Pravachanasara

SR No.: 003289
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: A N Upadhye
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram
Publication Year: 1964
Total Pages: 612
Language: Hindi, Sanskrit
Classification: Book_Devnagari
File Size: 16 MB

Page 102

Introduction
A being of inauspicious manifestation of consciousness is steeped in sensual pleasures and passions, is given to false scriptures, evil intentions and wicked works, is cruel, and goes astray (II, 66). The inauspicious one is a cause of sinful karmic influx (II, 64; III, 45). Under the influence of this upayoga the soul wanders for long as a low graded human being, a sub-human being and a hellish one subjected to thousands of miseries (I, 12)...
The auspicious manifestation of consciousness is characterised by devotion to God, ascetic or preceptor and by the practice of philanthropy, virtues, fasts etc. (I, 69) and by compassion towards all the living beings (II, 65). It incurs only the meritorious influx of karmas for the soul (II, 65; III, 45). It leads the soul to heavenly pleasures; and even if one is born as a sub-human, human or divine being there are plenty of pleasures of senses (1, 11, 70). A monk with Subhopayoga shows a respectful behaviour towards elderly monks, offers instructions on faith and knowledge, maintains students, and helps co-monks without causing harm to any living beings (III, 47-8).
Immunity from the contagion of the above two upayogas is the characteristic of pure manifestation of consciousness which is not open to karmic influx (II, 64; III, 45) and leads to the annihilation of all the miseries (II, 89). The soul with this upayoga develops religious experience (dharma), which is a spiritual state of transcendental, self-born, super-sensuous, unparallelled, indestructible and infinite happiness and omniscience (I, 13-4). In Suddhopayoga the physical pains are no more, and one knowing the nature of reality is above attachment and aversion; in fine he is equanimous (I, 7, 78).
COMPARISON WITH SAMKHYA GUNAS ETC.-The condition of Suddhopayoga is not to be sought in the round-of-rebirths, as it belongs to liberated souls who are completely immune from auspicious and inauspicious states of consciousness which characterise the pious and impious beings in this world. [p. 73:] The socio-ethical aspect of this doctrine is so apparent that one is tempted to compare it with the doctrine of three gunas of the Samkhya system, which in their both classical and popular aspects have been used for explaining the socio-ethical inequalities; perhaps Bhandarkar referred to this very similarity. The similarity is very striking, but the dissimilar details should not be ignored. The three gunas are the constituents of Prakṛti and not of Puruşa, the spirit, who has come to look upon himself by mistake as their agent; sometimes they are looked upon as limitations through which the absolute becomes the individual soul. This fascinating Samkhya terminology has influenced later Vedanta represented by works like Pañcadasi where Prakrti plays the rôle of Brahman's reflection possessed of three gunas, elements of good, indifferent and bad, corresponding to three kinds of actions. There is similarity between upayogas and gunas so far as their moral effects are concerned. As distinguished from the Sämkhya view of gunas, the upayogas belong to the spirit or the Jiva according to Jainism; Suddhopayoga
1 Samkhyakārikās 53-4; Anugītā xiv 36 etc.; Keith: Samkhya system p. 34.
2 Collected works Vol. II, p. 242.
3 Svetāśvataropaniṣad I, 3 and Keith: Samkhya System p. 34.
4 Max Müller; Six systems etc. p. 334.
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