Category:Sankhya Philosophy
Theme Analysis
Sāṅkhya philosophy is the analytical study of the material world and the spirit soul. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the word sāṅkhya means to count or analyze. This system breaks down the universe into twenty-four material elements to help the living entity understand the distinction between matter and spirit. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that there are two distinct forms of this philosophy: the original theistic Sāṅkhya taught by Lord Kapila (the son of Devahūti), which leads to devotional service, and a later atheistic version that analyzes matter but ignores the Supreme Lord.
- The Analytical Study: Sāṅkhya analyzes the twenty-four elements of creation, including earth, water, fire, air, ether, the mind, intelligence, false ego, and the senses. By understanding these, one sees the soul as distinct from matter.
- The Two Kapilas: The true propounder of Sāṅkhya is Lord Kapila, an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. An imposter Kapila later introduced a godless version. The true Sāṅkhya concludes that the material world is an energy of the Supreme Lord.
- The Path to Bhakti: Unlike dry mental speculation, the original Sāṅkhya is meant to detach the soul from matter and fix the mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Liberation: Understanding the basic principles of Sāṅkhya elevates one to the platform of jīvan-mukti, or being liberated even while living within the material world.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Sāṅkhya Philosophy - The Science of Analysis and Devotion.
Pages in category "Sankhya Philosophy"
The following 146 pages are in this category, out of 146 total.
1
A
- According to atheistic Sankhya philosophy, by a combination of matter and the living force, the many varieties of material manifestation come into existence
- According to the Sankhya philosophers everything is mithya, or anitya - impermanent. Nonetheless, without real knowledge of atma - , the soul, such philosophers must be bewildered and must continue to lament as sudras
- According to the statements of the Mahabharata (Santi-parva, Chapters 218-219), an acarya named Pancasikha took birth in the family of Maharaja Janaka, the ruler of Mithila. The Sankhya philosophers accept Pancasikhacarya as one of them
- Although the Sankhya philosophy accepts that the material ingredients are the cause, the creation of the world never arises from dead matter
- Anyone who understands the basic principle of Sankhya philosophy is elevated in devotional service and becomes fully Krsna conscious, or liberated, even within this material world
- As will be described in later chapters, Kardama Muni begot such a child - Kapila, the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead who enunciated the philosophy of Sankhya
- Atheistic Sankhya philosophers like Kapila analyze the material elements very scrutinizingly and thereby come to the conclusion that material nature is the cause of everything
- Atheistic Sankhya philosophers think that the total material energy causes the cosmic manifestation, but they are wrong
- Atheistic, materialistic Sankhyaites conclude that material nature is the cause of all causes
- Atheists believe in the atheistic Sankhya philosophy of the combination of prakrti and purusa
- Attainment of knowledge and detachment, as very elaborately discussed in Sankhya philosophy, is the real perfection of life
B
- Because we belong to Brahma's disciplic succession we should accept his statement that the real Kapila is the son of Devahuti and that real Sankhya philosophy is the system of philosophy which He introduced
- Bhagavan Kapila is also known as Devahuti-putra Kapila. Both Kapilas expounded Sankhya philosophy, but the atheist Kapila expounded it without understanding, perception or realization of God
- Brahma assures Devahuti that her son will enlighten her, and after enlightening her He will travel all over the world, distributing the system of Sankhya philosophy
- By distributing Sankhya He would increase the honor of the devotees; therefore, Sankhya philosophy is not dry mental speculation
- By sankhya philosophical research one comes to the conclusion that a living entity is not a part and parcel of the material world, but of the supreme spirit whole. BG 1972 purports
- By this system of philosophy (the Sankhya philosophy enunciated by Lord Kapila), one can immediately become free, even though one is situated in this material world. That stage is called jivan-mukti
- By understanding the science of devotional service in Sankhya philosophy, one can become free from the modes of material nature. The eternal self, after becoming freed from the spell of material nature, becomes eligible to enter into the kingdom of God
D
- Devahuti said, "You (God) are the background of the material manifestation and all created energy; therefore Your delivering me from the clutches of maya by explaining the system of Sankhya philosophy is not so astonishing
- Devotees are not interested in speculative knowledge; the Sankhya enunciated by Kapila Muni is meant to establish one firmly in devotional service
E
- Even now Kapila Muni is staying there in trance for the deliverance of the conditioned souls in the three worlds, and all the acaryas, or great teachers, of the system of Sankhya philosophy are worshiping Him
- Everyone should know what is Bhagavan and take lessons from Bhagavan. Lord Kapila is Bhagavan, and He personally instructed His mother in Sankhya philosophy
F
- Fifteen and eight, twenty-three, and the soul. This is twenty-four. That is the subject matter of Sankhya philosophy, how these twenty-four different items are combined together and work
- For the propagation of this transcendental knowledge, Kapiladeva, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, gave instructions in Sankhya philosophy to His mother, Devahuti
- From the eight separated energies of the Lord are manifest the twenty-four elements of the material world, which are the subject matter of sankhya atheistic philosophy. BG 1972 purports
- From the root, according to sankhya philosophy, come prakrti, purusa, then the three gunas, then the five gross elements (panca-mahabhuta), then the ten senses (dasendriya), mind, etc. In this way they divide up the whole material world. BG 1972 purports
H
- He (Lord Kapila) concluded that He should try to give her (Devahuti) the ultimate conclusion of philosophical knowledge, which is this Sankhya philosophy
- Herein (SB 3.21.32) the word svamsa-kalaya indicates that the Lord would appear as the son of Devahuti and Kardama Muni as Kapiladeva, the first propounder of the Sankhya philosophy, which is mentioned here as tattva-samhita
- How one can get out of the miserable condition of material life is stated in Sankhya philosophy, and the Lord Himself is explaining this sublime system
- How subtle things are going on, that is described in the Sankhya philosophy presented by Kapiladeva, but we do not understand practically how things are going on
I
- If one is intelligent enough to take instructions from the SP of Godhead, as enunciated in Bhagavad-gita or the Sankhya philosophy of Kapiladeva, one can very soon attain liberation and be situated in his original position of spiritual life
- In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna refutes the atheist Kapila's Sankhya philosophy and its contention that the unmanifested soul is nonexistent. In the Gita (7.4) Krsna also establishes that the material ingredients are all under His control and supervision
- In the Sankhya philosophy the purusa is described to be always indifferent to the activities of prakrti
- Influenced by Lord Caitanya’s Krsna consciousness movement, sannyasis give up their study of Sankhya philosophy
- It is called Kapilasrama because of Lord Kapila's living there to perform His austerities and penances. Lord Kapila propounded the Sankhya system of philosophy
- It is not true that Sankhya philosophy is a new system of philosophy introduced by Kapila as material philosophers introduce new kinds of mental speculative thought to supersede that of another philosopher
J
- Janaka Maharaja, Bhismadeva, and Sukadeva Gosvami, Prahlada Maharaja - in this way there are twelve authorities, and all of them are following the Sankhya philosophy or bhakti-yoga, all of them
- Jnana means knowledge received through disciplic succession from the scriptures, and vijnana means practical application of such knowledge. Kapila Muni's Sankhya system of philosophy is based on jnana and vijnana
K
- Kapila Muni enunciated in this material world the Sankhya philosophy, which is a strong boat with which to cross over the ocean of nescience. Indeed, a person eager to cross the ocean of the material world may take shelter of this philosophy
- Kapila Muni. He is also incarnation of God, and He preached the sankhya philosophy, original. Later on, in the, just in this Kali-yuga, there is an imitation sankhya philosophy. So there are two sankhya philosophies: atheistic and nonatheistic
- Kapila said that the system of Sankhya philosophy was not exactly being introduced by Him; it was already current, but in course of time it was mysteriously lost & therefore He appeared to reintroduce it. That is the purpose of the incarnation of Godhead
- Kapila the son of Kardama Muni, in His system of Sankhya philosophy, very explicitly explained not only the material world but also the spiritual world
- Kapiladeva comes to propound this Sankhya philosophy, which is unalloyed devotion to the Lord. Herein Kapiladeva says that one is condemned to death unless he takes shelter of the Lord. There is no other way to be saved
- Kapiladeva explained this Sankhya philosophy to His mother, and although He had a natural affection for His mother, we should not think that Devahuti was an ordinary woman
- Krsna, being situated in the truths of Sankhya philosophy, is detached from all kinds of matter. In the present verse (SB 3.3.20) it is described that He is the residence of the goddess of fortune. These two things are not at all contradictory
L
- Lacking the varieties of spiritual activity, they (Mayavadi philosophers) cannot stay for long on that platform of simply studying Vedanta or Sankhya philosophy
- Later, another Kapiladeva appeared who expounded atheistic Sankhya philosophy, which dealt with the twenty-four elements but gave no information about God. The original Kapila is called the Devahuti-putra Kapila, and the other is called the atheist Kapila
- Long before the imposter Kapila's sankhya, the sankhya philosophy was expounded in the Srimad-Bhagavatam by the true Lord Kapila, the incarnation of Lord Krsna, who explained it to His mother, Devahuti. BG 1972 purports
- Lord Caitanya instructed the mass of people in the sankhya philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation
- Lord Kapila, the propounder of Sankhya philosophy, He is also accepted as incarnation of God
O
- O Arjuna, learn from Me of the five factors which bring about the accomplishment of all action. These are declared in sankhya philosophy to be the place of action, the performer, the senses, the endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul. BG 18.13-14 - 1972
- On the bank of the Bindu-sarovara Lake, Kapiladeva personally expounded Sankhya philosophy to His mother, Devahuti, just as Krsna personally expounded the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita to His friend Arjuna
- On the basis of the sankhya philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation - CC Preface
- One has to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead analytically, as explained in the Sankhya system of philosophy by Lord Kapiladeva
- One process is to find the root of the tree, and next to water the root. The real student of sankhya philosophy finds the root of the material world, Visnu, and then, in perfect knowledge, engages himself in the service of the Lord. BG 1972 purports
- One sampradaya must give his commentation on the Vedanta-sutra; otherwise he is not a bona fide sampradaya. So especially in the Sankara sampradaya, they are very much fond of studying Sankhya philosophy and Vedanta-sutra
P
- People who are suffering in this material world because they are conditioned by the material energy can easily get freedom from the clutches of matter by understanding the Sankhya philosophy enunciated by Lord Kapila
- Pursuit of the systematic philosophic process called Sankhya is called knowledge and self-revelation
R
- Real Sankhya philosophy is described by Lord Kapila in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, but even that Sankhya has nothing to do with the current topics. Here (in BG 2.39), Sankhya means analytical description of the body and the soul
- Real student of Sankhya philosophy
- Regarding the book on Kapila's philosophy, you can call it "the Sankhya Philosophy of Kapila, (the Son of Devahuti)". You can give the roman transliteration for the sanskrit and the English translation and then the lecture
- Regulated human life according to the Vedic principles, which are based on the system of knowledge called Sankhya philosophy, is the real way of enjoyment of the necessities of life
S
- Sankhya philosophy is described here (SB 3.26.71) in detail in the sense that the virat-purusa, or the universal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original source of all the various sense organs and their presiding deities
- Sankhya philosophy is especially meant for persons who are conditioned by this material world. It is generally understood by the parampara system, or by disciplic succession, to be the science of devotional service
- Sankhya philosophy is generally called metaphysics by the European scholars
- Sankhya philosophy is the basic principle of acquiring knowledge, as will be explained by the sage Maitreya
- Sankhya philosophy is the philosophical system enunciated by Kapila, the son of Devahuti. The other Kapila, who is not the son of Devahuti, is an imitation. This is the statement of Brahma
- Sankhya philosophy is very well known in the world as propagated by another Kapiladeva, but that Sankhya philosophy is different from the Sankhya which was propounded by the Lord Himself
- Sankhya philosophy means devotional service. How could the honor of the devotees be increased unless Sankhya were meant for devotional service
- Sankhya philosophy theory is that there is no controller, there is no God, but it is . . . the world is moving under nature's interaction. Just the modern scientist also say like that
- Sankhya philosophy will be broadcast by Kapila Muni for that purpose. His bodily features are also described herein - SB 3.24.17
- Sankhya philosophy, after describing the nature of prakrti (material nature) and purusa (the enjoyer), asserts that the creation is only a product of their unification or proximity to one another
- Sankhya philosophy, as is well known, deals with prakrti and purusa. Purusa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead or anyone who imitates the Supreme Personality of Godhead as an enjoyer, and prakrti means "nature"
- Sankhya philosophy, as stated herein (SB 3.24.36) by Kapiladeva, is tattvanam. The Sankhya philosophy system is designed to afford understanding of the real truth
- She (Yasoda) thus began to think of the S. P. of Godhead, who is understood through the processes of cultivating knowledge derived from the Upanisads and the Vedanta-sutra, practicing mystic yoga & studying Sankhya philosophy, as her own begotten child
- She offered her obeisances unto the Lord, the author of the basic principles of the Sankhya system of philosophy, which is the background of liberation, and she satisfied Him with the following verses of prayer
- Similarly, there are Sankhya philosophers, metaphysicians or materialistic scientists who study this cosmic manifestation by their invented scientific method and do not recognize the supreme authority of God as the creator of the cosmic manifestation
- Since the purusa, according to Sankhya philosophy, is always unaffected, where does the tendency to give birth come from
- So Krsna is teaching personally just like Kapiladeva is teaching personally. So you take Kapiladeva's philosophy, Sankhya philosophy, Krsna's philosophy, Bhagavad-gita, but try to understand as He says. Don't interpret in the wrong way
- Some follow the Mayavada philosophy of Sankaracarya, and others follow Kapila's Sankhya philosophy or the mystic yoga system of Patanjali
- Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana thinks that discrediting these so-called causes of the cosmic manifestation - namely, parinamat (transformation), samanvayat (adjustment) and saktitah (performance of energies) will nullify the entire Sankhya philosophy
- Sāṅkhya philosophy is the analytical study of all existence. One has to understand everything by examining its nature and characteristics. This is called acquirement of knowledge
T
- The activities of Kapila Muni are forecast herein: He will present the philosophy of Sankhya in such a way that by studying His philosophy people will be able to uproot the deep-rooted desire for karma, fruitive activities
- The ambition of such people (followers of the philosophy of Sankhya or the yoga system of Patanjali) is never fulfilled; therefore they are attracted by the external energy
- The analytical study of the elements of material nature and the concentration of the mind upon the Supersoul are the sum and substance of the Sankhya philosophical system
- The attempt of the atheistic Sankhya philosophers to consider material nature the source of these elements (earth, water, fire, etc.), forgetting Krsna, is useless, like trying to get milk from the nipplelike bumps of skin hanging on the neck of a goat
- The conclusion of the atheistic Sankhya philosophy is that because the effects - the phenomena of this material world - are temporary, or illusory, the cause is therefore also illusory
- The conclusion of the Sankhya philosophers is therefore invalid
- The entire material world is a display of sixteen diversities and eight material elements. The analytical studies of the material world are the subject matter of Sankhya philosophy
- The etymological meaning of sankhya is "that which explains very lucidly by analysis of the material elements." This was done for the first time by Lord Kapila, who is said herein (SB 1.3.10) to be the fifth in the line of incarnations
- The explanation of Sankhya philosophy is described in detail in the sense that the virat-purusa, or the universal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original source of all the various sense organs and their presiding deities
- The impersonalists take Brahman to be the root of this material tree, and from the root, according to Sankhya philosophy, come prakrti, purusa, then the three gunas, then the five gross elements, then the ten senses, mind, etc
- The Kardama Muni is teaching Sankhya philosophy, Krsna is teaching Bhagavad-gita, and if we do not take advantage of these thing, then again we are in the oblivion
- The Lord appeared as the son of Devahuti and Kardama Muni as Kapiladeva, the first propounder of the Sankhya philosophy
- The Lord foretold to Kardama Muni that He would appear in His incarnation Kapiladeva and would propagate the philosophy of Sankhya
- The Mayavadi sannyasis are engaged in the study of sankhya philosophy, whereas the Vaisnava sannyasis are engaged in the study of Bhagavatam philosophy, which affords the proper commentary on the Vedanta-sutras. BG 1972 purports
- The mind can be unlimitedly agitated, and thus one can put forward an unlimited number of theories. Sankhya philosophy is not like that; it is not mental speculation. It is factual, but at the time of Kapila it was lost
- The mission of the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Kapila was to distribute the transcendental knowledge of Sankhya philosophy, which is full of devotional service
- The Padma Purana gives evidence that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vasudeva takes birth in the incarnation of Kapila and, by His expansion of theistic Sankhya philosophy, teaches all the demigods and a brahmana of the name Asuri
- The Personality of Godhead enjoyed life in the city of Dvaraka, strictly in conformity with the Vedic customs of society. He was situated in detachment and knowledge, as enunciated by the Sankhya system of philosophy
- The propounder of Sankhya philosophy, Kapiladeva, son of Devahuti, is the incarnation of Krsna. He says that yoga adhyatmikah pumsam mato nihsreyasaya me (SB 3.25.13). Nihsreyasaya: ultimate benediction
- The purpose of Kapiladeva's Sankhya philosophy is to propagate pure, uncontaminated devotional service, and therefore He is addressed as the most important personality amongst those who know the transcendental occupation of the living entity
- The purpose of Sankhya is to detach oneself from material contamination. This can be achieved simply by devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The purpose of Sankhya philosophy is stated herein (SB 3.24.38). If anyone wants real, eternal life, he has to engage himself in devotional service, or Krsna consciousness
- The real Sankhya philosophy, propounded by Kapiladeva, is transcendental to the twenty-four elements and material activity. Thus in this Sankhya philosophy, which is actually bhakti-yoga, there is no desire for material benefits
- The Sankhya philosopher accepts three kinds of evidences, namely direct perception, hypothesis and traditional authority. When such evidence is complete, everything is perfect. The process of comparison is within such perfection
- The Sankhya philosopher Kapila has connected the different elementary truths according to his own opinion. Material nature, according to him, consists of the equilibrium of the three material qualities - goodness, passion and ignorance
- The Sankhya philosophers regard You as the transcendental person who is beyond prakrti and purusa and who is the controller of even the demigods
- The Sankhya philosophy enunciated by Kapiladeva, the son of Devahuti, is the real source of knowledge about the Supreme Truth. Knowledge not based on the Sankhya philosophy is mental speculation and can yield no tangible profit
- The Sankhya philosophy is compiled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His appearance as Kapila
- The Sankhya philosophy of the atheist Kapila, which is a material philosophy, is simply the study of the twenty-four elements
- The Sankhya philosophy regards the total energy (mahat-tattva), the false ego and the five objects of sense perception as the seven diverse manifestations of material nature, which has two features, known as the material cause and efficient cause
- The Sankhya system of philosophy identifies three kinds of procedures - namely, parinamat (transformation), samanvayat (adjustment) and saktitah (performance of energies) - as the causes of the cosmic manifestation
- The six philosophical theses are (1) Vaisesika, propounded by Kanada Rsi, (2) Nyaya, propounded by Gautama Rsi, (3) Yoga, or mysticism, propounded by Patanjali Rsi, (4) the philosophy of Sankhya, propounded by Kapila Rsi
- The subject matter for discussion in the sankhya philosophy is only the manifestation of the external energy of Krsna, as it is described in the Bhagavad-gita. BG 1972 purports
- The sum total of the creative elements is twenty-four in all. Each and every one of them is explicitly explained in the system of Sankhya philosophy
- The twenty-four elements of which this material universe is a temporary manifestation, are completely adjusted to produce complete resources which are necessary for the maintenance and subsistence of this universe. BG 1972 Introduction
- There are others who engage themselves in the studies of different Vedic literatures, specifically the Upanisads & Vedanta-sutras, or the sankhya philosophy. All of these are called svadhyaya-yajna, or engagement in the sacrifice of studies. BG 1972 pur
- There are twelve authorities following the Sankhya philosophy, or bhakti-yoga, and these include Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Kapiladeva, Manu, Bhismadeva, Janaka Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami and prahlada Maharaja
- There are two kinds of Sankhya philosophy: one is godless Sankhya philosophy, and the other is godly Sankhya philosophy. The Sankhya propagated by Kapiladeva, son of Devahuti, is godly philosophy
- There is an imitation Kapila who has a Sankhya philosophical system, but Kapila the incarnation of God is different from that Kapila
- These are beneficial only insofar as they are complementary to devotional service. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore told Sanatana Gosvami that without a touch of devotional service, jnana, yoga and Sankhya philosophy cannot give one the desired results
- These are some of the aspects of the analytical study of intelligence as described in both the Patanjali yoga system and the Sankhya philosophy system of Kapiladeva in Srimad-Bhagavatam
- They (atheistic Sankhya philosophers) do not accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of all causes
- They (combination of matter: earth, water, etc.) are very finely analyzed by the sankhya philosophy system, by Vedic system, into twenty-four elements. And according to some, twenty-five, and according to some, twenty-six
- They (sankhya atheistic philosophy) are originally offshoots from Krsna's energies and are separated from Him, but atheistic sankhya philosophers with a poor fund of knowledge do not know Krsna as the cause of all causes. BG 1972 purports
- They (Sankhya philosophers, metaphysicians or materialistic scientists) wrongly conclude that the reactions of the material elements are the original cause of creation. The Bhagavad-gita, however, does not accept this theory
- This (the offenseless chanter of the holy name is already fit to perform a fire ceremony) is the verdict given by Devahuti, the mother of Lord Kapiladeva, when He was instructing her in pure Sankhya philosophy
- This sankhya (which analytically studies the soul and the body) has nothing to do with the sankhya philosophy of the atheist Kapila. BG 1972 purports
- Those who accept the material nature as the cosmic manifestation's original cause (prakrti, the cause of creation according to Sankhya philosophy) are not correct in their conclusion
- Thus far I have declared to you the analytical knowledge of sankhya philosophy. Now listen to the knowledge of yoga whereby one works without fruitive result. BG 2.39 - 1972
- To a certain extent they (Mayavadi philosophers) recommend Brahman activities, which for them means engagement in studying the Vedanta and Sankhya philosophies, but their interpretations are but dry speculation
U
W
- Where nirguna Brahman is found, simple unalloyed goodness prevails. Saguna Brahman is described by the Sankhya system of philosophy as consisting of twenty-five elements, including the time factor - past, present and future
- Without Krsna's mercy, no one can understand the Sankhya philosophy or any philosophy which is especially meant for liberation
- Without such knowledge, detachment and custom (of Sankhya philosophy), the so-called human civilization is no more than an animal society of eat, drink, be merry and enjoy