Jain Digest 2002 07 Vol 21 No 03

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 24

Acharya Haribhdara's 8 Yogdrastis
A Scientific Barometer to Measure the 14 Stages of Spiritual Progress
INTRODUCTION: Acharya Haribhadra who lived in India in the eight century is considered the most authoratative and scholarly Jain Master after Lord Mahavir. Haribhadra was born in a Brahmin family and was considered a great scholar of all Hindu scriptures. He believed no one could defeat him in philosophical debates. He had taken a vow that if he lost in a debate he would become the winner's disciple for life.
One time he heard a Jain monk named Yakiniji reciting a Jain Sutra that Haribhadra could not understand. He asked Yakiniji monk the meaning of this sutra who then referred Haribhadra to talk to her Guru Jindat Suri. After understanding the Sutra, Haribhadra accepted Jain Dixa under this new master. This was a turning point in Haribahdra's life, he eventually become a great scholar and most eminent Acharya. Haribhadra composed 1,444 scriptures in his life and is considered an authority on Jain philosophy and Adhyatma Yoga. Even though many of his texts are not available, we are still very fortunate to find more than one hundred (100) of Haribhadra's epic scriptures today including Lalit Vistra, Shodshak, Dharama Bindu, and four unparallel texts on Jain Yoga.
His biggest contribution is in the area of Spiritual Yoga. Haribhadra integrated Adhyatma Yoga of other masters including Patanjli and Gopendra Muni into a new and revolutionary Yoga system of his own and composed four most authoritative texts on Yoga: (1) Yogdrastisamuchaya, (2) Yogbindu, (3) Yogshatak, and (4) Yogvisintika. Each text is unique and original in nature representing his enormous mastery on the subject.
In his most remarkable epic Yogdrasti Samuchhaya, Haribhadra designed a unique scientific system to correlate the eight yoga Drasti with fourteen Gunasthanks of Accarya Umasvati. The eight yoga Drasti provides a barometer to measure ones spiritual growth and allows one to measure his own progress in spiritual pursuits for liberation of soul from the bondage of Karma.
The eight yogadrastis are: Mitra, Tara, Bala, Dipta, Stihra, Kanta, Prabha, and Para. In this essay I have provided a scientific summary with a correlation of each yogadrasti with the evolvement of new dimensions of spiritual growth to determine ones progress with respect to the fourteen Gunsthanks. Each yogadrasti is described in terms of characteristic self-awareness and qualities of one's spiritual developments representive of each ascending Gunsthankas. First we will review the state of a layman's vision (Ogdrasti) who is totally ignorant of self-awareness followed by his entry and growth into various stages of spiritual growth as measured by each yogadrasti. Table 1 at the
22/JAIN DIGEST. FALL 2002 Jain Education International 2010_02
end of the text provides a summary of eight yogadrasti and their correlation with the fourteen Gunsthanks. PERIOD OF INTENSE DARKENESS (MITHYATVA) ⚫ Soul bound with self-ignorance from beginning
Ignorance is the root cause of life cycles: Birth - Pain - Misery - Illness - Death - Rebirth
• Clouds of darkness very intense - this condition is called Tivra Mithyadrasti
• Person lives in intense fear, passion, greed, ego, anger, lust, de ceit, paranoid, suicidal, completely ignorant of self knowledge ⚫ no interest in spiritual reality
Ogdrasti (layman) immersed in "Maya"
Dr. Pravin L. Shah - Reading, PA
1-ENTERING MITRA DRASTI
Unseen"
Awakening from intense self-ignorance (Mithyatva) Moxen Yujayte Iti Yogah - Haribhadra's divine Mantra opens up the door to heaven and the ultimate reality Develops keen liking for personal spiritual growth and strong passion for understanding cosmic consciousness Soul awakens with inner light sparkling like a lightning bug (Trun Agni Prakash)
Ready to initiate into five Yams or vows: Non-violence (Ahimsa), Truth (Satya), Non-stealing (Achorya), Celi bacy (Brahamcharya), and Non-attachment (Aprigraha) Develops genuine interest in spiritual study and Satsang, Bhakti, and Swadhyaya
Practices four Bhavanas: Maitri, Pramod, Karuna, Equa nimity in every day life
Intense search for a self realized teacher begins
Seeds of first Yogdrasti Mitra are planted here and they unfold into: (A) Jin-Bhakti, (b) Sadguru Bhakti, (C) Vairagya, (D) Regular Swadhyay
2-TARA DRASTI
Here one enters into the first Gunsthanak - Mithyatva GNS; and Mithyatva begins to decrease in intensity
Inner light shines like a match box to see the "Formless
Nityakram vow is taken to do Swadyaay, Bhakti and Dhyan regularly
A new virtue develops called "Jignasa" or keen interest to know Tatvagnan