सांख्य

In the Gita the word Sankhya stands for the way of knowing in which the difference between the self and the body, the real and the unreal, is understood through discernment. The teaching of the self in the second chapter (2.11 to 2.30) belongs to this field, which is why that chapter is sometimes called the chapter of Sankhya.

In verse 2.39 Lord Krishna says: this intellect I have told you in the matter of Sankhya; now hear it in the matter of yoga. The order of the words suggests a sequence: first understanding, then living it. So Sankhya can be taken as the ground on which the intellect of yoga stands.

It should be said plainly that the traditional meaning of the word and its use in different philosophies is a large subject, and traditions read this verse somewhat differently. On this page we stay with as much meaning as shows in the words of this passage of the Gita.

Do not take Sankhya as mere doctrine. The Gita's insistence is that the understanding gained be lived with the intellect of yoga, so that it works to loosen the bondage of action.