The philosophy of Samkhya philosophy, according to which there is no such thing as a thing existing prior to the effect it has produced on the existing things is called “samkhya samadhi”. The word “Samkhya” originates from the term “Sambhara”, which was the name of the Hindu goddess of knowledge, referred to the philosophers as the “Goddess of Knowledge”. According to Samkhya philosophy all things are produced in the process of creation by the soul of the creator, which is immortal. Samkhya is related to Yoga Philosophy.
According to Samkhya theory, even if we do not know how or when the physical world was created, we can still make a comparison between the way the soul or spirit of someone else acts on the material cause and therefore on the effect that the effect produces. We find in the soul of an animal a certain likeness to its own life. In the case of humans this likeness is called” Kamma” or “skill” and is what makes men and women differ from one another. We can conclude that, for the souls of humans that are skillful, being skillful means having the capacity to produce a mind or soul that is in conformity with its own nature, that is powerful enough to bring about changes that are required in the affected material world.
On the other hand, for the nays, or persons who do not have this certain skill, we find that the effect produced is not in conformity with the soul of the creator. The effect produced here is that of an inferior quality or shape. This inferior quality or shape is produced in the process of creation and hence, we can say that the mind or soul of the nyaya is not in conformity with the original mind or soul of the creator, which caused nyaya to be produced. This being the case, the effect produced is of a lower grade than that required by the original mind or soul of the nyaya.
This theory is based on Upanishad-Vati. The Upanishads narrate the story of creation in detail. It is on this basis that Samkhya is established. The theory says that the effect produced by a body that is in conformity with its nature is called “Nyaya”. A body that is not in conformity with its nature is called “Pani”.
According to the Upanishads, Nyaya can be neither created nor destroyed. It is neither good nor bad in comparison with its nature. On the other hand, according to the Sankritatantra, a material cause (prana) that acts in accord with the will of the illness or niyama, which is superior to the niyama, is called “veda” and its effects are “samadhi” or spiritual bliss. From this it is possible to deduce that the effect of Yoga is neither good nor evil and both exist simultaneously.
The Upanishads define the word “veda” as “all that is” or “that which results from thought”. Therefore, the concepts of “goodness” and “badness” do not exist in yoga, but only according to the concept of samba (goodness) and nyaya (nastiness). It has been explained that the effect of yoga is known by the fact that a person who performs certain acts with appropriate thoughts is believed to attain certain types of things (i.e., goodness) and experiences corresponding to those thoughts. However, it is explained that the act of performing these acts is connected with the actualisation of the ultimate purpose of the exercises i.e., the liberation of the soul from Samskara (what is called the substratum or base of Samkhya).
According to Samkhya theory there is no reason to assume that the effect of any given act can be separated from its cause already existing at that point in time. Therefore, it is claimed that if the effect of an act does not directly lead to the attainment of a goal then it would not be described as “evil” or “painful” and therefore there is no reason to compare it with the pains caused by the physical world. It must be remembered that the physical world is full of pain, which is the result of the material cause already existing at the time of the action. However, the soul or consciousness which is the cause already exists at the time of the activity, and that is what is being referred to when people say that this activity brings about pain. In other words, Samkhya theory says that the soul exists in the causal world before the activity takes place and causes the effect.
When the above assumptions are made, we come to know that the theory of the survival of the fittest is not applicable here. On the other hand, we also learn that it is not necessarily evil to desire the good produced by Sankrita. We are told to desire only that which is beneficial for the nature. This implies that happiness created by Sankrita is not as painful as the pains that are caused by the physical world, and which is, according to the philosophy of Sankrita, not directly dependent on the activities performed in this world. Consequently, the philosophy of Sankrita should be seen as a means of enhancing the happiness created by the activities performed in this world, in order to benefit mankind.