________________ Pancastikaya-samgraha fire of meditation (dhyana) that burns down the karmas, auspicious (subha) and inauspicious (asubha). EXPLANATORY NOTE The verse expounds the nature of meditation (dhyana). Consciousness (cetana) when engaged, without wavering, on pure soul-nature is meditation (dhyana). How is meditation (dhyana) attained? The 'yogi' - advanced ascetic-gets detached from all external objects, including the body, the result of the rise of the perception-deluding (darsanamohaniya) and the conduct-deluding (caritramohaniya) karmas. He reckons that the experience of the pure-soul is possible only when the soul is rid of delusion (moha), attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesa). 'Yoga' means the activities of the mind (mana), the speech (vacana) and the body (kaya). The 'yogi' who entertains dispositions neither of delusion (moha), attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesa), nor of yoga' is fit for meditation (dhyana). Meditation (dhyana) is the fire that burns down the fuel of karmas. Just as even a small blaze has the power to burn down a huge stock of fuel, similarly, the fire of meditation, when aided by the strong wind of the soul rid of wrong-belief (mithyadarsana) and passions (kasava) and by the fuel - in form of 'ghee' or clarified-butter that the supreme and amazing happiness of the soul provides - has the power to burn down the heap of karmas, with all their primary (mula) and secondary (uttara) classes (prakrti), in no time. For those born in this 'kali'age (the fifth aeon, called dusama") it has been said, "The Scripture is without a shore, the life is short, and the intellect is dim; study only that which is able to put an end to life's decay and death." 276
