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

By ‘virtue,’ dherma, both religious and moral merit are intended. Ascent, going upward, is elevation to a more exalted station in another birth; the term sthdna implying both place and degree. According to Gavrapava, this ascent is eightfold, and the subtile frame may after death assume a new body amongst the various classes of spirits, Pis4chas, R&kshasas, Y4kshas, and Gandherbas; or may attain a place in the heaven of Indra; of Soma, or the moon ; of the PrajApatis, or progenitors of mankind; or even in the region of Brahm4. It is a curious, though perhaps an accidental coincidence, that the Syrians and Egyptians enumerated also, according to Plato (Epinomis), eight orders of heavenly beings: their places, however, scem to be the planets exclusively. Thep. 145 author of the S. 7. Kawnudi understands by ascent, or elevation, ascent to the six superterrestrial regions, Dyu, or Bhuvar loka, the atmosphere; Swer loka, the heaven of Indra; Mahar loka, Janaloka,and Tapoloka, worlds of sages and saints; and Satya loka, of Brahm&. By degradation he understands descent to the subterrene regions, Pdtdla, Rasdtala,&c. These notions are, however, not incompatible, as rewards and punishments in heaven and hell are but temporary, and subtile body must even afterwards assume terrestrial form, and undergo a series of migrations before escape from the bondage of existence can be finally accomplished.

Bondage is said by the commentators to be of three kinds, intending thereby three different errors or misconceptions of the character of soul and nature ; the prevalence of which precludes all hope of final emancipation. ‘These errors or bonds are, 1. Prdkritika; the error or bondage of the materialists, who assert soul in nature (or matter): 2. Vaikritika; the error of another class of materialists, who confound soul with any of the products of nature, as the elements, the senses, egotism or intellect : and, 3. Déishina; the error or bondage of those who, ignorant of the real character of soul, and blinded by the hope of advantage, engage in moral and religious observances :’ as VAcHEsraT1®. These errors confine the soul to its subtile material frame for various protracted periods; as, for instance, in the case of those who identify soul with sense, for ten manwantaras, or above three thousand millions of years (3,084,480,000).

By dispassion occurs ‘absorption into nature,’ prakriti layat; or, as the Kaumudi and Chandrika express it,‘ resolution into the chief one and the rest {.’. GaurapApa makes the meaning of the phrase sufficiently clear: according to him it signifies the resolution of even the subtile body into

* arafieafara: mrgtiret Spat create | ATT GATATRSTATE % wafqarad Fei wTgat aac) Terie qaneat @ freraa ypteareargat: ergetarad | wergwa afee: GET frst fe erqaard ertraeaan qe eft tytn coatp. 146 its constituent elements: but this is not in this case equivalent to liberation; it is only the term of one series of migrations, soul being immediately reinvested with another person, and commencing a new carcer of migratory existence until knowledge is attained.

The remainder of the text requires no explanation.

XLVI.

Tnis is an intellectual creation, termed obstruction, disability, acquiescence, and perfectness. By disparity of influence of qualities the sorts of it are fifty.

BHASHYA.

This aggregate of sixteen causes and effects is called an intellectual creation. Pratyaya means buddhi, ‘ intellect.’ “ Intellect is ascertainment,” &c. (ver. 23). This intellectual creation is of four kinds, obstruction, disability, acquiescence, and perfectness. In this classification, dowbt (obstruction) is ignorance; as when any one beholding a post (at a distance) is in doubt whether it is a post or a man. Disability is when, even though the object be distinctly seen, the doubt cannot be dissipated. The third kind is called acquiescence ; as when a person declines to doubt or determine whether the object be a post or not; saying, What have I to do with this. The fourth kind is perfectness ; as when the delighted observer notices a creeper twining round the object, or a bird perched upon it, and is certain that it isa post. By disparity of influence of qualities.—By the unequal (or varied) influence of the qualities of goodness, foulness, and darkness, acting on this fourfold intellectual creation, there are fifty modifications of it: and these kinds in which severally goodness, foulness, or darkness prevails, and the other two are subordinate, are next particularized.

COMMENT.

In this and the tive following stanzas the modifications of the causes and consequences, or the conditions of existence produced by the intelp. 147lectual faculties, as influenced by the three qualities, are detailed and classified.