This document provides an overview of key topics to be discussed in a class on Sankhya and Vedanta philosophies. It will discuss: 1) The 4 main topics of Sankhya - arguments for Prakriti and Purusha, the evolution process, and contradictions in Sankhya. 2) The 25 "tattvas" or principles of creation in Sankhya that describe the evolution of consciousness and matter. 3) Key concepts in Sankhya such as the distinction between the seer (Purusha) and the seen (Prakriti) and how their union causes suffering.

1. ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY OF
SAMKHYA, YOGA, VEDANTA 23RD NOV 21
Harih om. Welcome to all participants for the MA
Yoga 2020 batch of SYVA. I welcome you to my First
class.
I have received 15 Selected questions from our
Director Sir, to discuss for the M A in Yoga Paper:
‘Sankhya and Vedanta’. Besides, I shall discuss on
Diacritical marks and Sanskrit.

2. •Prepared by Dr P K Acharya,
BHUBANESWAR, INDIA PH No
•+91 9853194572

3. •1. Out of these 15 questions, 10 are from the subject
on Sankhya and the rest 5 are on Vedanta.
•2. Out of these 10 questions, 4 questions are the
basic ones in Sankhya. These are:
• (a) arguments for the existence of Prakriti;
•(b) arguments for the existence of Purusa;
•(c) the creation or evolution part is in the question
No 5, “Bring out the order of creation following the
Samkhya philosopher”, which has been repeated in
the question No 7.

4. • (d) Contradictions in this Philosophy of Purusa and
Prakrti.
•In short, there are only 4 important topics on
Sankhya. These are: arguments for the existence and
the nature of Prakrti and Purusa, the evolution
process, and the contradictions in Sankhya.
We can discuss these 4 topics with two
angles: (A) Understanding and (B) contents.

5. (A) UNDERSTANGINGS IN SANKHYA
• 1. What is the need of this Sankhya: “Science of
Sciences”?
•We as human beings always explore to know the nature,
characteristics, constituent parts, and properties of
everything we find. We study on the structure and
properties of atoms, molecules, cell, bacteria, virus, blood,
sugar, food, plants, light, sound, fire, water, earth and the
whole external world to discover their nature in order to
utilize them in our progress, safety and for our existence.

6. • 2. If the knowledge on external things is so vital,
what about the knowledge of our own inner being,
the self, our own reality? Can we be happy and
successful without knowing the nature of our own
self?
•Is it not foolishness to avoid the knowledge of our
inner being and be restricted on external things
alone? I was unable in the beginning to know why
the Philosophers concern with evolution.
This is the inevitability of Philosophy as the “Science
of Sciences”.

7. • 3. Sankhya is the most ancient, easy and
contributing System for all other Indian
Philosophies. It is called “a common man’s
Philosophy”.
•4. We know the role of digital number in the
progress of material sciences. The discoveries of
decimal number and the concept of zero are
accredited to India.

8. 4. Sankhya is a lay man’s
philosophy. It analyses from a
common man’s angle of
viewing a play, the enjoyer
and the enjoyed, a dancer
and the spectator, bhokta
(Purusa), bhogya (purusa), a
lame (Purusa) and a blind
(prakrti). A figure:

9. • 5. The word, ‘Sankhyaa’ (number) or measurement
is the essence of Sankhya. Sankhya means right
knowledge: sam + a + khya. We use the word ‘khyaa’
like aakhyaa, vyaakhyaa, vikhyaata, etc in the
meaning of knowing. Sam + khya means proper and
right study, but not average learning.
1.Meaning of Sankhya: sam (samyak, vivid) +
a (from all sides) + khya (to know); to
measure or number, proper knowledge like
vyakhya(explain), akhya (to name), vi +
khyata (well known), prakhyata etc.
Without knowledge nothing is gained.

10. 6. As a child begins to
learn the different
parts of its body, viz.,
“this is my eye, ear,
nose”, etc., similarly
the Sankhya is based
upon the number of
these organs.

11. • 7. The 25 Tattvas of Sankhya are very easy and
rudimentary to remember. These 25 tattvas
constitute the concept of evolution in Sankhya.
8. Let us remember them first: (ANATOMY &
PHYSIOLOGY OF SPIRITUALITY AND YOGA).
(B) CONTENTS IN THE SANKHYA
IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT When consciousness joins
with matter at our brain, we find serially the births of
citta, buddhi, ego, mind, 5 sense organs etc. These are
as follows:

12. NEED OF KNOWING THE 25 TATTVAS
•As a Physician absolutely needs the study of the
Anatomy and Physiology, and without this dry
knowledge, he will turn to be a quack, similarly,
without the knowledge of the 25 Tattvas, one will be
bind in Yoga, Vedanta and Indian wisdom.
•Never think that the 5 gross materials viz.,
earth, water, etc mean the physical earth,
water, etc.

13. •These are the technical terms (paribhasika
sabda) called Meta language.
•The terms earth, water, etc do not denote
exactly to physical earth etc.
•These are the technical terms to denote all
those objects which are identified by their
qualities or Gunas.
•For e.g., water means those objects which are
qualified by taste known with tongue. Similarly
all 5 Bhutas.

15. •In order to understand these 25
tattvas, See the explanations of
these 25 tattvas given in the two
tables as follows:

18. •You all learned
Participants will
be able to make
comprehension
more
transparent,
interesting, and
stamped on
memory by using
the modern tech
of Animations

19. NEXT TOPICS: EASY POINTS ON SAMKHYA
• PY 2.17: Drastr-drsyayoh
Samyogah Heya-hetuh.
• 2.18: प्रकाश-क्रिया-स्थितिशशलं
भूशेस्रियात्मक भोगापवगाािं
दृश्यम्।।2.18।।
Drastra: to the seer
Drsyayoh: of the seen
Samyogah: union
Heyah: to be avoided
Hetuh: the cause

20. •The Bond Of The Seer And The Seen Is The Cause
Of The Pain That Is To Be Avoided.
•The cause of that avoidable pain is the union of
the Seer (Purusha) and seen (Prakriti). The seen
is of the nature of the gunas: illumination,
activity, and inertia; and consists of the elements
and sense organs, whose purpose is to provide
both experiences and liberation to the Purusha.
(Pada 2:17-18.)