Jain Journal 2011 07

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 10

10
JAIN JOURNAL VOL-XLVI, NO. 1-IV JULY.-JUNE 11-12
founder of Jaina-yoga system. In the fifth chapter of yogaśāstra Hemacandra deals with prānāyāma along with the forecasting of death. He discusses this concept of fore casting of death on various grounds with much detail, such as the moment of breath in the various nadis, external signs, dreams, shadows as well as some other symptoms namely the absence of taste, hearing, smelling etc. Hemacandra discusses this in very detail, near about two hundred verses. I have tried to know the original sources of these verses, but remain unable to find out them Pujya muni Jumbuvijayaji also did not give any trace regarding these verses. I have found only some traces of it in Bhavisyapurana and Garuthapurana. As I have already mentioned the sixth chapter of Yogasastra is fully devoted for the negation of the utility of prāṇāyāma, this chapter ends only in eight verses. The seventh chapter of yoga-sastra introduces the various levels of meditation. In this chapter he mentions the four types of dharmadhyāna i.e. the Pinḍastha, Padastha, Rūpastha and Rūpātita and five dharanas (thought processes) which are based of five elements such as earth, fire, wind, water and the real nature of self. In earlier Jaina canonical works we do not find any traces regarding these four types of dyānas and five types of dharaṇās. Acārya Haribhadra also silent regarding these in his various yoga-works.
After Haribhadra, there are two other Jaina Ācāryas namely Subhachandra (11th century) and Hemachandra (12th century) whose contribution in the field of Jaina-yoga are remarkable. Subhachandra belongs to Digambara Jaina tradition and his famous Yoga work is known as Jṇānārnava, while the Hemachandra belongs to Svetambara Jaina tradition and his notable work is known as Yogasastra. For yogic sadhana Hemachandra prescribes the fourfold virtues of maitri (friendship with all beings), pramoda (appreciation of the merits of others), karuna (sympathy towards the needy person) and Madhyastha (equanimity or indifference towards unruly), as the prerequisite of the auspicious meditation (Yogaśästra 4/117). Here, it is to be noted that these four reflexions are also accepted in Buddhism