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Philosophy of the Ahirbudhnya-samhitā
61
and that specific deity, by the practice of the mantras; and the other is that of the yoga1. Ahirbudhnya, however, concentrates its teachings on the former, and mentions the latter in only one of its chapters. There are two types of soul, one within the influence of the prakṛti and the other beyond it. The union with the highest is possible through karma and yoga. Karma is again of two kinds, that which is prompted by desires (pravartaka) and that which is prompted by cessation of desires (nivartaka). Of these only the latter can lead to emancipation, while the former leads to the attainment of the fruits of desires. The highest soul is described as the subtle (sūkṣma), all-pervading (sarva-ga), maintaining all (sarvabhrt), pure consciousness (jñāna-rupa), without beginning and end (anady-ananta), changeless (a-vikārin), devoid of all cognitive or conative senses, devoid of names and class-notions, without colour and quality, yet knowing all and pervading all, self-luminous and yet approachable through intuitive wisdom, and the protector of all2. The yoga by which a union of our lower souls with this highest reality can be effected has the well-known eight accessories, yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇa, dhyāna and samādhi.
Of these, yama is said to consist of beneficial and yet truthful utterance (satya), suffering at the sufferings of all beings (dayā), remaining fixed in one's path of duty even in the face of dangers (dhṛti), inclination of all the senses to adhere to the path of right conduct (sauca), absence of lust (brahma-carya), remaining unruffled even when there is a real cause of anger or excitement (kṣamā), uniformity of thoughts, deeds and words (ārjava), taking of unprohibited food (mitāhāra), absence of greed for the property of others (asteya), cessation from doing injury to others by word, deed or thought (ahimsa)3. Niyama is described as listening to Vedantic texts (siddhānta-śravaṇa), gifts of things duly earned to proper persons (dāna), faith in scriptural duties (mati), worship of Viṣṇu through devotion (isvara-pūjana), natural contentment with
1
yad va bhagavate tasmai svakiyātma-samarpaṇam visiṣṭa-daivatāyā' smai cakra-rūpāya mantrataḥ
viyuktam prakṛteḥ śuddham dadyad atma-haviḥ svayam. Ahirbudhnya-samhita, XXX. 4, 5.
2 Ibid. XXXI. 7-10.
3 Ibid. 18-23. The list here given is different from that of Patanjali, who counts ahimsā, satya, asteya, brahma-carya and aparigraha as yamas. See Yogasütra, II. 30.
