VijƱÄnabhikį¹£u
Quick Summary
VijƱÄnabhikį¹£u was an Indian philosopher who sought to reconcile the Samkhya and Vedanta schools of thought. He proposed that creation arises from the interaction between selves and Matter, influenced by a chief self, or God. Unlike earlier Samkhya thinkers, VijƱÄnabhikį¹£u considered the fundamental qualities (gunas) to be real substances.1
He also contributed to epistemology by suggesting a real contact between the self and the intellect (buddhi) to explain the experience of ownership and awareness in cognition. VijƱÄnabhikį¹£u believed that Samkhya's atheism was intended to prevent humans from trying to be God, asserting that Samkhya was originally theistic. He interpreted the Upanishadic concept of unity of selves as a lack of difference in kind among them.1
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- Samkhya
Vijnanabhikshu wrote an important treatise on the system in the 16th century.
Read MoreVijnanabhikshu wrote an important treatise on the system in the 16th century.
Read More 
Indian philosophyTexts and commentaries until Vachaspati and the Samkhya-sutrasā¦century) wrote a vritti and Vijnanabhikshu (16th century) wrote the Samkhya-pravachana-bhashya (āCommentary on the Samkhya Doctrineā). Among independent works, mention may be made of Tattvasamasa (c. 11th century; āCollection of Truthsā).
Read Moreā¦century) wrote a vritti and Vijnanabhikshu (16th century) wrote the Samkhya-pravachana-bhashya (āCommentary on the Samkhya Doctrineā). Among independent works, mention may be made of Tattvasamasa (c. 11th century; āCollection of Truthsā).
Read More