Sambodhi

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 25

Haribhadra's Synthesis of Yoga
In short, every Sadhaka in each category has his own focal-point though the general level or the features may appear to be the same.
Categories are all arbitrary constructions for the sake of understanding the general features of a sadhaka and to know where he stands in his personality growth or spiritual growth. As soon as the Sadhaka knows his level of consciousness by self-assessment and self-introspection as well as by general omens and comments of others he can find out where exactly he stands and comparing and measuring the distance roughly, he can gauge how far has he to reach the goal of Mokşa, Thus the Sadhaka fixes his own personality-pole. The only task though a very different one is to traverse the distance between the focal point of his personality and the already fixed point of his goal i.e. Mokşa. As he treads this path and traverses the distance there is a change in his personality growth and so changes his life-process accordingly. The speedier his march towards his goal, the faster is his personality growth. He has with him the means of Yoga to traverse this distance. He knows very well that yoga provides the shortest cut to reach the goal. Yoga is equally graceful towards all as God is but it depends on the Sadhaka to utilize it. It depends on his capacity to utilize yoga and his will to ride the yoga-vehicle that he reaches the goal earlier or later than his expectations.
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This question of traversing the distance between one's own self and the goal by means of yoga reminds me an epic story which can quite aptly be applied to it. Once the Gods had a fancy that amongst them all must be worshipped first by men. Men cannot decide whom to worship first: so the Gods went to Śiva and Parvatī to give their choice for the God to be worshipped first. Śiva said that he would not give an arbitrary judgment without knowing the respective worth of every God. So he suggested that one who would take one round of the universe at the highest speed and come to them first would be the chosen God for being worshipped first among them all. Thereupon all the Gods ran as they could on their respective vehicles like Hamsa, Vimana, horse or an elephant. Ganapati has only the mouse as his vehicle and it is an impossibility for him to go round the Universe even in ages to come. But intelligence incarnate as he was he wrote the sacred word 'Aum' on the ground and went round it in no time on his mouse and then sat at the feet of the Siva and Parvati. Soon the Gods began to return one by one and assembled there after going round the Universe. Some came almost at the same time and began to argue about their returning first. All the while Śiva and Parvati were smiling and on being asked for their judgment they said that Gaṇapati was the first-comer and the winner of the race! All began to laugh at the