Classical Samkhya

Rabindranath T. Tagore Professor of Indian Cultures and Civilizations and Director of Indiana University’s India Studies Program, Bloomington, USA, Gerald James Larson. Professor Larson’s specialization is in South Asia philosophy, religion. His books and articles are a collection of his thoughts. His most recent book, India s Agony over Religion (State University of New York Press 1995 and Oxford University Press Delhi 1977), is his last.
Samkhya’s tradition is among the most important and oldest in Indian intellectual history. Samkhya’s fundamental concepts, prakrti and purusa, buddhi and ahamkara were the foundation of Indian philosophizing. The classical formulations of Yoga, Vedanta and many traditions of Buddhist philosophy, meditation, and yoga all developed from the Samkhya’s intellectual perspective. On a cultural level, the influence of Samkhya over many centuries was also profound and significant in areas such as medicine, law, medicine and ancient science, logic, mythology and cosmology, and ritual. This study examines the Indian intellectual tradition and the traditions of historical critic to trace the Samkhya’s history. This book offers a new interpretation on the philosophical significance and uses purusa and prakrti in a classical way. The author also includes a Chart of the Twenty Five Basic Principles of the Samkhya and a Glossary of Samkhya Terminology. An additional Appendix reviews recent scholarly work in the field of Samkhya. There is also a discussion of Samkhya within the Puranas as well as a revised Bibliography.