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Haribhadra's Synthesis of Yoga
We add to these arguments and say that the difference in the tradition, the language and the background and the development of each Vada and the difference and uniqueness of the growth of each savant or the seer also played a great part in their respective exposition of the same truth. In short it can be seen that Haribhadra endeavoured to establish the age-old saying that truth is one and seers express it in many ways.
Haribhadra never rests content with synthesis of thought or philosophy. He did well in this field in his works on philosophy. What he really wanted was synthesis in life and he desired integration in the life as a whole and in the society too. Naturally his yearning for an all-round integration led him to yoga because he could see in metaphysical works that the ultimate problem could be rightly understood and fully solved only by superconscious knowledge and on a transcendental level of higher consciousness. Such knowledge and such bigher level of life and consciousness is only possible by yoga and yoga-practice. Yoga alone would lead to yogi-jñāna and yogi-jñāna alone can satisfy the inquisitive and aspiring mind like that of Haribhadra. So his turning to yoga was a natural outcome of his persistent efforts for the true knowledge throughout his life. He felt sure that the ultimate questions of omniscience, Mokşa, Karma etc. can only be solved by yogijñāna and this he makes clear in Kārikā 143 of Yogadsstisamuccaya. Any other attempts except Yogijñāna are useless and lead to mere wranglings in metaphysics. This is his considered view after a life-time of efforts in writing philosophic books. His view is fully supported by seers of all ages and all religions all over the world,
The natural and logical corollary of such a vision is that one should strive hard to have yogijñāna. It is only possible by sincere and honest practice of yoga. Yoga and hard practice of yoga alone can lead to yogijñāna and that is why Haribhadra eulogises yoga untiringly. In Karika 37 and 38 of Yogabindu he compares yoga with the wish-tree or the wishdiamond. Yoga to him is the chief among all religions or dharmas and yoga is success itself. Yoga alone can lead to the ultimate reality. This was Haribhadra's considered opinion which was not merely a matter of belief but the essence of a life-time of a scholarly and religious pure life.
Yogabindu and Yogad rstisamuccaya and General Review
It is quite pertinent now to take up the last and the best yoga-works of Haribhadra. Haribhadra is at his best in these two works and more so in the last work i.e. Yogadrstisamuccaya. These books are in verses written in Sanskrit. Both of them show his mastery over the language and display the clarity of his style. He uses new words to suit his meanings. He uses
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