The tradition of Samkhya is one of the oldest and most influential in the intellectual history of India. The fundamental notions of Samkhya namely prakrti, purusa, buddhi, ahamkara, manas and the three gunas provided the conceptual framework in which much of Indian philosophizing occurred, and the classical formulations of Yoga and Vedanta together with many traditions of Buddhist philosophy and meditation developed vis-a-vis the intellectual perspective of the Samkhya. Similarly on a general cultural level the influence of Samkhya was profound and important over many centuries in such areas as law, medicine, ancient science and mathematics, logic, mythology, cosmology and ritual. This study traces the history of the Samkhya not only in the Indian intellectual tradition, but also in the traditions of historical criticism. The book also offers a new interpretation of the philosophical significance of the Samkhya, with special reference to the classical interpretation of the interaction of prakrti and purusa. In this edition author has also included a Chart of the Twenty-five Basic Principles of the Samkhya, a Glossary of Samkhya Terminology, an additional Appendix which surveys recent scholarly work in the area of Samkhya together with a discussion of Samkhya in the Purana-s and a revised Bibliography.

Classical Samkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning

Gerald James Larson

Motilal Banarsidass

Classical Samkhya: An Interpretation of its History and Meaning

the achievement of snaskrit lliterature has been called in question by various Western and indian critics for more than a century now. According to them Brahmanism and royal patronage distorted the literature to the extent that it failed to reflect ordinary human experience or to speak to its needs.

Interpreting Across Boundaries: New Essays in Comparative Philosophy

Eliot Deutsch

The volume traces the intellectual history of Patanjala Yoga philosophy from the early centuries of the Common Era through the twentieth century. It also provides a systematic discussions of the philosophy of classical Yoga. Particular attention is given to the meaning of concentration (Samadhi), engrossment (samapatti) and the extra-ordinary cognitive capacities (vibhutis, siddhis) and the role that these notions play in the Yoga philosophy, which are relevant for issues currently under discussion in contemporary western philosophy of mind. The volume compares and contrasts classical yoga philosophy with classical Samkhya and with Indian Buddhist thought. Although the primary focus of the volume is on Patanjala Yoga, the system of Hatha Yoga and other satellite systems of Yoga are discussed as well, and an attempt is made to differentiate clearly the classical system of Yoga Sastra from Hatha Yoga and the other satellite systems. Some twenty-eight Sanskrit texts of Patanjala. Yoga are summarized or noted in the volume. Twenty-six volumes of Hatha Yoga and the texts of some other satellite systems are also included. Altogether the volume contains summaries and or notations for some seventy-five Sanskrit texts.

Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies Vol. 12: Yoga India's Philosophy of Meditation (v. XII)

Ram Shankar Bhattacharya

Reference

Language: Sanskrit Text With English Translation Pages: 1037

Classical Yoga Philosophy and the Legacy of Samkhya

Motilal Banarsidass Publishers