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Svayambhūstotra
सामान्यार्थ - हे कुन्थु जिन ! आपने आध्यात्मिक तप की परिवृद्धि के लिए अत्यन्त कठिन अनशनादि बाह्य तप का आचरण किया था तथा आर्त एवं रौद्र रूप दो कलुषित ध्यानों को छोड़कर आप उत्तरवर्ती धर्म्य और शुक्ल इन दो उत्कृष्ट अतिशय से युक्त ध्यानों में स्थिर हुए थे।
O Lord! To augment the internal austerities you carried out exceedingly arduous external austerities* and, leaving aside the two inauspicious kinds of meditation, you consecutively embraced the two astonishing, auspicious kinds of meditation**
*The external austerities (bahya tapas) are fasting (anasana), reduced diet (avamaudarya), special restrictions for begging food (vrttiparisamkhyāna), giving up stimulating and delicious dishes (rasaparityāga), lonely habitation (viviktasayyāsana), and mortification of the body (kayakleśa). Expiation (prayaścitta), reverence (vinaya), service (vaiyavṛttya), study (svadhyāya), renunciation (vyutsarga), and meditation (dhyana) are the internal austerities (antaranga tapas).
**There are four types of meditation: (1) the sorrowful (ārta), (2) the cruel (raudra), (3) the virtuous (dharmya), and (4) the pure (sukla). These four types of meditation are divided into two classes, inauspicious and auspicious. The former two are inauspicious as these lead to the influx of evil karmas and, therefore, causes of transmigration. The latter two are auspicious as these are capable of destroying karmas and lead to liberation.
Sorrowful concentration consists in thinking again and
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