Samkhya is one of India's oldest philosophical systems, and this volume of the Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, coedited by Gernald James Larson and Ram Shankar Bhattacharya, and under the general editorship of Karl H. Potter, traces the history of the system from its beginnings in the third or fourth century B.C.E. up through the twentieth century. The volume includes a lengthy Introduction (written by G.J. Larsen) which discusses the history of the system and its philosophical contours overall. The remainder of the volume includes summaries in English of all extant Sanskrit texts of the Samkhya system.

Many of the summaries are of texts that have never been edited, translated of studied before, most notably extensive treatments of the Yuktidipika, the Samkhyavrtti and the Samkhyasaptativrtti. The volume is designed for philosophers, cultural historians and students of comparative studies generally. In addition, since the volume contains so much material that has never been published before, it will also prove to be of interest to area specialists, Indologists and Sanskritists.