Yogadrstisamuccaya of Haribhadra Suri (Study)
by Riddhi J. Shah | 2014 | 98,110 words
This page relates ‘Seventh: Prabhadrishti (prabha-drishti)—Introduction’ 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”.
Chapter 4.7a - The Seventh: Prabhādṛṣṭi (prabhā-dṛṣṭi)—Introduction
The understanding of prabhā dṛṣṭi is compared with the light of the sun. Haribhadrasūri states that the prabhā dṛṣṭi is endearing because it is endowed with meditation (dhyāna)[1] .
It is defined as follows by Haribhadrasūri in his composition Yogabindu.
“śubhaikālambanaṃ cittaṃdhyānamāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ |
sthirapradīpasadṛśaṃ sūkṣmā''bhogasamanvitam || 362 || ”
As a result of concentrating one’s psyche on an auspicious object one acquires steadfastness. In the eighteenth dvātriṃśikā Upādhyāya Yaśovijaya states three results achieved by an aspirant by practicing meditation[2] . The steadfastness is one of its results[3] . Since the prabhā dṛṣṭi beholder loves to practice meditation, he dislikes distraction[4] . It is so because by practicing meditation he has achieved steadfastness of psyche (citta).
Moreover, the beholder of prabhā dṛṣṭi is free from mental anguish[5] . Since he is good at doing meditation, he acknowledges the real/true nature of a soul[6] in the present yogadṛṣṭi. It brings the position called satpravṛtti[7] .
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
(a) dhyānapriyā prabhā prāyo,........................... |
....................................................... || 170 ||
-Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya
(b) Upādhyāya Yaśovijaya in his auto-commentary on seventeenth verse of twenty fourth Dvātriṃśikā says that dhyāneti | (dhyānasārā) = dhyānena sārā = rūcirā. Vol: 6, Pg: 1662.
[2]:
vaśitā caiva sarvatra bhāvastaimityameva ca |
anubandhavyavacchedaścetidhyānaphalaṃ vidaḥु || 18.21 ||
-Dvātriṃśad-dvātriṃśikā, Part: 4, Pg: 1249
[3]:
ca = niścalatvameva (= bhāvastaimityameva) |... || 18.21 ||
–Auto commentary on Dvātriṃśad-dvātriṃśikā, Part: 4, Pg: 1249, ibid.
[4]:
dhyānapriyā–dhyānavallabhā'vikṣepodvegāt prabhā dṛṣṭiḥ prāyo-bāhulyena ___________... || 170 ||
–Auto-commentary on Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya
[5]:
rūjīti |
rūji = pīḍārūpāyāṃ bhaṅgarūpāyāṃ vā... || 18.20 ||
–Auto commentary on Dvātriṃśad-vātriṃśikā, Part: 4, Pg: 1248
[6]:
prabhā, tattvapratipattyā yathāsthitā''tmā'nubhavalakṣaṇayā yutā, (= tattvapratipattiyutā)............. || 24.17 ||
–Auto commentary on Dvātriṃśad-dvātriṃśikā, Part: 6, Pg: 1662
[7]:
, nā'syāṃ rūgata eva hi |
tattvapratipattiyutā, satpravṛttipadāvahā || 170 ||
-Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya