Critical Edition
वसिष्ठ उवाच सांख्यदर्शनमेतावदुक्तं ते नृपसत्तम विद्याविद्ये त्विदानीं मे त्वं निबोधानुपूर्वशः
AI Translation: Vasishtha said: Thus, O best of kings, the Sāṃkhya philosophy has been explained to you. Now, please tell me in due order about knowledge and ignorance.
अविद्यामाहुरव्यक्तं सर्गप्रलयधर्मि वै सर्गप्रलयनिर्मुक्तं विद्यां वै पञ्चविंशकम्
AI Translation: Ignorance is said to be the unmanifest, characterized by creation and dissolution. The knowledge that is free from creation and dissolution is the twenty-fifth.
परस्परमविद्यां वै तन्निबोधानुपूर्वशः यथोक्तमृषिभिस्तात सांख्यस्यास्य निदर्शनम्
AI Translation: The ignorance of each other, and the order of their knowledge, As stated by the sages, O son, is the illustration of this Sāṃkhya.
कर्मेन्द्रियाणां सर्वेषां विद्या बुद्धीन्द्रियं स्मृतम् बुद्धीन्द्रियाणां च तथा विशेषा इति नः श्रुतम्
AI Translation: The intellect is said to be the sense of knowledge of all the organs of action. And we have heard that there are also special senses of knowledge.
विशेषाणां मनस्तेषां विद्यामाहुर्मनीषिणः मनसः पञ्चभूतानि विद्या इत्यभिचक्षते
AI Translation: The wise declare that the five special senses are the mind. They declare that the five elements are the mind.
अहंकारस्तु भूतानां पञ्चानां नात्र संशयः अहंकारस्य च तथा बुद्धिर्विद्या नरेश्वर
AI Translation: There is no doubt that the ego is of the five elements. And the intellect of the ego is knowledge, O Lord of men.
बुद्धेः प्रकृतिरव्यक्तं तत्त्वानां परमेश्वरम् विद्या ज्ञेया नरश्रेष्ठ विधिश्च परमः स्मृतः
AI Translation: The unmanifest is the nature of the intellect, the supreme lord of the principles. O best of men, knowledge is to be known, and the supreme injunction is remembered.
अव्यक्तस्य परं प्राहुर्विद्यां वै पञ्चविंशकम् सर्वस्य सर्वमित्युक्तं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानस्य पार्थिव
AI Translation: They declare the unmanifest to be the supreme knowledge, the twenty-fifth. It is said to be all of everything. O king, it is to be known as the knowledge of knowledge.
ज्ञानमव्यक्तमित्युक्तं ज्ञेयं वै पञ्चविंशकम् तथैव ज्ञानमव्यक्तं विज्ञाता पञ्चविंशकः
AI Translation: Knowledge is said to be unmanifest, and the knowable is the twenty-five. Similarly, knowledge is unmanifest, and the knower is the twenty-five.
विद्याविद्यार्थतत्त्वेन मयोक्तं ते विशेषतः अक्षरं च क्षरं चैव यदुक्तं तन्निबोध मे
AI Translation: I have told you the truth about knowledge and ignorance in particular. Know from me what has been said about the imperishable and the perishable.
उभावेतौ क्षरावुक्तावुभावेतौ च नक्षरौ कारणं तु प्रवक्ष्यामि यथा ख्यातौ तु तत्त्वतः
AI Translation: Both these are said to be perishable, both these are also imperishable. But I shall explain the cause, as they are known in reality.
अनादिनिधनावेतावुभावेवेश्वरौ मतौ तत्त्वसंज्ञावुभावेतौ प्रोच्येते ज्ञानचिन्तकैः
AI Translation: These two are considered to be the lord, without beginning or end. These two are said to be the names of reality by those who contemplate knowledge.
सर्गप्रलयधर्मित्वादव्यक्तं प्राहुरक्षरम् तदेतद्गुणसर्गाय विकुर्वाणं पुनः पुनः
AI Translation: The Unmanifest is said to be the Imperishable because it is subject to creation and dissolution. This, again and again, is evolving for the creation of the qualities.
गुणानां महदादीनामुत्पद्यति परस्परम् अधिष्ठानात्क्षेत्रमाहुरेतत्तत्पञ्चविंशकम्
AI Translation: The great and others are the qualities of the Self, which arise from each other. The field is said to be the support of these, which is the twenty-five.
यदा तु गुणजालं तदव्यक्तात्मनि संक्षिपेत् तदा सह गुणैस्तैस्तु पञ्चविंशो विलीयते
AI Translation: But when the net of qualities is withdrawn into the unmanifest Self, then the twenty-five are dissolved along with those qualities.
गुणा गुणेषु लीयन्ते तदैका प्रकृतिर्भवेत् क्षेत्रज्ञोऽपि यदा तात तत्क्षेत्रे संप्रलीयते
AI Translation: Then the qualities dissolve into the qualities, and Nature becomes one. And when the knower of the field also dissolves into that field,
तदाक्षरत्वं प्रकृतिर्गच्छते गुणसंज्ञिता निर्गुणत्वं च वैदेह गुणेषु प्रतिवर्तनात्
AI Translation: Then the Prakriti, called the Guṇas, becomes the Aksara. And the Guṇas become Nirguṇa, by the return of the Guṇas.
एवमेव च क्षेत्रज्ञः क्षेत्रज्ञानपरिक्षये प्रकृत्या निर्गुणस्त्वेष इत्येवमनुशुश्रुम
AI Translation: And in the same way, the knower of the field, when the knowledge of the field is destroyed, is devoid of qualities by nature. Thus we have heard.
क्षरो भवत्येष यदा तदा गुणवतीमथ प्रकृतिं त्वभिजानाति निर्गुणत्वं तथात्मनः
AI Translation: When this (universe) becomes perishable, then he knows the nature of the qualities and the absence of qualities in the Self.
तदा विशुद्धो भवति प्रकृतेः परिवर्जनात् अन्योऽहमन्येयमिति यदा बुध्यति बुद्धिमान्
AI Translation: Then he becomes pure by avoiding the Prakṛti. When the wise one understands that "I am different, this is different",
तदैषोऽन्यत्वतामेति न च मिश्रत्वमाव्रजेत् प्रकृत्या चैव राजेन्द्र नमिश्रोऽन्यश्च दृश्यते
AI Translation: Then he becomes different, and does not become mixed. And by nature, O King, he is seen to be neither mixed nor different.
यदा तु गुणजालं तत्प्राकृतं विजुगुप्सते पश्यते चापरं पश्यं तदा पश्यन्न संज्वरेत्
AI Translation: But when he despises that net of qualities as natural, and sees another seer, then, seeing, he does not burn.
किं मया कृतमेतावद्योऽहं कालमिमं जनम् मत्स्यो जालं ह्यविज्ञानादनुवर्तितवांस्तथा
AI Translation: What have I done that I have to live through this time? Like a fish that follows a net out of ignorance,
अहमेव हि संमोहादन्यमन्यं जनाज्जनम् मत्स्यो यथोदकज्ञानादनुवर्तितवानिह
AI Translation: For I myself, through delusion, have taken one person for another, just as a fish, through ignorance of water, has followed me here.
मत्स्योऽन्यत्वं यथाज्ञानादुदकान्नाभिमन्यते आत्मानं तद्वदज्ञानादन्यत्वं चैव वेद्म्यहम्
AI Translation: Just as a fish, through ignorance, does not recognize water as itself, so, through ignorance, I know the Self as other.
ममास्तु धिगबुद्धस्य योऽहं मग्नमिमं पुनः अनुवर्तितवान्मोहादन्यमन्यं जनाज्जनम्
AI Translation: May I be cursed, who am so foolish, that I have again and again fallen into this mire, and, through delusion, have followed one man after another, one man after another.
अयमत्र भवेद्बन्धुरनेन सह मोक्षणम् साम्यमेकत्वमायातो यादृशस्तादृशस्त्वहम्
AI Translation: This is the bond here, with him there is liberation. Equality, oneness, has come about. I am just as he is.
तुल्यतामिह पश्यामि सदृशोऽहमनेन वै अयं हि विमलो व्यक्तमहमीदृशकस्तथा
AI Translation: I see equality here, I am equal to him. For this one is clear, and I am also like this.
योऽहमज्ञानसंमोहादज्ञया संप्रवृत्तवान् ससङ्गयाहं निःसङ्गः स्थितः कालमिमं त्वहम्
AI Translation: I, who have been engaged in this through ignorance and delusion, I, who am free from attachment, have remained attached to this time.
अनयाहं वशीभूतः कालमेतं न बुद्धवान् उच्चमध्यमनीचानां तामहं कथमावसे
AI Translation: I was captivated by her, and did not notice the time. How can I live with the high, the low, and the middle?
समानयानया चेह सहवासमहं कथम् गच्छाम्यबुद्धभावत्वादेषेदानीं स्थिरो भवे
AI Translation: How can I live here with this same vehicle? I am going now, because of not being enlightened. May this be firm.
सहवासं न यास्यामि कालमेतद्धि वञ्चनात् वञ्चितोऽस्म्यनया यद्धि निर्विकारो विकारया
AI Translation: I shall not live with her, for this is the time of deception. I am deceived by her, for she, who is without change, has made me change.
न चायमपराधोऽस्या अपराधो ह्ययं मम योऽहमत्राभवं सक्तः पराङ्मुखमुपस्थितः
AI Translation: This is not her fault, but mine, that I was attached to her, and she turned away from me.
ततोऽस्मि बहुरूपासु स्थितो मूर्तिष्वमूर्तिमान् अमूर्तश्चापि मूर्तात्मा ममत्वेन प्रधर्षितः
AI Translation: Then I, the formless, was established in many forms, and the formless one, though formless, was oppressed by the sense of "mine".
प्रकृतेरनयत्वेन तासु तास्विह योनिषु निर्ममस्य ममत्वेन किं कृतं तासु तासु च योनीषु वर्तमानेन नष्टसंज्ञेन चेतसा
AI Translation: By the non-existence of Prakṛti in those various wombs, and by the non-existence of the ego in those various wombs, and by the mind which is present in
न ममात्रानया कार्यमहंकारकृतात्मया आत्मानं बहुधा कृत्वा येयं भूयो युनक्ति माम् इदानीमेष बुद्धोऽस्मि निर्ममो निरहंकृतः
AI Translation: I have no need of this self-created ego, which, having made the self many, again unites me. Now I am enlightened, free from ego and self-importance,
ममत्वमनया नित्यमहंकारकृतात्मकम् अपेत्याहमिमां हित्वा संश्रयिष्ये निरामयम्
AI Translation: This egoism, which is always the cause of the notion of "I," Having abandoned this, I shall resort to the diseaseless.
अनेन साम्यं यास्यामि नानयाहमचेतसा क्षमं मम सहानेन नैकत्वमनया सह एवं परमसंबोधात्पञ्चविंशोऽनुबुद्धवान्
AI Translation: By this I shall attain equality, not by this unconsciousness. It is not proper for me to be with this, not to be one with this. Thus, from the supreme
अक्षरत्वं नियच्छेत त्यक्त्वा क्षरमनामयम् अव्यक्तं व्यक्तधर्माणं सगुणं निर्गुणं तथा निर्गुणं प्रथमं दृष्ट्वा तादृग्भवति मैथिल
AI Translation: One should control the imperishable, having abandoned the perishable, the faultless, The unmanifest, having the characteristics of the manifest, having qualities, and also without qualities, Having first seen
अक्षरक्षरयोरेतदुक्तं तव निदर्शनम् मयेह ज्ञानसंपन्नं यथाश्रुतिनिदर्शनात्
AI Translation: This is said to be the difference between the imperishable and the perishable, as an example for you. Here, I have explained it to you, who are endowed with knowledge, according to the
निःसंदिग्धं च सूक्ष्मं च विबुद्धं विमलं तथा प्रवक्ष्यामि तु ते भूयस्तन्निबोध यथाश्रुतम्
AI Translation: Unquestionable, subtle, awakened, and pure, I shall explain it to you further. Understand it as I have heard it.
सांख्ययोगौ मया प्रोक्तौ शास्त्रद्वयनिदर्शनात् यदेव शास्त्रं सांख्योक्तं योगदर्शनमेव तत्
AI Translation: I have spoken of Sāṃkhya and Yoga because of the teachings of the two scriptures. Whatever scripture is taught in Sāṃkhya is the same as the Yoga view.
प्रबोधनकरं ज्ञानं सांख्यानामवनीपते विस्पष्टं प्रोच्यते तत्र शिष्याणां हितकाम्यया
AI Translation: The knowledge that awakens is that of the Sankhyas, O Lord of the Earth. It is clearly stated there for the benefit of the disciples.
बृहच्चैव हि तच्छास्त्रमित्याहुः कुशला जनाः अस्मिंश्च शास्त्रे योगानां पुनर्दधि पुनः शरः
AI Translation: And this is the great treatise, say the wise. And in this treatise, there is again yoga, again the arrow,
पञ्चविंशात्परं तत्त्वं न पश्यति नराधिप सांख्यानां तु परं तत्र यथावदनुवर्णितम्
AI Translation: The twenty-fifth principle is not seen by the king. But the supreme principle of the Sankhyas has been described here as it is.
बुद्धमप्रतिबुद्धं च बुध्यमानं च तत्त्वतः बुध्यमानं च बुद्धं च प्राहुर्योगनिदर्शनम्
AI Translation: The Buddha, the unawakened, the one who is truly awakening, and the one who is awakening and the awakened, are said to be the display of yoga.