Samkhya-karika

Ishvarakrishna’s Samkhya-karika (“Verses on Samkhya,” c. 2nd century ce) is the oldest available Samkhya work. Ishvarakrishna describes himself as laying down the essential teachings of Kapila as taught to Asuri and by Asuri to Panchashika. He refers also to Shashtitantra (“Doctrine of 60 Conceptions”), the main…

…are three commentaries on the Samkhya-karika: that by Raja, much referred to but not extant; that by Gaudapada (7th century), on which there is a subcommentary Chandrika by Narayanatirtha; and the Tattva-kaumudi by Vachaspati (9th century). The Samkhya-sutras are a much later work (c. 14th century) on which Aniruddha (15th…

…form and expression in the Samkhya-karikas (“Stanzas of Samkhya”) by the philosopher Ishvarakrishna (c. 3rd century ce). Vijnanabhikshu wrote an important treatise on the system in the 16th century.