Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which 25 principles are described in the Samkhya system in the Mahabharata?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Indian philosophy
In the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna and the Hindu deity Krishna, who also serves as Arjuna's charioteer (as depicted in this 17th-century illustration), engaging in a philosophical dialogue.
The Mahabharata contains early, proto-Samkhyan texts that present several different schemata for the 25 principles (tattvas) of the Samkhya system. While classical Samkhya later standardized these, the epic reflects a period of philosophical development where these principles were categorized in various ways.1
A common arrangement of these 25 principles described in the Mahabharata includes:
- Eight productive forms of prakriti: The unmanifest (prakriti), intellect (buddhi), egoism (ahamkara), and the five fine elements (sound, smell, form/color, taste, and touch).1
- Sixteen modifications: The five organs of perception, five organs of action, the mind (manas), and the five gross elements (ether, earth, fire, water, and air).1
- The 25th principle: Purusha (the spirit or person).1
It is important to note that some passages in the Mahabharata also introduce a 26th principle—Ishvara (the supreme lord)—which is considered an un-Samkhyan addition to the traditional 25-principle framework.1