Ishwa helper Reged: 03/03/02 Posts: 553

Re: PRAKRTI [Re: vinaire] #13637 - 03/18/02 08:11 AM Edit Reply Quote

Dear Vinaire, I'll look to some scriptural descriptions of Purusha and Prakrti next time. At this moment i'll mention some older Vedic views (pre-S�tra) 1. Rishi N�r�yana in RV X-90: Purusha evedam sarvam yad bh�tam yach cha bhavyam: Purusha is all that and all that is to be (verse 2). In verse three there's an unvisible Purusha (the cause), besides the visible one (the effect), but they are identical. [we see here that Prusha is used in the sense of Brahman later] Rishi N�r�yana also is famous for his X-99-12: The parts of Purusha as representing the 4 Varnas. [theoretic basis for the later Ch�turvarnya system] The Purusha is also equated with the Solar Universe. 2. Rishi Pippal�da This Rishi belonged to the Atharva school. His name is mentioned in the Vasishtha pravaras. Creatures are generated from Praj�pati. Desirous of creating, meditating on his own essence, he produced out of his own body a pair (mithuna): Rayi (matter) and Pr�na (Spirit). [these became later Prakriti and Purusha, and Praj�pati is Brahman] Rishi Pippal�da is held by some to be the originator of the classical S�nkhya philosophy. In a dialogue with Kabandhin K�ty�yana he drws the attention towards a twofold Brahmaloka: This (eshah) and That (asau) or Material and Spiritual. Pippal�da invents a new word for Matter, Rayi, replacing it for the older term Water. 3. Rishi Yajnavalkya Of course Rishi Yajnavalkya Vasishtha is known for his 'neti neti' doctrine to come to (Nirguna) Brahman. 4. Mahiid�sa Aitareya Mahiid�sa Aitareya was born in the family of Y�jnavalkya and Itar� K�ty�yanii. Being the son of Yajnavalkya through Itar� he's remembered through her name. (I don't know anything about the sons of Maitr�yanii, the second wife of Y�jnavalkya). Purusha is the efficient cause, the first unmoved mover. Brahman is the final cause. (Aitareya Aranyaka I-3-4-9) According to Mahiid�sa: form is the manifestation of matter and matter is that which is capable of manifestation. Matter and form are interrelated. [So we can see here the relative potential causal effect and relative potential created effect] The five elements of material qualities (pancha mah�bh�t�ni) are also his: earth and water are the solidity and fluidity. Fire and air are the two aspects of energy: heat (relatively static) and motion (relatively dynamic). Etheris that in which things are contained or by which things can be separated from one another. The perplexing point of Mahiid�sa is about Pr�na: in one place he considers that to be part of the 5 elements (Aitareya Aaranyaka II-3-1-1), but at another place he considers Pr�na to be a principle of its own. (ibidem II-1-8-12 and 13) 5. Rishi Udd�laka Aaruni Gautama The tripartite concept of creation, which became the later Triguna of S�nkhya, was called Trivrt by Udd�laka. Primeval matter is a continuous, indivisable whole, in which are mixed up all things which are infinetely divisible and qualitatively distinct. Things emerge out of things by the aid of the churning motion within the material, by the gradual spontaneous unfolding of nature.(Mantha Doctrine). The degrees of manifestation of Universal Spirit are: Vital Spirit (Pr�na), Living Spirit (Jiiv�tm�) and Mind (Manas) For Udd�laka (as for Mahiid�sa) the Living Spirit is the potentiality of living bodies. 6. Rishi Nachiketas Gautama The truth can't be realised through reasoning (tarka) but only through intuitional Yoga. With Yoga nachiketas means the firm holding back of the senses (sthir�m indriya-dh�ran�m), in other words, reaching unity within ourselves.