Sarvadarshanasangraha 14.1-12

14.1

atha sāṃkhyair ākhyāte pariṇāmavāde paripanthini jāgarūke kathaṃkāraṃ vivartavāda ādaraṇīyo bhavet/ eṣa hi teṣām āghoṣaḥ/

Now, while the doctrine of real transformation expounded by the Sāṃkhyas stands vigilant as an opponent, how could the doctrine of illusory appearance be respected? For this is their proclamation:

"But how can we accept the doctrine of illusory emanation [thus held by the grammarians, following the guidance of the pūrva and uttara Mīmāṃsā schools], when the system of development propounded by the Sāṅkhyas is still alive to oppose it?" Such is their loud vaunt. Now the Śāstra of this school may be concisely said to maintain four several kinds of existences, viz., that which is evolvent[1] only, that which is evolute only, that which is both evolute and evolvent, and that which is neither. (a.) Of these the first is that which is only evolvent, called the root-evolvent or the primary; it is not itself the evolute of anything else. It evolves, hence it is called the evolvent (prakṛti) since it denotes in itself the equilibrium of the three qualities, goodness, activity, and darkness. This is expressed [in the Sāṅkhya Kārikā], "the root-evolvent is no evolute." It is called the root-evolvent, as being both root and evolvent; it is the root of all the various effects, as the so-called "great one," &c., but of it, as the primary, there is no root, as otherwise we should have a regressus ad infinitum. Nor can you reply that such a regressus ad infinitum is no objection, if, like the continued series of seed and shoot, it can be proved by the evidence of our senses,[2]—because here there is no evidence to establish the hypothesis. (b.) The "evolutes and evolvents" are the great one, egoism, and the subtile elements,—thus the Sāṅkhya Kārikā (§ 3), "the seven, the great one, &c., are evolute-evolvents." The seven are the seven principles, called the great one, &c. Among these the great principle, called also the intellect,[3] &c., is itself the evolute of nature and the evolvent of egoism; in the same manner the principle egoism, called also "self-consciousness" (abhimāna), is the evolute of the great one, intellect; but this same principle, as affected by the quality of darkness, is the evolvent of the five rudiments called subtile elements; and, as affected by the quality of goodness, it is the evolvent of the eleven organs, viz., the five organs of perception, the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and skin; the five organs of action, the voice, hands, feet, anus, and generative organ; and the mind, partaking of the character of both; nor can you object that in our arrangement the third quality, activity, is idle, as it acts as a cause by producing action in the others. This has been thus declared by Īśvara Kṛṣṇa in his Kārikās[4] (§ 24-27), "Self-consciousness is egoism. Thence proceeds a twofold creation, the elevenfold set and the five elemental rudiments. From modified[5] egoism originates the class of eleven imbued with goodness; from egoism as the source of the elements originate the rudimentary elements, and these are affected by darkness; but it is only from egoism as affected by activity that the one and the other rise. The intellectual organs are the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, and the skin; those of action are the voice, feet, hands, anus, and organ of generation. In this set is mind, which has the character of each; it determines, and it is an organ (like the other ten) from having a common property with them."[6] All this has been explained at length by the teacher Vācaspati Miśra in the Sāṅkhya-tattva-kaumudī.

14.2

saṃkṣepeṇa hi sāṃkhyaśāstre catasro vidhāḥ saṃbhāvyante/ kaścid arthaḥ prakṛtir eva kaścid vikṛtiḥ prakṛtiś ca kaścid vikṛtir eva kaścid anubhaya iti/

In brief, four categories are recognized in the Sāṃkhya system: some entity is primordial matter alone, some is both modification and primordial matter, some is modification alone, and some is neither.

14.3

tatra kevalā prakṛtiḥ pradhānapadena vedanīyā mūlaprakṛtiḥ/ nāsāv anyasya kasyacid vikṛtiḥ/ prakarotīti prakṛtir iti vyutpattyā sattvarajastamoguṇānāṃ sāmyāvasthāyā abhidhānāt/ tad uktaṃ mūlaprakṛtir avikṛtiḥ iti/ mūlaṃ cāsau prakṛtiś ca mūlaprakṛtiḥ/ mahadādeḥ kāryakalāpasyāsau mūlaṃ na tv asya pradhānasya mūlāntaram asti/ anavasthāpātāt/ na ca bījāṅkuravad anavasthādoṣo na bhavatīti vācyam/ pramāṇābhāvād iti bhāvaḥ/

Among these, mere primordial matter, denoted by the term 'pradhāna', is root-nature. It is not the modification of anything else. For according to the etymology 'it brings forth (prakaroti)' it denotes the state of equilibrium of the qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas. Thus it has been said: 'Root-nature is not a modification.' Root-nature is that which is both root and primordial matter. It is the root of the collection of effects beginning with the great [intellect], but this pradhāna has no further root, because that would entail an infinite regress. Nor can it be said that there is no defect of infinite regress here as in the case of the seed and sprout, for there is a lack of means of valid cognition [to support it]—such is the purport.

14.4

vikṛtayaś ca prakṛtayaś ca mahadahaṃkāratanmātrāṇi/ tad apy uktaṃ mahadādyāḥ prakṛtivikṛtayaḥ sapta iti/ asyārthaḥ/ prakṛtayaś ca tā vikṛtayaś ceti prakṛtivikṛtayaḥ sapta mahadādīni tattvāni/ tatrāntaḥkaraṇādipadavedanīyaṃ mahattattvam ahaṃkārasya prakṛtiḥ/ mūlaprakṛtes tu vikṛtiḥ/ evam ahaṃkāratattvam abhimānāparanāmadheyaṃ mahato vikṛtiḥ/ prakṛtiś ca tad evāhaṃkāratattvaṃ tāmasaṃ sat pañcatanmātrāṇāṃ sūkṣmābhidhānam/ tad eva sāttvikaṃ sat prakṛtir ekādaśendriyāṇāṃ buddhīndriyāṇāṃ cakṣuḥśrotraghrāṇarasanātvagākhyānāṃ karmendriyāṇāṃ vākpāṇipādapāyūpasthākhyānām ubhayātmakasya manasaś ca/ rajasas tūbhayatra kriyotpādanadvāreṇa kāraṇatvam astīti na vaiyarthyam/ tad uktam īśvarakṛṣṇena —

And the entities that are both modifications and causes of further evolution are the great [intellect], the ego-sense, and the five subtle elements. Thus it has also been said: 'The seven beginning with the great [intellect] are both primordial matter and modifications.' The meaning of this is: the seven principles beginning with the great [intellect] are causes of evolution and modifications. Among them, the great principle, denoted by terms such as the inner organ, is the cause of the ego-sense, but it is a modification of root-nature. Likewise, the ego-sense principle, also known as self-assertion, is a modification of the great [intellect]. And that very ego-sense principle, when tamasic, is the cause of the five subtle elements, which are called subtle [principles]. That very same principle, when sattvic, is the cause of the eleven faculties—the sensory faculties known as eye, ear, nose, tongue, and skin; the action faculties known as speech, hand, foot, anus, and genitals; and the mind, which is of the nature of both. Rajas, however, has causality in both cases by generating activity, so it is not purposeless. Thus it was said by Īśvarakṛṣṇa:

14.5

abhimāno 'haṃkāras tasmād dvividhaḥ pravartate sargaḥ/

Ego-sense is self-assertion; from it proceeds a two-fold creation:

14.6

ekādaśakaraṇagaṇas tanmātrāpañcakaṃ caiva//

The set of eleven faculties, and also the five subtle elements.

14.7

sāttvika ekādaśakaḥ pravartate vaikṛtād ahaṃkārāt/

The sattvic group of eleven proceeds from the modified ego-sense;

14.8

bhūtādes tanmātraḥ sa tāmasas taijasād ubhayam//

The subtle elements proceed from the elemental ego-sense, which is tamasic; from the passionate ego-sense proceed both.

14.9

buddhīndriyāṇi cakṣuḥśrotraghrāṇarasanatvagākhyāni/

The sensory faculties are known as eye, ear, nose, tongue, and skin;

14.10

vākpāṇipādapāyūpasthāḥ karmendriyāṇy āhuḥ//

They declare speech, hands, feet, anus, and genitals to be the action faculties.

14.11

ubhayātmakam atra manaḥ saṃkalpakam indriyaṃ ca sādharmyāt/ iti/

Among them, the mind is of the nature of both, being deliberative, and is a faculty due to shared characteristics.

14.12

vivṛtaṃ ca tattvakaumudyām ācāryavācaspatibhiḥ/

And this has been explained in the Tattvakaumudī by the master Vācaspati.