The Origin of Samkya and its Relationship with Yoga

Samkya is believed to be the oldest of the Vedic schools and is closely connected to yoga. It traces its ideas back to the earliest Vedas and shares a single teaching with yoga. The Samkya Karika, attributed to Ishvarakrishna, is the oldest surviving treatise of the school. Samkya is a dualistic system, with the two fundamental principles being Purusha (pure consciousness) and Pracrichi (primordial matter). Purusha remains inactive, while Pracrichi undergoes transformation. Despite their independence, the two principles work together, with Purusha witnessing the evolution of Pracrichi. Mind, intellect, and the five sense faculties emerge from nature, leading to the development of a complete individual.