AT THE FEET OF THE MOTHER
Ask Alok da

There is Sankhya Yoga (Buddhi Yoga – as described in the Second Chapter of the Bhagvad Gita) and there is Sankhya Darshan described by Kapil Mahamuni. Could you please explain the difference between the two. 🙏🏻🪷

The Gita is a synthesis of Sankhya, Yoga (synonymous with Karma Yoga) and Vedanta (the Gyaan aspect). To these, it adds a powerful and uplifting element of Bhakti and surrender, which are not found in Sankhya or Vedanta. It is an integral path. Also, the Gita speaks of the double nature, the higher Divine Nature (Paraprakriti), while the Sakhya speaks only of Prakriti as it operates here. There is only one Purusha in the Sankhya who is primarily a Sakshi or else involved in Nature and thereby bound. The Gita speaks of three Purushas, the Uttam Purusha, beyond these two. Sankhya is in its philosophy is quite an atheistic and mechanical in the determinism. The Gita is Theistic and looks to a state beyond the three gunas that are deterministic. The only elements of Sankhya taken by the Gita is the role of the discerning intellect, Buddhi, the Witness state, the three gunas, the Self above nature and the multiplicity of souls. But there is so much more that the Gita brings in as its own unique revelation, as well as synthetic elements that make it a much more complete system than any other before that.

Affectionately,

Alok Da

Follow-up question:

Sri Aurobindo has talked about Sankhya(of Kapil Mahamuni) in his Essays on the Gita. Am I right, Alok Da?

Yes, but with reference to the Gita. He has also spoken about it in the Synthesis of Yoga, Letters on Yoga, volumes 1 and 2, and Karmayogin. 

Affectionately,

Alok Da

Share this…

Related Posts

I know I have asked this before but the answer from you intimated me. I want to do the actual practices of Integral Yoga every day on a day-to-day basis. How to aspire? Reading the works that you directed me to seems to demand a lot of time before I can actually get on the ground for practice. 🔥🕉️🌸🙏🏻 […]

Aspiration is something that rises from the heart. It can take the form of seeking for the Divine, a longing that grows and turns it into a single aim, a cry that takes the form of a wordless prayer. It is a fire that burns in the heart, gradually spreading from there to the…

Read More >

Currently completing a research master’s in quantum photonics, having built strong experimental expertise in a demanding, fast-paced lab environment. Facing a choice between continuing into a familiar, faster PhD program or joining a world-renowned research group abroad.🎓🔬🌸🙏🏻 […]

The place where you study plays a relatively smaller role. What matters ultimately the sincerity of the student. Generally however shifting and switching universities based on some inconveniences is not a very helpful thing unless there is a marked difference and …

Read More >