Acarya Haribhadras Comparative Studies in Yoga

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

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ACHARYA HARIBHADRA'S COMPARATIVE STUDIES IN YOGA 141
develops personality and attracts others. He is now engrossed in spiritual contemplation and has his mind firmly concentrated on the virtues. The world now loses all attraction for him.70
The seventh dřsti is known as prabha. The soul has now developed the capacity for self-concentration and is free from all mental disturbances. It has now achieved peace of mind (sama). The soul has now fully developed the power of discrimination.71 It now practises spiritual discipline without any ulterior motive (asangānusthāna). It is now in the seventh stage of spiritual development and is preparing to rise up to the eighth stage on the ladder of annihilation. The soul is now marching on the great path (mahāpathaprayāna) which leads to the place from which one does never return (anāgāmipadāvaha). Haribhadra remarks that this drsti is known as praśāntávähită in the Sāňkhya system, as visabhāga-parikșaya in the Buddhist school, as śivavartman in the Saiva system, and as dhruvadhvan according to the Mahāvratikas.12
We now come to the eighth drsţi called para. The soul is now completely free from all attachment to the world. It now achieves ecstasy (samadhi), the consummation of dhyana. The activities of the soul in this stage are free from all transgressions of the vows, and as such are pure and perfect. The soul now dissociates itself from all the acquired virtues and has its purpose fulfilled.13 This occurs in the ninth stage of spiritual development. The soul then gradually attains omiscience on the annihilation of all the obscuring karmans. Now the final emancipation is attained by means of the last yoga known as ayoga.74
Haribhadra distinguishes four types of yogins, viz., gotrayogin, kuluyogin, pravsttacakrayogin, and nişpannayogin. The yogins of the fourth type have already achieved their objective and so do not need any instruc. tion in yoga. It is only the yogins of the second and the third type that need instruction.75
70. Ibid., 160-2. 71. Ibid., 168-9. 72. Ibid., 173-4. 73. Ibid., 179. 74. Ibid., 184. 75. Ibid., 206-7 with Svopajñavrtti. About the definitions of these types see ibid.,
208-210.