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APPENDIX II
A HINT FOR THE HISTORICO-COMPARATIVE STUDY
OF THE YOGADRSTISAMUCCAYA
• The cultural activities in ancient avd medieval India were on the whole conducted under the supreme guidance of a theological tradition and chief among such traditions were three, viz. the Brabmapical, Buddhist and Jaina (each again divided into sects and sub-sects). Thus whatever books were written in those times-barring those on purely. technical topics like inathematics, astronomy, grammar, lexicography - had a sectarian-theological stamp fixed on their face, so to say. Naturally enough, there could be no mistaking about the theological hue of a book in case it dealt with theological or metaphysical matters
tainties could possibly arise in case it dealt with purely ethical matters (the Tamil Classic Kural being a case in point). For the present, however, we are concerned with that type of literature where ethical matters stood intermixed with theological and metaphysical matters and where semi popular mode of exposition had been adopted -these being the characterizing features of Haribhadra's Yogadrsti. samuccaga (also of his Yogabindu, if not of his other writiogs on joga). The most outstanding work of this category emanating form the Brahmaical tradition is the Bhagavadgitā. For various reasons it might not be possible to point out a single Buddhist work that would be a fit match for the Gitā but Šāntideva's Bodhicaryāšatāra is certainly a great work belonging
category in question. As already binted, in the works of this category theological, metaphysical and ethical matters were brought in close connection with each other and discussed together; (to use the terminology popularized by the Gitā, these works jointly dealt with the problems of bhakti-joga, jñāna-yoga and karma-joga). Now, Haribbadra's Yogadrstisamuccaya (as also his Yogabindu) even if falling in this broad category, exhibit certain unique features.
So far as ethical questions were concereed even the Brahmanical works like the Gitā and the Buddhist works like the Bodbicaryāvatāra maintained positions that were on the whole liberal (because humanitarian), but on the questions of theology and metaphysics they argued as if the positions they defended were alone valid. As for the metaphysical questions Haribhadra too seems to be convinced that the last word on them has beed said by the Jaina tradition-though he makes deliberate and sustained efforts to see if the positions maintained in this connection
