एकं साङ्ख्यं च योगं च

 ॐ 

नमो नम: 

एकं साङ्ख्यं च योगं च 

 Note by S. L. Abhyankar 

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Undertaking this study was prompted on Saturday June 5th 2021 during discussion in our WhatsAp group, wherein we have been studying and hope to study at least the ten main उपनिषदः - ईश, केन, कठ, प्रश्न, मुण्डक, माण्डुक्य, तैत्तिरीय, ऐतरेय, छान्दोग्य, बृहदारण्यक. Presently we are studying the fourth one प्रश्नोपनिषत् and are at the last, sixth question thereof. 

The शाङ्करभाष्यम् on the second quote of the sixth question is rather too long and dwells also on वैनाशिकमतम्, rather, शाङ्करभाष्यम् counters the वैनाशिकमतम्. 

Now that led us to ask ourselves “What do we know of वैनाशिकमतम् and the opposite of that, say, अवैनाशिकमतम् ?” 

It transpired that the thought propounded by चार्वाक, बुद्ध, जिन can be considered to be वैनाशिकमतम् primarily because they do not subscribe to वेदप्रामाण्यम्. 

The other वेदप्रामाण्य thoughts comprise of the षड्दर्शनानि - (1) साङ्ख्य of कपिल, (2) योग of पतञ्जलि/वसिष्ठ, (3) न्याय of गौतम, (4) वैशेषिक of कणाद, (5) पूर्वमीमांसा of जेमिनी, (6) उत्तरमीमांसा (वेदान्त/उपनिषदः) of व्यास. 

It comes to mind that although उत्तरमीमांसा (वेदान्त/उपनिषदः) of व्यास is listed as a दर्शनम् by itself, व्यास composed महाभारतम् containing therein श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता and in the epilogue of every अध्यायः there is the phrase श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासु उपनिषत्सु in turn according a status of an उपनिषत् to every अध्यायः. In this श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता the second chapter has the epithet साङ्ख्ययोग:. An interesting श्लोकः there is 

एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां श्रुणु ।

बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि ॥ २-३९॥

पार्थ एषा this ते for you अभिहिता benevolent बुद्धिः knowledge तु is in साङ्ख्ये योगे | यया by what बुद्ध्या knowledge युक्तः equipped कर्मबन्धं bondage of Action प्रहास्यसि you will forsake इमां to that श्रुणु listen. 

So the knowledge detailed in श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासु उपनिषत्सु is from साङ्ख्ये योगे. This means that in श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता we get summarised knowledge extracted from साङ्ख्य of कपिल, from योग of पतञ्जलि/वसिष्ठ, and from उत्तरमीमांसा (वेदान्त/उपनिषदः) of व्यास himself. 

One can cite many other quotes in गीता, which corroborate this, especially about knowledge extracted into गीता from साङ्ख्य. For example 

पञ्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे ।

साङ्ख्ये कृतान्ते प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम् ॥ १८-१३॥

In this श्लोकः antiquity of साङ्ख्य is mentioned as कृतान्ते. From that time कृतान्त to its extraction in गीता, the time that elapsed was the entire त्रेतायुग 1,296,000 years and almost the entire द्वापारयुग 864,000 years i.e. 2,160,000 years. 

Now, since in the शाङ्करभाष्यम् on प्रश्नोपनिषत् there is counterargument against वैनाशिकमतम्, obviously based on षड्दर्शनानि, especially साङ्ख्य and योग, in the group we agreed that we should do some study of साङ्ख्य and योग. 

By the way, study of साङ्ख्य should be from साङ्ख्यसूत्राणि (164 + 47 + 84 + 32 + 129 + 70 = 526 सूत्राणि in 6 अध्यायाः) and साङ्ख्यकारिकाः 72 पद्यानि and commentaries thereof.

Likewise study of योग should be from योगसूत्राणि (समाधिपाद 51 सूत्राणि + साधनापाद 55 सूत्राणि + विभूतिपाद 55 सूत्राणि + कैवल्यपाद 34 सूत्राणि कुलतः 195 सूत्राणि) and if possible from योगवासिष्ठ. 

The study may lead to validation of एकं साङ्ख्यम् च योगं च (गीता 5-5). I say ‘may’ because validation of this statement एकं साङ्ख्यं च योगं च seems to be conditional with the condition that यः पश्यति स पश्यति. Actually साङ्ख्य and योग are said to be एक in the context that यत्साङ्ख्यैः प्राप्यते ज्ञानं तद्योगैरपि गम्यते i.e. the ‘attainment’ by both practices will be same, the ‘knowledge’ attained by either of the practices will be एकम् the same. Now attainment of knowledge, especially spiritual knowledge is experiential rather than theoretical. 

Having agreed to study साङ्ख्य and योग, what we have agreed to is to indulge in at least theoretical study. Let us see how good we shall be able to do even that. 

To proceed with the study I have a book containing साङ्ख्यसूत्राणि and योगसूत्राणि and have also downloaded from the internet the 526 साङ्ख्यसूत्राणि, 72 पद्यानि of साङ्ख्यकारिकाः, the 195 योगसूत्राणि and some translations and commentaries. 

I thought it good to share this note, thinking that the prompt for and outline of the study as compiled here may be interesting and useful for anyone interested in doing similar study. 

 शुभमस्तु !

-o-O-o-