2. The Concept of Mind in the Sāṃkhya Darśana

Kapila, the founder of Sāṃkhya darśana, wrote the Sāṃkhyasūtra, which is the basis of this school. This system takes its name from the word ‘Sāṃkhya’ which is used in the sense of philosophical reflection and not merely a ‘numerical reckoning’. This is based on the interpretation that the Sāṃkhya thinkers maintain that the number of ultimate reality is two-prakṛti and puruṣa. Puruṣa and prakṛti are the ultimate causes of the universe. The philosophical doctrines of Sāṃkhya concepts are found in the Sāṃkhyakārikā of Īśvarakṛṣṇa on the basis of Sāṃkhyasūtra. The system of Sāṃkhya mainly aims at the way to the revelation of the three pains. The knowledge of the ultimate cause of the universe, puruṣa and prakṛti is the fruitful way to this. This is gained by the Satkāryavāda, the backbone of the Sāṃkhya Darśana. We shall mainly depend upon it. Sāṃkhya Daraśna also mentions three guṇās-sattva, rajas and tamas. This system accepts some postulations like the principles of soul, law of karma, transmigration, devotion and salvation. The Sāṃkhya holds that prakṛti is the substratum of the changing phenomena of the world. Puruṣa is always outside the world of change but it wrongly identifies itself with prakṛti and its products.

The Sāṃkhya enumerates twenty five principles and the puruṣa is the chief among them.

-) Puruṣa—Sāṃkhya uses the word puruṣa for Atman in the Upaniṣads. It is distinct from the material world. It is pure and intelligent and free from guṇas.

-) Prakṛti—It is the first cause of material universe. All the effects of the universe are depended upon it. It is also designated by the wordspradhāna and avyaktha. It is not an evolute.

-) Mahat [Buddhi]—It is the ‘great principle’; and it is the first motion that arises after the interaction of puruṣa and prakṛti. “It comprehends within it all the buddhis of individuals and potentially all the matter of which this gross world is formed”.^[1]

-) Ahaṃkāra [Ego]—It is the product of Mahat. It is designated as the state of consciousness of ego. Here the subject-object differentiation in the living beings takes place.

-) Manas [Mind]—It is an evolute from ahaṃkāra under the influence of Sattvaguṇa. It is the internal organ of perception. It perceives the objects and works as the cognitive, affective and conative organ of an individual.

-) Five motor organs [pañcakarmendriyāṇi]—Vākpānipādapāupastā are the five motor organs

-) Five sensory organs [pañcajñānedriyāṇi]—Ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose are the five sensory organs.

-) Five subtle elements [pañcamahābhūtāni]—Ether (akāśa), air (vāyu), fire (thejas), water (apas), and earth (kṣiti) are the five elements.

-) Five gross elements. [pañcatanmātrāṇi]—Sound, touch, colour, taste and smell are the five gross elements.

Another important principle in Sāṃkhya philosophy is Satkāryavāda. It maintains that in a potential condition, the effects are pre-existent of the cause. Effects are a manifestation, development and redistribution of the cause.

The school maintains that the effects and the cause are equally real, the former being a modification [pariṇāma] of the latter. It states:

asadakaraṇādupādānagrahaṇāt sarvasaṃbhavābhāvāt śaktasyaśakyakaraṇāt kāraṇabhāvācca satkāryam || ^[2]

The Nyāya Vaiśeṣika view also holds that the effect is neither a new beginning nor a new creation. The effect is already existent in the cause prior to its manifestation.

The Sāṃkhya System gives a critical, analytical, and scientific description regarding the origin and development of Mind. In the Sāṃkhya philosophy mind is the third internal organ. Sāṃkhya has manifested itself to be the continuity of Mind from the cosmic evolution.

Based on the Sāṃkhya theory eleven sense organs are originated from the Sattvikaahaṃkāra of twenty four tatvas.

sātvikaekādaśakaḥ pravartate vaikṛtādahaṅkārāt |^[3]

They are five organs of knowledge, five organs of action and mind. It is the central organ, fractional in the nature of both knowledge and action. It supervises and governs the functions of both kinds of organs i.e., motor organs and sensory organs. These organs cannot exercise their functions without the guidance of mind. Without the supervision of manas there can be no sense-perception or action.

Among the sensory organs mind is a sensory one, and among the motor organs it is an organ of action also. The Sāṃkhya treats manas, buddhi and ahaṃkāra as three internal organs. Though they have different functions, they are inter-related to one another, and constitute the psychical instruments.

Buddhi is characterized by its judging capacity, ahaṃkāra by its conceit and manas by saṃkalpa and vikalpa:

ubhayātmakamatra manaḥ saṅkalamindriyaṃ ca sādharmyāt | guṇapariṇāmaviśeṣāt nanātvaṃ bāhyabhedāśca || ^[4]

Buddhi, ahaṃkāra and manas are the door-keepers, while the external sense organs are the doors.

Buddhi is the first thing evolved out of the primodial matter, ie; prakṛti; it is different from knowledge or jñāna.

buddhiḥ upalabdhirjñānanityanarthantaram^[5]

Mind carefully considers a substance perceived by a sensory organ and determines or discriminates the specific and the non-specific. It has a common property of sense and motor organs.

It has double characteristics [ubhātmakaṃ].

“The word ‘saṃkalpa’ which is used here to determine the function of manas has a broad connotation. Perception through the sense organs is simple and non-specific. The recognition is broad and general, as for instance when we see a child, a man or a tree. But when, after this, the things are distinguished by properties, by its genus, they are recognized by the understanding, and the object perceived becomes specific. There comes the function of manas. In a way, saṃkalpa is the process of reflection, the consideration of the object of simple perception, so as to form a definite idea, which manas transmits through ahaṃkāra and buddhi to the soul. Sense organs are concerned with pure sensation; and manas turns the sensation into determinate perceptions, and presents further to ego and intellect, and still further to puruṣa”.^[6]

Manas has the functions of assimilation and discrimination. It reflects upon an object intuitively apprehended by an external organ and determines it, as like and unlike this; and thus yields to a determinate perception of it. The five sense organs are concerned with sensation. Sensation is perceived by the mind and then converted to buddhi and ahaṃkāra and still further into puruṣa. Manas have the common property [sādharmya] of sensory and motor organs. It has multi-level activities and diverse external forms due to the particular modifications of the attributes.^[7]

The Sāṃkhya system mainly advocates the ontological dualism of pure spirit, puruṣa and matter, prakṛti. According to Sāṃkhya, human personality is the product of conjunction and interaction of puruṣa and prakṛti. The empirical self or jīvātmā is the composition of puruṣa and prakṛti-the two are interdependent. Pluralism and atheism of the puruṣa attempt to explain the entire physico-psychical and the Spiritual universe by an analysis of the nature of prakṛti and puruṣa, the two fundamental realities and their interaction. According to the Sāṃkhya philosophy, manas is evolved from Ahaṃkāra. It is neither atomic nor all-pervasive in its magnitude. Mind is connected with all the sense organs of the body because it is made up of parts. In Vācaspati Miśra’s commentary on the Sāṃkhyakārika, it is mentioned that manas is an organ which has to perform sensory as well as motor purposes. Perception is also discussed on this system, which it depends upon sense organs and manas and buddhi. Mind is corporate with the sense organs and presents the ideas to buddhi.

Hiriyanna states:

“The image is not transferred to the buddhi which when itself assumes the form of the objects, a suitable stimulus is received from outside. The modification of the evolvent buddhi, viz., vṛtti is a characteristic not only of perception but also of all forms of consciousness and when it is inspired by spirit, experience results. The psychic apparatus as a whole meditates between the puruṣa and the outside world there by securing the former experiences of life or final freedom.”^[8]

The Sāṃkhya system deals with the states of consciousness, states of waking, dreaming, deep sleep and death. In the waking stage the sense organs receive the impressions through mind and ahaṃkāra and buddhi. In dreaming buddhi takes place; and it is not due to the impressions through the senses and through the impressions of previous experiences stored in buddhi. In deep sleep there is a complete withdrawal of impressions.

Perception in Sāṃhkya philosophy depends on manas, buddhi and ahaṃkāra. “The sense organs have a limited function to perform. They have got their limitations in cognizing and perceiving objects. Sāṃkhya holds the theory that the senses go to reach a particular object. The sense of sight travels outward to reach various objects, and then does the perception take place”.^[9]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Dasgupta, A History of Indian Philosophy, P-249

[2]:

Sāṃkyakārika of Īśvarakṛṣṇa, -9

[3]:

Ibid -25

[4]:

Ibid-27

[5]:

Ibid-15

[6]:

Ragunath Safaya,Indian Psychology, P-114

[7]:

Sāṃkyakārikā of Īśvarakṛṣnṇa-23

[8]:

M. Hiriyanna, Outlines of Indian Philosophy, P-285

[9]:

Ragunath Safaya, Indian Psychology, P-115