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Who is well Versed in Yoga: Insights from Yogaśatakam of Haribhadra
This paper delves into Yogaśatakam, an 8th-century medieval Jaina yoga text composed in Prakrit by Śvetāmbara Ācārya Haribhadra in verse style. As a yogic text, Yogaśatakam employs various Jain yoga techniques. The focus of this study is to examine the concept of the "efficient person in yoga" (adhikārī) within the context of Jain Yoga. To establish the ancient roots of this medieval text, I will investigate its correlation with ancient Jain canonical texts. The text categorizes efficient persons in yoga into three types:
Apunarbanvdhaka - those who do not exhibit a strong inclination towards engaging in evil activities.
Samyagdṛṣṭi - those who possess the right faith in the enlightened one (vītaraga), in the guru, and in the religion propounded by the enlightened one (dharma).
Samyagcāritrī - those who adhere to right conduct.
This progression represents a distinct Jain model of yoga, defined as a path comprising three jewels. Through these three stages, efficient yogis, as described by Haribhadra, attain the final destination of liberation, which is the ultimate goal.
