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## Yogaśālā: A Contemplation
In Jainism, **Samyagdarshan**, **Samyagjnana**, and **Samyakcharitra** are considered essential for attaining liberation (Moksha). The harmonious combination of these three is called the path to liberation or the means to liberation (Mokshamarg or Mokshaupaya). As Shri Hemchandracharya has said in the 'Abhidhanachintamani-kosha', "Mokshaupayo yogo jnanashraddhanacharanatmakah", meaning - the three yogas of knowledge, vision, and conduct are the means to liberation. Vedic Dharma has referred to these same three as **Jnanyoga**, **Karmayoga**, and **Bhaktiyoga**. Yogaśāstra provides a comprehensive description of these three.
Yogaśāstra has a total of 12 chapters (Prakash). There are 1012 verses in total, and there is a self-composed commentary of 12750 verses by the revered Shri Hemchandracharya, the omniscient of the Kali Yuga. The first three chapters describe the **Yoga-vidyamanya** (knowledge of yoga), **Yama** (restraint), and **Niyama** (observance), which are the two limbs of the aforementioned three yogas, explained from a Jain perspective. The fourth chapter elaborates on **Atmaswaroop-raman** (contemplation of the self), **victory over passions and objects**, **purification of the mind**, **control of senses**, **conquest of the mind**, **equanimity**, **meditation**, **twelve reflections (Anupreksha)**, **four emotions (Maitri, etc.)**, and **asanas** for the union of the soul with the Supreme Soul. The fifth chapter describes **Pranayama** (breath control), **purification of the mind**, the nature of the **five vital breaths (Panchpran)**, **conquest of the breath**, **concentrations (Dharana)**, the four related **mandalas**, and the knowledge of **favorable and unfavorable**, **life and death**, etc., through **pranavayu** (vital breath), as well as **time knowledge (Kalajnana)** through **instruments, mantras, knowledge, auspicious time, shadow, and whispers**, **purification of the nadis**, and **entering other bodies (Parakayapravesh)**. The sixth chapter discusses **pratyahara** (withdrawal of senses) and **dharana**, while the seventh chapter provides insight into the **four aims of meditation (Pindastha, etc.)** and the **five concentrations (Parthavi, etc.)**. The eighth chapter briefly describes the nature and method of meditation corresponding to the **padastha-dhyeya** (meditation on the feet). Subsequently, the ninth chapter discusses **rupastahdhyana** (meditation on form), and the tenth chapter discusses **rupaatita** (meditation beyond form). Then, the eleventh and twelfth chapters provide an unparalleled description of **Dharmadhyana** (meditation on Dharma), **Shukladhyana** (meditation on purity), **Nirvikalpaka Samadhi** (meditation without thought), **Moksha** (liberation), and **types of mind**, including all the steps.
It must be said that the revered Acharya Shri has shifted Indian yoga practices away from the complex physical processes of **Hatha Yoga**, etc., and towards the **self-contemplation** (Atma-chintandhara) approach, connecting it to the processes of **Sahaj Yoga** (natural yoga) or **Jivan Yoga** (life yoga). This is the unique feature of this Yogaśāstra compared to the 'Yoga Darshan' and other texts written by Patanjali and other yogis, where they have limited yoga to the eight limbs of **Yama-Niyama**, etc., for all beings, starting with **control of mental fluctuations (Chittavrittinirodha)**. However, Shri Hemchandracharya, the omniscient of the Kali Yuga, has presented a beautiful sequence of **knowledge-vision-conduct** (Jnana-Darshan-Charitra) yoga practices to reach from the **path-follower (Marganusari)** to the **householder-devotee-religion (Grihastha-Shravak-Dharma)**, **saintly religion (Sadhudharma)**, and other higher spiritual realms, elaborating on **Dharma-Shukladhyana**, **control of senses-passions-mind**, **equanimity**, **twelve reflections**, **four emotions**, etc., to help the soul become the Supreme Soul. The subject matter is explained well with interesting examples, making the description easily understandable. Acharya Shri has bound the verses of Yogaśāstra with **Anushtup** meters, describing yoga in a simple, clear, and understandable style. The description of the **greatness of yoga**, its **dignity**, the **fruits of its practice**, and its **miracles** at the beginning is so lively and engaging that every inquisitive seeker can be attracted to yoga practice, eager to devote their precious life and dedicate themselves accordingly. Truly, Yogaśāstra is like an ocean of meaning, a vigilant guardian of the soul like the Himalayas, an Upanishad of spirituality, an inexhaustible treasure of self-knowledge, a divine treasure chest of self-virtue; it is a guide to self-realization of the highest order for the life of a seeker; it leaves no aspect of self-practice untouched. It provides a comprehensive discussion of the processes of practicing the body, mind, and senses bound to the soul. Acharya Shri has introduced his omniscience and extraordinary brilliance by adopting a style that is often based on personal experience, rather than the traditional style in terms of emotion, language, and compilation. The twelve chapters of this work guide the lifeboat of the seeker of liberation (Mumukshu) and the seeker of self (Atmarthi), or the inquisitive, devout devotee (Dharmbhiru Shravak), through the storms of worldly subjects, the turbulent waves of unfavorable events, and the roars of the material world, rising in the vast ocean of life and the world.