Factors Contributing to Eudemonic Wellbeing in Scholars of Samkhya Philosophy and Yoga in India: A Cross Sectional study

Samkhya philosophy and Yoga both aim at ultimate liberation, along with implicit rather than explicit devotion to the Divine (Isvara), making both self-transcendence and gratitude relevant for these philosophies. The relative contribution of gratitude and self-transcendence to eudemonic wellbeing was evaluated in one hundred and forty seven scholars of these philosophies. The scholar participants’ daily activities included Yoga, community service, self-study, lectures, non-deity specific devotional sessions and yajna or fire-offerings. Analysis was based on multiple regression analysis and Coefficient of Determination (R2) with alpha = 0.05. Both self-transcendence (16.2 percent) and gratitude (10.5 percent) predicted eudemonic wellbeing in scholars of these philosophies.