Acarya Haribhadras Comparative Studies in Yoga

Author(s): Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Z_Vijay_Vallabh_suri_Smarak_Granth_012060.pdf

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ACĂRYA VIJAYAVALLABHASURI COMMEMORATION VOLUME
perverse attitude is known as darśanamoha or mithyatva or avidya. The attitude of the soul which has not cut the knot is known as oghadȚsti (literally commonplace attitude). The opposite of this is yogadȚsti or the attitude of the spiritually advanced soul. It is also known as saddȚsti, that is, right attitude. The oghadȚsti is held to be responsible for the origination of the mutually conflicting systems of thought.51 The eight drstis that we have enumerated above are yogadȚstis and not oghadrstis. Of course, of these eight-the first four belong to those who have not cut the Gordian knot of passions. But even then they are not oghadsstis in view of the fact that they are destined to lead to the yogadęsti. It is only those souls who are destined to cut the knot and attain final emancipation that are capable of these drstis. The eight drstis have respectively been compared to the sparks of straw-fire (trnägni), cowdung fire, wood fire, the light of a lamp, the lustre of a gem, the light of a star, the light of the sun, and the light of the moon,52 The first four drstis are unsteady and fallible. The last four are steady and infallible.53 The eight dịştis respectively correspond to the eight famous stages of yoga, viz., vows (yama), self-control (niyama), posture (asana), regulation of breath (prānāyāma), withdrawal of the senses (pratyähära), fixing of the mind (dhāraņā), concentration (dhyāna), and samadhi (ecstasy) found in the system of Patañjali. They are respectively free from inertia (kheda), anxiety (udvega), unsteadiness (kṣepa), distraction (utthāna), lapse of memory (bhrānti), attraction for something else (anyamud), mental disturbance (ruk), and attachment (asanga). They are respectively accompanied with freedom from prejudice (adveşa), inquisitiveness (jijñāsā), love for listening (susrūsä), attentive hearing (śravana), comprehension (bodha), critical evaluation (mimāṁsā), clear conviction (parisuddhā pratipatti), and earnest practice (pravrtti).54 This is about the general features of the drstis. Now let us state in brief the specific characteristics of them one by one.
In the first drsţi called mitrå the soul achieves very faint and indistinct enlightenment. It here accumulates the seeds of yoga (yogabija) which eventually fructify into emancipation.55 The soul is now attracted towards
51. Ibid., 14 with Svopajñavrtti........etannibandhano 'yam darśanabheda iti
yogācāryāḥ. 52. Ibid., 15. 53. Ibid., 19. 54. Ibid., 16 with Svopajñavrtti. Haribhadra here refers to the concensus of
opinions of a number of authors regarding the stages of yoga. 65. Ibid., 22.