Introducing Non-Dual Sāṃkhya

What Is Sāṃkhya?

Sāṃkhya and Philosohpy

Sāṃkhya is an ancient Indian philosophy (darśana).  Specifically, it’s one of six orthodox philosophies (āstika) which accept the authority of the Vedas. ¹  They’re the oldest foundational texts of Hinduism, consisting of the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sāma Veda, and Atharva Veda.  In addition to Sāṃkhya, the other five orthodox philosophies are Nyāya, Pūrva Mīmāṃsā, Uttara Mīmāṃsā (Vedānta), Vaiśeṣika, and Yoga.  Being the oldest of the six, Sāṃkhya greatly influenced the others. ²  It was originally expounded by the Sage Kapila, sometimes considered the father of Indian philosophy. 

Sāṃkhya and Science

In ancient times, there was no division between philosophy and science; the sages (ṛṣis) were the scientists of their day.  But they didn’t use microscopes or telescopes like we do today.  Nor did they separate the subjective from the objective.  Nevertheless, they adhered to a scientific method of experiment, deduction, and corroboration (pratyakṣa, anumāna, and śabda). ³  Thus, Kapila discovered a set of twenty-five principles (tattvas) that describe the fundamental properties of the universe.  Unlike modern materialistic science, they include both physical and metaphysical principles.

Sāṃkhya and Yoga

Yoga subsequently adopted these principles, making Sāṃkhya the theoretical basis of Yoga. ⁴  Conversely, Yoga is the practical application of Sāṃkhya.  So, they’re really two sides of the same coin.  Therefore, Yoga is more than a collection of stretching, breathing, and meditation techniques as it is often presented.  It has a rich philosophical side to it as well.  This is important because its practice (sādhana) is based on the philosophical goal (sādhya) of Sāṃkhya, liberation (kaivalya).

Sāṃkhya and Non-Duality

A philosophy is considered “dual” or “non-dual” (dvaita or advaita) depending on how many absolute realities (pāramārthika satyas) it posits.  For instance, Advaita Vedānta states that the unqualified source (nirguṇa brahman) is the absolute reality.  Likewise, Kasmir Shaivism states that Śiva is the absolute reality.  Therefore, they’re non-dual.  In contrast, Sāṃkhya states that spirit and nature (puruṣa and prakṛti) are both absolute realities.  Therefore, it’s dual.  However, Sāṃkhya was recently recompiled into a non-dual version.  To understand it, we must first review its predecessor.

Dual Sāṃkhya

Sāṃkhya Kārikā

Sāṃkhya was originally recorded in the Science of Sixty Topics (Ṣaṣṭitantra), which is no longer extant. ¹  But thankfully, it’s survived by the Sāṃkhya Kārikā ⁵ of Īśvarakṛṣṇa.  It’s considered an atheistic work because it doesn’t include God (īśvara) ⁶.  Its seventy-two verses define “Dual Sāṃkhya” (Dvaita Sāṃkhya).

Spirit and Nature

Dvaita Sāṃkhya presents a dualistic view where spirit and nature (puruṣa and prakṛti) are two ultimate yet separate realities. ⁷  They don’t share a common origin (mūla), nor do they ever resolve into each other.  Spirit is the conscious (cetana) witness.  Its consciousness illuminates nature but performs no action.  On the other hand, nature is the subconscious (jaḍa) actor.  It has no innate consciousness but merely reflects that of spirit.

One Primary Evolvent

In this context, “evolution” refers to the manifestation of a complex existence from a simpler, unmanifest existence.  An evolvent is a cause of evolution; an evolute is an effect of evolution.  In Dvaita Sāṃkhya, spirit isn’t an evolvent.  Instead, all evolution occurs through the three qualities (triguṇa) ⁷ of nature.  They are purity, passion, and darkness (sattva, rajas, and tamas).  They’re the basic building blocks of all manifestation.  Though, nature and its qualities are counted as one.

Twenty-Three Evolutes

The union (saṃyoga) of spirit and nature produces the creation (sarga) ⁸.  Consequently, twenty-three principles (tattvas) evolve from nature. ⁹  From it, intellect (buddhi) is the primary evolution.  From it, ego (ahaṃkāra) is the secondary evolution.  From it, the group of sixteen (ṣoḍaśaka), including mind (manas), the ten senses (indriyas), and the five subtle elements (tanmātras) are the tertiary evolution.  And from the subtle elements, the five gross elements (mahābhūtas) are the quaternary evolution.  Like nature itself, these twenty-three evolutes are subconscious.

Non-Dual Sāṃkhya

Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras

Like the Sāṃkhya Kārikā ⁹, the Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras of Sam K. Vyās ¹⁰ contain seventy-two aphorisms (sūtras).  They define “Non-Dual Sāṃkhya” (Advaita Sāṃkhya).  Advaita Sāṃkhya inherits and builds upon the tradition of Dvaita Sāṃkhya using compatible insights from modern science and other ancient philosophies.  It doesn’t blindly assert non-duality, though.  Instead, it shows how all the pieces fit together into one whole.  Like the Yoga philosophy, it includes God (īśvara), which is translated as the “oversoul.”

The Unqualified Source

Advaita Sāṃkhya states that the unqualified source (nirguṇa brahman) is the absolute reality (pāramārthika satya). ¹¹  It has no qualities (guṇas) yet it’s the origin (mūla) of all qualities.  Therefore, it’s beyond description.  The universe (jagat) is merely the vibration (spanda) of the unqualified source. ¹²  But it’s not an evolvent, at least not directly.  To accomplish this, it requires three qualities.

Three Primary Evolvents

In addition to “quality,” the term “guṇa” also means “string.”  Hence, the qualities can be considered vibrating strings.  Three such strings (triguṇa) ¹³ preexist inside the origin.  They are spirit, the oversoul, and nature (puruṣa, īśvara, and prakṛti).  The oversoul is the union (saṃyoga) of spirit and nature. ¹⁴  Thus, spirit and nature are like the positive and negative poles of a magnet, and the oversoul is like the magnetic field.  Consequently, all three together are evolvents.

Seven Evolutes

From these three evolve existence, bliss, consciousness, the soul, mind, emotion, and physics (sat, ānanda, cit, jīva, sattva, rajas, and tamas). ¹⁵  This is the primary evolution.  Next, each of the seven strings (saptaguṇa) are evolvents of a tenfold principle (daśatattva). ¹⁶  They include the classical intellect (buddhi or vijñāna) ¹⁷, ego (ahaṃkāra) ¹⁷, mind (manas) ¹⁸, senses (indriyas) ¹⁹, subtle elements (tanmātras) ²⁰, and gross elements (mahābhūtas) ²¹.  This is the secondary evolution.

The Future of Sāṃkhya

Dead End

Though Dvaita Sāṃkhya merits serious study and respect, it has remained stagnant for many centuries now.  The premise being that none can question the authority of its founder, Kapila.  But this dogmatic authority has come at the cost of future progress.  Consequently, it was eclipsed by modern materialistic science.  This is unfortunate because it lacks a spiritual component.  Everything metaphysical is dismissed as pseudo-science or treated as an emergent property of physics.

Moving Forward

For a philosophy to endure, it must preserve the past and point the way toward the future.  Modern materialistic science does this well; so does Advaita Sāṃkhya.  Not only does it pay homage to Dvaita Sāṃkhya by retaining all its principles (tattvas) ⁹, but it reorganizes and adds to them.  Furthermore, it reveals the underlying pattern through which they arise and their relationships to each other.  It accomplishes this through string theory.

Theory of Everything

To explain, the “qualities” (guṇas) of Dvaita Sāṃkhya are fundamentally the same as the “vibrating strings” of modern string theory.  In other words, Kapila expounded part of an ancient string theory (guṇavāda).  He simply lacked the technical terms to properly convey it.  Having made this connection from the beginning, Advaita Sāṃkhya emphasizes the correspondences between ancient and modern string theory.  They include concepts such as strings, dimensions, recursion, symmetry, and resonance.  Except Advaita Sāṃkhya goes beyond physics to include metaphysics as well.  Thus, it points the way toward a true “theory of everything.” ²²

References

1. Flood, G. D. (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. p. 231. New York: Cambridge University Press.
2. Flood, G. D. (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. p. 232. New York: Cambridge University Press.
3. Īśvarakṛṣṇa. Sāṃkhya Kārikā 4.
4. Flood, G. D. (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. p. 235. New York: Cambridge University Press.
5. Bawra, B. V. et al. (2012). Samkhya Karika With Gaudapadacarya Bhasya. p. 97. USA: Brahmrishi Yoga Publications.
6. Īśvarakṛṣṇa. Sāṃkhya Kārikā.
7. Flood, G. D. (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. p. 234. New York: Cambridge University Press.
8. Īśvarakṛṣṇa. Sāṃkhya Kārikā 21.
9. Īśvarakṛṣṇa. Sāṃkhya Kārikā 22.
10. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras.
11. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 4.19.
12. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 7.1.
13. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 4.10.
14. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 4.7.
15. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 4.13.
16. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 5.1.
17. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 5.7.
18. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 5.8.
19. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 5.12.
20. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 5.13.
21. Vyās, S. K. Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras 5.14.
22. Greene, B. R. (1999). The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. pp. 15-17. New York: Vintage Books.