17.09.09
Dravidian source of Samkhya?
An interesting quote from Danielou from the Introduction to
Shiva and the Primordial Tradition.
Throughout all of his work, Danielou emphasizes the need to study
the traditional Indian sciences, to translate them, and to ensure their
preservation, starting with the ancient cosmological theories of Samkhya.
He provides a considerable bibliography on these theories in his While
the Gods Play, with the following presentation:
We do not have the original texts of the ancient Samkhya, which
was not in the Sanskrit language, but we are acquainted with its
Dravidian terminology thanks, in particular, to the Manimekhalai,
which is written in the Tamil language …. The teachings of Kapila,
the dark-skinned sage who was the first to teach the Samkhya in
the Aryan world, were collected by his spiritual heir, the magus
Asuri ….
Reconstituted and translated into Sanskrit at the time of the
Shaivite revival, at the beginning of the Christian era, they were
the cause of a prodigious renaissance that lasted until the Islamic
invasions in the twelfth century. Only part of these texts has been
published, and very few have been translated. Sumerian paral-
lels have, moreover, confirmed their authenticity. The knowledge
they reveal about the nature of the universe, the origin of matter
and life, biology, astrophysics, the relations between thought and
language, goes far beyond the most audacious concepts of modern
science ….
According to the concepts of the Samkhyas, the universe is
made up of two fundamental elements, consciousness and energy.
… Matter is merely organized energy. There is no material ele-
ment that exists without being inhabited by consciousness. No ele-
ment of consciousness exists without an energy-giving support.”