Brevity, Sankhya and Vedanta

Sankya philosophy spanned the whole world of things and knowledge about those simply in 24 principles. And nearly all the schools of Hinduism take the Sankyan clarification of the known world as the base of their enquiry. In 24 principles you just grasp the whole universe.

Who is 'the one who grasps'? That is the knower? Yea really it is the soul or Jivatman. And he stands as the 25th principle. And he does stand apart different in kind. The previous 24 principles are all belonging to one classification - viz., 'Objects Known'. Whereas the 25th, i e., the knower, Jivatman, is not an object known. He is the knower who knows all things and objects.

And you can just think further about an encompassing whole which comprises all these, - known objects and the knowing soul, who are different in kind, but go to make our picture of the world. But what do you think, the nature of that encompassing whole? Will it be different in kind from these two, objects and the knower soul? Surely is it not? That Whole cannot be of the same kind as the objects known or the knower, Jivatman. But the nature of the Whole must be such that, the natures of the member-categories, viz., the objects and the soul are included within. That Whole cannot be totally 'Object' and also that Whole must house the object also inside itself. If that Whole cannot be just object, then the Whole must be more akin to the nature of the knower soul. But if it is just another soul, how can it include within itself different kinds like objects, which are known and Jivatman which actually knows the objects? So it becomes obvious that that Whole should be of a nature, which transcends the natures of member-categories like objects and knower, but which includes all the while these member-categories.

Hence the Whole is named as Supreme Soul, Param Atma. The whole includes objects but also transcends the nature of objects. Hence it is called Para Vastu - Param Porul or Supreme Substance. And Vedanta, which is the methodology which inquires into the real import of the Revelations, for instance, Vedas, likes very much the brevity in the number of basic principles involved and to be studied. Some sects give a very detailed listing of basic principles, so that pinning down all shades and variations as separate principles. But Vedanta lays down as one of its basic dictums - Lagava or brevity is essential. The principles must be reduced to most essentials and just multiplication of principles will not in any way enhance one's enquiry and also will not help in understanding.

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