The SÁnkhya-DarŚana.

“But how can we accept the doctrine of illusory emanation [thus held by the grammarians, following the guidance of the púrva and uttara Mímáṃsá schools], when the system of development propounded by the Sáṅkhyas is still alive to oppose it ?” Such is their loud vaunt. Now the Śástra of this school may be concisely said to maintain four several kinds of existences, viz., that which is evolvent ³⁴⁸ only, that which is evolute only, that which is both evolute and evolvent, and that which is neither. (a.) Of these the first is that which is only evolvent, called the root-evolvent or the primary ; it is not itself the evolute of anything else. It evolves, hence it is called the evolvent (prakṛiti) since it denotes in itself the equilibrium of the three qualities, goodness, activity, and darkness. This is expressed [in the Sáṅkhya Káriká], “the root-evolvent is no evolute.” It is called the root-evolvent, as being both root and evolvent; it is the root of all the various effects, as the so-called “great one,” &c., but of it, as the primary, there is no root, as otherwise we should have a regressus ad infinitum. Nor can you reply that such a regressus ad infinitum is no objection, if, like the continued series of seed and shoot, it can be proved by the evidence of our senses, ³⁴⁹ —because here there is no evidence to establish the hypothesis. (b.) The “evolutes and evolvents” are the great one, egoism, and the subtile elements,—thus the Sáṅkhya Káriká (§ 3), “the seven, the great one, &c., are evolute-evolvents.” The seven are the seven principles, called the great one, &c. Among these the great principle, called also the intellect, ³⁵⁰ &c., is itself the evolute of nature and the evolvent of egoism ; in the same manner the principle egoism, called also “self-consciousness” (abhimána), is the evolute of the great one, intellect; but this same principle, as affected by the quality of darkness, is the evolvent of the five rudiments called subtile elements; and, as affected by the quality of goodness, it is the evolvent of the eleven organs, viz., the five organs of perception, the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and skin; the five organs of action, the voice, hands, feet, anus, and generative organ ; and the mind, partaking of the character of both ; nor can you object that in our arrangement the third quality, activity, is idle, as it acts as a cause by producing action in the others. This has been thus declared by Íśvara Kṛishṇa in his Kárikás ³⁵¹ (§ 24–27), “Self-consciousness is egoism. Thence proceeds a twofold creation, the elevenfold set and the five elemental rudiments. From modified ³⁵² egoism originates the class of eleven imbued with goodness ; from egoism as the source of the elements originate the rudimentary elements, and these are affected by darkness; but it is only from egoism as affected by activity that the one and the other rise. The intellectual organs are the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, and the skin ; those of action are the voice, feet, hands, anus, and organ of generation. In this set is mind, which has the character of each; it determines, and it is an organ (like the other ten) from having a common property with them.” ³⁵³ All this has been explained at length by the teacher Váchaspati Miśra in the Sáṅkhyatattva-kaumudí.