History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c94.233

v7.c94.233

The word Yoga is applied to many matters in an extended sense (i. e. the method or methods by which union with the Supreme Self may be promoted) in the Bhagavadgītā, which itself is described as Yogaśāstra and each chapter of which is also called Yoga. For example, we have in the Gītā 'abhyāsayoga' (8. 8, 12. 9), karmayoga (3. 3. and 7), jñānayoga (3. 3.), bhaktiyoga (14 26). A few other works also do the same. Some Western writers speak of several kinds of Yoga such as Mantrayoga, Jñānayoga, Bhaktiyoga, Karmayoga, Rājayoga and Hathayoga (vide 'Bengal Lancer' by F. Yeats-Brown, London, 1930, p. 284), R. C Oman's 'The Mystics, ascetics and saints of India' p. 172 (ed. of 1905), Geraldine Coster's 'Yoga and Western psychology' p. 10, Alain Danielou's work pp. 83 ff. (for descriptions of Mantrayoga, Layayoga, Kundalinīyoga' &c.). Some late Sanskrit works like the Yogatattvopaniṣad ²³⁴³ and Śivasaṃhitā (5. 9) speak of four Yogas viz Mantrayoga, Hathayoga, Layayoga and Rājayoga. All these have in view the system of Patañjali, but each emphasizes some particular aspect of yoga discipline. But there are really only two main systems of Yoga, viz. the one expounded in the Yogasūtra and its bhāṣya by Vyāsa and the other dealt with in such works as the Gorakṣaśataka, the Hathayogapradīpikā of Svātmārāma-yogin²³⁴⁴ with the commentary called Jyotsnā by Brahmānanda. Briefly, the difference between the two is that the Yoga of Patañjali concentrates all effort on the discipline of the mind, while Hathayoga mainly concerns itself with the body, its health, its purity and freedom from diseases. This is illustrated by the facts that Patañjali defines āsana as any posture that is 'sthirasukha', while works on Hathayoga describe many āsanas like Mayūrāsana, Kukkuṭāsana, Siddhāsana, which are deemed to remove diseases (I. 31) and which are said to be 84 (for the names of the 84 āsanas vide pp. 146-149 of Danielou's work) and Hathayoga deals with such processes²³⁴⁵ as Dhauti (washing the stomach), Basti (yogic enema) and Nauli (shaking the abdomen) about which Patañjali is silent. Hathayoga, if practised with proper guidance and perseverance, will not only endow a man with a strong, healthy, pure and active body but also may develop inner strength and happiness. The technique of Hathayoga claims three kinds of results viz (1) cure of diseases and disorders of the mind also; (2) attainment of supernatural powers called *siddhis*; (3) leading to Rājayoga and *Kaivalya*. The Hathayogapradīpikā itself states that Hathayoga is expounded only for leading on to Rājayoga²³⁴⁶ i. e. Rājayoga is the principal fruit of Haṭhayoga and not siddhis and Kaivalya is due to Rājayoga. The Haṭhayogapradīpikā enumerates the names of the same eight aṅgas as Patañjali does, but its *yamas* are ten of which taking a light meal is the principal and *ahiṁsā* is the first among niyamas. Besides the eight aṅgas, it deals specially with Mahāmudrā, Khecarī, Jālandhara, Uḍḍiyāna and Mūlabandha, Vajrolī, Amarolī and Sahajolī (I. 26-27). The Haṭhayogapradīpikā (I. 5-8) mentions that Haṭhayoga started from Ādinātha (i. e. Śiva) and then enumerates 35 great siddhas in all from Matsyendranātha, Gorakṣanātha onwards. The famous exposition of the Bhagavadgītā by Jñānadeva called Jñāneśvarī cites at the end the Guruparamparā as Ādinātha, Matsyendranātha, Gorakṣanātha, Gahininātha, Nivṛttinātha, Jñānadeva.