Elemental and soul is its Accidental.[4]
叠丑墨峁补 explains in Mok峁dharma parva of 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 that the soul takes birth in full developed form accompanied by physical and mental sorrow in a full circle of beginning, middle and end.[5] It should be known that sorrow emerges from the very formation of the foetus and when the foetus comes out as self, it increases. Sorrows can be avoided by renouncing material pleasures. Sorrow originates from the very formation of body in the womb. It increases with the idea of self. From renunciation of these, sorrow is destroyed. He who knows sorrow鈥檚 end attains Liberation.[6]
There are so many 厂补峁僾腻诲补蝉 in the 艢膩ntiparva of 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 Of them the most important one is the 痴补蝉颈峁ａ弓丑补 and Kar膩la janaka 厂补峁僾腻诲补. It describes the Twenty five tattvas. These tattvas are described with slight difference from the 厂腻峁僰丑测补 philosophy. 艢膩ntiparva describes twenty five tattvas in five Sargas called 痴颈诲测腻 sarga, 础惫颈诲测腻 sarga, 叠丑奴迟补蝉补谤驳补, 痴补颈办峁泃补蝉补谤驳补 and Bhautika sarga.
The manifest is created from the unmanifest. This is the Creation of knowledge. The creation of Mahat and consciousness, by 贬颈谤补峁噛补驳补谤产丑补, is the creation of Ignorance.[7] Allotment of attributes and the destruction there of, called respectively by the names of Ignorance and knowledge by persons learned in the 艢谤耻迟颈蝉.[8] The creation of the elements from consciousness is the third that is Bh奴ta sarga. In all the kinds of consciousness is the fourth creation which originates from modification of the third.[9] This fourth creation consists of Wind, Light, Ether, water and earth, with their properties of sound, touch, form, taste and smell.[10] This aggregate of ten arose at the same time. The fifth creation is that which has originated from combinations of the principal elements. This comprises the ear, the skin, the eyes the tongue and the nose forming the fifth, and speech and the two hands, and the two legs, and the lower canal and the organs of generation.[11] The organs of knowledge and the organs of action, all these with the mind arose simultaneously. These form the twenty four tattvas that exist in the form of all living creatures.[12] 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺蝉 with insight in to the truth have never to give way to sorrow by understanding these properly. Above the twenty four topics already referred to is the twenty fifth called 痴颈峁ａ箛耻. That 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, on account of the absence of all qualities, is not a topic though that permeates all the topics, has been called so by the wise.[13] In this way the twenty fifth which is indestructible by union with the unmanifest, becomes changed into destructible. By means of knowledge, however, the indestructible appears in his true nature.[14]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Retrieving s膩峁僰hya History An Ascent from Dawn to Meridian, Lallanji Gopal, D.K.print wold (P) Ltd. New Delhi, 2000. P -84.
[2]:
迟谤颈惫补谤驳补峁� tu 蝉耻办丑补峁� 诲耻岣丑补峁� 箩墨惫颈迟补尘 尘补谤补峁嘺峁� tath膩 |
ya ida峁� veda tatvena sa veda prabhav膩pyayau || 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 329-47.
[3]:
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 313-4.
[4]:
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 313-4.
[5]:
sa峁僯膩tairj膩yate g膩trai岣� karmajairva峁a峁嚹乿峁泃a岣� |
du岣h膩dyantairdu岣hamadhyairnara岣� 艣膩r墨ram膩nasai岣� || 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 213-18.
[6]:
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 213鈥�19.
[7]:
avyakt膩d vyaktam膩panna峁� vidy膩sarga峁� vadanti tam |
尘补丑腻苍迟补峁� c膩pyaha峁卥膩ramavidy膩sargameva ca || 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 302, 22.
[8]:
avidhi艣ca vidhi艣caiva samutpanau tathaikata岣� |鈥� vidy膩vidyeti vikhy膩te 艣ruti艣膩str膩rthacintakai岣� || 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 23
[9]:
产丑奴迟补蝉补谤驳补尘补丑补峁卥腻谤腻迟 迟峁泃墨测补峁� viddhi 辫腻谤迟丑颈惫补 |
aha峁卥膩re峁 sarve峁 肠补迟耻谤迟丑补峁� viddhi vaik峁泃am || 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 24.
[10]:
[11]:
[12]:
buddh墨ndriy膩峁噄 cait膩ni tath膩 karmendriy膩峁噄 ca |
sambh奴t膩n墨ha yugapanmanas膩 saha 辫腻谤迟丑颈惫补 || 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 28.
[13]:
pa帽cavi峁兣沘timo vi峁ａ箛urnistattvastattvasa峁僯帽ita岣� |
tattvasa峁兣況aya峁嚹乨etat tattvam膩hurman墨峁峁嘺岣� || 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 302 /38.
[14]:
evamavyaktavi峁ya峁� k峁ram膩hurman墨峁峁嘺岣� |
pa帽cavima艣atimo yo'ya峁� j帽膩n膩deva pravartate || 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 XII, 302/49.