The Sānkhya Kārikā, with the Bhāshya of Gauḍapāda — trans. H. T. Colebrooke and H. H. Wilson (1837)

The object of the union of soul and nature, or the final liberation of the former by its knowledge of the latter, is here explained.

‘Contemplation,’ darsana, is considered to comprise ‘ fruition,’ bhoga. As nature is devoid of sensibility and reflection, it can neither enjoy nor observe; and its existence would be therefore without an object, unless there were some other one capable both of observation and fruition *. This other one is soul. But, again, as pain is inseparable from nature, so enjoyed soul desires, after a season, to be loosed from the combination ; and this detachment, or the liberation of purified soul, necessarily requires some one from which to be liberated: that some one is nature: consequently, for the fulfilment of their respective ends—the fruition of nature, and liberation of soul—their mutual cooperation and combination are essential. ‘Abstraction,’ Aaivalya, is explained by Vacnesrami, ‘ The cause of the attribution of separation to purified soul, which cannot be

* ded woe ararcanta a aarafap. 78 without previous union with nature*.’ But these results cannot be attained without the evolution of the products of nature, and consequently they assume their several developments, or, in other words, a creation is Sramed ; as it is only in the state of discrete principles that nature is to be contemplated by soul, and it is only by the exact appreciation of the same, and of their source, that soul can detach itself from nature. For both purposes, therefore, the world must exist, as developed from its material cause.

There are passages in the Védas, however, attributing creation to soul ; as, ‘ That was from it—From this soul was ether produced ¢.’ To this it is replied, that all that is herein intended is the attribution of the act of the inferior, or nature, to the superior, soul: ‘As in the world it is said that a king triumphs or is defeated, when it is not he, but his army, that suffers a defeat or achieves a victory {.’ S. Prav. Sara.

XXII.

From nature issues the great one; thence egotism; and from this the sixteenfold set: from five among the sixteen proceed five elements. ,

BHASHYA.

Nature (prakriti) is also termed ‘the chief one’ (pradhdna), ‘ the supreme’ (brahme), ‘the undistinguished’ (avyaktam), ‘the multi-comprehending’ (bahudhdndka) and mdyd. Such are its synonymes. From that which is devoid of characteristic attributes, or from (crude) nature, the great one (mahat) is produced : this is also termed ‘ intellect’ (buddha); it is also called dsuri, or ‘demoniac ; mati, or ‘ understanding ;’ ‘ notoriety”

* SaTEETenfiira FT ATEN: ATA Fee fir | 1 A WATE UATE TANT: THT: | hohed ~ < = tan ate eenfeng ay awa sot Ufs soeae

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(khydti), ‘knowledge’ (jndna), ‘ wisdom’ (prajxd). From thence proceeds egotism, also called ‘ the origin of the elements,’ &c. (bhdéddi), ‘ the luminous’ (taijasa), ‘the modified’ (vaikrifa), ‘conscience’ (abhimdna), From this the sixteenfold set—From this, from egotism, the class of sixteen is derived. This consists of the five subtile elements, or the archetypes of sound, touch, form, flavour, and odour: the synonymes of tan-mdtra are all words denoting ‘ subtile’ (swkshma): also the eleven organs, the ear, the skin, the eye, the tongue, the nose, which are the five organs of perception ; the voice, the hand, the foot, and the organs of excretion and generation, which are the five organs of action ; and, besides these, mind, making the eleventh, and being an organ of both action and sensation. These constitute the class of sixteen produced from egotism. From five among the sixteen.—From the five subtile elements proceed the five gross elements : as it is said, “ From the archetype sound, ether is produced ; from touch, air; from form, light (or fire); from flavour, water; from odour, earth: and thus from these five rudiments the five gross elements proceed.” As also it is said, “ From discriminative knowledge of perceptible and imperceptible principles and the thinking soul (see ver. 2) liberation is obtained.” Now, therefore, intellect and the rest, to the gross elements inclusive, forming twenty-three categories, have been specified (in the text); the undiscrete principle has been described (see ver. 15, 16); and soul has been explained (ver. 18, 19); and these constitute the twenty-five tatwas (physical and metaphysical categories of the Sankhya system of philosophy). He who knows the universe to be composed of these principles—called ¢attvas, from the abstract of tad, ‘ that,’ implying the abstract existence of those principles—as it is said, “ He who knows the twenty-five principles, whatever order of life he may have entered, and whether he wear braided hair, a top-knot only, or be shaven, he is liberated: of this there is no doubt.” (See p. 1.) The twenty-five categories are, nature, soul, intellect, egotism, the five subtile (or rudimental) elements, the eleven organs of sensation and of action, and the five gross elements.