Samkhya thoughts in the Mahabharata

by Shini M.V. | 2017 | 51,373 words

This page relates ‘Twenty-five Tattvas of Samkhya philosophy’ 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.

Twenty-five Tattvas of Sāṃkhya philosophy

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It comes in the 302^nd chapter in the Śāntiparva In the Śāntiparva of Mahābhārata Vasiṣṭha and Karāla janaka Saṃvāda explains the twenty five principles. They are—

avyaktād vyaktamāpannaṃ vidyāsargaṃ vadanti tam |
mahāntaṃ cāpyahaṅkāramavidyāsargameva ca ||

The manifest is created from the unmanifest. This is called by the learned the Creation of knowledge. The creation of and consciousness By Hiranyagarbha, is the creation of Ignorance.^[1]

avidhiśca vidhiścaiva samutpanau tathaikataḥ |
vidyāvidyeti vikhyāte śrutiśāstrārthacintakaiḥ || ^[2]

Allotment of attributes and the destruction thereof, called respectively by the names of Ignorance and knowledge by persons learned in the śrutis. Then arose an issue about number, content and transference.

bhūtasargamahaṅkārāt tṛtīyaṃ viddhi pārthiva |
ahaṅkāreṣu sarveṣu caturthaṃ viddhi vaikṛtam || ^[3]

The creation of the elements from consciousness is the third. In all kinds of consciousness is the fourth creation which originates from modification of the third.

vāyurjyotirathākāśamāpo'tha pṛthivī tathā |
śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca raso gandhastathaiva ca || ^[4]

This fourth creation consists of Wind and Light and Ether and water and earth, with their properties of sound, touch, form, taste and scent.

evaṃ yugapadutpannaṃ daśavargamasaṃśayam
pañcamaṃ viddhi rājendra bhautikaṃ sargamarthavat || ^[5]

This aggregate of ten arose, forsooth at the same time.

The fifth creation is that which has originated from combinations of the principal elements.

śrotraṃ tvak cakṣuṣī jihvā ghrāṇameva ca pañcamam |
vāk ca hastau ca pādau ca pāyurmeḍhraṃ tathaiva ca || ^[6]

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.

buddhīndriyāṇi caitāni tathā karmendriyāṇi ca |
sambhūtānīha yugapanmanasā saha pārthiva || ^[7]

The first five of those form the organs of knowledge, and the last five the organs of action. All these with the mind arose simultaneously.

Here the twenty fifth tattva is Viṣṇu.

pañcaviṃśatimo viṣṇurnistattvastattvasaṃjñitaḥ |
tattvasaṃśrayaṇādetat tattvamāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ || ^[8]

Above the twenty four topics already referred to the twenty fifth is called Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu, on account of the absence of all the qualities, is not a topic though he permeates all the topics; he has been called so by the wise.

evamavyaktaviṣayaṃ kṣaramāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ |
pañcaviṃśatimo yo'yaṃ jñānādeva pravartate || ^[9]

In this way the twenty fifth, viz., the wise say, by union with the unmanifest, becomes changed in to destructible. By means of knowledge, however, the indestructible appears in his true nature.