History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c14.s1.10

c14.s1.10

According to Samkhya the universe, as it is manifested to us, is evolved out of an unmanifested cosmic nature termed *prakriti* or *avyakta*, the ultimate ground. The latter is defined as an infinite, eternal, ubiquitous, indestructible, indifferentiated, indeterminate continuum. This was believed to be made up of infinitesimal *reals* or *gunas*, representing substantive entities. These entities are classified under three heads distinguished as *sattva*, the essence or intelligence-stuff, *rajas*, the energy-stuff, and *tamas*, the inertia or matter-stuff. These three *gunas* exist together in equilibrium or uniform diffusion in the infinite continuum, *prakriti*. It is indeed intriguing to note here that Samkhya attributes the character of both quantum (*parichchhin-natva*) and continuity or extension (*pariman*) to the energy-stuff as well as to the matter-stuff. It bears resemblance to our modern conception of energy and matter. In the beginning the cosmic nature or *prakriti*, the continuum, was in a state of perfect equipoise with all its *gunas* or stuffs in equilibrium or uniform diffusion. This represented the process of cosmic evolution under arrest. The process of evolution was then initiated by a disturbance of this equilibrium through the transcendental or magnetic influence exerted on the slumbering *prakriti* by *purusha*, the Absolute, often designated as the Soul, the *atman*, or the transcendental self *Purusha* or *atman* is incapable of modification or affectation of any kind either as subject or object. The disturbance of the original equilibrium in the *prakriti* led to an unequal aggregation or collection of *gunas*, which represented a creative transformation accompanied by evolution of motion (*parispanda*) This evolution has been defined in Samkhya as the process of differentiation in the integrated whole. This proceeds in accordance with a definite law which it cannot violate or overstep. Cosmic evolution is considered in Samkhya as a two-fold process, creative as well as destructive, dissimilative as well as assimilative, katabolic as well as anabolic. As by unequal aggregation of *gunas* the creation of organic and inorganic matter results, so there is a constant tendency on the part of the unstable equilibrium, produced by unequal aggregation, to revert to the original stable equilibrium of *prakriti* with the uniform equal diffusion of the *gunas*. This suggests a dissipation of the energy and the mass-stuff.