25: Tattvas of Sāṁkhya
8 : Prakṛtis
16: Vikṛitis
1: Neither Prakṛti nor Vikṛti
25 = 1 + 7 + 16 +1
25: Tattvas of Sāṁkhya
1: Prakṛti without being Vikṛti
7 : Prakṛtis which are Vikṛtis too.
16: Vikṛitis
1: Neither Prakṛti nor Vikṛti
25 = 1 + 23 + 1
25: Tattvas of Sāṁkhya
1: Prakṛti without being Vikṛti
23: Vikṛtis
1: Neither Prakṛti nor Vikṛti
Mūla-Prakṛti or Avyakta (P)
Mahat or Buddhi (P, V)
Ahaṁkāra (P, V)
5 Jñānendrīyas (V)
5 Karmendrīyas (V)
Manas (V)
5 Tanmātras (P, V)
5 Mahābhūtas (V)
Puruṣa (neither P nor V)
Notes:
1. Prakṛti (P): original or primary substance; Nature; pl. the 8 producers or primary essences which evolve the whole visible world (viz. a-vyakta , buddhi or mahat , ahaṁ-kāra , and the 5 tan-mātras or subtle elements)
2. Vikṛti (V): modification; (in sāṁkhya) a production or derivative from prakṛti
3. Īśvarakṛṣṇa's Sāṁkhyakārikā
mūlaprakṛtir avikṛtir mahadādyāḥ prakṛtivikṛtayaḥ sapta |
ṣoḍaśakas tu vikāro na prakṛtir na vikṛtiḥ puruṣaḥ || 3 ||
Mūlaprakṛti is not a product; the seven mahat etc. are prakṛti (producers) and products;
sixteen are products only; puruṣa is neither prakṛti nor product.
Commentary:
seven mahat etc.: mahat (P, V), ahaṁkāra (P, V), 5 tanmātras (P, V)
sixteen: 5 jñānendrīyas (V), 5 karmendrīyas (V), manas (V), 5 mahābhūtas (V)
Why is ahaṁkāra prakṛti? It produces 5 jñānendrīyas (V), 5 karmendrīyas (V), manas (V), and 5 tanmātras (P, V). Why is ahaṁkāra vikṛti? It is a product produced from mahat.
4. Tattvasamāsa
aṣṭau prakṛtayaḥ || 1 ||
ṣoḍaśa vikārāḥ || 2 ||
puruṣaḥ || 3 ||
Commentary (Tattvasamāsasūtravṛtti) on Tattvasamāsa 1:
atha kā aṣṭau prakṛtaya ity atrocyate |
avyaktaṃ buddhir ahaṁkāraḥ pañca tanmātrāṇīty etā aṣṭau prakṛtayaḥ
Commentary on Tattvasamāsa 2:
atha te ke ṣoḍaśavikārā ity atrocyate |
ekādaśendriyāṇi pañca mahābhūtāny ete ṣoḍaśavikārāḥ |
tatrendriyāṇi tāvad ucyante |
śrotraṃ tvak cakṣuṣī jihvā ghrāṇam iti pañca buddhīndriyāṇi |
śrotraṃ svaviṣayaṃ śabdaṃ gṛhṇāti tvak sparśaviṣayaṃ cakṣū rūpaviṣayaṃ rasanā rasaviṣayaṃ ghrāṇaṃ gandhaviṣayam iti |
vākpāṇipādapāyūpasthākhyāni pañca karmendriyāṇi svaṃ svaṃ karma kurvanti |
tatra vāg vacanam uccarati |
hastau karma kurutaḥ |
pādau viharaṇam |
pāyur visargam |
upastham ānandam |
ubhayātmakaṃ manaḥ |
svasaṃkalpavikalpavṛttī kurute |
evam ekādaśendriyāṇi vyākhyātāni |
5. Kapila Sāṁkhyasūtra 1.61
sattvarajastamasāṁ sāmyāvasthā prakṛtiḥ prakṛter mahān mahāto 'haṅkāro 'haṅkārāt pañcatanmātrāṇy ubhayam indriyaṁ tanmātrebhyaḥ sthūlabhūtāni puruṣa iti pañcaviṁśatir gaṇaḥ | 1.61 |
6. Bhagavad-Gītā 7.4-5
bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca |
ahaṁkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā || 7.4 ||
Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and ego – this is My Prakṛti divided eightfold.
Śaṅkara's Bhāṣya
bhūmiḥ pṛthivī-tanmātram ucyate, na sthūlā | bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā iti vacanāt | tathāb-ādayo 'pi tanmātrāṇy eva ucyante - āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ kham | mana iti manasaḥ kāraṇam ahaṃkāro gṛhyate | buddhir ity ahaṃkāra-kāraṇaṃ mahat-tattvam | ahaṃkāra ity avidyā-saṃyuktam avyaktam | yathā viṣa-saṃyuktam annaṃ viṣam ity ucyate, evam ahaṃkāra-vāsanāvad avyaktaṃ mūla-kāraṇam ahaṃkāra ity ucyate, pravartakatvāt ahaṃkārasya | ahaṃkāra eva hi sarvasya pravṛtti-bījaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ loke | itīyaṃ yathoktā prakṛtir me mamaiśvarī māyā-śaktir aṣṭadhā bhinnā bhedam āgatā ||
English Translation of Shankaras Commentary - Swami Gambhirananda:
Iyam, this; Prakṛtih, Prakṛti, the divine power called Māyā; me, of Mine, as described; bhinna, is divided; aṣṭadhā, eight-fold; iti, thus: bhūmih, earth – not the gross earth but the subtle element called earth, this being understood from the statement, 'Prakṛti (of Mine) is divided eight-fold'. Similarly, the subtle elements alone are referred to even by the words water etc. Āpaḥ, water; analaḥ, fire; vāyuḥ, air; kham, space; manaḥ, mind. By 'mind' is meant its source, egoism. By buddhiḥ, intellect, is meant the principle called mahat which is the source of egoism. By ahaṁkāraḥ, egoism, is meant the Unmanifest, associated with (Cosmic) ignorance. As food mixed with poison is called poison, similarly the Unmanifest, which is the primordial Cause, is called egoism since it is imbued with the impressions resulting from egoism; and egoism is the impelling force (of all). It is indeed seen in the world that egoism is the impelling cause behind all endeavour.
jīvabhūtām mahābāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat || 7.5 ||
This is my non-transcendent Nature; other than this is My transcendent Nature. Know it be consciousness in all beings by which the universe is sustained, O Mighty-Armed, and which becomes the Jīva.
Śaṅkara's Bhāṣya
aparā na parā nikṛṣṭāśuddhānartha-karī saṃsāra-bandhanātmikeyam | ito 'syāḥ yathoktāyās tv anyāṃ viśuddhāṃ prakṛtiṃ mamātma-bhūtāṃ viddhi me parāṃ prakṛṣṭaṃ jīva-bhūtāṃ kṣetrajña-lakṣaṇāṃ prāṇa-dhāraṇa-nimitta-bhūtāṃ he mahābāho, yayā prakṛtyedaṃ dhāryate jagad antaḥ-praviṣṭayā ||
English Translation of Shankara‘s Commentary - Swami Gambhirananda:
O mighty-armed one, iyam, this; is apara, the inferior (Prakṛti) – not the higher, (but) – the impure, the source of evil and having the nature of worldly bondage. Viddhi, know; anyām, the other, pure; prakṛtim, Prakṛti; me, of Mine, which is essentially Myself; which, tu, however; is parām, higher, more exalted; itaḥ, than this (Prakṛti) already spoken of; Jīva-bhūtam, which has taken the form of the individual souls, which is characterized as 'the Knower of the body (field)' (kṣetrajña), and which is the cause of sustenance of life; and yayā, by which Prakṛti; idam, this; jagat, world; dhāryate, is upheld, by permeating it.
7. Bhagavad-Gītā 13.5-6
mahā-bhūtāny ahaṁkāro buddhir avyaktam eva ca |
indriyāṇi daśaikaṁ ca pañca cendriya-gocarāḥ ||13.5||
Śaṅkara's Bhāṣya
mahā-bhūtāni mahānti ca tāni sarva-vikāra-vyāpakatvād bhūtāni ca sūkṣmāṇi | sthūlāni tv indriya-gocara-śabdenābhidhāyiṣyante | ahaṃkāro mahā-bhūta-kāraṇam ahaṃ-pratyaya-lakṣaṇaḥ | ahaṃkāra-kāraṇaṃ buddhir adhyavasāya-lakṣaṇā | tat-kāraṇam avyaktam eva ca, na vyaktam avyaktam avyākṛtam īśvara-śaktir mama māyā duratyayā ity uktam | eva-śabdaḥ prakṛty-avadhāraṇārtha etāvaty evāṣṭadhā bhinnā prakṛtiḥ | ca-śabdo bheda-samuccayārthaḥ | indriyāṇi daśa, śrotrādīni pañca buddhy-utpādakatvād buddhīndriyāṇi | vāk-pāṇy-ādīni pañca karma-nirvartakatvāt karmendriyāṇi | tāni daśa | ekaṃ ca | kiṃ tat ? mana ekādaśaṃ saṃkalpādyātmakam | pañca cendriya-gocarāḥ śabdādayo viṣayāḥ | tāny etāni sāṃkhyāś catur-viṃśati-tattvāny ācakṣate ||
icchā dveṣaḥ sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ saṃghātaś cetanā dhṛtiḥ |
etat kṣetraṃ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛtam ||BhG_13.6||
8. Caraka Saṁhitā, Śarīrasthāna
khādīni buddhir avyaktam ahaṁkāras tathāṣṭamaḥ |
bhūtaprakṛtir uddiṣṭā vikārāś caiva ṣoḍaśa ||1.63||
buddhīndriyāṇi pañcaiva pañca karmendriyāṇi ca |
samanaskāś ca pañcārthā vikārā iti saṁjñitāḥ ||1.64||
