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CONCEPTION OF IŚVARA...
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spirituality suggested by kālānavaccheda or pariņāmakramasamāpti that qualifies one to be the spiritual teacher of even the elderly persons. Only those who have crossed the ocean of saṁsāra can show others how to cross it. Only those who have stopped the cycle of birth and death can show others how to stop it.'*
On our interpretation Isvara according to Patañjali is identical with the viveki who has attained Dharmamegha samādhi, ananta-jñāna and the capacity to know all and is free from the cycle of birth and death. As we have already seen, this viveki, according to Patañjali, is free from klešas, karmas, vipāka and āśaya. Thus by Isvara Patañjali seems to mean that person whom Vyāsa calls jivanmukta. We repeat again that we are not warranted by the Yogasūtra to go beyond this.
Elsewhere! we have shown that Nyāyabhāşyakāra Vātsyāyana's conception of iśvara corresponds to that of jivanmukta viveki, and it is only Prasastapāda, the author of the Padārthadharmasangraha, who introduced into the Nyāya-Vaisesika' system the conception of Isvara as nityamukta. Similarly, we feel that Patañjali's conception of Isvara is identical with that of jivanmukta viveki and it is only Bhāşyakāra Vyāsa who introduced into the Yoga system the conception of Isvara as nitya mukta. Yogabhāsya
Vyāsa, the author of Bhāsya on the Yogasūtra, introduces into the Patañjala Yoga philosophy the idea of nityamukta one isvara.
Isvara is free from bondage in all the three divisions of time. He was not bound in the past, nor is he bound in the present, nor will he be bound in the future. This speciality differentiates him from kevalins (the ordinary liberated souls) who have attained freedom from bondage after having severed all bonds of bondage.16 Isvara is sadāmukta. "7 . .
Vyāsa states that īśvara's utkarşa is eternal. By utkarşa he means sarvajñatva (omniscience). Išvara is omniscient always in all the three divisions of time because he possesses always in all the three divisions of time the supremely pure citta without any coverings that obstruct knowledge. That he is omniscient is proved by scriptures. And scriptures are authoritative and valid because they are composed by the omniscient iśvara. The interdependence of omniscience of isvara and authoritativeness of scriptures, being beginningless like the interdependence of a seed and a sprout, is not a logical defect.18
