8. The arguments which Kapila brings forward
for the existence of soul as a separate entity, distinct from Prakriti,
are these; First, Sanhatprarthatvat that which combined and is
therefore discreditable is finally for the sake of some other which is not
discerptible20. The second argument Trigun.adivipryat
Soul is something else than Prakriti because there is in Soul the
reverse of the three qualities passivity, activity and grossness21.
The third argument is Adhishthanach -Soul is not material because of
its superintendence over Prakriti (and a superintendent is an
intelligent being while Prakriti is unintelligent)22. The
fourth argument is Bhoktribhavat - Soul is not material because of its
being the experiencer23. It is the Prakriti that is
experienced, the experiencer is soul.
What then is the nature of
soul? Kapila answers: Jadprkashayogat parkas Since light does not
pertain to the unintelligent, light is the essence of soul24. The
followers of the Vaisheshika system think that intelligence is only an
attribute of soul; really it is without quality25. It is
essentially intelligent. If soul be unintelligent, it would not be a witness
of its own comfort in profound and dreamless sleep26. He does not
agree with the Vedantists when they say that soul is one only for it is
eternal, omnipresent, changeless, void of blemish; on the contrary, he says
that from the fact [that] when one person is born another dies and a third one
becomes old at the same time [it follows that] there is a multiplicity of
souls27. If soul were one only, when one is born all must be born28.
Both the Vedantists and the Sankhya are followers of the Veda
and in the Veda there are passages like Aikamaivadviteeyan brahm (chhandogyopanishad
6.2.1), naih nanasti kinchan (Vrihadan.ykopnishad 4.4.19) mritio
sa mritiomapnoti ye eh nanaiv pashyati (kathopnishad 2.1.10) ‑ Brahma is
one without a second; there is nothing here diverse; death after death does
he, the deluded man obtain who here sees as if it were a multiplicity. Kapila
gives an ingenious interpretation to these passages. He says that his view of
the multiplicity of souls is not opposed to the above passages of the
Upanisads because those texts refer to the genus of all souls, i.e. to the
fact that all souls are of the same nature29. On the contrary he
says in the Puranas we find passages to the effect that Vamadeva
has been liberated, Shuck has been liberated. If soul were one, since
the liberation of all would take place on the liberation of one the mention of
diverse liberation's would be self‑contradictory30.
9. The soul is not
considered by the Sankhya bound to matter. It is not bound, nor is it
liberated. It is free. It has a delusive semblance of being bound. The nature
of the soul is constant freedom and indifference to pleasure and pain alike31.
10. These are the basic
principals of the Sankhya philosophy. In short, according to its
doctrines Prakriti and Purush are enough in themselves to and
the idea of a creator is looked upon by the Sankhya as a mere redundant
phantom of philosophy32.
11. We may now enter into the
details of this philosophy. In the first place let us ask Kapila what the
motive is for the creation of the universe. He mentions two motives; they
might have appeared satisfactory to him but to me his reply is not rational.
He says that Prakriti created the universe for the emancipation of the
soul which is really though not apparently emancipated or, secondly, for the
removal of itself, i.e. for the sake of removing the actually real pain which
consists of itself, as his commentator explains it33. It the soul
is essentially free and essentially light, there was no necessity for
Prakriti to interfere with the soul's infinite bliss.
That soul is really though not
apparently emancipated means that it is really emancipated but appears to be
not so. Gandhi's interpretation of the phrase seems to be somewhat
far‑fetched, but he is apparently following some commentator. The more natural
interpretation of the phrase should be: "Or we may say that Prakriti
created the universe for the sake of itself , that is, for the sake of the
removal of pain that really belongs to itself."As we have noted, in the
Sankhya philosopher's eyes pain is a phenomenon belongsing to Prakriti
rather than to Purush.
12. Let us examine the other
stages of creation. I told you in the beginning that from Prakriti
sprang the Great Mind. What is this Great Mind? Kapila says: It is intellect
and judgement or ascertainment is its peculiar modification; and Dharma,
gyan, Vairagya, Aeshvarya i.e. merit, knowledge, dispassion and
supernatural power arise out of it when there is in it a superlative degree of
the first if the three qualities, i.e. Satv, purity or passivity. But
demerit, ignorance, non‑dispassion and want of supernatural power arise out of
it when there is in it a preponderance of the other two qualities34.
From the great principal ‑the Greet Mind, we were told, is produced
Ahankara i.e. self‑consciousness. It is what makes the Ego. It is the same
as Antakaran i.e. the internal instrument35. We were also
told that the eleven organs and five subtle elements are produced from
self‑consciousness. But there is this distinction that the eleventh organ, the
mind proceeds from self‑consciousness in which the first quality Satv,
purity or passivity‑ preponderates, while the other ten organs proceed from
self‑consciousness in which the second quality‑activity or
passion‑predominates, and the five subtle elements proceed from
self‑consciousness in which the third quality‑darkness or grossness‑
predominates36. I have already enumerated the eleven organs. The
popular opinion is that the organs are formed of gross elements. But the
Sankhya doctrine is that is not so because the Veda does not
support that view and we know that Kapila could not assume an attitude of
direct opposition to the Vedas37. There was another popular
opinion about this mind‑organ. It was that it is eternal, but Kapila says that
none of the organs is eternal because the Vedas say so and because we
see that they are destroyed.38 Further he says that mind is the
leading organ while the other ten are kinds of powers.39 All these
organs are mere instruments. As a king even without himself taking an active
part becomes a warrior simply by employing an army, so does the soul, although
quiescent, through the different organs, become a seer, a speaker, a judge and
the like, merely by reason of its proximity with these organs40.
There are some special
properties belonging to the Great Intellect, self‑consciousness and the mind.
Attention or thought is the special property of the Intellect, conceit of
personality is the property of self‑consciousness, and decision and doubt of
the mind41, while the five airs‑ known as Pran etc. ‑ are
the common properties of all of them42. The modifications of the
organs are Prman. Vipreya, Vikalp, Nidra, Smriti, evidence,
chimera, sleep and memory. Some of them are painful, and others not painful43.
When these modifications cease to exist the soul comes to a state of
self‑quiet44. The Yoga philosophy has the same doctrine. The
very word Yoga means concentration and is defined as the suppression of
the modifications of the thinking principal45.
13. We will go still deeper into Kapila's
philosophy. We have enumerated in the beginning the 25 principals commencing
with Prakriti and ending with Purusa. Prakriti as
Prakriti in a state of equilibrium is unable to produce anything. It is
only when equilibrium is disturbed that the creation follows. Purush‑the
soul‑itself is neither the producer nor the produced. Whence is the human body
created according to this philosophy? Kapila says that out of the remaining
twenty‑three principals a pair of bodies sthool shreer and
Sooksham shreer gross body and subtle body originates.46
In fact the twenty‑three principals act as the seed. out of which the body is
produced and the fact that the soul becomes conditioned by the 23 principals
is the cause of its going from one body to another in fact the cause of all
mundane existence47, and this mundane existence continues for each
soul so long as it does not discriminate the difference between soul and
Prakriti48. It should be noted how ‑ever that according to
Kapila's theory the soul is not really fettered by matter, it only has a wrong
impression that it is fettered. Really it is quite free. Only it does not
realize this fact so long as it is in mundane existence. We come again to the
pair of bodies‑ the gross body and the subtle body. The gross body usually
though not always arises from father and mother, while the subtle body is a
creation out of the principals49. Pleasure and pain belong to the
subtle
Body, not to the gross body50.
In the beginning of the creation there was but one subtle body which consisted
of the collection of seventeen elements‑eleven organs, five subtle elements
and the Buddhi, i.e. the great intellect the understanding51.
But through the diversity of actions later on the one subtle body became
differentiated into many52. The subtle body does not exist
independently, It has its tabernacle‑ the gross body for residing therein. As
a shadow or a picture does not stand without a support, so the subtle body at
death leaves one gross body and passes into another53. It cannot in
fact exist independently because its essence is Satvprakash pure light
and all luminous ether is seen only as associated with earthy substance.54
The gross body is a composition of the five gross elements.55
14. What aims then are
accomplished by the subtle body transmigrating from one gross body to
another? Kapila says Gyananmukti. From knowledge (acquired through
mundane existence) comes the liberation, i.e. the discrimination between soul
and non‑soul.56 Bondage is also one of the aims of this
transmigration but it arises on account of misconception57. Kapila
altogether discards the theory of the efficacy of works as a means of
salvation. To him only knowledge is the sole means of libertaion.58
Even meditation is not the direct cause of liberation, though it is useful as
secondary cause, for it removes desire, which really hinders knowledge59.
So it is worth practicing, which can be done by stopping all modifications of
the Mind60. This is done by dharna asan and
Svkarm restrain, posture and the fulfillment of duties.61 By
restrain I mean the restrain of breath by means of expulsion and retention
under certain rules.62 By posture is meant the peculiar position in
sitting gives pleasure,63 and by the fulfillment of the duties is
meant by the performance of actions prescribed for one's religious order.64
This meditation can be acquired only through Vairagya and abhyasa
dispassion and constant practice.65 Through meditation knowledge is
acquired. But if misconception interferes, bondage will be the result. What is
this misconception? It is fivefold Avidya Asmat, Rag, Dvaish
and Abhinivaish ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and fear of
dissolution.66 Why should this misconception play its part at all?
Simply because the powers called Tushti and Siddhi are impeded
and hence arises the disability which cause misconception. Much can be said
with reference to these powers of Tushti and Siddhi. But our
time will not permit us to go into any details.67 We shall come to
some of them when we shall talk on the Yoga philosophy.
15. There is however one
point to which, I should draw your attention. I mean the nature of the
Sankhya Mukti the liberation of the soul. His theory is not, as
misunderstood by Western orientalists, the theory of absorption. The soul on
liberation does not merge into the Universal Spirit or into the Absolute, for
in his system there is no such thing as the Supreme Spirit or the Absolute.
Not only does he not propound such a theory as the final object but on the
contrary he refutes it.68 He thinks that by merging into the
primordial original essence, the Prakriti, the souls will have to rise
again and pass through different mundane existence.69 It is only
when the right discrimination of soul and non‑soul takes place that there will
be the final emancipation of the soul.70
