An exploration into Sankhya Philosophy

Sankhya philosophy, founded by Rishi Kapila, is the oldest system known in the history of Indian philosophy. Its basic principles serve as foundations for all other Indian philosophical systems in one way or another, and therefore, understanding of its basic principles is required to access the subtleties of all other philosophical systems, including Yoga.

Throughout his teachings, Swami Veda Bharati emphasised that it is not possible to understand Patañjali’s Yoga Sutra unless one has a clear knowledge of the basic principles of the Sankhya Philosophy. In the philosophical traditions of India, Sankhya and Yoga form a philosophical pair, Sankhya being the darśana śāstra (Philosophical framework) and Yoga the prayoga śāstra (its practical application).

This week-long seminar with Pandit Priyadarshan (Pierre Lefebvre) will help the students to establish a good functional knowledge of the important categories and principles of classical Sankhya. The study will be focused around the original text of Sankhya philosophy, the Tattva Samasa Sutra, written by Rishi Kapila himself.

We will also explore how the application of the principles and categories of Sankhya philosophy find their way and translate in the Yoga Sutra of Patañjali, as well as in other systems of traditional Indian knowledge.