Samkhya thoughts in the Mahabharata
by Shini M.V. | 2017 | 51,373 words
This page relates ‘Vasishtha Karala Janaka Samvada’ 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.
Vasiṣṭha Karāla Janaka Saṃvāda
In the Śāntiparva chapter, 302 explains this saṃvāda. From 11th to 49th ślokas cover this. The principles of kṣara and akṣara are also described here.
Vasiṣṭha said that a cycle is made of twelve thousand years and four cycles make a kalpa. Hiraṇyagarbha is the eldest -born Being and is known as the great, Viriñci and the unborn. Besides he has diverse names. He is indestructible. He is the creator of consciousness. The unmanifest creates the manifest and knowledge. The consciousness has wind, light, ether, water and earth with the properties of sound, touch, form taste and scent[1]. There are twenty four topics which give insight into the truth. The twenty fourth is Nature and the twenty fifth is Viṣṇu.[2] The twenty fifth unites with the unmanifest changed into destructible, by means of knowledge becomes indestructible.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
vāyurjyotirathākāśamāpo'tha pṛthivī tathā |
śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca raso gandhastathaiva ca || Mahābhārata XII, 302-25.
[2]:
pañcaviṃśatimo viṣṇurnistattvastattvasaṃjñitaḥ |
tattvasaṃśrayaṇādetat tattvamāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ || Mahābhārata XII, ibid., 38.