3.3 Shad Darshana, with Emphasis on Samkhya, Yoga and Vedanta
Key Takeaways
- Samkhya enumerates 25 tattvas: Purusha, Prakriti, Mahat/Buddhi, Ahamkara, Manas, five Jnanendriyas, five Karmendriyas, five Tanmatras and five Mahabhutas.
- Purusha is conscious, inactive, plural and unchanging; Prakriti is unconscious, active, single and constituted of the three Gunas - and neither ever becomes the other.
- Yoga adds a 26th principle, Ishvara, defined at PYS 1.24 as a special Purusha untouched by Klesha, Karma, Vipaka and Ashaya, making it Sa-ishvara Samkhya.
- Nyaya accepts four pramanas (Pratyaksha, Anumana, Upamana, Shabda); Samkhya and Yoga accept three (Pratyaksha, Anumana, Agama/Shabda); Charvaka accepts one.
- Vedanta's three principal sub-schools read the same Brahma Sutra differently: Shankara's Advaita (non-dual), Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dual) and Madhva's Dvaita (dual).
3.3 Shad Darshana, with Emphasis on Samkhya, Yoga and Vedanta
The syllabus wants a general introduction to all six, then depth in three. This section follows that instruction exactly.
The six in brief
| Darshana | One-line position | Number of pramanas accepted | Term for liberation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyaya | Liberation follows from correct knowledge, secured by valid reasoning | 4 — Pratyaksha, Anumana, Upamana, Shabda | Apavarga |
| Vaisheshika | Reality reduces to seven categories and to indivisible atoms (Paramanu) | 2 — Pratyaksha, Anumana | Apavarga |
| Samkhya | Two eternal principles, Purusha and Prakriti; 25 tattvas; liberation by discrimination | 3 — Pratyaksha, Anumana, Shabda (Agama) | Kaivalya |
| Yoga | Samkhya realised through practice; Chitta Vritti Nirodha | 3 — Pratyaksha, Anumana, Agama (PYS 1.7) | Kaivalya |
| Purva Mimamsa | Dharma is known from Vedic injunction; ritual action is efficacious | 6 in the Bhatta school | Moksha (later addition to the system) |
| Vedanta | Brahman alone is real; knowledge of it liberates | 6 in Advaita | Moksha / Mukti |
The pramana counts are a favourite MCQ. The safe anchor: Charvaka 1, Vaisheshika 2, Samkhya-Yoga 3, Nyaya 4, Vedanta/Mimamsa 6.
Samkhya in depth
The two eternal principles
| Purusha | Prakriti | |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Pure consciousness (chit) | Unconscious matter (jada) |
| Activity | Inactive, non-agent (akarta) | Active, the sole agent (karta) |
| Number | Plural — many Purushas | One, universal |
| Change | Changeless, eternal witness (sakshi) | Constantly transforming |
| Constitution | Attributeless (nirguna) | Constituted of the three Gunas |
| Role | Enjoyer / witness (bhokta) | Enjoyed / instrument (bhogya) |
Samkhya's classic analogy is the lame man and the blind man: Purusha sees but cannot move, Prakriti moves but cannot see. Their apparent conjunction (Samyoga) produces the world of experience — and it is only apparent, because neither ever actually becomes the other. This is why Patanjali can call ignorance the mistaking of one for the other (Asmita, PYS 2.6) and liberation the discernment of their difference (Viveka-khyati, PYS 2.26).
The 25 tattvas
| Group | Count | Tattvas |
|---|---|---|
| Pure consciousness | 1 | Purusha |
| Root matter | 1 | Prakriti (Mula-prakriti, Avyakta) |
| Cosmic intellect | 1 | Mahat / Buddhi |
| Ego principle | 1 | Ahamkara |
| Mind | 1 | Manas |
| Organs of knowledge (Jnanendriya) | 5 | Ear, skin, eye, tongue, nose |
| Organs of action (Karmendriya) | 5 | Speech, hands, feet, anus, genitals |
| Subtle elements (Tanmatra) | 5 | Shabda, Sparsha, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha |
| Gross elements (Mahabhuta) | 5 | Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Apas, Prithvi |
| Total | 25 |
The order of evolution
Prakriti evolves only when its Gunas lose equilibrium in the proximity of Purusha:
Prakriti → Mahat (Buddhi) → Ahamkara → and here the line divides three ways according to which Guna dominates:
- Sattvika Ahamkara → Manas + 5 Jnanendriyas + 5 Karmendriyas (11 organs)
- Tamasa Ahamkara → 5 Tanmatras → 5 Mahabhutas
- Rajasa Ahamkara supplies the energy for both lines but produces nothing on its own
Note what this ordering implies and what candidates habitually get backwards: the subtle elements precede the gross ones, and the intellect (Buddhi) is the first evolute, not the last. Mind is downstream of intellect in Samkhya, which is why Buddhi is the charioteer in the Kathopanishad and Manas only the reins.
Satkaryavada
Samkhya holds Satkaryavada: the effect (karya) pre-exists in its material cause (karana) and production is only manifestation, not creation from nothing. Oil is already in the sesame seed; the curd is already in the milk. Vedanta refines this into Vivartavada (apparent transformation); Samkhya's own version is Parinamavada (real transformation). Nyaya-Vaisheshika opposes both with Asatkaryavada — the effect is a genuinely new entity.
Yoga in depth: what it adds to Samkhya
Yoga takes over the 25 tattvas unaltered and adds two things:
- Ishvara — a 26th principle. PYS 1.24 defines Ishvara as purusha-vishesha, a special Purusha untouched by afflictions (Klesha), actions (Karma), their fruits (Vipaka) and their residues (Ashaya). Ishvara is not a creator and not the material cause of the world; Ishvara is the eternally free teacher of the ancients (PYS 1.26) and the object of Ishvara-pranidhana. Hence Sa-ishvara Samkhya — Samkhya with Ishvara.
- A method. Samkhya says liberation follows from discriminative knowledge but says relatively little about how to get it. Yoga supplies the eight limbs, the practices, the obstacles and their remedies.
The two systems agree on the goal: Kaivalya, the isolation of Purusha in its own nature, not a merger with anything.
Vedanta in depth: one Brahma Sutra, three readings
All Vedanta rests on the Prasthanatrayee — Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahma Sutra. The three principal Acharyas differ on the relation between Brahman, Jiva and Jagat:
| School | Acharya | Brahman–Jiva relation | The world (Jagat) | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advaita | Shankara (c. 8th c.) | Identical. Brahma satyam, jagat mithya, jivo brahmaiva naparah | Mithya — neither real nor unreal; the effect of Maya | Realisation of one's identity as Brahman |
| Vishishtadvaita | Ramanuja (11th–12th c.) | Non-dual but qualified. Jivas and matter form the body of Brahman | Real, an actual mode of Brahman | Loving communion with the Lord, without loss of individuality |
| Dvaita | Madhva (13th c.) | Distinct. Five eternal differences | Real and distinct from Brahman | Eternal service in the Lord's presence |
The Advaita method — Shravana, Manana, Nididhyasana, preceded by the Sadhana Chatushtaya — is the technical content of Jnana Yoga, covered in Section 3.5.
Summary of Exam-Key Points
- 25 tattvas; Purusha + Prakriti + Mahat + Ahamkara + Manas + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5.
- Evolution: Prakriti → Mahat → Ahamkara → (Sattvika: 11 organs) / (Tamasa: Tanmatras → Mahabhutas); Rajas supplies energy only.
- Satkaryavada: the effect pre-exists in the cause. Samkhya = Parinamavada; Advaita = Vivartavada; Nyaya-Vaisheshika = Asatkaryavada.
- Yoga = Samkhya + Ishvara (PYS 1.24), the 26th principle; Ishvara is not a creator.
- Pramanas: Charvaka 1, Vaisheshika 2, Samkhya-Yoga 3, Nyaya 4, Vedanta/Mimamsa 6.
- Vedanta: Shankara Advaita, Ramanuja Vishishtadvaita, Madhva Dvaita.
In the Samkhya scheme of evolution, what is the FIRST evolute to emerge from Prakriti?
How many tattvas does classical Samkhya enumerate, and how many does Yoga accept?
Which role does Rajasa Ahamkara play in the Samkhya evolutionary sequence?
Which doctrine holds that the effect pre-exists in its material cause, so that production is manifestation rather than creation from nothing?
Which Vedantic Acharya holds that Jivas and matter constitute the body of Brahman, so that the world is real and individuality survives liberation?