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
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author here distinguishes eight stages of yogic development. The work records quite a novel plan of classification of yogic stages. The most important feature of spiritual development is acquisition of samyagdęsti (love of truth). The soul undergoes gradual purification and along with the purification its dȚsti (love of truth) becomes progressively steady and reaches consummation in the realization of the truth. This gradual development of the dssti has been classified into eight stages, viz., mitrā, tārā, balā, diprā, sthirā, kāntā, prabhā, and pară. Before coming to the description of these dȚstis we shall refer in brief to the threefold yoga with the description of which the YogadȚstisamuccaya opens.
A qualified yogic practitioner passes through a number of stages before he reaches the consummation of the practice. Sometimes even in spite of his knowledge and will he falters in his practice on account of spiritual inertia (pramada). The faltering practice is called icchāyoga.44 The practice of one who has revealed spiritual energy and does never falter in his yogic practices, strictly follows the scriptural injunctions, and has developed penetrating insight, is called śāstrayoga.45 The practice of one who has fully mastered the scriptural injunctions and has developed the power to transcend them is called samarthyayoga.46 This latter yoga, again, is of two kinds viz. (1) that which is accompanied by the dissociation of all the acquired virtues (dharmasarnyasa), and (2) that which effects the stoppage of all activity (yoga-saṁnyāsa).47 The first kind occurs at the time when the soul undergoes the process of apūrva-karana48 for the second time in the ninth stage of spiritual development while the second occurs in the last stage of spiritual development immediately after which the soul attains final emancipation.49 These, viz., icchāyoga, śāstrayoga, and samarthyayoga, are the three broad divisions of all the possible stages of yoga. The eight drstis which we shall now describe are only the elaboration of these three.50
Drsţi means attitude towards truth. This attitude is wrong and perverse so long as the soul has not cut the knot and attained purification. The
44. YDS, 3. 45. Ibid., 4. 46. Ibid., 5. 47. Ibid., 9. 48. For the conception of apūrvakaraṇa see author's Studies in Jaina Philosophy,
pp. 271-2. 49. Ibid., 10. 50. Ibid., 12.