Samkhya Yoga

The term ‘yoga ‘ emerged for the first time in the metaphysic of the Samkhya, a philosophy born of “buddhi”  meaning mind and which is basically the meaning of the term ‘Sankhya’. In the Sankhya theory of cosmic evolution there sprouted the seeds of a systematic philosophy of ‘yoga’ called the ‘Sankhya-yoga’. It recognized two ultimate entities-prakriti and purusha or nature and spirit.Sankhya acclaims that the objectives universe in its infinite diversity evolves out of this prakriti when it is yoked with purusha. The purusha has no physical entity and manifests only when yoked with prakriti. Sankhya calls the manifested cosmos the ‘parinama’(result) of this yoga of the male and female elements, or evolution out of the union. In visual terms this is envisioned as the physical mating of shiva with Parvati, his shakti and represented in art as such.

Sankhya gives to yoga a definite metaphysical shape and the status of an independent philosophy. It perceives creation as a cyclic evolution on the completion of which the objectives universe dissolves and the cyclic process begin a fresh. The Sankhya theory of evolution makes no reference to god and thus incidentally yoga evolved as a secular concept with the result that almost all sects in India adopted it with alike zeal. Hindu personified purusha and prakriti in shiva and shakti and perceived the creation as the result of the union of the two. Later evolution of yogic thought also perceives this cosmic element in the union of Vishnu and Lakshami.

It must be noted here that the woman, who is the prakriti, creates by union with the male but through her own expansion.

This quality of expansion in her exclusive preserve and is evident in the sexual act where it is the female who expands while consummating the union (or yoking). Similarly while carrying the fertilized seed in her womb her belly expand.