Course Content

It is said, “na hi Sankhya samam gyanam, na hi yoga samam balam “i.e., There is no knowledge like Sankhya, and there is no power like Yoga. Sankhya Darshana was one of the earliest systems of thought that sought a permanent solution to the problems associated with the human condition i.e., birth-death, old age, disease, and sorrow. In seeking such a permanent solution, Sankhya developed a profound epistemology of the cosmos, and the place of the human being within that cosmos. Sankhya proposed that a proper understanding of the twenty-five Tattvas, i.e., the fundamental building blocks of the universe, would lead to a total and permanent solution to human suffering.

In this second part of two-course sequence, the principles of Sankhya philosophy will be taught through the Sankhya Karika of Ishvara Krishna. In the first course we shall study Karikas 31 through 72 deeply.
A karika is a technical name. It usually has two lines like the shlokas of the Bhagavadgītā. In the part 1, we have covered 1 to 30 Sankhya Karika. This course in the sequence will cover the remaining 42 Karikas. Students will gain new insights into Sankhya philosophy which is often erroneously labeled as a dualistic atheistic system by many scholars.

Prior knowledge of Sanskrit or Sankhya philosophy is not necessary to take this course. A PDF file of each karika with Devanagari and Roman script along with the word-meanings and brief
explanations will be shared with the students. Additional supplementary reading material will also be provided in PDF form.