The Sāṅkhyakārikā (Sanskrit: साङ्ख्यकारिका, Sāṅkhyakārikā, sometimes spelled Sāṃkhyakārikā) is the earliest surviving text of the Sāṅkhya (sometimes Sāṃkhya) school of Indian philosophy.Gerald James Larson (1998), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarasidass, , pages 146-153Mircea Eliade, Willard Ropes Trask and David Gordon White (2009), Yoga: Immortality and Freedom, Princeton University Press, , page 367 The text's original composition date is unknown, but its terminus ad quem (completed before) date has been established through its Chinese translation that became available by 569 CE.Gerald James Larson (1998), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarasidass, , page 4 It is attributed to Īśvarakṛṣṇa (fl. 350 CE).
In the text, the author described himself as a successor of the disciples from the great sage Kapila, through Āsuri and Pañcaśikha. His consists of 72 s written in the Ārya metre, with the last verse asserting that the original Samkhya Karika had only 70 verses.Gerald James Larson (2011), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 146-147
Commentaries There are three known commentaries on the Samkhyakarika. The earliest commentary is the Gaudapada-bhashya, written by Gaudapada. The Tattvakaumudi is a commentary written by Vacaspati Misra. The Yuktidipika, whose author is unknown, is also a notable commentary on the Samkhyakarika. Medieval era manuscript editions of the Yuktidipika were discovered and published in the mid 20th-century.Albrecht Wezler and Shujun Motegi (1998), Yuktidipika - The Most Significant Commentary on the Såmkhyakårikå, Critically Edited, Vol. I. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. Gerald James Larson notes two other commentaries on the Samkhyakarika, the Matharavrtti and the Jayamangala (likely before 9th-century).
Translations The was translated into Chinese in the sixth century CE by Paramartha.佛子天空藏經閣T54 No. 2137《金七十論》 In 1832, Christian Lassen translated the text in Latin. H.T. Colebrooke first translated this text into English. Windischmann and Lorinser translated it into German, and Pautier and St. Hilaire translated it into French.
Authorship and chronology Samkhya is an important pillar of Indian philosophical tradition, called shad-darshana, however, of the standard works of Samkhya only three are available at present. These are: Samkhya Sutras attributed to the founder of Samkhya, Kapila; Tattva Samasa, which some authors (Max Muller) consider prior to Samkhya Sutras,The Six Systems of Indian Philosophy; Friedrich Max Müller, p.296, 2013, ASIN: B00F1M1B1Y and Samkhyakarika authored by Ishvara Krishna. Ishvara Krishna follows several earlier teachers of Samkhya and is said to come from Kausika family.Swami, Virupakshananada, (1995), vi He taught before Vasubandhu and is placed following Kapila, Asuri, Panchashikha, Vindhyavasa, Varsaganya, Jaigisavia, Vodhu, Devala and Sanaka.
Gerald Larson notes that the Samkhyakarika was composed sometime in the Gupta Empire period, between 320-540 CE. The translation of Paramartha into Chinese together with a commentary was composed over 557-569 CE, has survived in China, and it constitutes the oldest surviving version of the Samkhyakarika. Several manuscripts, with slightly variant verses are known, but these do not challenge the basic thesis or the overall meaning of the text.
While Samkhya ideas developed in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE through the Gupta period, the analysis of evidence shows, states Larson, that Samkhya is rooted in the speculations of the Vedic era Brahmanas and the oldest Upanishads of Hinduism on the nature of man, and that it is generally agreed that Samkhya's formulation took place at the earliest after the oldest Upanishads had been composed (~800 BCE).Gerald James Larson (2011), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarsidass, , page 42
In terms of comparative textual chronology. Larson states that the final redaction of Yogasutra and the writing of Samkhyakarika were probably contemporaneous.Gerald James Larson (2011), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarsidass, , page 149 The Samkhya literature grew with later developments such as Vacaspati Mishra's Tattvakaumudi.Larson, 1979, p. 253
Structure Number of verses The Samkhyakarika, wrote ancient Hindu scholars Gaudapada and Vacaspati Misra, contains seventy two verses. However, Gaudapada commented on the first sixty nine, leading 19th-century colonial era scholars to suggest that the last three may have been added later. With the discovery of 6th-century manuscripts of translations of the Indian text into Chinese language, it became clear that by the 6th-century, the Samkhyakarika had seventy two verses. The Chinese version includes commentary on the Samkhyakarika, but for unknown reasons, skips or misses the commentary on verse sixty three.
In mid 20th-century, the first manuscript of Yuktidipika was discovered in India, which is a review and commentary on the Karika. Yuktidipika, for unknown reasons, skipped commenting on verses sixty through sixty three, verse sixty five and sixty six, but reviews and analyzes the remaining 66 of 72 verses.
The medieval era Matharavrtti text states that the Karika has seventy three verses. In contrast, verse seventy two of the surviving 6th-century CE Karika declares that its original had just seventy verses, implying that a more ancient version of Samkhyakarika once existed. Scholars have attempted to produce a critical edition, by identifying the most ancient original set of seventy verses, but this effort has not produced a consensus among scholars. In terms of content, importance and meaning, the text is essentially the same regardless of which version of the manuscript is referred to.Mikel Burley (2012), Classical Samkhya and Yoga - An Indian Metaphysics of Experience, Routledge, , page 163
Meter Each verse of the philosophical Samkhyakarika text is composed in a precise mathematical meter, that repeats in a musical rhythm of an Arya meter (also called the Gatha, or song, meter). Every verse is set in two half stanza with the following rule: both halves have exactly repeating total instants and repeating sub-total pattern in the manner of many ancient Sanskrit compositions. The stanza is divided into feet, each feet has four instants, with its short syllable counting as one instant (matra), while the long syllable prosodically counts are two instants.Gerald James Larson (2011), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarsidass, , page 147
Each verse of the Samkhyakarika is presented in four quarters (two quarters making one half). The first quarter has exactly three feet (12 beats), the second quarter four and half feet (18 beats), the third quarter of every verse has three feet (12 beats again), while the fourth quarter has three and a half plus an extra short syllable at its end (15 beats). Thus, metrically, the first half stanza of every verse of this philosophical text has thirty instants, the second has twenty seven.Arthur Basham (Original 1954, Reprint 2014), The Wonder That Was India, Picador, , pages 511-512
Contents Samkhya emerged in the Vedic tradition, states Gerald Larson, and the Samkhyakarika is an important text that was the fruit of those efforts.Gerald James Larson (2011), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 7, 15-21
Goal of the text: verses 1 to 3 The Samkhyakarika opens by stating that the pursuit of happiness is a basic need of all human beings. Yet, one is afflicted by three forms of suffering, a truth that motivates this text to study means of counteracting suffering:S. Radhakrishnan and C.A. Moore (1967), A Source Book in Indian Philosophy, Princeton University Press, , pages 426-427
The three causes of unhappiness (or the problem of suffering, evil in life) are adhyatmika that is caused by self; adhibhautika that is caused by others and external influences; and, adhidaivika that is caused by nature and supernatural agencies.The Samkhya Karika Nandalal Sinha, Bhuvaneswari Ashrama, Editor: BD Basu, pages 1-2 (90 of Sutram) The suffering are two types, of body and of mind. The perceptible means of treatment include physicians, remedies, magic, incantations, expert knowledge of moral and political science, while avoidance through residence in safe places are also perceptible means available. These obvious means, state scholars, are considered by Samkhyakarika, as temporary as they do not provide absolute or final removal of suffering.
Verse 2 asserts that scriptures, too, are visible means available, yet they, too, are ultimately ineffective in relieving sorrow and giving spiritual contentment, because scriptures deal with impurity, decay and inequality.S Radhakrishnan and CA Moore (1967), A Source Book in Indian Philosophy, Princeton University Press, , pages 427-428 with footnotes;Original Sanskrit: दृष्टवदानुश्रविकः स ह्यविशुद्धिक्षयातिशययुक्तः । तद्विपरीतः श्रेयान् व्यक्ताव्यक्तज्ञविज्ञानात् ॥ २ ॥ Source The verse then posits its thesis, states Larson, that "a superior method different from both" exists, and this is the path of knowledge and understanding. More specifically, liberation from suffering comes from discriminative knowledge of Vyakta (evolving, manifest world), Avyakta (unevolving, unmanifest empirical world, Prakrti), and Jna (knower, self, Purusha).
Verse 3 introduces the ontology of the tradition, nothing that that Mulaprakrti (primordial nature) is uncreated, seven tattvas (elements), starting with mahat (intellect), are both created and creative, sixteen tattvasS Radhakrishnan and CA Moore list these 16 as five sense organs, five organs of action, the human mind, and five gross elements are created and evolve (but are not creative), whilst Purusha is neither created nor creative and does not evolve. It simply exists.Gerald James Larson (2011), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 7-8 Thus, altogether, there are twenty five tattvas.
Means of knowledge: verses 4 to 8 Verse 4 introduces the epistemology of Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy, and states that there are three pramana, that is reliable paths to reliable knowledge: perception, inference and the testimony of reliable person.Gerald James Larson (2011), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 9-10, also see Chapter 3 All other paths to knowing anything is derived from these three, states the Samkhyakarika. It then adds that these three paths can enable one to know twenty five Tattvas that exist.S. Radhakrishnan and C.A. Moore (1967), A Source Book in Indian Philosophy, Princeton University Press, , pages 427-429 with footnotes;Original Sanskrit: दृष्टमनुमानमाप्तवचनञ्च सर्वप्रमाणसिद्धत्वात् । त्रिविधं प्रमाणमिष्टं प्रमेयसिद्धिः प्रमाणाद्धि ॥ ४ ॥ Source Verse 5 of Samkhyakarika defines perception as the immediate knowledge one gains by the interaction of sense organ with anything; inference, it defines as the knowledge one gains based on meditation on one's perception; and testimony as that knowledge one gains from the efforts of those one considers as a reliable source; it then succinctly asserts that there are three types of inferences for the epistemic quest of man, without explaining what these three types of inferences are.S. Radhakrishnan and C.A. Moore (1967), A Source Book in Indian Philosophy, Princeton University Press, , pages 428-429 with footnotes;Original Sanskrit: प्रतिविषयाध्यवसायो दृष्टं त्रिविधमनुमानमाख्यातम् । तल्लिङ्गलिङ्गिपूर्वकमाप्तश्रुतिराप्तवचनन्तु ॥ ५ ॥ SourceSamkhya karika by Iswara Krishna, Henry Colebrooke (Translator), Oxford University Press, pages 21-25