View source for Samkhya Pravachana Sutra

{{Short description|Hindu sutra}}
The '''Samkhya Pravachana Sutra''' ({{langx|sa|सांख्यप्रवचन सूत्र {{IAST|Sāṁkhyapravacanasūtra}}}}) is a collection of major [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] texts of the [[Samkhya]] school of Hindu philosophy. It includes the ancient Samkhya Sutra of Kapila, [[Samkhyakarika|Samkhya karika]] of Ishvarakrishna, Samkhya Sutra ''Vritti'' of Aniruddha, the ''Bhasya'' (commentary) of Vijnana Bhikshu, the Vrittisara of Vedantin Mahadeva, Tattva Samasa and commentary of Narendra, and works of Gaudapada, Vachaspati Mishra, and Panchashikha.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/thesamkhyaphilos00sinhuoft#page/n7/mode/2up Samkhya Pravachana Sutra] NL Sinha, The Samkhya Philosophy, page i</ref>

The text provides foundational doctrines of one of the influential schools of Hindu philosophy, such as "nothing can come out of nothing, and nothing can altogether vanish out of existence" in its doctrine of ''Sat-Karya-Siddhanta'',<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/thesamkhyaphilos00sinhuoft#page/n9/mode/2up Samkhya Pravachana Sutra] NL Sinha, The Samkhya Philosophy, page ii</ref> a debate on the two theories for the origin of the world - the creationists (''Abhava Utpatti'') and the evolutionists (''Vivarta'', changing from one state to another),<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/thesamkhyaphilos00sinhuoft#page/n9/mode/2up Samkhya Pravachana Sutra] NL Sinha, The Samkhya Philosophy, page iii</ref> the doctrine of ''Parinama'' (transformation),<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/thesamkhyaphilos00sinhuoft#page/n11/mode/2up Samkhya Pravachana Sutra] NL Sinha, The Samkhya Philosophy, page iv</ref> among others.

Samkhya Pravachana Sutra is also known as '''Samkhya Sutra'''.<ref name=banerji315>SC Banerji (1989), A Companion to Sanskrit Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120800632}}, page 315</ref>

==Contents==
It describes the philosophy of the [[Samkhya]] school. The edition that survives in modern times is dated to the 14th century.<ref name=banerji315/><ref name=radhakrishnan426>Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore (1967), A Source Book in Indian Philosophy, Princeton University Press, {{ISBN|978-0691019581}}, pages 426-452</ref>

The text consists of six chapters. The first three describe core Samkhya doctrines, the fourth chapter describes stories for illustration of the doctrines, the fifth reviews arguments and challenge by rival Indian philosophies particularly Buddhism on one side and Theistic philosophy on the other side, then provides its analysis and answers to those challenges. The last chapter recapitulates its thesis, summarizes its main points and makes conclusions.<ref name=banerji315/><ref>[https://archive.org/stream/thesamkhyaphilos00sinhuoft#page/n23/mode/2up  Samkhya Pravachana Sutra] NL Sinha, The Samkhya Philosophy, Table of contents ('''Note:''' the actual text is missing in this archived version)</ref> Major sections and thesis presented in the text include (not exhaustive):

#Samkhya is a [[Moksha]] Shastra
#Samkhya is the only true Advaita Shastra
#Samkhya is not in conflict with the [[Vedas]]
#The Samkhya plurality of Self (soul) versus the Vedanta unity of Self
#Definition of Supreme Good
#Thesis on Suffering - what it is, and why it happens
#Scripture is inadequate means to enlightenment
#Theory of bondage; Bondage is not natural
#Theory of Naimittika
#[[Purusha]] and [[Prakriti|Prakṛti]]
#Theory and nature of Prakriti
#Theory of conjunction
#Theory of [[Vidyā|Vidya]] and [[Avidya (Hinduism)|Avidya]]
#The problem with Sunyavada, Theory of void and its criticism
#Theory of Aviveka
#Doctrines of [[Yoga (philosophy)|Yoga]] and [[Vedanta]]
#Theory of learning and reasoning, limits of reason
#Theory of spiritual intuition
#Theory of [[Guṇa|Gunas]]
#Twenty five [[tattva]]s
#The enumeration theory of [[Samkhya]] and Garbha, [[Prashna Upanishad|Prasna]] and [[Maitreya Upanishad|Maitreya]] Upanishads
#Theory of [[Tanmatras]]
#[[Ahamkara]] (ego) and its nature
#Roots of Samkhya: [[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad|Brihadaranyaka]] and [[Chandogya Upanishad|Chandogya]] Upanishads
#Theory of prakriti evolution, objection of logicians
#The "root cause is rootless" doctrine
#The chain of causality and the primary causality
#Why Prakriti, not Purusha, is the material cause
#The "world is not unreal" doctrine
#The "why nothing come out of nothing" doctrine
#The "rituals can never become the cause of moksha" doctrine
#The "freedom from [[samsara]] is not the result of [[Karma]]" doctrine
#The "knowledge leads to release, and this is not perishable" doctrine
#Theory of "process of knowing" and three kinds of [[pramana]] (epistemology)
#Theory of existent effects, what is existence and what is non-existence
#The purpose of creation, the cause of successive creation
#The theory of space and time
#The theory of manas (mind), sensory organs, cognition, and human nature
#Sources of knowledge
#The rebirth doctrine
#The [[Jivanmukti]] doctrine (liberation while alive) and the theory of [[Viveka]]
#Fables
#Review of opposite theories and objections, the Samkhya answers

The most important commentary on the text is {{IAST |[[Vijnanabhiksu|Vijñānabhikṣu]]}}’s ''{{IAST |Sāṁkhyapravacanabhāṣya}}'' (16th century). Other important commentaries on this text include Anirruddha's ''{{IAST |Kāpilasāṁkhyapravacanasūtravṛtti}}'' (15th century), {{IAST|Mahādeva}}’s ''{{IAST |Sāṁkhyapravacanasūtravṛttisāra}}'' (c. 1600) and  {{IAST|Nāgeśa}}’s ''{{IAST |Laghusāṁkhyasūtravṛtti}}''.<ref name=radhakrishnan253>Radhakrishnan, S. ''Indian Philosophy'', Vol. II, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2006, {{ISBN|0-19-563820-4}}, pp.253-56</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

{{Indian Philosophy}}

[[Category:Sutras (Hinduism)]]
[[Category:Indian philosophy]]
[[Category:Sanskrit texts]]