What is this Sankhya Philosophy? : First Attempt to Understand.

Ambient knowledge says that Sankhya Philosophy is one of the Hindu philosophies and is the forerunner of Buddhism and Jainism.

(Methinks that other religions are formed by selecting some parts of Hinduism and rejecting all the other parts! Hinduism is the default religion of a human being.)

Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita is labelled as Sankhya Yoga. The first proponent of Sankhya Philosophy was Kapila, who was the fifth Avatar of Vishnu, gave an exposition of the Sankhya Philosophy. : (Srimad Bhagavatam ; 22 Avatars of Vishnu). Bhishma explained this to Yudhisthira in the Santi Parva of the Mahabharata. (http://www.hinduism.co.za/sankhya.htm#Sankhya Philosophy).

Swami Abhedananda of Ramakrishna Math has explained this to us here. (http://www.hinduism.co.za/sankhya.htm#The Sankhya Philosophy of Kapila). Some Notes below :

The philosophy of Raja Yoga is based upon the Sankhya system of philosophy of Kapila. The Sankhya system is so called because it describes twenty-five categories or principles of the whole universe.

Kapila explained that when the unintelligent inert (jada) i.e. unconscious Prakriti comes in contact with the intelligent conscious Purusha, evolution of the phenomenal universe begins. He said that Prakriti and Purusha are conjoined together like lame and blind (pangu-andhavat) men, and when the insentient Prakriti comes in contact with the sentient Purusha, the universe evolves.

Everything of the universe comes out from Prakriti in the form of a gradual process, and it has already been said that Prakriti is eternal, beginningless, and endless. But it has no self-consciousness. It becomes one of the conditions of self-consciousness, when it comes in contact with the sentient and intelligent Purusha.

Kapila said that Prakriti is the combination of the three qualities, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas, and when these qualities remain in a balancing state, the Prakriti remains in its own form, and there begins no evolution or creation; but as soon as that balance is disturbed (gunakshobha), evolution begins and the subtle and material things begin to manifest.

He said that when the Purusha contacts the Prakriti, the pure consciousness of the Purusha is transformed into Buddhitattva or the state of mind.

There is a beautiful illustration given in the Sankhya philosophy. The eternal Energy (Prakriti) is compared to a dancing girl in a theatre, and the observer is the Purusha. The girl dances as long as the observer is there, but the moment the observer ceases to look at her and understands the dance perfectly, it fails to amuse him.

The Sankhya philosophy tries to show to the world that everything exists in the world, produces some kind of suffering and sorrow.

The ultimate object of this process of evolution is to make the Purusha realize his true nature and glory, and this Purusha is the real spirit and the true nature of every individual. We should know that all these do not exist in Purusha, but exist in Prakriti, and when that is done, the Purusha begins to manifest its true nature and glory, and that is emancipation where all senses cease and all sense objects are transformed.

The Sankhya system does not believe in any God, the Creator. In the Sankhya, it is not necessary to think of a creator, as everything is explained by the process of evolution of one substance.

There are places, where we feel as though we had come to heaven. But all these are included in the different stages of evolution, and so we need not think of any heaven as a place outside the universe.

The Yoga philosophy accepts all these descriptions of the twenty-five categories (chaturvimshati-tattvas) of the Sankhya system, and at the same time it has a conception of God. The fact is this that Kapila rejected the utility and existence of God, but Patanjali, the propagator of the Yoga system, admitted for many reasons the utility and existence of God, the Creator, and he said: “Purusha-vishesah Isvarah” i.e. the Purusha, described by the Sankhya, is known as Isvara, the Creator, in the Yoga system, and for this reason Patanjali’s Yoga system is known as the ‘Sa eshvara-Sankhya’.

The Sankhya Philosophy attains numbers to things.. see below :

1. Sattva has ten properties, Rajas has nine, and that of Tamas has eight properties. OR
2. Buddhi has seven properties, the manas has six, and Space has five. OR
3. Buddhi has four properties and Tamas has three, and the Rajas has two and Sattwa has one. OR

Satvic properties are :

• gladness,
• cheerfulness,
• enthusiasm,
• fame,
• righteousness,
• contentment,
• faith,
• sincerity,
• liberality, and
• lordship.

Rajasic Properties are :

• Belief in the deities,
• (ostentatious) charity,
• enjoyment
• endurance of happiness and sorrow,
• disunion,
• exhibition of manliness,
• lust and wrath,
• intoxication, pride, malice, and
• disposition to revile.
  

Tamasic Properties :

• Unconsciousness,
• stupefaction,
• excess of stupefaction,
• muddiness of the understanding,
• blindness (of results),
• sleep,
• heedlessness, and
• procrastination

== OR

Buddhi : Mahat, consciousness, and the five subtle essences.

Manas : Manas and 5 indriyas.

Space : Space, water, wind, light and earth.

== OR

Buddhi : doubt, ascertainment, pride, and memory

Sattva : Enlightenment

Rajas : Inclination (to act) and sorrow

Tamas : Inability of comprehension, partial comprehension, and totally erroneous comprehension.

==

Five Faults in the Human Body : Desire, Wrath, fear, sleep and breath

Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights for Sourced material vest with the Source.

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Travel : Amarkantak (Part 3) : Karna’s Sun Temple, Pataleshwar, Bhrigu Kamandal and Narmada Kund on Karthika Somavaram

Previous : Travel : Amarkantak (Part 2) : Visiting Narmada’s play ground on Karthika Somavaram

This is the afternoon of the third day of Karthika Masam, SuklaPaksham, Somavasaram when I toured Amarkantak.

Karna’s Sun Temple :

There is a ASI protected site in Amarkantak with many Konarak style buildings in it. The locals will tell you that the Sun temple was built there by “pandava” Karna. The ASI which is not allowed to believe that the son of the Sun (Surya), ever walked the earth, tells us that this temple was built by a later king also called Karnadeva of the Kalchuris (Heyhayas).

I have seen a temple near Machilipatnam in Andhra, where the Pratishtha (first establishing a vigraha for worship) was done by the Karna, the son of Kunti and the king of Anga, but even the priest who told us dismissed it as a “pukkiti puranam” or oral tradition. This is Peddinti Amma, near Kolleru Lake, close to Machilipatnam. Of course for all ancient temples, the prakaras (walls etc) are built later, and when ASI gives dates they usually refer to the prakaras and never to the pratishtha. (Kolleru on Google Maps.)

Pataleshwar Temple :

None of the temples were open at this Amarkantak site save the Pataleshwar temple, where Puja happens till today. Pateleshwar is important because it was the meditation place of Markandeya. Later, Sankaracharya installed a Siva Lingam there and worshipped it. Also this is the place where Ganga herself comes from the ground once a year to wash Siva’s feet!

Since there was no one else at the time I went for a darshan, I sat and chanted some Veda Mantras and Sanskrit Slokas and was totally delighted with the experience of worshipping Siva in the same place where before people of such extra-ordinary genius and devotion had worshipped him, using same sounds which they had originally used. (Yes, Chandrasekhara, Chandrasekhara..! I also wished I had committed more stuff to memory). When Siva is everywhere, why do we give importance to a few places where some exceptional people invoked him before us? I don’t know, but they feel very special!

Bhrigu Kamandal :

Post-Lunch I was taken off on a relatively ‘light trek’ to see Bhrigu Kamandal, locally known as bharagu kamandal (water pot). It was the meditation place of Bhrgu (Bhrigu, Bhrugu) Maharshi.

I saw some relatively ‘wild’ black-faced, grey backed, graceful hanuman langurs who cleared off the track in a hurry when we approached. This was unlike the ‘tame’ ones at Sonmudi who clutched at my leg requesting food! I liked the wild ones better I guess and was surprised that they ran away from people. I heard that in the north-east also, it is animals who are scared of people. In my urbanised environment we are scared of rodents, lizards, insects, monekys, dogs….. and so on.

In Bhrigu Kamandal, I had to stick my arm into a deep cylindrical hole in a boulder to feel some moisture with my finger-tips, which I then applied on the Siva Lingam in front of it. I also clambered up some rocks to look down on the cave where intially Bhrigu, and later Tulsidas and others meditated and composed works of great merit. I was told that the Bhrigu Kamandal was initially very small and that it later kept on growing in size.

I checked on the internet later for water in rocks whether found on the earth or in the moon and found that there are many different kinds of rocks which contain moisture to actual water (see geodes). My sister said that what I probably saw was a fractured rock where a system of cracks could connect it to a ground water table. The guide told me that the water level is never the same. To me it makes sense that the Ganga washing Pataleshwar’s feet as well the water in Bhrigu Kamandal would be some fo rm of fractured rock groundwater system. It also makes sense to me that the Rishis would know about such a thing and select such quiet spots where they got good water as meditation places. The manas (sensory mind) is delighted with the magic and the buddhi (educated mind) is thrilled to understand how the magic works!

Kapildhara :

Dudhdhara Source : http://anuppur.nic.in/Tourist.htm

I was taken then to Kapildhara, were Kapila Maharshi meditated and there was a water-fall.

Though hundreds of people had gotten down millions of steps to enjoy the water., it was starting to rain and I was very exhausted and nothing could persuade me to do more steps and treks to see dudh-dhara waterfall where Durvasa Muni had meditated. I begged off and the deeply disappointed guide, took me off to see Jaleswar/Jwaleshwar.

Jaleshwar and Jain Temple :

It was dark and completely misty en-route Jaleshwar. The driver drove with the eyes in his mind, not those on his face. It was a wonderful darshan, but I cannot recall which rishi was responsible for this prathistha. We went back to Narmada Mandir stopping to see Rishabha Deva Jain temple under construction. For all the strict simplicity of both main sects of Jainism, they have beautiful and grand temples funded by bottomless purses. Any Jain temple is a visual treat and regularly visited by (other) Hindus too.

Narmada Mandir Aarati and Lights.

Source : http://www.uaecbc.com/?p=10

This another never-forgettable experience. In a clean white temple, surrounding the beautiful Narmada Kund are hundreds of Sivalingams established by the likes of Rishis like Durvasa and later saints. In one of them the echoes are so perfect, that if you say Om, the temple reverberates and echoes the Om back at you in a specially enchanting way.

This Narmada Kund is kept very clean and no one can bathe/wash in it etc. Here Narmada is a young maiden and no longer a young girl. The aarati is reminiscent of the aarati to Ganga in Haridwar. And you get your prasadam only if you say Jai Narmade! What a wonderful place to spend time. And the vigraha of Narmada is so attention-holding and senses-binding. Even though the sculpture can never match anything you see in the south, the divine feeling is arresting. You don’t want to go away or talk to anyone or even look at them. It increases your own divine to human ratio.

Divine to human ratio is a number I defined. Everyone is a mix of humanity and divinity. In some divine and sublime places, your own mind gives up much of its human concerns worries etc and turns to and into divinity. I guess the trance that some folks get into is related to this. It is called poonakam in telugu or ‘devi chad gayi’ in hindi (I think). When the divine to human ratio becomes very high, you feel you can confer boons on people and when your human to divine ratio is high you feel you can achieve things.

Jai Narmade!

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Sveta Varaha and Adi Varaha Temples at Mathura – worshipped by Sri Rama

Who is Adi Varaha?

Adi Varaha is that avatar of Vishnu, who killed Hiranyaksha and rescued Bhudevi. The golden-eyed Hiranyaksha was the elder son of Diti and Kasyapa.  Hiranyakasipu who was killed by Narasimha, was the younger son of Diti and Kasyapa. Both of them were called Daityas.

Who were the Daityas?

The Daityas are thus sons of Kashyapa Prajapati and step brothers of the Adityas. Since Aditi and Diti are sisters and daughters of Daksha Prajapati, they are also first cousins besides being step brothers. They are genetically of the same stock. As children of Kasyapa and Diti they are also genetically brahmans. In fact as per the Srimad Bhagavatham, there was only 1 varnam in Krutha Yuga.

Varaha Avatar :

Both Varaha and Narasimha Avataras are considered to be Kruta/Satya Yuga Avatars of Vishnu. The Varaha Avatar is related to a time when the earth was under water. Sri Adi Varaha rescued the earth from the waters and created the Sapta Dwipas and the Sapta Samudras (seven islands and seven oceans).

Varaha Image (Not the Mathura Temple) : Source : http://www.flickr.com/photos/sudhamshu/3338614940/

Hiranyaksha wanted the earth for himself and preferably under the water. So Adi Varaha had to fight and kill him to free the earth. Happy Bhudevi (mother earth) was thrilled to be rescued from the Daitya, and she married Adi Varaha. They had a son called Narakasura, who later ruled in Pragjyotishpura (Assam).

Narakasura : (More Info)

This was the Narakasura who was killed by Sri Krishna and Satyabhama Devi. In honour of this event the Telugu people celebrate Deepavali. (See Also : Halloween, Karthika Pouranami, Yama Deepam, Please note that the word Naraka also means hell, so the killing of Naraka may have some other significance too.)

More Details on Timing : So this is the fourth Kruta Yuga flood that I have written about so far. (Of these, the flood of the Matsya Avatar and Satyavrata Manu is considered to be earlier to this flood. Similarly, The marriage of Sri MahaVishnu with Lakshmi Devi took place at the time of the Kurma Avatar which is considered earlier to the Varaha avatar. This is why Sri Mahalakshmi is considered the elder wife and Bhudevi is considered the second wife of Sri Maha Vishnu. Since any king is called Bhupati or the lord of the earth, every king was supposed to have an amsa of Sri Vishnu. It was said “Na avishnu prthvi pathi”. So kings were considered divine, till approximately the British rule. The nationalist freedom fighters showed Bharata Mata as bound by chains and the British were viewed in the same light as Hiranyaksha Daitya. And therefore to some people like me, Gandhiji is yet another Avatar of Vishnu. See Also : Kurma Avatara is after the Narasimha Avatara : Basis : Matsya Purana)

Sveta Varaha and Adi Varaha Temples at Mathura. (Reference)

After lifting the earth, Lord Varaha rested at Visrama Ghata. (This is the place where Lord Varahadeva rested after killing the demon Hiranyaksa and Lord Krsna rested here after killing Kamsa.). The Beautiful Vigraha of Sweta Varaha is in a house, into which non Hindus are not normally allowed.

Down the same street that this temple is located on, there is the Adi Varaha temple. (This is the most ancient Deity in the whole city of Mathura.) Kapila Muni made this Vigraha of Varaha by his mind. Kapila gave this Vigraha to Indra in Satya-yuga. Indra worshiped this Vigraha in his kingdom. When Ravana took over Indra’s kingdom, Ravana took this Adi Varaha Vigraha to his capital, in Lanka. When Sri Rama killed Ravana,  Ravana’s brother, Vibhisana became the king of Lanka. Vibhisana offered everything to Rama. Rama said he did not want anything, except the Varaha Vigraha that was taken from Amaravati. Rama carried the Adi Varaha Vigraha back to Ayodhya and worshipped it there for 110 years. When Satrughna, Sri Rama’s brother, went to Mathura, to kill some Lavanasura, he brought this Adi Varaha Vigraha with him and it has been here every since.”

Some authorities differentiate the Sveta Varaha of the sveta varaha kalpa (our present kalpa), from the Adi Varaha Avatar of Vishnu. I am looking through the various texts to see what light can be shed on this.

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