A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c17.66

v1.c17.66

The main features of the Sāṃkhya ¹⁶² doctrines in the Carakasamhitā, which differ from those found in Īśvarakṛṣṇa’s Sāṃkhyakārikā, ¹⁶³ are: the tattvas are twenty-four in number and consist of the ten senses, ¹⁶⁴ manas, the objects of the five senses of perception, and the eightfold prakṛti (prakṛti in the restricted sense, mahat, ahaṃkāra, and the five mahābhūtas); ¹⁶⁵ the puruṣa is identified with the avyakta (unmanifested) part of prakṛti; ¹⁶⁶ the vikāras (evolutionary products) of prakṛti are collectively called kṣetra, while the avyakta part of prakṛti is regarded as the kṣetrajña (knower of the field); ¹⁶⁷ the conglomeration of this avyakta with its later products generates the living beings; ¹⁶⁸ the tanmātras are not explicitly mentioned; ¹⁶⁸ rajas and tamas represent bad states of the mind, sattva represents good ones; the ultimate state of emancipation is either absolute annihilation or characterless absolute existence and is spoken of as the Brahman state; the senses are bhautika, i.e., formed of matter. ¹⁶⁹