Origin and Development of the Samkhya System of Thought by Pulinbihari Chakravarti is an important work dealing with different aspects of Samkhya. The learned scholar has elaborately discussed some of the fundamental topics of Samkhya and has also tried to trace its origin and the development which the system underwent in the different stages of its growth and evolution. Of the various subjects discussed in the book, particular mention may be made of the Samkhya teachers and their work, Samkhya and Yoga, Samkhya and Buddhism, the Samkhya-Karika and its Commentaries, Samkhya Theory of Knowledge, Samkhya Theory of Evolution, etc. The present work is based entirely on a detailed study of the original texts and contains much new information that the author has been able to collect and analyse with erudition.

Samkhya - what does it mean ?
Origin of Samkhya
Samkhya and the Vedas
Samkhya ideas in the Upanisads

Samkhya accounts of the Mahabharata The reflection of the full-fledged Samkhya in the Gita
Does the Epic preach the true Samkhya view ?
[Samkhya accounts in the Puranas]
[Criticism of Garbe's view of non-brahmanical origin of Samkhya]
Samkhya and Yoga
Ancient works on Yoga
[Yoga sometimes identified as Vaisesika]
Samkhya and Buddhism
Samkhya and the Abhidharma Literature
Samkhya accounts in the Caraka-samhita and Buddha-carita
SAMKHYA TEACHERS AND THEIR WORKS
[Kapila and Asuri]
Pancasihka
Sastitantra and its authorship
Some Samkhya teachers as referred to in the Epie
Post-Pancasikha Samkhya teachers
Paurika
Pancadhikarana
Pata jail
Varsaganya and his followers
Varsaganya, his follwers and the author of the Yoga-bhasya
Vindhyavasin
Vindhyavasin and Vyadi

[Reference to Vindhyavasin by Kamalasila
Paramartha's account of Vindhyavasin
Date of Vasubandhu
Manoratha as the teacher of Vasubandhu
Kuei-chi's account of the debate of Vasubandhu with the Samkhya teacher
Gold Seventy and the Samkhya Karika of Isvarakrsna
Takakusu's identification of Isvarakrsna and Vindhyavasin
Untenability of such a view
Examination of the view of Kuei-chi
Paramartha-Saptati and the Samkhya-Saptati
Yukti-dipika as a rejoinder of the Paramartha-Saptati
Defective statement of Paramartha
Vindhyavasin as a predecessor of Isvarakrsna]
[Atreyatantra]
[Madhava-the Samkhya teacher]

The Samkhya-Karika and its Commentaries
The Chinese version of Paramartha
Mathara-vrtti
Yukti-dipika
Yukti-dipika and Raja-varttika
The Bhasya of Gaudapada
Tattva-kaumudi
Jayamangala

The Tattva-Samasa-Sutras
The Samkhya-Sutra
The Samkhya Theory of Knowledge
Indeterminate and determinate perception
Psychological process in perception
Mind and its function
The function of ahamkara
The function of buddhi
Buddhi and Purusa
Inference
Valid testimony

Causality
The Samkhya Theory of Evolution
Prakrti and the Gunas
[The characteristic feature of the three Gunas]
Modern Science and the doctrine of Gunas
Psychical aspects of the Gunas
Prakrti and its evolutes


[Arguments in support of the existence of prakrti
Its unity-Paurika's view of the plurality of prakrti
Conception of mahatmya-sarira
Criticism of the doctrine of plurality of prakrti The two-fold end
Its criticism by Vasubandhu
Clarification of the Samkhya view by the author of the Yukti-dipika
Cyclic process
Samkhya conception of evolution
Mahat
Three fold ahamkara
Organs
The tanmatras
The gross elements and their properties
Samanya and visesa
Conception of substance
Conception of tativa]

Time and Space
Doctrine of change
The five vital breaths
The five springs of activity
Evolution of embodied beings
Adhikara-sarga
Doctrine of sat-siddhi
The subtle medium of migration
Corporeal creation
The subtle body and the bhavas
Pratyaya-sarga

Purusa
Misery and its source
[Conception of avidya
Explanation of 'error' form the standpoint of Samkhya]
Liberation

Bibliography
Abbreviations
Index
Proper names and Schools
Technical terms and expressions
Alphabetical index of Sanskrit terms and expressions that appear in the book in Devanagari script
Additions and corrections