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Kapila

Kapila is a legendary sage in Indian philosophy, traditionally regarded as the founder of the Samkhya school, one of the classical systems of Hindu thought. In Hindu tradition, Kapila is described as a teacher who articulated a dualistic cosmology in which consciousness (purusha) and matter (prakriti) are fundamentally distinct. The system emphasizes the enumeration of principles (tattvas) and the discernment required to achieve liberation from suffering through right knowledge and discrimination between purusha and prakriti. A central claim of Samkhya is that suffering arises from misidentification with material nature, and release comes through understanding the true nature of purusha.

In textual tradition, Kapila’s name is associated with early expositions of Samkhya, though the earliest surviving

Scholarly assessment regards Kapila as a possibly historical or legendary figure dating from ancient times, with

treatises
on
the
system
are
written
later.
Many
sources
attribute
the
Samkhya
doctrine
to
Kapila,
while
the
Samkhya
Karika,
a
foundational
text
of
the
school,
is
attributed
to
Ishvarakrishna,
who
is
often
treated
as
a
follower
of
Kapila
rather
than
his
direct
author.
Kapila
is
also
mentioned
in
various
Hindu
scriptures,
including
the
Puranas
and
the
Mahabharata;
in
some
accounts
of
the
legend,
he
is
described
as
the
son
of
Kardama
Muni
and
Devahuti,
or
as
an
avatar
of
Vishnu
in
certain
traditions.
uncertain
historical
corroboration.
Nevertheless,
he
remains
influential
as
a
symbolic
founder
of
Samkhya
and
as
a
progenitor
of
Indian
dualistic
philosophy
that
influenced
later
schools,
including
Yoga
and
Vedanta,
and
the
broader
development
of
Indian
thought.