Guest guest Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 just words... and weak too! Nisargadatta , " devianandi " <polansky@m...> wrote: > > Sankhya Continued > > The Purusha > > Characteristics of the Purusha > > The Purusha or the Self is beyond Prakriti. It is eternally separate > from the latter. Purusha is without beginning or end. It is without > attributes and without qualities. It is subtle and omnipresent. It > is beyond mind, intellect and the senses. It is beyond time, space > and causality. It is the eternal seer. It is perfect and immutable. > It is pure consciousness (Chidrupa). > > The Purusha is not the doer. It is the witness. The Purusha is like > a crystal without any colour. It appears to be coloured by the > different colours which are placed before it. It is not material. It > is not a result of combination. Hence it is immortal. The Purushas > or souls are infinite in number, according to the Sankhya. There are > many Purushas. If the Purushas were one, all should become free if > any one attained release. > > The different souls are fundamentally identical in nature. There is > no movement for the Purusha. It does not go anywhere when it attains > freedom or release. > > Souls exist eternally separate from each other and from Prakriti. > Each soul retains its individuality. It remains unchanged through > all transmigrations. Each soul is a witness of the act of a separate > creation, without taking part in the act. It is a looker-on uniting > itself with the unintelligent Prakriti, like a lame man mounted on a > blind man's shoulders, in order to behold the phenomena of a > creation, which Prakriti herself is not able to observe. > > The Purusha or the Self is the witness (Sakshi), a spectator > (Drashta), a by-stander (Madhyastha), solitary (Kaivalya), passive > and indifferent (Udasina). > > Inference of the Existence of the Purusha > > Intelligence cannot belong to the intellect, because the intellect > is material and is the effect of Prakriti which is non-intelligent. > If intelligence is absent in the cause, it cannot manifest itself in > the effect. Therefore, there must be a distinct principle of > intelligence and this principle is Purusha or the Self. > > The insentient body seems sentient on account of its union with the > Self, and the Self appears as the agent. Just as a pot with cold > water appears to be cold, with hot water seems to be hot, so > intellect and the rest seem to be sentient on account of union with > the Purusha. This mutual transfer of properties is like that of fire > and iron, or that of the sun and water. > > There must be a Supervisor over and above the Pradhana or Prakriti. > The Supervisor is Purusha or the Self. Prakriti and its products are > objects of enjoyment. There must exist an enjoyer who must be an > intelligent principle. This intelligent enjoyer is Purusha or the > Self. > > Just as chair and bench are for the use of another, so also this > body, senses and mind are for the use of the Self which is > immaterial, as it is destitute of attributes and as it is beyond the > Gunas. The Purusha is the witness of the Gunas. The Gunas are the > objects. Purusha is the witness-subject. Hence, it is not affected > by pleasure, pain and delusion which are attributes of the three > Gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, respectively. If pain is natural to > the Purusha and if the Purusha is not naturally free from the action > of the Gunas, no salvation from rebirth is possible. > > Purusha and Prakriti – A Contrast > > http://www.hinduism.co.za/philosop.htm#The%20Sankhya > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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