Chapter 8 - Sankhya and Yoga - Part 2
Let us see what is the essence of Sankhya Philosophy. Sankhya Philosophy is based on analytical process. Meaning of Sankhya is ‘analysis, the enumeration’ It is the separative and discriminative setting forth of the principles of our being. Ordinary mind is able to perceive only the combinations and the results of combination, whereas Sankhya Philosophy attempts to see it in its distinct and separate elements. Sankhya Philosophy did not seek at all its synthesis. In modern terminology, Sankhya Philosophy is similar to the ‘digital’ thinking process … binary system of computing. It has its own advantages and also its limitations.
The original standpoint of Sankhya Philosophy is in fact dualistic. It is not the same as the very relative dualism of the Vedantic schools called Dwaita. Instead of the Vedantic relative concept of dualism, Sankhya Philosophy advocates a very absolute and trenchant separation of existence into two original principles. Its inter-relation is the cause of the universe. These two principles are Purusha and Prakriti. Purusha is inactive whereas Prakriti is active principle. Purusha is the Soul. This word is not used in the ordinary or popular sense. It is used in the sense of pure conscious Being which is immobile, immutable and self-luminous. On the other hand, Prakriti is Energy and its process. Purusha on its own does nothing. It only reflects the action of Energy – Prakriti and its processes. Even though Prakriti appears to be mechanical in its essence, as it is being reflected in Purusha, it assumes the appearance of consciousness in its activities. In this way, there are created the phenomena of creation, conservation and dissolution. Birth and Life and Death.
Consciousness and Unconsciousness. Sense Knowledge and intellectual knowledge and ignorance. Action and Inaction. Happiness and Suffering. Purusha under the influence of Prakriti attributes all these phenomena of existence to itself. In reality, Purusha is not the source of these phenomena, while Prakriti is.
Prakriti is constituted of three Gunas or essential modes of energy. Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. Sattwa is the seed of intelligence. It conserves the workings of energy. Rajas is the seed of force and action. It creates the workings of energy. Tamas is the seed of inertia and non-intelligence. It is the denial of Sattwa and Rajas. Tamas dissolves what they create and conserve. When these three Gunas – the three powers of the energy of Prakriti are in a state of equilibrium, all is in rest. In this state, there is no movement, action or creation. There is therefore nothing to be reflected in the immutable luminous being of the conscious Soul – the Purusha.
When this equilibrium of the three modes of Nature is disturbed, then the three Gunas fall into a state of inequality in which they strive with and act upon each other. This triggers the whole inextricable ceaseless process of creation, conservation and dissolution. And the phenomena of Cosmos is born! This process continues so long as the Purusha consents to reflect the disturbance. This obscures his eternal nature. He attributes to it the nature of Prakriti. When he withdraws his consent, the Gunas fall into equilibrium and the soul returns to its eternal, unchanging immobility. It is delivered from the phenomena. This process of reflection and of giving or withdrawal of consent seem to be the only powers of Purusha. He is the witness of Nature by virtue of reflection and the giver of the sanction, Sakshi and anumanta of the Gita. However, he is not actively the Ishwara. Even his giving of consent is passive. His withdrawing of consent is only another form of passivity. All action subjective or objective is foreign to the Soul. It has neither an active will nor an active intelligence. It can not therefore be the sole cause of the cosmos. This makes it necessary the affirmation of a second cause. Soul on its own by its nature of conscious knowledge, will and delight is NOT the cause of the Universe. However, Soul and Nature are the dual cause of the Universe. It is the combo of passive Consciousness and an active Energy. This is the way Sankhya Philosophy explains the existence of the Cosmos.
If this be so, then the question arises as to the proper place and importance of this conscious intelligence and conscious will. We perceive them to be the very large part of our being. We commonly and instinctively refer them not to the Prakriti but to the Purusha. Sankhya explains that this intelligence and will are entirely a part of the mechanical energy of Nature. They are NOT the properties of the soul. They are the principle of Buddhi. They are one of the twenty-four Tattwas - the cosmic principles.
Prakriti in the evolution of the world bases herself with her three Gunas. They are the original substance of things which are unmanifest and inconscient. Out of them are successively evolved five elemental conditions bhuta of Energy or Matter. Matter and Force are the same in the Sankhya philosophy. These are called by the names of the five concrete elements of ancient thought. They are ether, air, fire, water and earth – panchmahabhuta – Aakash, vayu, agni, jal, prithvi. Here we should remember that we must not make the mistake of equating these elements with the modern scientific understanding associated with these names. They are in fact the subtle conditions of material energy. They are nowhere to be found in their purity in the gross material world. All objects are created by the combination of these five subtle conditions or elements.
Each of these five elements is in turn the base of one of five subtle properties of Energy or Matter. They are sound, touch, form, taste and smell – dhwani, sparsha, rupa, … , gandha. They constitute the way in which the mind-sense perceives objects. Thus by the combination of these five elements of Matter put forth from the primary energy and also these five sense relations through which Matter is known is evolved the objective aspect of cosmic existence.
There are thirteen other principles which constitute the subjective aspect of the cosmic Energy. These are the three principles of Buddhi or Mahat, Ahankara and Manas. And ten sense functions. The ten sense functions are of two parts – five of knowledge and five of action. Manas – Mind is the original sense which perceives all objects. It reacts upon them. It has at once an inferent and an efferent activity. It receives by perception what the Gita calls the outward touches of things – bahya sparsha. Thus it forms the idea of the world and exercises its reactions of active vitality.
Mind - Manas specializes its most ordinary functions of reception by aid of the five perceptive senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell. They are the inferent aspects. These five perceptive senses have their counterparts in the corresponding five objective phenomena of speech, locomotion, the seizing of things, ejection and generation. They are the efferent aspects.
Buddhi is the discriminating principle. It is at once intelligence and will. It is that power in Nature which discriminates and co-ordinates. Ahankara, the ego-sense is the subjective principle in Buddhi. By Ahankara the Purusha is induced to identify himself with Prakriti and her activities.
Interestingly, these subjective principles are themselves very much mechanical and a part of the inconscient energy. It is the same with the objective operations of Prakriti.
At first thought, it is difficult for us to grasp the idea that the faculty of intelligence and will are in their essence MECHANICAL INCONSCIENT and themselves mechanical – jada. Here, we should remember that the modern Science itself has been driven to the same conclusion. Even in the mechanical action of the atom, there is a power which is nothing else but an inconscient will. In all the works of Nature that pervading will does inconsciently the works of intelligence. What we call mental intelligence is precisely the same thing in its essence. It discriminates and co-ordinates subconsciously in all the activities of the material universe. Modern Science has also demonstrated that conscious Mind itself is only a result and transcript of the mechanical action of the inconscient.
Sankhya explains what the modern Science leaves in obscurity. It explains the process by which the mechanical and inconscient takes on the appearance of consciousness. Sankhya explains that this happens because of the reflection of Prakriti in Purusha. The light of consciousness of the Soul is attributed to the workings of the mechanical energy. The Prurusha while observing Prakriti - Nature as the witness becomes so to say ‘forgetful’ of himself. He is deluded with the idea which actually generated in the Prakriti. - that it is he who thinks, feels, wills, acts, while all the while it is Prakriti with the aide of her three modes of Nature – three Gunas - who is in reality doing the function of thinking, feeling, willing, acting etc. As a first step towards the liberation of the soul from Nature and her works, one must get rid of this delusion.
....... based on Chapter 8 of Essays on the Gita by Sri Aurobindo
