Yogadrstisamuccaya of Haribhadra Suri (Study)
by Riddhi J. Shah | 2014 | 98,110 words
This page relates ‘Akheda (Absence of weariness)’ 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 4.1c - Akheda (Absence of weariness)
That is to say:
“Absence of weariness is non-weariness.”
The various practices of the subject in question pertaining to tīrthaṅkara, preceptor etc. are performed without weariness[2] . Weariness takes place in the absence of interest for particular act. The subject in question, at this stage, performs god worship etc. with true interest. Such performance generates pleasure in him. It inspires him to do more religious practices with deeper interest. Thus, he remains free from weariness.
With a view to make it clear Haribhadrasūri proposes an example. He says that one who enjoys worldly existence exerts himself in materialistic enjoyments, even though he experiences heaviness in the head or other physical disorders, due to the exertion. Just like that a beholder of mitrā dṛṣṭi performs God worship, preceptor service etc. irrespective of external discomforts[3] .
It is the wrong understanding (mithyātva) that generates weariness in religious practices. It is said that in the first dṛṣṭi a slight removal of wrong understanding takes place. Therefore the beholder of first dṛṣṭi acquires feeling of non-weariness for religious practices. Weariness is the major obstructer in the path of spiritual growth. Hence, the subject in question starts defeating the wrong understanding by obtaining feeling of non-weariness in religious practices.
The Illustration of Akheda:
Rājarṣi Prasannacandra accumulated karmic matter particles capable of leading him to the seventh hell, when he imagined fighting in battle in spite of ordaining monkhood. The reason for it was the feeling of weariness towards monkhood. However, the non-weariness won over the weariness and so all the accumulated karmic matter particles were destroyed.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
akhedaḥ = avyāku latālakṣaṇa:
– Verse: 21.1, line: 4, Page: 1417, Vol: 5, auto-commentary of Upādhyāya Yaśovijaya on Dvātriṃśad Dvātriṃśikā.
[2]:
a....... | akhedo devakāryādau |
ādiśdād gurūkāryādiparigrahaḥ |.... || 21 ||
–auto-commentrary on Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya (2010)
b. khedaḥ = śrāntatā kriyāsu apravṛttihetuḥ, pathi pariśrānta vad–14.3, - Yaśobhadra’s Vṛtti on Ṣoḍaśaka of Haribhadrasūri.
c. khedaḥ = pathi pariśrāntavat pūrvi krayāpravṛttijanitaṃ uttarakriyā–pravṛtti pratibandhakaṃ daḥु kham | - 14.3, -Yogadīpikā commentary on Ṣoḍaśaka.
d. pravṛttijaḥklabhaḥ khedastatra dārḍhyaṃ na cetasaḥ |
................................................ || 18.13 ||
– Dvātriṃśad Dvātriṃśikā of Upādhyāya Yaśovijaya, vol: 4, Pg: 1239.
e......... na khedaḥ uttarakālīna-devakāryādi pratibandhakavyāku latāmānasadaḥु khā'nubandhiklamādilakṣaṇaḥ.......
cittadoṣaḥ, api tu devagurūkāryādau askhaladvṛttyā saharṣaṃ pravṛttireva sambhavati |............. || 21.1 ||
– Nayalatā commentary on Dvātriṃśad-Dvātriṃśikā, Vol: 5, Pg: 1418, line: 6-8.
[3]:
| tathātathopanata etasmiṃstathāparitoṣānna khedo'tra, api tu pravṛttireva, śirogurūtvādidoṣabhāve'pi bhavābhinandino bhogakāyarva t |... || 21 ||
–Auto-commentary on Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya (2010).