Preface

Philosophy is the study of the general and basic nature of certainty, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind and language. Philosophy often points out difference from other ways of addressing such problems by its questioning, criticism, generally systematic approach and its reliance on sensible argument. Indian Philosophy refers to the philosophical traditions of the Indian sub continent. Philosophy while being speculative is not only a search for truth, but also directions for a way of life to approach the highest goal. Philosophy is identified as higher knowledge and it is defined as that which leads to the attainment of the most sublime truth. The Sanskrit word for Philosophy is Darśana, which means direct vision. Sāṃkhya is one of the six systems of Indian Philosophy. Sāṃkhya is mainly a natural Philosophy. It is atheistical. Sāṃkhya’s approach to liberation is by way of metaphysical knowledge, intellectually accepted. Sāṃkhya explains the Universe without seeing any need to introduce God. There is no anthromorphic creator. Kapila explained eternal evolution and dissolution of the Universe in terms of Puruṣa and Prakṛti and the latter’s evolutions. The epic Mahābhārata accepts many Sāṃkhya theories. It gives a theistic version of Sāṃkhya and deals with twenty five principles.

The Mahābhārata is the longest epic in the world literature. The great epic of Mahābhārata describes it in story form and all this can be explained by means of the ancient methods of interpretation. The Mahābhārata presents the picture of the society with descending trend with certain fibres of social degeneration and deterioration. Mahābhārata is such an encyclopaedic work of our culture.

The Research work entitled ‘SĀṂKHYA THOUGHTS AS REFLECTED IN THE ŚĀNTIPARVA OF MAHĀBHĀRATA’ is divided in to five chapters.

The first Chapter ‘INTRODUCTION’ deals with the general presentation of Darśanas. The Indian philosophical system clearly classifies into two wide divisions viz. Nāstika and Āstika. They are the Sāṃkhya by Kapila and the Yoga by Patañjali.It also depicts a small narration of the eighteen parvas of the Mahābhārata. The Mahābhārata is the most important of the epics in India. It deals with different subjects in different contexts. It was expanded at different periods by persons of different regions, time and way of thinking like in other subjects; it also contains matter on polity as well.

The second chapter, ‘THE PRINCIPLES OF SĀṂKHYA PHILOSOPHY’, discusses the important topics related to Sāṃkhya, Definition and meaning, three fold miseries, three guṇas, pramāṇas, theory of causation, Satkāryavāda and the twenty five principles. Kapila was the first proponent of Sāṃkhya system of philosophy. Sāṃkhya means philosophy of right knowledge. The relevance of Sāṃkhya philosophy is focused on uprooting the three fold miseries. The three miseries are Ādhyātmika, Ādhibaudika and Ādhidaivika. The three guṇas are the elements of Prakṛti. They are connected like threads to make up the rope of Prakṛti. The three guṇas are Sattvaguṇa, Rajoguṇa, and Tamoguṇa. Sattva is connected with happiness that means real and productive pleasure. Rajas is concerned with the actions of the objects. It is connected with activity and motion. Tamas is essentially concerned with the inertia and inaction. Pramāṇas are in three–Pratyakṣa, direct sense perception, Anumāna, logical inference and Śābda or Āptavacana, verbal testimony. Perception is a definite sense organ. The term perception means what is defined. The remainder of the sentence is the definition by which word is meant the differentiation from the things of the same classes. Inference has been proclaimed to be of three kinds and it is based on the intuition of the middle term and then major term and valid assertion is right revelation. The Sāṃkhya philosophy recognizes the validity of Śruti though with reservation and there by gives validity to Śabda as one of the means of knowledge. Causation means the appearance or manifestation of a quality due to certain changes of collocations in the causes which were already held in them in a potential form. Satkāryavāda maintains that kārya is sat or real. It is present in the kāraṇa in potential form, even before its manifestation. Production of effect only means an internal change of the arrangements of form. The manifestation of the phenomenal world is only an evolution of the cosmic substance i.e. nothing new is created. Prakṛti is the Mūlaprakṛti, because it is the cause of the whole universe. It is non-evolutes because, it being infinite, comes from nothing else. The seven Prakṛtivikṛtis are Mahat, Ahaṃkāra and the five tanmātras, each is the evolute of the former and the evolving of the latter. They are both causes and effects. The five Tanmātras are the evolvents of the sixteen principles Manas, the five sense organs, the five organs of action and the five prāṇas that are mere evolutes. These sixteen principles are only effects. Puruṣa being an eternal entity is neither an evolute nor anevolve because it is not born out of anything else and it does not produce anything else.

The third chapter ‘THE PHILOSOPHICAL TENETS IN THE ŚĀNTIPARVA’ discusses the analysis of Śāntiparva of Mahābhārata. It deals with Āpaddharmaparva, Rājadharmaparva and Mokṣadharmaparva. Śāntiparvan is the twelfth and longest parva of the Epic Mahābhārata. Different types of Gītas are described in Śāntiparva of theMahābhārata. They are Piṅgalagītā, Śampākagītā, Maṅkigītā, Bodhyagītā, Vicakhnugītā, Hārītagītā, Vṛtragītā, Parāśaragītā, and Haṃsagītā. The four Varṇas and the four manners of life are discussed in this chapter.ManySaṃvādas are there in the Śāntiparva of Mahābhārata In the Śāntiparva of the Mahābhārata reflections of Yoga philosophy are illuminated. Principles of Yoga philosophy are Vidyā and Avidyā. In Yoga philosophy Avidyā is illiteracy. This is to consider that Ātman and Anātman are one. The Mahābhārata describes how a Yogin practices Yoga for perfect meditation and Yoga philosophy defines Īśvara as the constituent of Sattva. Vedanta philosophy is included in this chapter as a part of Indian philosophy and Upaniṣads hold a unique place. The philosophy of the Brahman is the most important conception of Vedanta. Knowledge and ignorance are discussed in the Śāntiparva of Mahābhārata. It says that the nature which is subject to creation and destruction is called Avidyā. While Puruṣa (soul) who is freed from attributes of creation and dissolution and who is the twenty four topics or principles is called Vidyā.

The fourth chapter, ‘SĀṂKHYA THOUGHTS IN THE ŚĀNTIPARVA OF MAHĀBHĀRATA’, elaborately mentions the Sāṃkhya principles lying in the Śāntiparva of Mahābhārata. Three fold misery-ādhyātmika, ādhibauddhika, ādhidaivika, the three guṇas, the Pramāṇas, the twenty five principles, the concept of Prakṛti, the concept of Puruṣa, the concept of Mahattatva, the concept of Ahaṃkāra, the Indriyas, the concept of Mind, the five tanmātras, and the Mahābhūtas. All these are analyzed in this chapter.

The fifth Chapter is ‘Conclusion.’ Here come the concluding remarks, the relevance of this study and finally the observations and findings.