Samkhya Karika 52

न विना भावैर्लिङ्गं न लिङ्गेन भावनिर्वृत्तिः ।
लिङ्गाख्यो भावाख्यस्तस्माद् द्विविधः प्रवर्तते सर्गः ॥ ५२ ॥

na vinā bhāvairliṅgaṃ na liṅgena bhāvanirvṛttiḥ ।
liṅgākhyo bhāvākhyastasmād dvividhaḥ pravartate sargaḥ ॥ 52 ॥

Na=not; vinā=without; bhāvaiḥ=dispositions; liṅgaṃ=subtle body; na=not; liṅgena bhāvanirvṛttiḥ=expression of the dispositions; liṅgākhyaḥ=known as linga (subtle); bhāvākhyaḥ=known as the subjective; tasmāt=therefore; dvividhaḥ=two-fold; pravartate=proceeds; sargaḥ=creation or evolution

Without the subjective dispositions, there would be no objective evolution (of the tanmatras); and without the objective, there would be no subjective. Thus proceeds the two-fold evolution, known as the objective and the subjective.

Samkhya Karika 51

ऊहः शब्दोऽध्ययनं दुःखविघातास्त्रयः सुहृत्प्राप्तिः ।
दानं च सिद्धयोऽष्टौ सिद्धेः पूर्वोऽङ्कुशस्त्रिविधः ॥ ५१ ॥

ūhaḥ śabdo’dhyayanaṁ duḥkhavighātāstrayaḥ suhṛtprāptiḥ ।
dānaṁ ca siddhayo’ṣṭau siddheḥ pūrvo’ṅkuśastrividhaḥ ॥ 51 ॥

ūhaḥ=reasoning; śabdaḥ=oral instruction; adhyayanaṁ=study; duḥkha=suffering; vighātāḥ=suppression; trayaḥ=three; suhṛtprāptiḥ=acquisition of friends (suhṛd); dānaṁ=charity or purity; ca=and; siddhayaḥ=siddhis (attainments); aṣṭau=eight; siddheḥ=of the attainment; pūrvaḥ=before; aṅkuśaḥ=obstacles; trividhaḥ=three-fold

The eight attainments are: reasoning, oral instruction, study, suppression of the three-fold suffering, acquisition of friends, purity (or charity). The three mentioned earlier (ignorance, disability and contentment) are obstacles to success.

 

Samkhya Karika 50

आध्यात्मिकाश्चतस्रः प्रकृत्युपादानकालभाग्याख्याः ।
बाह्या विषयोपरमात् पञ्च, नव तुष्टयोऽभिहिताः ॥ ५० ॥

adhyātmikāścatasraḥ prakṛtyupādānakālabhāgyākhyāḥ ।
bāhyā viṣayoparamāt pañca, nava tuṣṭayo’bhihitāḥ ॥ 50 ॥

ādhyātmikāḥ=internal (related to self); catasraḥ=four; prakṛti=nature; yupādāna=material means; kāla=time; bhāgya=luck; ākhyāḥ=are known as; bāhyāḥ=external; viṣaya=objects; uparamāt=due to abstention; pañca=five; nava=nine; tuṣṭayaḥ=contentment; abhihitāḥ=are mentioned;

The nine types of contentment are:

  • 4 internal – Nature, Material means, Time and Luck
  • 5 external – non-attachment to the five sense objects

Samkhya Karika 49

एकादशेन्द्रियवधाः सह बुद्धिवधैरशक्तिरुद्दिष्टा ।
सप्तदश वधा बुद्धेर्विपर्ययात् तुष्टिसिद्धीनाम् ॥ ४९ ॥

ekādaśendriyavadhāḥ saha buddhivadhairaśaktiruddiṣṭā ।
saptadaśa vadhā buddherviparyayāt tuṣṭisiddhīnām ॥ 49 ॥

Ekādaśa=eleven; indriya=organs; vadhāḥ=injuries or defects; saha=together with; buddhi=intellect; vadhaiḥ=through injuries; aśaktiḥ=incapacity; uddiṣṭā=are said to be; saptadaśa=seventeen; vadhāḥ=defects; buddheḥ=of the intellect; viparyayāt=caused by the opposite; tuṣṭi=contentment; siddhīnām=of attainments

Defects of the eleven organs, along with the defects of the intellect, are considered as incapacities. Defects of the intellect are seventeen caused by the opposites of contentment and attainments.

Samkhya Karika 48

भेदस्तमसोऽष्टविधो मोहस्य च, दशविधो महामोहः ।
तामिस्रोऽष्टादशधा, तथा भवत्यन्धतामिस्रः ॥ ४८ ॥

bhedastamaso’ṣṭavidho mohasya ca, daśavidho mahāmohaḥ ।
tāmisro’ṣṭādaśadhā, tathā bhavatyandhatāmisraḥ ॥ 48 ॥

bhedaḥ=divisions; tamasaḥ=of darkness (ignorance); aṣṭavidhaḥ=eight-fold; mohasya=of delusion; ca=and; daśavidhaḥ=ten-fold; mahāmohaḥ=extreme delusion; tāmisraḥ=gloom; aṣṭādaśadhā=eighteen-fold;, tathā=so too; bhavati=is; andhatāmisraḥ=blinding gloom;

False knowledge or ignorance (darkness) is of eight kinds; so too is delusion; extreme delusion is ten-fold; gloom is of eighteen kinds; so too is blinding gloom.

Samkhya Karika 47

पञ्च विपर्ययभेदा भवन्त्यशक्तिश्च करणवैकल्यात् ।
अष्टाविंशतिभेदा तुष्टिर्नवधाऽष्टधा सिद्धिः ॥ ४७ ॥

pañca viparyayabhedā bhavantyaśaktiśca karaṇavaikalyāt ।
aṣṭāviṁśatibhedā tuṣṭirnavadhā’ṣṭadhā siddhiḥ ॥ 47 ॥

Pañca=five; viparyaya=ignorance; bhedāḥ=types of; bhavanti=are; aśaktiḥ=incapacity; ca=and; karaṇa=organs; vaikalyāt=due to impairment; aṣṭāviṁśati=twenty-eight; bhedā=types of; tuṣṭiḥ=contentment; navadhā=of nine types; aṣṭadhā=of eight types; siddhiḥ=attainment

There are five kinds of ignorance; twenty-eight kinds of incapacity caused by defects of the organs; nine kinds of contentment and eight-fold attainments.

Samkhya Karika 46

एष प्रत्ययसर्गो विपर्ययाशक्तितुष्टिसिद्ध्याख्यः ।
गुणवैषम्यविमर्द्देन तस्य भेदास्तु पञ्चाशत् ॥ ४६ ॥

eṣa pratyayasargo viparyayāśaktituṣṭisiddhyākhyaḥ ।
guṇavaiṣamyavimarddena tasya bhedāstu pañcāśat ॥ 46 ॥

eṣaḥ=this; pratyaya=buddhi (intellect); sargaḥ=creation; viparyaya=ignorance; aśakti=weakness, infirmity; tuṣṭi=satisfaction, complacency; siddhi=attainment; ākhyaḥ=known as; guṇa=the three gunas; vaiṣamya=inequality; vimarddena=from (mutual) suppression; tasyaits; bhedāḥ=different forms; tu=indeed; pañcāśat=fifty

This (the group of sixteen – eight causes and eight effects as given in karikas 44 and 45) is a creation of the intellect, and is characterized by ignorance, incapacity, contentment and attainment. Due to the mutual suppression of the gunas due to their inequality, the different forms add up to fifty.

Samkhya Karika 45

वैराग्यात् प्रकृतिलयः संसारो भवति राजसाद्रागात् ।
ऐश्वर्यादविघातो विपर्ययात् तद्विपर्यासः ॥ ४५ ॥

vairāgyāt prakṛtilayaḥ saṁsāro bhavati rājasādrāgāt ।
aiśvaryādavighāto viparyayāt tadviparyāsaḥ ॥ 45 ॥

Vairāgyāt=from dispassion; prakṛtilayaḥ=absorption into Prakriti; saṁsārah=transmigration; bhavati=results; rājasāt=from rajas guna; rāgāt=from attachment; aiśvaryāt= from power; avighātaḥ=non-impediment; viparyayāt=from the opposite (weakness); tadviparyāsaḥ=contrary (impediment)

Dispassion results in absorption into Prakriti; from passion driven by Rajas results transmigration; from power comes non-impediment (of desires) and from the reverse (weakness) results the contrary (impediment).

Samkhya Karika 44

धर्मेण गमनमूर्ध्वं गमनमधस्ताद् भवत्यधर्मेण ।
ज्ञानेन चापवर्गो विपर्ययादिष्यते बन्धः ॥ ४४ ॥

dharmeṇa gamanamūrdhvaṁ gamanamadhastād bhavatyadharmeṇa ।
jñānena cāpavargo viparyayādiṣyate bandhaḥ ॥ 44 ॥

Dharmeṇa=through dharma (virtue); gamanam=movement; ūrdhvaṁ=upward; gamanam=movement; adhastāt=downward; bhavati=happens; adharmeṇa=through non-virtuous deeds; jñānena=by knowledge; ca=and; apavargaḥ=liberation; viparyayāt=from the reverse (of knowledge); iṣyate=attained (lit. desired); bandhaḥ=bondage

By virtue, one attains ascent to higher planes; by non-virtue (vice), descent to the lower planes; from wisdom is attained liberation; and bondage from the reverse (ignorance).

Samkhya Karika 43

सांसिद्धिकाश्च भावाः प्राकृतिका वैकृतिकाश्च धर्माद्याः ।
दृष्टाः करणाश्रयिणः कार्याश्रयिणश्च कललाद्याः ॥ ४३ ॥

sāṁsiddhikāśca bhāvāḥ prākṛtikā vaikṛtikāśca dharmādyāḥ ।
dṛṣṭāḥ karaṇāśrayiṇaḥ kāryāśrayiṇaśca kalalādyāḥ ॥ 43 ॥

sāṁsiddhikāḥ=innate; ca=and; bhāvāḥ=dispositions; prākṛtikā=natural; vaikṛtikāḥ=acquired; ca=and; dharmādyāḥ=dharma (virtue) and the rest; dṛṣṭāḥ=observed; karaṇāśrayiṇaḥ=residing in the inner instrument (buddhi); kāryāśrayiṇaḥ=residing in the effect (body etc.); ca=and; kalalādyāḥ=embryo and the rest

The dispositions – virtues etc., are innate, natural and acquired. These subsist in the main instrument, the intellect. The embryo and the rest subsist in the effect (physical body).