Studies in Haribhadrasuri

Author(s): N M Kansara, G C Tripathi
Publisher: B L Institute of Indology

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Studies in Haribhadrasūri
logically precede knowledge. One must first know; only then can one believe. Haribhadra has here tried to fall in line with the majority of the systems where knowledge is supreme. The view that the journey begins from right faith smacks of bigotry, whereas the rational view appears to be that it begins with right knowledge. When right faith is eulogized out of proportion, it seem to suggest as if liberation is some sort of a birth-right of a particular sect, whereas knowledge is invariably the result of right illumination and not of any blind adherence to a system. The author is not aware of any other Jaina writer who has followed a more rational order, which Haribhadra has laid down, perhaps not without a purpose. This assumption is further strengthened when it is found that Haribhadra defines delusion (moha) as ignorance (a-jñāna).? In Jainism, moha holds the key position amongst all the binding Karmas. By describing moha as ignorance, Haribhadra has implicitly assigned 'knowledge the supermost place among the various means of liberation.
The act of faith, without knowledge is, however, not totally futile. The journey may well begin with obedience to the preceptor and with a keen desire to know the truth from him.8 In the initial stage, one may just follow the secular code of conduct (lokācāra) by not inflicting misery on others, by respecting the preceptor, gods and guests and by helping the downtrodden.' The real spiritual discipline (lokottaradharma) 10 starts from the practice of the lesser vows (aņuvratas), whereas the supra-moral stage (sāmāyika-visya) comes last Haribhadra's contribution consists in giving recognition even to commonsense morality, which he rightly calls loka-dharma.
If the above scheme were analysed minutely, the journey would thus start from secular morality, and progress through knowledge, to be followed by right faith. This concept of secular morality has been elaborated by Haribhadra in the Yoga-bindu under the heading of 'pūrva-sevā”, indicating that it is a sort of preliminary preparation for Yoga. Here Haribhadra includes all