ABSTRACT
Time is commonly depicted in Indian mythology as the great producer and the great destroyer. It devours everything that it has previously emitted. This analogy is very apt when it comes to the historical investigation of pre-modern India, and with regard to philosophical traditions such as SaÅkhya and Yoga, time has certainly eaten up the source materials that would be required to arrive at anything even remotely resembling a clear picture of their historical development. Yet, despite the paucity of information, there is no option of ignoring the historical dimension completely, for an appreciation of the meaning of any tradition of Indian philosophy demands at least some attempt to view it within its broader context. The present chapter constitutes such an attempt.
