prakriti / Shakti

[Guest guest]

shrIH

> But I would like to note that (also in the context of the other

> thread) purushha and prakR^iti is basically a saankhya terminology.

> Mixing and matching that with vedAnta's brahman, mAyA and avidya is

> source of confusion.

 

Knut A jacobsen has the following to say in his book titled "Prakriti

in Sankhya-Yoga", in the context of Shankaracharya's idea on prakriti

in shlokas 7.4 and 7.5 of Bhagavadgita. Knut writes " The lower

prakriti Sankara identifies with the eight prakritis of samkhya. This

he does by identifying the five elements with the tanmatras, manas

with ahamkara, buddhi with material cause of ahamkara, and ahamkara

in the text with avyakta. This prakriti he identifies with MAYA and

SHAKTI ..... "

Hence there are two prakritis according to Bhagavadgita (in Knut's

view) - the lower and higher. The lower prakriti is identified with

maya and shakti. Added to this, he elsewhere(in the book) writes

that, most of the puranas often identify the prakriti of sankhya with

maya or shakti.

When Prakriti is identified with maya / Shakti I do not see any

problem in identifying Purusha with Brahman / Shiva.

The linga purana also says that, Prakriti arose from the left portion

of Shiva (may be suggesting that Prakriti = Shakti) and the Devi

mahatmya praises HER as "namaH prakrityai bhadrAyai niyatAh praNatAH

smatAM".

>Also one should

> note that according advaita-vedAnta, brahman is both the efficient

> (nimitta) and material (upadAna) cause of the universe (see the

> commentary of iixaNasR^ishhTaaNDakoTii). This is not the same in

> saankhya were (numerous, not just one) purushha-s and prakrRti-s

are

> distinct and independent realites which coexists eternally. svAmi

> hariharAnanda AraNya's translation of vyAsa bhAshya of yoga sutra-s

> clearly states what a saankhya universe is.

 

The cosmic view for advaita and sankhya may be different as stated

above, but what Purusha is to the SankhyAs may be same as what

Brahman is to Advaitins. May be that is what is being conveyed in the

post.

I hope to be corrected.

> Ravi

> AUM shivaabhyaannamaH

 

Satish.