Chapter VI: Section THE FIFTH: Concerning Those Who Profess the Sánk’hyá161

DOCTRINES.――They say that there are two things in the existence, or that the existence is divided into two parts: the one is truth, which they interpret by _purusha_;[162] the other is illusion, named by them _Prakrit_.[163] _Prakrit_ is the cause of the world, and purusha, being from want of knowledge and confusion of the intellect mixed with Prakrit, is in the world encircled, and penetrated by this incongruity. Five imperfections are held to adhere to the purusha, which they call _pancha kalusháni_,[164] “the five failings, or sins.” These are: 1. _avidya_;[165] 2. _ishmatá_;[166] 3. _rága_;[167] 4. _dvésha_;[168] 5. _avivèchaná_.[169] _Avidya_ signifies with them that they believe the body and the senses to be the soul; _avidya_ knows of no beginning nor origin; _ishmata_ means personality, individuality, and selfishness; _rága_ is the propensity to what is agreeable; _dvésha_, “hatred,” consists in adhering to one’s own opinion, and condemning that of others as vicious; _avivèchaná_ relates to acting or not acting with passion. The five failings just enumerated keep _Purusha_, “the embodied soul,” in distress: but when the mind becomes pure, these five pains are banished. After the purification of the heart, all the qualities which are bad and wicked acquire purity, and the qualities, called by them _vrittaya_,[170] are of four different kinds: the first, _mitrata_;[171] the second, _karuna_;[172] the third, _mada_;[173] the fourth _upèkshá_.[174] _Mitrata_ is friendship for the well doers, and benevolence for the men of probity; _karuna_ means to be anxious for the good of the friendly-minded, and to relieve the oppressed; _mada_ consists in enjoying the quiet happiness of all the creatures of God; _upèksha_ signifies, not to use harsh words against those who do ill. These are called _chatur vrittayá_, or “four qualities,” which keep the heart under subjection, and prevent it from seeing any thing else; and it is from the existence of these four manners that the five pains before mentioned are annihilated, as well as every thing that attracts them, and the fortunate man who is liberated from these five sicknesses, attains the _satya loka_. And thus is interpreted the appearance of the forms of Prakrit and Purusha in the heart; the professor of this condition knows how to separate them from each other, and becomes wise: by this knowledge Prakrit disappears, after which, having found Purusha, or the true knowledge of himself, which is understood of the soul, man becomes satisfied and happy. According to the opinion of this sect, the five elements are deduced from Prakrit.

This is the substance of the belief of the _Sánkhyán_.[175] In Little Guzerat, a district of the Panjab, the author of this work saw Atmáchand, and Máhádéo, who said to belong to the Sánk’hyán. According to their opinion, Prakrit is nature, and God is the manifestation of nature, and all the terrestrial and heavenly bodies exist by him, and they said: “What affords verdure to the heads of thorns, is it not nature?”

[161] A system of philosophy, in which precision of
reckoning is observed in the enumeration of its principles,
is denominated _Sánk’hyá_; a term which has been understood
to signify _numeral_, agreeably to the usual acceptation of
_Sánk’hyá_, “number:” and hence its analogy to the
Pythagorean philosophy has been presumed. But the name may
be taken to imply that its doctrine is founded in the
exercise of judgment; for the word from which it is derived
signifies “reasoning,” or “deliberation;” and that
interpretation of its import is countenanced by a passage of
the _Bhárata_, where it is said of this sect of
philosophers: “They exercise judgment (_Sánk’hyá_), and
discuss nature and other twenty-four principles, and
therefore are called _Sánk’hyá_” (_Colebrooke on the
Philosophy of the Hindus_)――(_Transact. of the R. A. Soc. of
Great Br. and Irel._, vol. I. P. I. p. 20).

[162] _Parusha_, pursuant to the Institutes of Manu (l. I.
sl. 11), is taken for the “divine male,” or Brahma himself;
it signifies in general the embodied soul.

[163] प्रकृत्ति _Prakritti_ is a word of the highest import
with the Hindu philosophers. In its precise sense, it means
“that which is primary,” “that which precedes what is made;”
from _pra_, “before,” and _kri_, “to make.” The Prakritti of
the Sánk’hyás is a primary, subtile, universal
substance, undergoing modification through its own energy,
and for a special motive, by which it is manifest as an
individual and formal substance, varied according to the
predominance of qualities which are equipoised and inert in
the parent, and unequal and active in the progeny (see
_Sánk’hyá Kárika_, translated by Colebrooke,
commented by Profess. Wilson, pp. 80-83). The author of The
Dabistán in the above passage attributes to _Prakritti_ the
meaning belonging to _máyá_, “illusion.” The _Sánk’hyás_ do
not commonly confound the signification of these two words,
for they maintain the reality of existing things: but the
_Vedantis_ and the _Pauranikas_ (or followers of the
Puranas) regard creation as a delusion, or as a sport of the
creator, that is, as the _máyá_. Prakritti is translated by
Colebrooke “nature,” sometimes “matter.” Professor Lassen
renders this word by “procreatrix.”

[164] प्ञ्चकलुषानि.

[165] The Persian text has اوديا, _audíjà_.

[166] اسمتا _ismatá_, perhaps इष्मता “desire,” from इष “to
desire.”

[167] राग mental affection in general.

[168] The original has دويش _davish_.

[169] The edit. of Calc. reads ابہویشہ _abhvèsha_. I am
induced to substitute for it _avivèchana_ अविवे चना and must
remark that the original text appears here, in its
denominations and definitions, rather more incorrect than in
other places. According to the well known doctrine of the
Sánk’hyá, the obstructions of the intellect here meant to be
indicated are “error, conceit, passion, hatred, and fear;”
which are severally denominated obscurity, illusion, extreme
illusion, gloom, and utter darkness (_Transact. R. A. S._,
vol. I. p. 33).

[170] वृत्तयः

[171] मित्रत “friendship.”

[172] करुण “tenderness, pity.”

[173] मद “joy, pleasure.”

[174] उपेक्षा “endurance, patience.”

[175] This account of the Sánkhyá philosophy will appear
very incomplete as to the whole, and incorrect in the few
particulars given. I shall enumerate the principal
categories of this philosophy, which are, with little
variation, adopted by all the schools of Hindu philosophy,
and perpetually alluded to.

_Mula-prakritti_ 1
“NATURE,” the root of all, no production.

PRINCIPLES PRODUCTIONS:
_Which are productions and_ _Productions of Ahankára are_:
_productive:_
Produced by nature is: T {The 5 organs of perception:
_Buddhi_, or _Mahat_, h { The ear,
“intellect.” e { ―― skin,
Produced by Buddhi: { ―― eye,
_Ahankára_, “egotism.” 1 { ―― tongue,
1 { ―― nose.
{The 5 organs of action:
o { The voice,
r { ―― hand,
g { ―― foot,
a { ―― organs of excretion,
n { ―― ―――― ―― generation.
s: {The mind.

The five subtile elements, producing The 5 gross elements:
Sound ―― ―― Ether,
Touch ―― ―― Air,
Form ―― ―― Light, or Fire,
Flavor ―― ―― Water,
Odor ―― ―― Earth.
―――――――――――― ―――――――――――――― ――――――――――――――
7 PRINCIPLES + 16 PRODUCTIONS = 23 CATEGORIES.
_Purusha_, “the soul,” neither
a production nor productive 1
TOTAL 25 _Tatwas_,
That is, physical and metaphysical categories of the
Sánk’hyá philosophy.

(See the work quoted, the _Sánk’hyá Kárika_, translated by
Colebrooke, and commented by Professor Wilson, pp. 16-17,
and elsewhere.)

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