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Yogadrstisamuccaya of Haribhadra Suri (Study)

by Riddhi J. Shah | 2014 | 98,110 words

This page relates ‘Yama (Restraint or Self-control)� of the study on the Yogadrstisamuccaya: a 6th-century work on Jain Yoga authored by Haribhadra Suri consisting of 228 Sanskrit verses. The book draws from numerous sources on traditional Yoga. Three important topics are stipulated throughout this study: 1) nature of liberation, 2) a liberated soul, and 3) omniscience.—This section belongs to the series “The Eight Yogadrishtis and the nature of a Liberated Soul�.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Chapter 4.1b - Yama (Restraint or Self-control)

The great sage ʲٲñᲹ, who composed the ۴Dzūٰ, enumerated eight limbs of yoga in it.

They are:

ⲹԾⲹԲṇ峾ٲṇādԲ󲹲'ṣṭ屹ṅgԾ [1]|

Yama, the first yoga limb, means restraint or self-control. According to ʲٲñᲹ yamas are five in number. They are:

ṃssatyāsteyabrahamacaryāparigrahā yamā�[2] |

Apart from these five yamas the mentioning of ten yamas was in vogue in ṛt literature. They are:

󲹳ⲹ� kṣāṃtirdāna� satyamakalkartā |
ṃs'steyamādhurye damaśceti yamāḥsmṛtā� || 3.31 || �
   –Yājñavalkyaṛt.

Haribhadrasūri is very clear and particular in his expression. Since we do not confuse the afore-mentioned ten yamas with five yamas well-known in Yoga philosophy, Haribhadrasūri in his auto-commentary, on ۴Dzṛṣṭiܳⲹ, quotes[3] ʲٲñᲹ’s ۴Dzūٰ. Thus, Haribhadrasūri conveys that a word yama, used in the twenty first verse of ۴Dzṛṣṭiܳⲹ, conveys five yamas.

The definition and nature of the five yamas are often found in the sacred literature of Hinduism. The five yamas somewhat match with the five vows (great or minor) mentioned in Jain sacred literature[4] . Therefore Haribhadrasūri does not attempt to describe them in his present treatise. He categories each yama into four stages[5] . They are meant to indicate the betterment in the performance of each yama. The performance of ṃs yama with ʰṛtپ stage will always be better than its performance by stage.

The name of four satges are[6] :

  1. ,
  2. Sthairya (also known as sthira)
  3. ʰṛtپ,
  4. Siddhi.

These four stages are in ascending order. It implies that the starting point is and the ultimate stage is Siddhiyama.

The categorization of five yamas into four stages by Haribhadrasūri reminds us the classification, done by him, of ٳԲ, ܰṇa etc. five types[7] into afore-mentioned four stages.

However, ۴Dzṃśi defines as,

tajjuttakahāpīīi saṃgayā vipariṇāmiṇ� |

And ۴Dzṛṣṭiܳⲹ defines it as,

ٲ屹ٰ첹ٳīپܳ, ٲٳ'貹ṇāmī |... || 215 ||

Though both these treatises are written by Haribhadrasūri only, we find difference as 貹ṇāmī and 貹ṇānī. The word 貹ṇāmī is explained as follows by ۲śDZᲹⲹ in his commentary on ۴Dzṃśi.

The lines are:

... �貹ṇāmīviśvakatarb� humānādigarbhaṃsvollāsamātrādyatkiñcidabhyāsādirūpa� ٰ� pariṇāmamādadhānā bhavati,... || 5 ||

Haribhadrasūri in his auto-commentary on ۴Dzṛṣṭiܳⲹ defines a貹ṇāmī as follows:

..., ٲٳ'貹ṇāmī tadbhāvasthiratvena,.... || 215 ||

The names of these four stages reflect their respective meanings too. By the word yama we understand that its practitioner possesses strong desire for performing any of the five yamas. The ʰṛtپ yama indicates actual practicing of yama which is born out of the strong inclination for performance of yamas. Sthira yama is the consistent and mature practice of yamas. Siddhi yama means the most accomplished state. In this stage the practitioner is said to have achieved mastery, over practices of yamas. Such understanding of meaning of these four stages is done from the perspective of a layman. Still these meanings are not in complete accordance with the scholarly definitions given by Haribhadrasūri.

He, being an erudite scholar and versatile writer, has defined the four stages of each yama as follows:

1. : Yama by intention:

ٲ屹ٰ첹ٳīپܳ, ٲٳ'貹ṇāmī |
yameṣv'vaseyeha
, prathamo yama eva tu || 215 ||

is the first stage. A practitioner in this stage possesses inner inclination for yamas. It is well reflected in his interest for listening stories of those who are expert in observing yamas. His inclination for yamas is also exhibited through his very little practice of yamas done with high regards for those who are perfect practitioner of yamas.

2. ʰṛtپyama : Yama by activity:

sarvatra śamasāra� tu, yamalanameva yat |
pravṛttiriha vijñeyā
, dvitīyo yama eva tat || 216 ||

ʰṛtپyama, the second yama, means practicing five yamas with the psyche generally predominated with calm/placidity.

3. Sthirayama : Yama by firmness:

貹ṣaԳ󾱳ٲ�, yamalanameva yat |
tat sthairyamiha ñⲹ�
, tṛatīyo yama eva hi || 217 ||

The third sthirayama observes yamas without being anxious about transgressions (پ). A practitioner of sthirayama is very confident about various observances of yamas, due to constant practice, that now he is not worried about their faults in the practices. The constant and consistent practice of yamas has made him an expert on it. Therefore he never falters while observing them.

4. Siddhiyama : Yama by accomplishment:

貹ٳ󲹰󲹰첹ṃtٲ, śuddhāntarātmana� |
ԳٲⲹśپDzԲ
, caturtho yama eva tu || 218 ||

Siddhiyama is that stage where a practitioner’s observance of yamas are accomplished. Hence, his yamas cause welfare of others. It is possible only for that practitioner who is pure from within. At this stage the practitioner has acquired so much power that by his mere presence enmity etc. among people get destroyed.

It is interesting to refer the explanation of four stages viz. etc. given by ⲹ ۲śDZᲹⲹ in his commentary[8] on ۴Dzṃśi of Haribhadrasūri. This explanation pertains to five types of yoga viz. ٳԲ, ܰṇa, artha, Բ and ԾṃbԲ. In ۴Dzṃśi Haribhadrasūri has stated that each of ٳԲ etc. is categorized into four stages.[9]

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

See 2.29 of the ۴Dzūٰ.

[2]:

See 2.30 of the ۴Dzūٰ.

[3]:

| yathoktam –�a󾱲ṃाsatyāsteyabrahamacaryāparigrahā yamā�� (. 2.30) |........ || 231 ||
    Auto-commentary on ۴Dzṛṣṭiܳⲹ (2010)

[4]:

(find ūٰ from tattvārthaūٰ)

[5]:

'󾱲�岹ⲹ� 貹ñ, suprasiddhā yamā� satām |
aparigrahaparyantā-stathecchādicaturvidhā� || 214 ||
   –۴Dzṛṣṭiܳⲹ (2010)

[6]:

| ete ca pravṛttisthairyasiddhibhedā iti vakṣyati |
............................................................ || 21 ||
   –Auto-commentary on ۴Dzṛṣṭiܳⲹ (2010)

[7]:

ṻԲԲٳٳṃbṇa󾱴, taṃtammi paṃcahā eso |
dagu mittha kammajogo, ٲ پⲹ� nāṇajogo 3 || 2 || -ibid.

[8]:

See page: 6 and 7, commentary on verses: 5 and 6, -ibid.

[9]:

ikkiko ya cauddhā, ittha� puṇa tattao muṇeyavvo |
-pavitti-thira-siddhabheyao samayanīīe || 4 ||
   –۴Dzṃśi, Published by Divya Darshan Trust, 1998, 2nd edn.

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