The conception of human personality in Advaita Vedanta and Classical Samkhya-a critical study

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The conception of human personality in the advaita
vedanta and classical samkhy - a critical study -
Bhattacharya, Manisha
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2
THE CONCEPTION OF HUMAN PERSONALITY IN
THE ADVAITA VEDANTA AND CLASSICAL SAMKHYA
~
- A CRITICAL STUDY -
BY
MANISHA BHATTACHARYA M.A.
Submitted as a Thesis for the Degree of M.Litt.
UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM
School Of Oriental Studies
1978
(i)
"The copyright of this thesis rests with the
author. No quotation from it should be published
without prior written consent and information
derived from it should be acknowledged."
i) It may be made available at the discretion of
the University Librarian for limited use by
bona fide scholars.
ii) It may be photocopied at the discretion of
the Librarian in cases where it should appear
to him reasonable to allow the work to be
consulted by a bona fide scholar outside Durham
but preferably that a photocopy rather than
the original should be lent.
(ii)
A C K N ·0 W L E D G E M E N T
First, I wish to express my sincere thanks to Dr. K.
~verner
of School of Oriental Studies, University of Durham, for his
help and guidance to carry out the present work. I also
wish to express my thanks to Prof. H.K. Ganguly for his
<kind help and supervision which enables me to rewrite my
thesis in its present form. I also wish to thank Dr. (Mrs.)
Sukumari Bhattacharya of Jadavpore University, Calcutta, and
Pandit Bidhu Bhushan Bhattacharya of Calcutta University who
helped with their most valuable advice and encouragement,
from abroad, whenever I needed it.
I also wish to thank all the staff of the Library of The
School of Oriental Studies, Durham, for their help in every
respect in using the library.
I also wish to tharucmy father, Mr. S.N. Sanyal, for typing
the manuscript and for his ever encouraging help and finally,
I wish to thank my husband, Dr. S. Bhattacharya, for his
utmost help, without which I could never have finished this
work.
(iii)
C 0 N T E N T S
ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii
CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION pp. 1-17
CHAPTER II CONCEPTION OF HUMAN PERSONALITY IN THE
ADVITA VEDANTA PP· 18-95
Section A : and
Preupani~adic Upani~adic
Literature p. 18
I I I I I I I I I
.
.
Section B Gaudapada's Mandukya Karika p. 49
'
Section C Vedanta Sutras of Badarayana p. 56
Section D Advaita Vedanta of
SI amkaracharya p. 61
"
CHAPTER III CONCEPTION OF HUIVIAN PERSONALITY
IN THE SAMKHYA LITERATURE pp. 96-168
Introduction p.96
Section A : and Upanisadic
Pre-Upani~adic
Literature p.lOl
Section B : Caraka-Samhita p.ll4
'
Section C-: Pancasikha:Mahabharata p.l21
Section D Classical Sa~khya p.124
Chapter IV : CONCLUSION : A CRITICAL
APPRECIATION pp.l69-191
R E F E R E N C E S pp.l92-199
B I B L I 0 G R A P H Y pp. 200-205
(iv)
ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS
Indian philosophers from the earliest times have
strived to realize the true nature of man, in the perspective
of his physical existence. A person is a persistent self
conscious being as is evident in his reflections 'I am',
'I exist' and so on, and is opposed to the objective world
which is experienced by him. A person is a subject of reference.
The classic definition of a 'person' is given by BoethiUB:
'person is an individual substance of rational nature. As
individual, it is material, since matter supplies the principle
of individuation. The soul is not person, only the composite
is. Man alone is among the material beings 'person', he alone
having a rational nature. He is the highest of the material
beings endowed with particular dignity and rights'. (The
Dictionary of Philosophy ed. by Dagobert D. Runes. Ph.D. London,
Peter Owen - Vision Press. p. 229).
The present endeavour is a critical study of the conception
of human personality as has been formulated mainly in the
and Advaita-Vedanta systems of Indian
~lassical Sa~khya
Philosophy. Both these systems owe their origin to the Vedic
and literature. In the classical stage Advaita-
Upani~adic
Vedanta and SaTkhya developed into two parallel systems confronting
each other. It is my aim to discuss how far these two systems
agree or disagree regarding the conception of human personality
and how far the respective system has succeeded in giving a
plausible explanation of the empirical existence.
In the Introductory Chapter (Chapter I), I have proposed
the comparative and critical study of the general conception of
human personality in Indian philosophy.
. ( V-)
Second Chapter deals with the conception of human
personality in the Advaita-Vedanta system. As a pre-history
to the emergence of the Advaita concept, the vedic and post-
vedic conception of human personality has been discussed.
This chapter subsequently deals with the developement of
Advaita conception of human personality through the sucessive
stages of Gau..c;Iapada's Ma!fc;lukya-Ka.rika and Badavayaq.a's Vedanta-
/
S~u tras - finally into the Advaita-Vedanta of
Samka~acharya.
Third chapter deals with the dualistic preachings that
can be traced in the Vedic literature. It also deals with the
views in the Caraka-Samhita and in the Epics. Finally,
Sa~khya
I have discussed the Classical conception of human
Sa~khya
personality (as in I~vara~~f.la's Sal!lkhya-Karika.; Yuktidlpika
and in the Sa~khya-sutras).
Last chapter is devoted to a comparative study of the
classical and the Advaita-Vedanta views -where I have
Sa~khya
tried mainly to bring out the points of agreement and
disagreement regarding their ideas of the different aspects of
human personality.
I have arrived at the conclusion that the conception
of human personality in these two systems has evolved from the
same source though they followed two different lines of
systematization. Thus, there is a great deal of affinity
between them, yet they differ regarding the conception of the
essential reality in man. It is regarded as the highest reality
in both the systems. Both and Advaita Vedanta posit
Sa~khya
a transcendental self, the essence of which is pure consciousness
unadulterated by qualities and empirical relations - over and
(vi)
above the empirical self. While Advaita-Vedanta believes in
the reality of the transcendental self only, believes
Sa~khya
in the reality of the transcendental self and the objective
world. There are certain weak points in both the systems.
The analysis shows that both and Advaita Vedanta, in
Sa~khya
their attempt to rescue the empirical self from the bondage
of personality - have in blighting the prospects
succeed~only
of liberation and almost depersonalising the person.
_(vii)
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
-
A.A. - Aitareya
Ara~yaka
Ait. Up. - Aitareya Upanisad
"
Av. - Atharva Veda
A. V. - Advaita-Vedanta
BG - Bhagavad Gita
Brh. -
B~hadararyyaka Upani~ad
Chan. - Chandogya
Upani~ad
cs - Caraka Samhita
.
GB - Gaudapada Bhas. ya
Is a - fia Upanisad
0
Katha -
Kathopani~ad
.
Kau - Kausi ta1ci- Upanisad
Maitri - Maitri or Maitrayanl Upani~ad
Mbh. - Mahabhara ta
Mk - M8.ndukya I\arika
'"
Mund
N.D. - Ny~a ya darsIa na
N.V. - Nyayavaisesika
Prasna or Pr - Pra~na Upani~ad
RV - Veda
~g
Sat. Br. - S/' atapatha Brahmana
SEG - SI a~kara-bha~ya on Bhagavad G-ita
I
SBS - Sapkarabha9ya on Brahma-sutra
SK - SaiJlkhya Karika
SPB - Pravacana
Sa~khya Bna~ya
STK - sawkhya-tattva-kaumudi
SPS - Pravacana-sutra
Sa~khya
ssv - sawkhy~ sutra VItti
Sve - S,.,. vet-a1s vatara
Upani~ad
Taitt
- Taittiriya
Upani~ad