Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s7.t10.4

v1.c7.s7.t10.4

According to relevant Sanskrit records and Buddhist scriptures, the school was founded by Sage Kapila, a legendary figure whose existence was widely debated. Some scholars who believe in his existence speculate that he lived around 4^th century BCE. However, the school was determined to originate earlier than that. Some *Samkhya* theories were believed to have come from the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, which contains explicit references to the theories of early-day Samkhya school. Some *Samkhya* ideas can be traced back to the Vedic period. The Sanskrit epic, the “*Mahabharata*” (especially the “*Bhagavad Gītā*”), contains rich details of the school. In addition, “*The Caraka Saṃhitā*”, a huge treatise on ancient Indian medicine, also mentioned early Samkhya thoughts in its various chapters.