ABSTRACT
Hariharananda Aranya and the Kapil Math tradition refer to their teachings as Samkhyayoga, Samkhya, and Yoga. The terms "Samkhya" and "yoga" are ancient Sanskrit words. The Sanskrit word Samkhya relates to numbers and enumeration but its technical meaning also refers to "reasoning," "reasoning method," and "the method of salvific knowledge". The terms Samkhya and yoga were found in ancient Indian texts long before they became names of the systems. The Samkhya system of religious thought is a Sanskrit textual tradition, which has the Samkhyakarika of isvarakrsna as its authoritative foundational text and a tradition of commentaries on that text. The Samkhya system of religious thought is based on a fundamental dualism between matter and contentless consciousness. The Yoga system is mostly in agreement with the dualist teaching of Samkhya, but provides a meditation vocabulary that describes methods for purifying the mind so that it becomes more and more sattvika, which ultimately leads to vivekakhyati, discernment between purusa and prakrti.
