il. I ask now about
the principles of the Sankhya philosophy. Do thou discourse to me on
those principles in their entirety. Whatever knowledge exists in the
three worlds is known to thee!"

"'Bhishma said, "Listen now to what the subtile principles are of the
followers of the Sankhya doctrine have been established by all the great
and puissant Yatis having Kapila their first. In that doctrine O chief of
men, no errors are discoverable. Many, indeed, are its merits. In fact,
there is no fault in it. Comprehending with the aid of knowledge that all
objects exist with faults, indeed, understanding that the objects--so
difficult to cast off--with which human beings and Pisachas and Rakshasas
and Yakshas and snakes and Gandharvas and pitris and those that are
wandering in the intermediate orders of beings (such as birds and
animals) and great birds (such as Garuda and others) and the Maruts and
royal sages and regenerate sages and Asuras and Viswedevas and the
celestial Rishis and Yogins invested with supreme puissance and the
Prajapatis and Brahman himself are engaged, and understanding truly what
the highest limit is of one's period of existence in this world, and
apprehending also the great truth, O foremost of eloquent men, about what
is called felicity here, having a clear knowledge of what the sorrows are
that overtake when the hour comes all those that are concerned with
(transitory) objects and knowing full well the sorrows of those that have
fallen into the intermediate orders of being and of those that have sunk
into hell, perceiving all the merits and all the faults of heaven, O
Bharta, and all the demerits that attach to the declarations of the Vedas
and all the excellencies that are connected with them recognising the
faults and merits of the Yoga and the Sankhya systems of philosophy,
realizing also that the quality of Sattwa has ten properties, that of
Rajas has nine, and that of Tamas has eight, that the Understanding has
seven properties, the Mind has six, and Space has five, and once more
conceiving that the Understanding has four properties and Tamas has
three, and the Rajas has two and Sattwa has one, and truly apprehending
the path that is followed by all objects when destruction overtakes them
and what the course is of self knowledge, the Sankhyas, possessed of
knowledge and experience and exalted by their perceptions of causes, and
acquiring thorough auspiciousness, attain to the felicity of Emancipati