About SANKHYA and YOGA

SANKHYA and YOGA philosophies (compared) : Sankhya and Yoga are two of the six āstika* schools of Hindu philosophy.

Sankhya or Samkhya (Sanskrit: सांख्य, IAST: sāṃkhya) is most related to the Yoga school of Hinduism, and it was influential on other schools of Indian philosophy. Sāmkhya philosophy regards the universe as consisting of two realities, puruṣa (consciousness) and prakṛti (matter). Jiva (a living being) is that state in which puruṣa is bonded to prakṛti in some form. This fusion, state the Samkhya scholars, led to the emergence of buddhi ("intellect") and ahaṅkāra (ego consciousness). The ideas that were developed and assimilated into the classical Samkhya text, the Sāṅkhyakārikā, are visible in earlier Hindu scriptures such as the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.
The Yoga school derives its ontology and epistemology from Samkhya and adds to it the concept of Isvara (Supreme Soul or God).
*Āstika (Sanskrit आस्तिक IAST: Āstika) derives from the Sanskrit asti, "there is, there exists", and means “one who believes in the existence (of a soul or Brahman, etc.)” and Nāstika means "an unbeliever".
A list of six systems or ṣaḍdarśanas consider the Vedas as a reliable source of knowledge and an authoritative source. These  schools of Hinduism are the Nyaya (the school of logic), Vaisheshika (the atomist school), Samkhya (the enumeration school), Yoga (the school of Patañjali, which assumes the metaphysics of Sāṃkhya), Mīmāṃsā (the tradition of Vedic exegesis) and Vedanta (the Upaniṣadic tradition).
These are often coupled into three groups for both historical and conceptual reasons: Nyāyá-Vaiśeṣika, Sāṃkhya-Yoga, and Mimāṃsā-Vedanta.

Notes from Kisari Mohan Ganguli in the Mahabharata translation :
- Sankhya is renunciation of action, while Yoga is devotion through action.
- The sense seems to be this (in the Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCLII) : in the Yoga system He is called the Supreme Soul, for Yogins affirm the existence of two souls, the Jivatman and the Supreme Soul, and assert the superiority of the latter over the former. The Sankhyas regard the Jiva-soul and the Supreme Soul to be one and the same. A third class of men think everything as Soul, there being no difference between the one Soul and the universe displayed in infinitude.

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXXV (extract) :
And Narada taught these thousand sons of Daksha the excellent philosophy of Sankhya as a means of
salvation.

The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section XXVI (Bhagavad Gita Chapter II) (extract) :
This knowledge, that hath been communicated to thee is (taught) in the Sankhya (system). Listen now to that (inculcated) in Yoga (system). Possessed of that knowledge, thou, O Partha, wilt cast off the bonds of action. In this (the Yoga system) there is no waste of even the first attempt. There are no impediments. Even a little of this (form of) piety delivers from great fear.

The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section XXVII (Bhagavad Gita Chapter III) (extract) :
The Holy One said,--'It hath already been said by me, O sinless one, that here are, in this world, two kinds of devotion; that of the Sankhyas through knowledge and that of the yogins through work.

The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section XXIX (Bhagavad Gita Chapter V) (extract) :
Fools say, but not those that are wise, that Sankhya and Yoga are distinct. One who stayeth in even one (of the two) reapeth the fruit of both. Whatever seat is attained by those who profess the Sankhya system, that too is reached by those who profess the Yoga. He seeth truly who seeth Sankhya and Yoga as one.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Rajadharmanusasana Parva: Section XLVIII (extract) :
Thou always conscious and present in self, the Sankhyas still describe thee as existing in the three states of wakefulness, dream, and sound sleep. They further speak of thee as possessed of sixteen attributes* and representing the number seventeen. Salutations to thy form as conceived by the Sankhyas! Casting off sleep, restraining breath, withdrawn into their own selves, Yogins of restrained senses behold thee as eternal light. Salutations to thee in thy Yoga form!
* Note from Kisari Mohan Ganguli : The sixteen attributes are the eleven senses and the five elements in their subtle forms called Mahabhutas. Added to this is Infinity. The Supreme Being, according to the Sankhya doctrine, is thus the embodiment of the number seventeen.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CCXXXVI (extract) :
In both the Yoga and the Sankhya, systems, five and twenty topics of knowledge have been treated in nearly the same way. Listen to me as I mention their chief features. That has been said to be Manifest which is
possessed of these four attributes, viz., birth, growth, decay, and death. That which is not possessed of
these attributes is said to be Unmanifest. Two souls are mentioned in the Vedas and the sciences that are
based upon them. The first (which is called Jivatman) is endued with the four attributes already mentioned, and has a longing for the four objects or purposes (viz., Religion, Wealth, Pleasure and Emancipation). This soul is called Manifest, and it is born of the Unmanifest (Supreme Soul).

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CCXXXVI (extract) :
That person who cherishes no desire for earthly objects, who is not unwilling to take what comes, who is dependent on earthly objects to only that extent which is necessary for sustaining life, who is free from cupidity, who has driven off all grief, who has restrained his senses, who goes through all necessary acts, who is regardless of personal appearance and attire, whose senses are all collected (for devotion to the true objects of life), whose purposes are never left unaccomplished, who bears himself with equal friendliness towards all creatures, who regards a clod of earth and a lump of gold with an equal eye, who is equally disposed towards friend and foe, who is possessed of patience, who takes praise and blame equally, who is free from longing with respect to all objects of desire, who practises Brahmacharya, and who is firm and steady in all his vows and observances, who has no malice or envy for any creature in the universe, is a Yogin who according to the Sankhya system succeeds in winning Emancipation. Listen now to the way and the means by which a person may win Emancipation through Yoga (or the system of Patanjali). That person who moves and acts after having transcended the puissance that the practice of Yoga brings about (in the initial stages), succeeds in winning Emancipation. I have thus discoursed to thee on those topics (viz., Emancipation according to the Sankhya system and that according to the Yoga system) which are dissimilar if the speaker be disposed to treat them as such (but which in reality, are one and the same)*.
*Note from Kisari Mohan Ganguli : The commentator points out that in this verse the speaker shows a decided preference for the Sankhya philosophy.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CCCI (extract) :
The evidences of Yoga are addressed to the direct ken of the senses; those of Sankhya are based on the scriptures. Both systems of philosophy are approved by me, O Yudhishthira. Both those systems of science, O king, have my concurrence and are concurred in by those that are good and wise. If practised duly according to the instructions laid down, both would, O king, cause a person to attain to the highest end. In both systems purity is equally recommended as also compassion towards all creatures, O sinless one. In both, again, the observance of vows has been equally laid down. Only the scriptures that point out their paths are different.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCII (extract) :
That high-souled person who is fully conversant with the vast, high, ancient, ocean-like, and immeasurable Sankhya system that is pure and liberal and agreeable, becomes, O king, equal to Narayana. I have now told thee, O god among men, the truth about the Sankhya system. It is the embodiment of Narayana, of the universe as it exists from the remotest time.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCVI (extract) :
Only the highest Rishis conversant with the Sankhya and the Yoga systems know that Supreme Soul which
Sankhya and Yogins and believers in all other systems say is beyond the Understanding, which is regarded as Knower and endued with the highest wisdom in consequence of its casting off all consciousness of identification with Prakriti, which transcends the attribute of Ignorance or Error, which is Unmanifest, which is beyond all attributes, which is called the Supreme, which is dissociated from all attributes, which ordains all things, which is Eternal and Immutable, which overrules Prakriti and all the attributes born of Prakriti, and which, transcending the four and twenty topics of enquiry, forms the twenty-fifth.

About the VISHNU PURANA

VISHNU PURANA: The Vishnu Purana (IAST: Viṣṇu Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas*, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra* text in the Vaishnavism* literature corpus. Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata, is credited as the compiler of the Puranas. 

*Mahapuranas: Of the many texts designated 'Puranas' the most important are the Mahāpurāṇas or the 18 major Puranas.
*Pancharatra was a religious movement in Hinduism that originated in late 1st millennium BCE around the ideas of Narayana and the various avatars of Vishnu as their central deities.The movement later merged with the ancient Bhagavata tradition and contributed to the development of Vaishnavism.
*Vaishnavism is one of the major Hindu traditions. It is also called Vishnuism, its followers are called Vaishnavas or Vaishnavites, and it considers Vishnu as the Supreme Lord.

About the MAHABHARATA

MAHABHARATA: The Mahābhārata, Sanskrit: महाभारतम्, Mahābhāratam, is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Rāmāyaṇa. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes and their successors.
The Mahābhārata is the longest epic poem known and has been described as "the longest poem ever written". Its longest (original and final) version consists of over 100,000 ślokas or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each shloka is a couplet), and long prose passages. Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahābhārata is attributed to Vyāsa.

The 18 parvas or books :
1 Adi Parva (the Beginning)
2 Sabha Parva (the Assembly Hall)
3 Vana Parva also Aranyaka-parva, Aranya-parva (the Forest)
4 Virata Parva (Virata)
5 Udyoga Parva (the Effort)
6 Bhishma Parva (Bhishma)
7 Drona Parva (Drona)
8 Karna Parva (Karna)
9 Shalya Parva (Shalya)
10 Sauptika Parva (the Sleeping Warriors)
11 Stri Parva (the Women)
12 Shanti Parva (Peace)
13 Anushasana Parva (the Instructions)
14 Ashvamedhika Parva (the Horse Sacrifice)
15 Ashramavasika Parva (the Hermitage)
16 Mausala Parva (the Clubs)
17 Mahaprasthanika Parva (the Great Journey)
18 Svargarohana Parva (the Ascent to Heaven)

Notes from Kisari Mohan Ganguli in the Mahabharata translation:
There are verses in the Mahabharata that are exceedingly difficult to construe. I have derived much aid from the great commentator Nilakantha.

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Section I (extract):
"Sauti said, 'Having heard the diverse sacred and wonderful stories which were composed in his Mahabharata by Krishna-Dwaipayana, and which were recited in full by Vaisampayana at the Snakesacrifice
of the high-souled royal sage Janamejaya and in the presence also of that chief of Princes, the son of Parikshit, and having wandered about, visiting many sacred waters and holy shrines, I journeyed to the country venerated by the Dwijas (twice-born) and called Samantapanchaka where formerly was fought the battle between the children of Kuru and Pandu, and all the chiefs of the land ranged on either side.

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Section I (extract):
"In former days, having placed the four Vedas on one side and the Bharata on the other, these were
weighed in the balance by the celestials assembled for that purpose. And as the latter weighed heavier
than the four Vedas with their mysteries, from that period it hath been called in the world Mahabharata
(the great Bharata). Being esteemed superior both in substance and gravity of import it is denominated
Mahabharata on account of such substance and gravity of import. He that knoweth its meaning is saved
from all his sins.

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Section II (extract):
He who knows the four Vedas with all the Angas (subdivisions) and Upanishads, but does not know this history (Bharata), cannot be regarded as wise. Vyasa of immeasurable intelligence, has spoken of the Mahabharata as a treatise on Artha (prosperity), on Dharma (righteousness), and on Kama (pleasure).

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Adivansavatarana Parva: Section LXII (extract):
The sins that are committed daily by our senses or the mind, those that are committed knowingly or unknowingly by any man, are all destroyed by hearing the Mahabharata. The history of the exalted birth of the Bharata princes is called the Mahabharata. He who knoweth this etymology of the name is cleansed of all his sins. And as this history of the Bharata race is so wonderful, that, when recited, it assuredly purifieth
mortals from all sins. The sage Krishna-Dwaipayana completed his work in three years. Rising daily and
purifying himself and performing his ascetic devotions, he composed this Mahabharata.

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Adivansavatarana Parva: Section LXII (extract):
The sage Krishna-Dwaipayana regularly rising for three years, composed this wonderful history called Mahabharata. O bull amongst the Bharata monarchs, whatever is spoken about virtue, wealth, pleasure, and salvation may be seen elsewhere; but whatever is not contained in this is not to be found anywhere.

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Adivansavatarana Parva: Section LXIII (extract):
And the learned Dwaipayana, beholding that virtue is destined to become lame by one leg each yuga (she having four legs in all) and that the period of life and the strength of men followed the yugas, and moved by the desire of obtaining the favour of Brahman and the Brahmanas, arranged the Vedas. And for this he came to be called Vyasa (the arranger or compiler). The boon-giving great one then taught Sumanta, Jaimini, Paila, his son Suka, and Vaisampayana, the Vedas having the Mahabharata for their fifth. And the compilation of the Bharata was published by him through them separately.

About NARAYANA

NARAYANA: (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: Nārāyaṇa) is known as one who is in yogic slumber on the celestial waters, referring to Lord Maha Vishnu. He is also known as The "Purusha" and is considered as the Supreme being in Vaishnavism.

Other meaning: The two Rishis Nara and Narayana (Avatars of Vishnu) , born in the the house of Dharma : "From Narayana's asceticism was born a great Muni of the name of Nara, equal to Narayana himself. Know that Arjuna is none else than that Nara. Those two Rishis, said to be older than the oldest gods, take their births in every Yuga for serving the purposes of the world." (The Mahabharata, Book 7: Drona Parva: Drona-vadha Parva: Section CCI).

"Those old deities, Nara and Narayana, have become incarnate in the world of men to accomplish the business of the celestials. They are called on earth Arjuna and Vasudeva." (The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Khandava-daha Parva: Section CCXXVI).

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXV (extract):
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Indra had a consultation with Narayana about the latter's descent on the earth
from heaven with all the gods according to their respective parts. And, having commanded all the
dwellers in heaven, Indra returned from the abode of Narayana. And the dwellers in heaven gradually
became incarnate on earth for the destruction of the Asuras and for the welfare of the three worlds.

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXVII (extract):
And he, called Vasudeva, endued with great valour, was among men a portion of him called Narayana--the god of gods--eternal. And Valadeva of exceeding strength was a portion of the Naga, Sesha... And a portion of Sri herself became incarnate on earth, for the gratification of Narayana, in the line of Bhishmaka. And she was by name the chaste Rukmini. And the faultless Draupadi, slender-waisted like the wasp, was born of a portion of Sachi (the queen of the celestials), in the line of Drupada.

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Vaivahika Parva: Section CLXLIX (extract):
Accompanied by all those Indras, the god Isana then went unto Narayana of immeasurable energy, the
Infinite, the Immaterial, the Uncreate, the Old, the Eternal, and the Spirit of these universes without
limits. Narayana approved of everything. Those Indras then were born in the world of men. And Hari
(Narayana) took up two hairs from his body, one of which hairs was black and the other white. And
those two hairs entered the wombs of two of the Yadu race, by name Devaki and Rohini. And one of
these hairs viz., that which was white, became Valadeva. And the hair that was black was born as
Kesava's self, Krishna.

The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Markandeya-Samasya Parva: Section CLXXXVIII (extract):
In ancient times I called the waters by the name of Nara; and because the waters have ever been my ayana or home, therefore have I been called Narayana (the waterhomed). O best of regenerate ones, I am Narayana, the Source of all things, the Eternal, the Unchangeable. I am the Creator of all things, and the Destroyer also of all. I am Vishnu, I am Brahma and I am Sakra, the chief of the gods. I am king Vaisravana, and I am Yama, the lord of the deceased spirits. I am Siva, I am Soma, and I am Kasyapa the lord of the created things. And, O best of regenerate ones, I am he called Dhatri, and he also that is called Vidhatri, and I am Sacrifice embodied. Fire is my mouth, the earth my feet, and the Sun and the Moon are my eyes; the Heaven is the crown of my head, the firmament and the cardinal points are my ears; the waters are born of my sweat. Space with the cardinal points are my body, and the Air is my mind.

The Mahabharata, Book 8: Karna Parva: Section 79 (extract):
He (Arjuna) is, again, protected by that Keshava of great energy, who is Narayana himself and who is without a rival, that high-souled Vasudeva, that evervictorious Vishnu armed with conch, discus, and mace, whose attributes all the world united together, cannot (in narrating) exhaust in 10,000 years.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Rajadharmanusasana Parva: Section XLVIII (extract):
Thou art without birth and death. Thou art Divine. Thou art self-created. Thou art eternal. Thou art invisible and beyond ken. Thou art called Hari and Narayana, O puissant one. The Vedas declare thee to be the Creator of the universe and the Lord of everything existing in the universe. Thou art the Supreme protector of the universe. Thou knowest no eterioration and thou art that which is called the highest.

About YUGA

YUGA : Yuga in Hinduism is an epoch or era within a four-age cycle. It starts with the Krita (or Satya) Yuga, followed by the Treta Yuga and the Dvapara Yuga and finally the Kali Yuga. We are currently in the Kali yuga.

- Satya Yuga equals 1,728,000 human years

- Treta Yuga equals 1,296,000 human years

- Dvapara Yuga equals 864,000 human years

- Kali Yuga equals 432,000 human years

- Together, these four yugas constitute one Mahayuga, equal to 4.32 million human years (not far from the modern scientists point of view when dating the creation of the earth).

- In the present days we may be said to live in the Kali Yuga, which is said to have started in 3102 BCE, the day that Lord Krishna left Earth and went to abode, 5122 years ago from now (2020).

-  The duration of yugas in the Mahabharata are expressed in "divine years", so : 1 divine year = 360 human years.

- Some theoreticians teach that the yugas are like a wheel with for example the Dvapara Yuga coming again after the Kali Yuga, and that we are presently in a new Dvapara Yuga (since 1700 CE). It is not what explains the Mahabharata.

The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Markandeya-Samasya Parva: Section CLXXXVII (extract):
Four thousand years have been said to constitute the Krita Yuga. Its dawn also, as well as its eve, hath been said to comprise four hundred years. The Treta-Yuga is said to comprise three thousand years, and its dawn, as well as its eve, is said to comprise three hundred years. The Yuga that comes next is called Dwapara, and it hath been computed to consist of two thousand years. Its dawn, as well as its eve, is said to comprise two hundred years. The next Yuga, called Kali, is said to comprise one thousand years and its dawn, as well as eve, is said to comprise one hundred years. Know, O king, that the duration of the dawn is the same as that of the eve of a Yuga. And after the Kali Yuga is over, the Krita Yuga comes again. A cycle of the Yugas thus comprised a period of twelve thousand years.
(NB: see in the glossary: YUGA to understand the conversion between divine and human years).

The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Markandeya-Samasya Parva: Section CLXXXVIII (extract):
O best of regenerate ones, I am Narayana, the Source of all things, the Eternal, the Unchangeable... For the preservation of rectitude and morality I assume a human form, and when the season for action cometh, I again assume forms that are inconceivable. In the Krita age I become white, in the Treta age I become yellow, in the Dwapara I have become red and in the Kali age I become dark in hue, I the Kali age, the proportion of immorality becometh threefourths, (a fourth only being that of morality). And when the end of the Yuga cometh, assuming the fierce form of Death, alone I destroy all the three worlds with their mobile and immobile existences.

The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Jamvu-khanda Nirmana Parva: Section X (extract):
"Sanjaya said,--'O bull of Bharata's race, four Yugas set in Bharata's Varsha, viz., Krita, Treta, Dwapara,
and Kali. The Yuga that sets in first is Krita. O Lord; after the expiry of Krita comes Treta; after expiry
of Treta comes Dwapara; and after that last of all, sets in Kali. Four thousand years, O best of the
Kurus, are reckoned as the measure of life, O best of kings, in the Krita epoch. Three thousand years is
the period in Treta, O ruler of men. At present in Dwapara, persons live on Earth for two thousand
years. In Kali, however, O bull of Bharata's race, there is no fixed limit of life's measure, in so much that
men die while in the womb, as also soon after birth.

The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section XXXII (Bhagavad Gita Chapter VIII) (extract):

"The Holy One (Krishna) said,... All the worlds, O Arjuna, from the abode of Brahman downwards have to go through a round of births, on attaining to me, however, O son of Kunti, there is no re-birth. They who know a day of Brahman to end after a thousand Yugas, and a night (of his) to terminate after a thousand Yugas are persons that know day and night. On the advent of (Brahman's) day everything that is manifest springeth from the unmanifest; and when (his) night cometh, into that same which is called unmanifest all things disappear.

About JIVA

JIVA: In Hinduism the jiva (Sanskrit: जीव, IAST: jīva) is a living being, or any entity imbued with a life force.
Also meaning the individual Soul or jiva-soul or chit-soul.
- Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita contains verses describing the jiva. For example, the jiva is described as eternal and indestructible in Chapter 2, verse 20.
- "If the tip of the hair were to be divided in to one hundred parts and each part was divided into 100 more parts, that would be the dimension of the Jiva (soul)". Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (5.9).
Notes from Kisari Mohan Ganguli in the Mahabharata translation:
- At first there was only jiva or the Soul having knowledge alone for its attribute. When it became clothed with Ignorance, the universe sprang up around it.
- In the Srutis it is said that Brahma has two attributes, Vidya (Knowledge), and Avidya (Ignorance) with Maya (delusion). It is in consequence of this Maya that chit-souls or jivas become attached to worldly things. It is in consequence of this Maya that persons, even when they understand that all is nought, cannot totally dissociate themselves from them.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCXXX (extract):
The five senses, the three attributes of Tamas, Sattwa, and Rajas,--these (together with those which have been mentioned before) constitute a tale of seventeen. These seventeen, which are known by the name of the
Unmanifest, with all those that are called Manifest, viz., the five objects of the five senses, (that is to say,
form, taste, sound, touch, and scent), with Consciousness and the Understanding, form the well-known
tale of four and twenty. When endued with these four and twenty possessions, one comes to be called by
the name of Jiva (or Puman).

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CCXXXVI (extract):
Without speaking of the results of the attainment of Brahma by yoga, it may be said that he who sets himself to only enquiring after the Soul transcends the necessity of observing the acts laid down in the Vedas. The body with jiva within it is an excellent car.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CCXLI (extract):
The knowledge is the attribute of the individual soul residing within the body. The individual soul, in its turn, comes from the Supreme Soul. The body with the soul is said to be the attribute of jiva. It is jiva that acts and cause all bodies to live.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CCXLVI (extract):
"Vyasa said, 'The Jiva-soul is endued with all those entities that are modifications of Prakriti. These do
not know the Soul but the Soul knows them all. Like a good driver proceeding with the aid of strong,
well-broken, and high-mettled steeds along the paths he selects, the Soul acts with the aid of these,
called the senses, having the mind for their sixth.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CCLIII (extract):
Wonderful it is to note that jiva, which has to lie within the uterus and amid much internal heat, and which has to pass a period of full ten months in that place, is not digested and reduced to destruction like food within the stomach. Men overwhelmed by the qualities of Rajas (passions) and Tamas (ignorance) never succeed in beholding within the gross body: the Jiva-soul which is a portion of the Supreme Soul of transcendent effulgence and which lies within the heart of every creature.

About MAHAT

MAHAT: The Mahat (the Great One) is the first reality to emerge from Prakriti. It has a universal aspect as the source of the world, and a physical aspect as intelligence or buddhi in the living beings. It is responsible for rationality and discriminating awareness.

Notes from Kisari Mohan Ganguli in the Mahabharata translation:
- Dhaturadyam Vidhanam (in the Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCLII) is supposed by the commentator to imply what is known as Mahat i.e., the existence of Jiva before the consciousness of Ego arises.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCXXX (extract):
This entire universe of matter, and that which is called Mahat or Buddhi, are made up of the (five) great elements (earth, air, space, water, fire). That which is called Mahat is due to the action of the Supreme.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CLXXXII (extract):
"Bhrigu said, 'There is a Primeval Being, known to the great Rishis, of the name of Manasa. He is
without beginning and without end. That Divine Being is incapable of being penetrated by weapons. He
is without decay and is Immortal. He is said to be Unmanifest. He is Eternal, Undecaying, and
Unchangeable. Through Him are creatures born and through Him they die. He first created a Divine Being known by the name of Mahat. Mahat then creates Consciousness.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CCXLVI (extract):
The objects of the senses are superior to the senses themselves. The mind is superior to those objects. The understanding is superior to the mind. The Soul, also called Mahat, is superior to the understanding. Superior to Mahat is the Unmanifest (or Prakriti). Superior to the Unmanifest is Brahma. There is nothing Superior to Brahma.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCVI (extract):
The Supreme Soul is different from both the Jiva-soul and the universe. As the seasons though unendued with forms, are nevertheless inferred from the appearance of particular fruits and flowers, after the same manner, Prakriti, though formless, is inferred from the attributes of Mahat and the rest that spring from it.

The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCVII (extract):
The Sankhyas, whose system is built on Prakriti, say that Prakriti, which is Unmanifest, is the foremost.
From Prakriti, they say, O monarch, the second principle called Mahat, is produced. It is heard by us that
from Mahat flows the third principle called Consciousness.

The Mahabharata, Book 13: Anusasana Parva: Section CLXI (extract):
Because He (Shiva) is great (Mahat) and the Supreme Lord of all (Iswara), therefore He is called Maheswara.

About MOKSHA

MOKSHA: emancipation. Freedom from saṃsāra, the cycle of death and rebirth.

Notes from Kisari Mohan Ganguli in the Mahabharata translation:

- To attain to Emancipation one must practise a life of Renunciation instead of continuing in the domestic mode.

- It should be noted here that the Hindu idea of emancipation is not bliss enjoyed by a conscious Self, but freedom from the obligation of re-birth and Karma.

- Action, as explained in a subsequent Sloka (Udyoga Parva: Sanat-sujata Parva: Section XLII), leadeth, it is true to regions of bliss and emancipation, but that state is transitory, for when the merit is extinguished, the state that was attained in consequence of it, is extinguished, and the person falling off, has to recommence action. If, therefore, permanent emancipation is to be attained, the obligation of re-commencing action must be got rid of, i.e., care must be taken that the portions of the route once passed over may not have to be re-trodden.

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section XC (extract):
'After the dissolution of the body, man, according to his acts, re-entereth the womb of his mother and stayeth there in an indistinct form, and soon after assuming a distinct and visible shape reappeareth in the world and walketh on its surface. This is that Earth-hell (Bhauma) where he falleth, for he beholdeth not the termination of his existence and acteth not towards his emancipation. Some dwell for sixty thousand years, some, for eighty-thousand years in heaven, and then they fall. And as they fall, they are attacked by certain Rakshasas in the form of sons, grandsons, and other relatives, that withdraw their hearts from acting for their own emancipation.'

The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Aranyaka Parva: Section I (extract):
Verily association with fools produceth an illusion that entangleth the mind, as daily communion with the good and the wise leadeth to the practice of virtue. Therefore, they that desire emancipation should associate with those that are wise and old and honest and pure in conduct and possessed of ascetic merit.

The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Markandeya-Samasya Parva: Section CLXLIX (extract):
One may attain to heaven by asceticism, one may obtain objects of enjoyment by the practice of charity and may have his sins purged off by ablutions in tirthas (pilgrimage sites and holy places). But complete emancipation cannot be had except by knowledge.

The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Ghosha-yatra Parva: Section CCLIX (extract):
And having obtained power by means of knowledge, and acquired excellent understanding, he attained that supreme state of emancipation which is regarded as Eternal.

The Mahabharata, Book 5: Udyoga Parva: Sanat-sujata Parva: Section XLIV (extract):
Men, by work, however pure, obtain only worlds that are perishable; he, however, that is blessed with Knowledge, attaineth, by the aid of that Knowledge, to Brahman which is everlasting. There is no other path (than Knowledge or the attainment of Brahman) leading to emancipation.