Samkhya Karika (PDF)

The Samkhya Karika forms the root philosophy that is the spiritual heart of Yoga as we know and practice it today. Kapila codified Samkhya as an oral tradition around 750 BCE, and Isvara Krsna gave us the written text during the 2nd century ACE. While few have studied Samkhya, its philosophy has made its way into many of the spiritual traditions from Yoga to Buddhism and beyond. Updated version, 2012 The original text contains 60 verses. In the centuries following Isvara Krsna’s writing, Buddhist and Vedantic scholars added thirteen additional verses. I have kept these thirteen verses separate as an addendum to the main translation, in order to remain faithful to the original teachings of Samkhya. Samkhya comprises a dualistic view, wherein the seer and the seen remain eternally separate. Samkhya therefore forms an important milestone that every aspirant will navigate as she or he awakens spiritually. When viewed holistically, every stage attained along the way to enlightenment is impo