Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)

by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words

This page relates ‘Samkhya Darshana’ of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.

2.1. Sāṃkhya Darśana

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The Sāṃkhya Darśana is one of the oldest darśanas in the Indian philosophical system.^[1] The sage Kapila, who is regarded as the founder of the Sāṃkhya Darśana, is a historical figure. This Darśana is one of the six darśanas or schools of Indian philosophy. Kapila Muni is recognized as its founder because he methodically compiled its principles in the form of sūtras or aphorisms. His authored text is entitled as Sāṃkhyasūtras. Based on the Sāṃkhyasūtras, Vijñānabhikṣu, a scholar of the 16th century, composed a commentary entitled the Sāṃkhyapravachan Bhāṣya. Although Kapila Muni’s Sāṃkhyasūtras is the principal text of this Darśana, the Sāṃkhyakārikās, a text written by a scholar named Īśvarakṛṣṇa, is more prominent. The principles of the Sāṃkhya Darśana are propagated through the expositions and sub-commentaries written on the Sāṃkhyakārikās.^[2]

Sāṃkhya believes in twenty-five entities.^[3]

mūlaprakṛtiravikṛtirmahadādyāḥ prakṛtivikṛtayaḥ sapta |
ṣoḍaśakastu vikāro na prakṛtirna vikṛtiḥ puruṣaḥ || Sāmkhyakārikā XIII 3 ||

“Mūla prakṛti is avikārī (changeless), other seven entities fall into prakṛti-vikṛti. The production of sixteen entities are called vikāra (changeable), while Puruṣa is neither vikṛti nor avikārī.” Sāṃkhya strongly believes in dual philosophy.^[4]

This darśana places emphasis on the knowledge of the distinction between the sentient (caitanya) and insentient (jaḍa). Terms such as ‘Prakṛti’ and ‘Puruṣa’ have been utilized within this darśana to refer to insentient and sentient entities, The end of above-mentioned imbalance “guṇavaiśamyavimardāt” (Sāmkhyakārikā XIII 46), and knowing the distinction of them leads to liberation or kaivalya. Moreover, they assert, “īśvarāsiddheḥ” (1/92) indicates that Sāṃkhya does not believe God as the final cause of the universe. Sāṃkhya believes in “triguṇam [triguṇa]” (Sāmkhyakārikā XIII11) means three types of qualities. 1. sattva being goodness, 2. rajas being activity and tamas being the quality of darkness.