Sāṃkhya Kārikā verse 23
अध्यवसायो बुद्धिर्धर्मो ज्ञानं विराग ऐश्वर्यम् । सात्त्विकमेतद्रूपं तामसमस्माद्विपर्यस्तम् ॥ २३ ॥adhyavasāyaḥ buddhiḥ dharmaḥ jñānaṃ virāga aiśvaryam | sāttvikam-etad-rūpaṃ tāmasam-asmāt-viparyastam ||
adhyavasāya - mental effort, apprehension; determination to begin an activity with a view to get the fruitbuddhi - the intellectual faculty; comprehension; intelligence, discernment, judgementdharma - essential qualities, according to the nature of anything; highest duty; customary observance or prescribed conduct; discharge of dutyjñāna - knowing; knowledge; higher knowledgevirāga - indifference to external things or worldly objects; passionless, without feeling, dispassionate, excitement, irritation; indifferent; aversion, dislike or indifference to; change or loss of colouraiśvarya - the state of being a mighty lord, sovereignty, supremacy, power, sway; superhuman power (either perpetual or transient, consisting, according to some, of the following eight: aṇiman, laghiman, mahiman, prāpti, prākāmya, vaśitva, īśitva, kāmāvasāyitva)sattva - clarity; the quality of transparency or purity; luminous; honesty; the quality of goodness; material or elementary substance, entity, matter; nature, disposition of mind; being, existence, entity, realityetad - this, this here, here; sometimes used to give emphasis to the personal pronouns; it refers also to that which followsrūpa - any outward appearance or phenomenon or colour; form, shape, figure; aggregate; ‘formed or composed of’, ‘consisting of’tāmasa - appertaining to or affected by the quality tamas; ignorant, various; darknessasmāt - from thisviparyasta - turned over, reversed, opposite, contrary; interchanged, invertedCommentaries and Reflections
Commentary by S Ramaswami:
Adhyavasāyah-
Adhy- Below and down
Asayo- Remain above
buddhiḥ- Function of Buddhi
The function of Buddhi is to turn things over, bring what is below above like a plough turning over the soil.
The process of determination after proper analysis.
This analysis and determination is four-fold.
dharmaḥ- That which supports. Our attitudes and observances. Having the correct approach. Virtue in the world.
jñānam- Wisdom, enlightening. Bring out what is hidden clarity. Both in internal (Difference between Puruṣa and Prakṛti) and external (Veda, rites, astronomy, etc…)
virāgaḥ- Non-attachment. Absence of passion. Absence of compulsive desire. Absence of desire towards external objects. Detachment from internal experiences such as dreams or illusions. No good removing external rage if one still has dreams or illusions internally. Realising that Rāga is due to the activity of the three Guṇa. Leaving desire for Mokṣa and eventually no desire, only existence.
Stages of controlling desires:
1. Willing to control desires or desire to control
2. Control some desires
3. Senses controlled, not the mind, it wishes for this and that
4. Desire completely ceases for this world or the next
aiśvaryam – Lordship. Possession of worldly powers. Acquisition of powers achieved by the Sattvic power of the Buddhi. The power such as that exercised by a superior being is of eight kinds.
1) Aṇimā- The capacity to penetrate things like an atom.
2) Laghimā- Lightness, such as will enable one to rise up on the rays of the sun.
3) Garimā- Extreme heaviness.
4) Mahimā- Extensive magnitude.
5) Prāpti- Reach such that one can touch the moon with one’s fingertip.
6) Prākāmya- Obtaining all the objects of one’s desires.
7) Vaśītva- Subjugation of all elemental forces.
8) Īśitva- Power of creation.
So Sattva Buddhi Tattva can travel in four directions. However, it is only in a very small number of people where Sattva Buddhi predominates. For the rest they are in a Tamasic state of Buddhi and Ahaṃkara predominates identifying itself as Buddhi.
sāttvikam – Of a Sattvic nature
etad rūpam – This group
However:
tāmasam – Of a Tamasic nature
asmāt -Out of this.
viparyastam – The reverse of these are.
To Buddhi in its Tamasic aspect, pertain the reverse of the four dispositions.
1. Vice or Demonic tendencies in life
2. Ignorance, talk about things without understanding
3. Attachment, possession of wealth
4. Absence of worldly powers, no understanding of nature.
One has to go beyond Ahaṃkāra to make Buddhi active. Otherwise, it is inactive and Ahaṃkāra predominates. To go beyond Ahaṃkāra, one has to use the Buddhi faculty. This will enable one to advance to distinction of Puruṣa and Prakṛti. This will enable on the changes one’s Ahaṃkāra, whether from this life or the next.
The definition of individualisation follows.