Divinity Atlas

Sacred Correspondences
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Historical Figure

Kapila

Hindu, Jain & Yogic Teachers

Kapila, also referred to as Cakradhanus, was a Vedic sage in Hindu tradition, assigned to the 7th to 6th century BCE and regarded as the founder of the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy. The most famous reference is to the sage Kapila with his student Asuri, who in the Indian tradition are considered the first masters of Samkhya. He is credited with authoring an influential sutra called the Samkhya-sutra, also called the Kapila-sutra, which presents the dualistic philosophy of Samkhya in aphorisms and was explained in the later Samkhyakarika. Hindu texts give different accounts of him: in the Bhagavata Purana he is described as an avatara of Bhagavan, born into the house of Kardama and the teacher of Samkhya to his mother Devahuti, and in the Mahabharata he appears in dialogues defending the principle of ahimsa.

Facts
Identity
Gender
Male 1
Life
Lifespan or Floruit
700 BCE to 501 BCE 1
Classification
Veneration Status
Popularly or Locally Venerated 1
Attestation
Historicity
Historicity debated 1
Connections

Belongs to Tradition

Hinduism, Religions
Source Kapila (Wikipedia)

Revered In

Hinduism, Religions
Source Kapila (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Same As

Also in Philosophy Atlas: the same subject.

Sources
1. Kapila (Wikipedia)
  • Lead, first sentence, sentence beginning Kapila (Sanskrit: कपिल) (7th-6th-century BCE),
    Kapila (Sanskrit: कपिल) (7th-6th-century BCE), also referred to as Cakradhanus, was a Vedic sage in Hindu tradition, regarded the founder of the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.
  • Hinduism section, sentence beginning Hindu texts give different accounts
    Hindu texts give different accounts of Kapila.
  • Hinduism section, sentence beginning In the Bhagavata Purana, Kapila
    In the Bhagavata Purana, Kapila is described as an avatara of Bhagavan, born into the house of Kardama and as the teacher of Samkhya to his mother Devahūti.
  • Lead, sentence beginning According to the Brahmanda Purana
    According to the Brahmanda Purana, Kapila is described as an incarnation of Vishnu: "Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa will protect us all. The Lord of the universe has now been born in the world as Kapilācārya."
  • Revered In: Hinduism, Hinduism, sentence beginning 'In the Bhagavata Purana, Kapila is'
    In the Bhagavata Purana, Kapila is described as an avatara of Bhagavan, born into the house of Kardama and as the teacher of Samkhya to his mother Devahūti.
View the Source

Take a Related Quiz

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.