Dr.Kapstein,As I have understood Samkhya,This school of our philosophy begins with Prakriti or "Mulprakriti " which is the primordial element from which the Evolution sets off.Then we have Purusha,which may be equated with "Atmana".,..the omnipresent omnipotent Existence..Its the desperate endeavour on the part of
Purusha to disentangle itself from the clutches of Prakriti ,with a view to attaining the Final Emancipation at the transcendental level(Paramarthika).The Samkhya flow chart ,perhaps,goes something as follows:-Prakriti-Purusha-Ahamkar -.Buddhi-Manas-5 Gyanendriyas(5 sense organs),5 Karmendriyas,5 gross elements,and 5 subtle elements.A total of 25 elements constitutes the Samkhya evolutionary flow chart from the initial fundamental concept (Prakriti) at the bottom to the final Transcendence of the Purusha at the Top.It traces our entire journey from the mundane to the supra-mundane.Alakendu Das.
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From: Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: Tue, 28 May 2019 03:50:51 GMT+0530
To: Indology <INDOLOGY@list.indology.info>
Subject: [INDOLOGY] query on Sāṃkhya
_______________________________________________Dear Indological colleagues,
One of the peculiarities of Sāṃkhya thought is its unusual theory of "evolution" (though it might better be termed "emanation") which proceeds from the subtle modifications of the mūlaprakṛti to those that are increasingly coarse, namely the organs of sense and of action, and finally to their physical objects. This seems a very odd evolutionary path when we first encounter it and I am wondering if there has been any work that seeks to explain just why Sāṃkhya adopted what to us may seem a remarkably counter-intuitive framework. I do have my own theory about this, but I would not want to publish it if someone else has already come up with a similar idea. I would therefore be grateful for any suggestions you may have concerning scholarship that seeks to explain just why it is that Sāṃkhya proceeds from top to bottom, as it were, rather than the other way around.
with thanks in advance for your advice about this,
Matthew
Matthew Kapstein
Directeur d'études,
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes
Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
The University of Chicago
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