What is the relationship between Prakriti and Purusha?
Samkhya, perhaps India's oldest philosophy, explains the universe with two principles: Purusha, pure consciousness, and Prakriti, nature. How do they meet, and why does it matter for how we live?
The verse
Two principles
In Samkhya philosophy, Puruṣa is pure consciousness — the witness, unchanging, inactive. Prakṛti is nature — everything that changes: matter, energy, body, mind, even thought. The whole universe unfolds when Prakriti is in the presence of Purusha.
The lame and the blind
The Samkhya Karika explains their union with an unforgettable image: a lame man and a blind man stranded in a forest…
The journey continues for members
- Carried on each other's shoulders
- The three gunas
- In the Gita
Sources
- Samkhya Karika — Ishvarakrishna, verse 21
- Bhagavad Gita — chapters 13–14