A
Absolutely! Let’s make a clear, detailed, side-by-side comparison of Sāṅkhya and Advaita Vedānta. I’ll focus on philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, and spiritual goals.
| Aspect | Sāṅkhya | Advaita Vedānta |
|---|---|---|
| Founders / Texts | Traditionally by Kapila; main text: Sāṅkhya Kārikā | Adi Shankaracharya (commentaries on Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahma Sutras) |
| Philosophical Type | Dualist (Dvaita) | Non-dualist (Advaita) |
| Ultimate Reality | Two eternal realities: Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (matter/nature) | Brahman alone is ultimate reality; the world is Māyā (illusion) |
| Soul / Self | Purusha: eternal, passive observer; multiple individual selves | Ātman: identical with Brahman; only one ultimate Self |
| World / Matter | Prakriti: material world, ever-changing, composed of three gunas (qualities) | The world (Jagat) is Māyā, ultimately unreal; appears due to ignorance (Avidya) |
| God / Ishvara | Classical Sāṅkhya is atheistic; God not necessary for liberation | Ishvara exists as personal aspect of Brahman, but ultimate reality is impersonal Brahman |
| Knowledge / Epistemology | Valid sources: Pratyaksha (perception), Anumana (inference), Shabda (scripture) | Valid sources: Shruti (Upanishads) primarily; reason and experience support realization |
| Goal / Liberation (Moksha) | Liberation is Kaivalya: Purusha disentangled from Prakriti, pure consciousness remains | Liberation is Moksha: realization of Ātman = Brahman, freedom from illusion and identification with body-mind |
| Method / Practice | Knowledge of dual realities, discrimination between Purusha and Prakriti; meditation and detachment | Knowledge (Jnana) via Sravana (hearing), Manana (reflection), Nididhyasana (meditation); detachment from ego and world |
| Nature of Change | Prakriti changes; Purusha is unchanging | The world is constantly changing (Māyā); Brahman is changeless |
| Example / Analogy | Like a snake and rope analogy in Prakriti-Purusha? Not exactly; Sāṅkhya uses tree analogy of gunas evolution | Classic snake-rope analogy: world is illusory (Māyā), Brahman is real |
| Relation between Self and World | Self (Purusha) is distinct from matter; interacts only as observer | Self (Ātman) is Brahman; world is apparent, not ultimately real |
💡 Key takeaway:
Sāṅkhya is dualistic: consciousness and matter are separate; liberation is separation of Purusha from Prakriti.
Advaita is non-dual: only Brahman is real; the world and individual self are illusions arising from ignorance.
If you want, I can also make a very simple, one-line memory version of this table so it’s easy to memorize for exams or quick reference.
Do you want me to do that?
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