In Sāṃkhya, Prakṛti is the primordial, uncaused, and eternal principle of nature that stands alongside Purusha as one of the two fundamental realities. It is unconscious, yet dynamic, and serves as the material cause of the entire manifest universe, both subtle and gross. Characterized by the three guṇas—sattva (illumination or purity), rajas (activity or passion), and tamas (inertia or darkness)—Prakṛti exists initially in a state of equilibrium, and all differentiation arises when this balance is disturbed. The varying proportions of these guṇas give rise to the diversity of objects, experiences, and psychological states that constitute empirical existence. In this way, Prakṛti functions as the single source of the whole field of objective reality, including body, mind, and world.

From Prakṛti unfold the various tattvas, or principles, that structure both cosmos and psyche. Through a process of transformation (pariṇāma), Prakṛti evolves into Mahat or Buddhi (cosmic intelligence), Ahaṃkāra (the ego-principle), Manas (mind), the eleven sense and action organs, the subtle elements (tanmātras), and the gross elements that make up the physical world. All mental functions, sensory activities, and bodily processes are thus understood as evolutes of Prakṛti, not attributes of Purusha. This provides a rigorous metaphysical framework in which consciousness remains untouched and pure, while all change, multiplicity, and becoming belong to the domain of nature.

The significance of Prakṛti is especially evident in its relationship to Purusha. Purusha is many, conscious, and passive; Prakṛti is one, unconscious, and active. Their conjunction makes experience possible: through the instruments furnished by Prakṛti—the mind, senses, and body—Purusha appears to act, enjoy, and suffer. Yet this apparent entanglement is rooted in misidentification, when the pure consciousness of Purusha is confused with the changing forms of Prakṛti and its guṇas. In this sense, Prakṛti becomes the ground of bondage and suffering, as the ego and its attachments arise from its evolutes.

At the same time, Sāṃkhya assigns to Prakṛti a profoundly teleological role: it exists “for the sake of” Purusha’s experience and ultimate discernment. Through the refinement of Buddhi and the predominance of sattva, discriminative knowledge arises, clearly distinguishing Purusha from Prakṛti and all its manifestations. When this discrimination is firmly established, Prakṛti’s activity, with respect to that particular Purusha, has fulfilled its purpose. Liberation (kaivalya) is then described as the state in which Purusha abides in its own nature, utterly distinct from the play of the guṇas, while Prakṛti, having served as both the stage of experience and the means of insight, no longer presents itself to that liberated consciousness.