Sankhya Karika of Isvara Krsna

By Jani Jaatinen

Sankhya Karika is ancient work of Isvara Krsna dealing with Vedic metaphysics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jani Jaatinen
• Release date: Aug 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215921432

Jani Jaatinen

Since year 2000, Gokulacandra (Jani Jaatinen) started exploring yoga with Janne Kontala, a friend of his as well as lifelong teacher. He has been practicing both Hatha and Ashtanga yoga everyday for over 19 years and he has integrated those spiritual practices as big part of his life.In September 2012, Mahayogi has moved to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia with his wife Jaci, running their own yoga shala - Gokul Yoga. Known for sharing his love and knowledge of yoga in a clear, dynamic and generous manner, he receives invitations and returns regularly to teach and conduct workshops and retreats in Croatia, France, Estonia, India, Australia, Bali, Malaysia, Singapore, China and Indonesia.

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SANKHYA KARIKA

Published by Jani Jaatinen at Smashwords

Copyright 2023 Jani Jaatinen

Verse 1

dukhatrayabhighatat jijnasa drste tadapaghatake sa apartha cet na ekanta-atyantatah-abhavat

Dukhatrayabhighatat— from the suffering by three-fold pain; jijnasa— inquiry; tadapaghatake— into the means to destroy it; drste— visible means; sa— it; apartha - superfluous; cet— if it be said; na— not; ekanta-atyantatah-abhavat— there is the absence of certainty and permanency

From the three-fold suffering stems desire for destroying them. If it is said that this desire is superfluous, since visible means to terminate the pain exist, we answer that it is not so, since the means to terminate pain are uncertain and pain is permanent.

Suffering leads to the desire to be free from it. Suffering exists as long as a subtle body exists, and a subtle body exists as long as a conditioned state of consciousness exists. So suffering is permanent.

What comes to the material pain, there is no certain way to overcome it. All the means to mitigate the pain are imperfect and temporary. Way to rise above the pain is to rise above the upadhis — temporary material designations.

Spirit is free from suffering.

Verse 2

anusravikah drstavat hi sah avisuddhi ksaya atisaya yuktah vyakta avyakta jna vijnanat sreyan

anusravikah— the revealed; drstavat— seen, obvious; hi— because; sah— it is; avisuddhi ksaya atisaya— impurity, decay, excess; yuktah— connected with; tadviparita— opposite; vyakta avyakta jna— manifested, non-manifested, knower; vijnanat— realized knowledge; sreyan— is preferable

Revelation is similar to direct perception since it is connected with impurity, decay and excess. Means contrary to both, stemming from discrimination of the manifest are superior. The unmanifest and the spirit is higher.

External revelation and direct perception may both get corrupted through the time factor, but pure Vijnana, as it appears on the level of the self, is always pure and eternal.

Moreover, when the discriminative understanding appears on the level of the Mahat (universal intellect) it is bound to sattvic, subtle laws of the Prakrti and is thus a reliable source of knowledge - since it is revealing the matter as subordinate to spirit.

Verse 3

mulaprakrtih avikrtih mahadadyah prakrtivikrtayah sapta sodasakah tu vikarah

purusah na prakrtih na vikrtih

mulaprakrtih— the basis of material nature; avikrtih— non-evolute; mahadadyah— mahat etc; prakrtivikrtayah— evolvent and evolutes; sapta— seven; sodasakah— sixteen; tu— are merely; vikarah— instruments; purusah— the self; na— not; prakrtih— matter; na— not; vikrtih— the evolute

The basis of matter is non-evolute. The group of seven (Mahat etc) are evolvents and evolutes. The sixteen are only evolutes. The soul is beyond the matter.

Three gunas are the foundation of the matter. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas exist eternally as the basis of Pradhana.

From Buddhi evolves Ahamkara (ego) and from Ahamkara evolves five Tanmatras and eleven senses. Tanmatras are the cause of five Mahabhutas, gross elements.

Verse 4

drstam anumanam ca aptavacanam sarvapramanasiddhatvat trividham pramanam istam pramanat hi prameyasiddhih

drstam— perception; anumanam— inference; ca— and; aptavacanam— verbal testimony; sarvapramanasiddhatvat— all truths are established; trividham— three fold; pramanam— proof; istam— intended; pramanat hi—