mobility and inertia. In combinations one quality or another may
predominate, and we may have combinations which show preponderantly
awareness-rhythm, or life- mobility, or immutability-inertia. The
combinations in which awareness-rhythm or cognition predominates become
“mind in nature,” the subject or subjective half of nature.
Combinations in which either of the other two predominates become the
object or objective half of nature, the “force and matter” of the
western scientist.[6]
[6] A friend notes that the first is the Suddha Sattva of the Ramanuja
School, and the second and third the Prakriti, or spirit-matter, in
the lower sense of the same.
We have thus nature divided into two, the subject and the object. We
have now in nature everything that is wanted for the manifestation of
activity, for the production of forms and for the expression of
consciousness. We have mind, and we have force and matter. Purusha has
nothing more to do, for he has infused all powers into Prakriti and
sits apart, contemplating their interplay, himself remaining unchanged.
The drama of existence is played out within Matter, and all that Spirit
does is to look at it. Purusha is the spectator before whom the drama
is played. He is not the actor, but only a spectator. The actor is the
subjective part of nature, the mind, which is the reflection of
awareness in rhythmic matter. That with which it works—objective
nature, is the reflection of the other qualities of Purusha—life and
immutability—in the gunas, Rajas and Tamas. Thus we have in nature
everything that is wanted for the production of the universe. The
Putusha only looks on when the drama is played before him. He is
spectator, not actor. This is the predominant note of the
Bhagavad-Gita. Nature does everything. The gunas bring about the
universe. The man who says: “I act,” is mistaken and confused; the
gunas act, not he. He is only the spectator and looks on. Most of the
Gita teaching is built upon this conception of the Samkhya, and unless
that is clear in our minds we can never discriminate the meaning under
the phrases of a particular philosophy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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