Sankhya Karika Verse 49

Sanskrit Verse

एकादशेन्द्रियवधाः सह बुद्धिवधैरशक्तिरुद्दिष्टा । सप्तदश वधा बुद्धेर्विपर्ययात् तुष्टिसिद्धीनाम् ॥ ४९ ॥

Transliteration

ekādaśa iṅdriya-vadhāḥ saha buddhi vadhaiḥ aśaktiḥ uddiṣṭā | saptadaśa vadhāḥ buddheḥ viparyayāt tuṣṭi siddhīnām ||

Translation

Injuries of the eleven Indriyas, together with injuries of Buddhi, are pronounced to be Incapacity. The injuries of Buddhi are seventeen, through inversion of complacencies and perfections.

The 28 Incapacities (Aśakti)

The 28 incapacities are defects or injuries that hinder spiritual progress. They are split into physical and intellectual defects:

1. 11 Sensory/Motor Defects: Injuries to the 11 Indriyas (5 sense organs, 5 motor organs, and the mind). Examples include blindness, deafness, paralysis, muteness, and mental instability (madness).
2. 17 Intellectual Defects: Injuries of the Buddhi (Intellect). These are exactly the inversions or failures to achieve the 9 Complacencies and 8 Perfections (9 + 8 = 17). Failing to attain these states constitutes an intellectual incapacity.

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Reference: Sankhya Karika