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Thinker · c. sixteenth century CE

Vijñānabhikṣu

Vijñānabhikṣu

Vijñānabhikṣu reread Sāṃkhya and Yoga through Bhedābheda Vedānta, arguing for their compatibility with a theistic account of the relation between selves and Brahman.

Intellectual setting

He worked within a late-medieval commentarial environment in which Sāṃkhya-Yoga concepts were reinterpreted through competing Vedānta commitments.

Key ideas

Theistic Sāṃkhya

He argues that an omnipotent God is required to explain the conjunction of puruṣa and prakṛti.

Harmonizing systems

His commentaries seek a qualified unity among Sāṃkhya, Yoga, and Vedānta without erasing their vocabularies.

Legacy

His work remains central to accounts of the later theistic reception of Sāṃkhya and Yoga.