Samkhya Karika (PDF)

The Samkhya Karika forms the root philosophy that is the spiritual heart of Yoga as we know and practice it today. Kapila codified Samkhya as an oral tradition around 750 BCE, and Isvara Krsna gave us the written text during the 2nd century ACE. While few have studied Samkhya, its philosophy has made its way into many of the spiritual traditions from Yoga to Buddhism and beyond. Updated version, 2012 The original text contains 60 verses. In the centuries following Isvara Krsna’s writing, Buddhist and Vedantic scholars added thirteen additional verses. I have kept these thirteen verses separate as an addendum to the main translation, in order to remain faithful to the original teachings of Samkhya. Samkhya comprises a dualistic view, wherein the seer and the seen remain eternally separate. Samkhya therefore forms an important milestone that every aspirant will navigate as she or he awakens spiritually. When viewed holistically, every stage attained along the way to enlightenment is important and necessary. No stage is more important than another. With later understanding, earlier understandings that seem incomplete can too easily be dismissed. It is only at the end, when we look back at the path that we have traversed, that we can truly understand how each step along the way was vital and necessary to bring us to where we now stand. I hope you will enjoy the ‘step along the way’ that Samkhya offers as you traverse your path of awakening. - Richard Miller PhD