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The tradition of Samkhya is one of the oldest and most influential in the intellectual history of India. The fundamental notions of Samkhya namely prakrti, purusa, buddhi, ahamkara manas and the three gunas, provided the conceptual framework in which much of Indian philosophizing occurred, and the classical formulations of Yoga and Vedanta together with many traditions of Buddhist philosophy and meditation developed vis-à-vis the intellectual perspective of the Samkhya. Similarly on a general cultural level the influence of Samkhya was profound and important over many centuries in such areas as law, medicine, ancient science and mathematics, logic, mythology, cosmology and ritual.
This second edition of Classical Samkhya traces the history of the Samkhya
not only in the Indian intellectual tradition but also in the traditions of
historical criticism. The book also offers a new interpretation of the
philosophical significance of the Samkhya with special reference to the
classical interpretation of the interaction of prakrti and purusa. For the
second edition the author has also included a Chart of the Twenty-five Basic
Principles of the Samkhya, a Glossary of Samkhya Terminology, an additional
appendix whih surveys recent scholarly work in the area of Samkhya together with
a discussion of Samkhya in the Purana-s and a revised Bibliography.
This study traces the history of the Samkhya in the Indian intellectual tradition as well as in the traditions of historical criticism. The book also offers a new interpretation of the philosophical significance of the Samkhya. In the Epilogue the author examines Sankaras' critique of the Samkhya and reconstructs what the Samkhya rejoinder could have been.
The tradition of Samkhya is one of the oldest and most influential in the intellectual history of India. The fundamental notions of Samkhya namely prakrti, purusa, buddhi, ahamkara, manas and the three gunas, provided the conceptual framework in which much of Indian philosophizing occured, and the classical formulations of Yoga and Vedanta together with many traditions of Buddhist philosophy and meditation developed vis-a-vis the intellectual perspective of the Samkhya.
About the Author:
Gerald James Larson is Rabindranath Tagore Professor of Indian Cultures and Civilizations, and Director of the India Studies Program at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. Professor Larson's area of specialization is South Asian Philosophy and Religion. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Indian thought. His most recent book is India's Agony Over Religion (State University of New York Press, 1995, and Oxford University Press, Delhi 1997).
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