Samkhya elements in the Bhagavata-purana
by Jumli Nath | 2017 | 62,959 words
This page relates ‘Introduction (a comparative note)’ 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.
Introduction (a comparative note)
The Purāṇas play an important role in the life of all human beings particularly the Hindus. They carry perennial message for the welfare of the mankind. Purāṇas contain valuable information about the society of ancient India, about the ideas and beliefs of the various tribes living in different regions and also about literature, mythology, flora and fauna and so on. Puranic literature provides guidelines and instructions to the mankind for inculcating all kinds of human values. The Purāṇas are very important from the standpoints of historical and geographical records of ancient India.
The Indian philosophical ideas, doctrines can be traced back to the Vedic literature particularly the Upaniṣads. The Purāṇas too have a significant philosophical importance, since they treat of a variety of concepts such as the nature of Brahman, Prakṛti, Puruṣa, creation and dissolution of the universe, bondage, liberation etc. Almost all the systems of India philosophy, viz., Sāṃkhya, Yoga, Vedānta, Mimāmsā etc., have been elaborately discussed in the Purāṇas. The noteworthy thing is that, the discussion of Kapila on Sāṃkhyadarśaṇa can clearly be traced out in the Ṥ rīmadbhāgavatapurāṇa. The influence of Sāṃkhyīya Prakṛti, Puruṣa, Guṇa, Mokṣa tattvas etc., has been reflected more or less in this Purāṇa. The philosophy of Ṥ rīmadbhāgavatapurāṇa is mainly theistic Sāṃkhya and it also deals with the pure monism, pantheism theism etc. In fact, there is a strong note on pantheism in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa. This Purāṇa preachs the cults of Nārāyaṇa.
The Bhāgavatapurāṇa is one of the most important Vaiṣṇava Purāṇas which enriches the philosophical doctrines of the Sāṃkhya system like Prakṛti, Puruṣa, cosmology, cosmogony, liberation of the self and so on. From the above discussion in the preceding chapters, it can be clearly said that the elements of Sāṃkhya philosophy are more or less reflected in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa. Though the cosmological speculations of the Bhāgavatapurāṇa stands nearer to the Vedanta philosophy yet it is indebted to some extent to the realistic system of Sāṃkhya also.
Though the topics of discussion in these two sources appear to be similar in this regard, but the ways and perspectives are totally different. The Bhāgavatapurāṇa being a prominent Purāṇa furnishes the philosophical aspects from the standpoint of Puranic thought keeping Īśvara or God as the primordial element. On the other hand, the Sāṃkhya system of philosophy discusses the topics in each own perspectives which has made this school totally different from even the other Indian schools of philosophy.
It is seen that elements of Sāṃkhya like, Prakṛti, Puruṣa, guṇa, creation, dissolution, liberation etc., are elaborately discussed in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa. Both works have different views regarding these doctrines. If we go for a comparasion, than only the similarities and dissimilarities come out. Thus it remain a matter of deep study, so that, one does not get confused between the Puranic concept and the Sāṃkhya concept of ideas like Prakṛti, Puruṣa, guṇa, creation, dissolution, liberation etc.
From the scientific point of view it can be said that the discussions of Sāṃkhya system is more realistic than that the Bhāgavatapurāṇa. In the Bhāgavatapurāṇa, like other Purāṇas, the bhāvas like bhakti palys a great role to upgrade the mind, mind is related to emotional attachments but in the Sāṃkhya as a spontaneous evolutionary process mind is not attached to emotion.