Great Indian Religion

Author(s): G T Bettany
Publisher: Ward Lock Bowden and Co

Page 45

THE SANKHYA PHILOSOPHY.
33 that the great aim of philosophy is to produce indifference in thought, feeling and action, and to enable the individual to return to the condition of simple soul.
The terseness of these Sutra philosophies may be illustrated from the Nyaya of Gautama (a philosopher distinct from the great Buddha). Deliverance from the How to misery of repeated births is to be thus at-attain emantained: "Misery, birth, activity, fault, false cipation. notions; on the removal of these in turn (beginning with the last), there is the removal also of that which precedes it; then ensues final emancipation.” (M.W.) A Hindu comment on this is as follows: “From false notions proceed partiality and prejudice; thence come the faults of detraction, envy, delusion, intoxication, pride, avarice. Acting with a body, a person commits injury, theft, and unlawful sensualities—becomes false, harsh, and slanderous. This vicious activity produces demerit. But to do acts of charity, benevolence, and service with the body; to be truthful, useful, agreeable in speech, or given to repetition of the Veda ; to be kind, disinterested, and reverential-- these produce merit. Hence merit and demerit are fostered by activity. This activity Banefulness is the cause of vile as well as honourable births. of activity. Attendant on birth is pain. That comprises the feeling of distress, trouble, disease and sorrow. Emancipation is the cessation of all these. What intelligent person will not desire emancipation from all pain?”
This system, with its supplement, the Vaiseshika, teaches the eternity of material atoms, and also of the supreme Soul and of individual souls. The The Sankhya Sankhya philosophy is still more positive on philosophy. these points, and says: “There cannot be the production of something out of nothing; that which is not cannot be developed into that which is." It recognises that there is a being or essence which evolves or produces everything else, together with Souls which neither produce nor are produced, but become united with the world-evolver in varied degrees. The development of these ideas in later Hindu theology and philosophy will be referred to hereafter.