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256
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(SEPTEMBER, 1908.
Bat Samkhya has no God, nor, originally, had Yoga. There is no roum for the deity in these philosopbies. On the other hand the Bhagavata Religion was not only theistic but was monotheistic. How were these two opposing theories as to the soul's relation to the Infinite to be mconciled P The Bhagavatas solved the puzzle by giving Sân khya-yoga a God.
The Yôga system agrees with Sâmkhya, and differs from that of the Bhagavatag, in its definition of salvation, or release," as the absolute isolation of the soul, which remains henceforth for ever without consciousness of any kind. On the other hand, the prominent characteristic of the Yoga system as distinguished from the Sâmkhya is that it is theistic (sesuara), while the latter is atheistic (niriørara). Samkhya philosophy gives no place for God in the arrangement of its principles. The Yôga system on the other hand adds a God, and thereby disturbs the philosophy. In order to avoid this disturbance as much as possible, the Yoga fáraru is described as merely a particular soul, possessed of supreme knowledge and power. He is not the origin of other souls, but is quite distinct from them. He is gracious and merciful, and can influence the connexion of the other souls with matter. He is hence able to assist these sools in their efforts to obtain the release defined above. It has long been recognized 22 that the Yoga system adopted this theism, in order to make its teaching acceptable to wider circles. The conception of God has really nothing to do with its system of philosophy, and was added on to it from outside without organically affecting it. Although the Yoga God may help a soul to obtain release, his help is not necessary. All that he does is at most to put the soul into the right way of understanding its connexion with matter. That the conception of God, - & monotheos - was taken from the Bhagavata Religion there can be no doubt. The fact was admitted so long ago as 1883 by Rajendra Lala Mitra on p. 28 of his translation of the Yoga-sútras,
On the other hand, the Bhagavata Religion was counter-influenced by the philosopby to which it had allied itself; while it gave theism to Yoga, it took in exchange the general conception of Yoga,23 but in doing so altered the meaning of the word from concentration of thought" to "devotion to God."
In later writings of the sect we can trace the various changes of signification through which the word has passed. Professor Garbe points out that in the Bhagaval Gitd, it sometimes means the regular yoga practices of the Yöga philosophy, but more often signifies "devotion to God." In combination with other words we have karma-yoga in the sense of the disinterested practice of duty or morality, in contradistinction to jñána-yoga, the Samkhya unmoral system of contemplation on the distinction between the soul and matter. The Bhagavata Purana, III, sxiv ff. makes much the same distinction.
In later times the expression karma-yoga, under Brahmanical influence gradually lost its moral aspect, and became identified with the karma-mdrga of the Mimamså system, and we see this fully developed in the Arthapanchalca of Nárdyana-parivrđj, 24 which mentions five updyas or ways to God, riz. :-(1) karma-yoga ; (2) jndnayoga; (3) bhakti-yoga ; (4) prapatti-y6ja; (5) acháryabhidna-yoga. The first is now represented as the whole Vedic sacrificial ritual and the Smarta ceremonies, along with fasts and other observances. These give purification, and, Laving attained this by the performance of the proper yoga practices, the devotee is led to the stage of jñana yôya,
22 See, for instance, Garbe, samkhya und Yoga in Grundriss der Indo-Arischen Philologie und Altertumskunde, p. 50.
13 See Garbe, Bhagavad Gtta, p. 43.
24 See Professor TL. G, Bhandarkar, Report on the Search for Sanskrit M88. in the Bombay Presidency during the year 1888-84, p. 69.
