Systems of Indian Philosophy

Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 58

I
THE SANKHYA PHILOSOPHY
1.
We begin this evening with the Sankhya philosophy. Kapila, the reputed author of this philosophy, was probably a Brahmin, though nothing is known about him. He is the supposed author of two works -the original Sankhya Sutras called and a shorter work called तत्त्वसमास. The Sankhya philosophy together with Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta nominally accepts Veda as its guide. It is the philosophy of , i. e. enumeration or analysis of the Universe. Sir Monier Williams calls it by the name of synthetic enumeration. Sir William Jones calls it the Numeral Philosophy. It has been partly compared with the metaphysics of Pythagoras, partly in its yoga with the system of Zeno. Others compare it with that of Berkeley.
2. It starts with the proposition that the world is full of miseries of three kinds-the three kinds of
miseries: (1) due to one's self, (2) nilia due to the products of elements and (3) effe due to supernatural causes-and that the complete cessation of pain of these three kinds is the complete end and object of man. त्रिविधस्य आध्यात्मिक-आधिभौतिक-आधिदैविकरूपस्य दुःखस्य अत्यन्तनिवृत्तिः अत्यन्तपुरुषार्थ : '. This doctrine of Sankhya is similar to the tenets held by the Buddhists whose main doctrine is that the world is full of miseries. This is also the starting point of Spinoza. In his work 'The Improvement of the Understanding' he says: "After experience had taught me that all the usual surroundings of social life are vain and futile seeing
1. SS 1.1; SK 1
1