Samkhya Yoga

The Bhagavad-Gita starts with 'samkhya yoga' that gives us the gist of the Text of the Gita. Sankhya is 'jnyan', Knowledge.  The curiosity "To Know' is inherent nature of the jiva. Since the jiva is perplexed as to what is its nature of existence, purpose or goal it is but natural to go on an endless quest till the answer is obtained. And, here the Lord Shree Krishna is explaining how the creation, its sustenance, its dissolution and final merger takes place as His magical powers, yogamaya,

  The term 'sankhya' means numbers as well as knowledge. The need for sankhya yoga arises in the Gita in order to enlighten the confused mind, characterized as Arjuna. First, it is enumeration of the unfolding of the creation and then it is its true nature. As the creation unfolds, the supreme ord, parama purusha manifests Himself as the Purusha and Prakruti- His nature (sva-bhava). Thus, we have the cosmic entity, the universe and its driving 'force'!

   The first emanation of prakruti is space and time, manifest from nothing and nowhere that divides into 'no' and 'thing' and 'now' (Time) and 'here' (space)! This division and multiplication, addition and subtractions are the endless mathematical procedures that present a myriad of forms and functions spread over time and space. All these are obejects in space and time that do not exist in any strict sense of the terms! There is neither Time nor space and objects fill the space over time! This is the yoga maya, the magical powers of the supreme Lord Shree Krishna.

    The Five elements- space, air,fire, water and the earth manifest from the desire and will of the Lord in a sequential order, one manifesting the other. I fact one only becomes many! These five great elements display their inherent qualities such as the sound, touch, form, taste and smell, making these ten buta and tanmatras. To experience these manifest the ten sense organs (jnyan and karma indriya). Thus twenty entities are formed from the magical powers of the Lord. Then come the ego, buddhi, manas that make the creation a complex system of Twenty Five principles.

   The supreme Lord has unbridled powers such as powers of creation (srushti), sustenance (sthiti), dissolution (laya), power of appearance and disappearance (tirodhana) and grace (anugraha)!

   These are the principles of and processes of creation called the sankhya yoga. This knowledge is enough to render the  jiva both susceptible to  karma  and mukti!  Thus, making a beautiful life of the the jiva and also attaining to the self are revealed here! This is the ultimate knowledge and there is nothing beyond this. One is unfoldment and the other is revert to pristine state!