Chapter 5.5 - The variegated worship and non-variegated worship

To corroborate the oneness of omniscient persons Haribhadrasūri cites opinions of other sacred texts. It is said that if there is difference among omniscient persons, then various types of worships should have been prescribed for them in scriptures. But such is not the case. Therefore it is proved that the omniscient persons are essentially same. The verse in the text Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya is as follows.- “This very idea also follows from the description, occurring in the sacred texts, which classifies the devotion to the deities into the variegated one and the non-variegated one.^[1] In this verse Haribhadrasūri uses a compound sadyogaśāstreṣu.

It is interpreted in the auto-commentary as:

“...sadyogaśāstroṣu-sauvādhyatmacintāsāreṣu,...”^[2]

The word sauvādhyātma is interpreted as -

... | sauvādhyātmo tyādi | — svasyedaṃ-sauvam (ga.ra.ma.adhyā-3/67 pṛ.113) kati gaṇaratnamahodadhivacanāt svakīyādhyātmacintanagranthoṣu katyāśayaḥ |... ^[3]

Our author describes the variegated type of devotion and the non-variegated type of devotion in verses -111 to 114^[4] of the text Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya. It is as follows:

(1) The variegated type of worship:

It is meant for worldly deities viz. Lokapāla and many other. One who aspires to be born in the form of worldly deities worships them. There are differences of numerous sorts among the worldly deities. They vary from one another as regards their life span, eminence, power etc. Therefore it implies that there must be various methods prescribed to attain divergent aspects of the worldly deities. The variegated type of worship consists of various method. Certainly it is not possible to reach cities, situated in different directions, by following the same path. The various methods, prescribed in the variegated type of worship, aim at pleasing the worldly deities who grant worldly desires of a worshipper. The variegated type of worship is of the nature of attachment and aversion. It is so because if a worldly deity is pleased by performing any of the variegated type of worship that deity grants the wish of a worshipper. Therefore he develops an attachment for that deity and aversion for rest of the deities.

(2) The non-variegated type of worship:

It is meant for the yogins who have transcended the worldly existence. One who aspires to go beyond the worldly existence worships such yogins. Even though they are different individuals, they all necessarily fall into the one category namely ‘transcended the worldly existence’. Therefore they are worshipped in non-variegated manner as there exists no variation of any sort viz. power, eminence etc. among them. The non-variegated worship is chiefly of the nature of calm. A worshipper who aspires to attain the freedom from worldly existence practices the non-variegated type of worship. He does not worship to attain any material pleasures. Therefore his practicing of the non-variegated worship is not polluted by delusion conducive to attachment or aversion for any deity. He worships the liberated souls with the inner calm.

While explaining the variegated type of worship Haribhadrasūri has said that there are various performances prescribed to obtain power, position etc. of the worldly deities.He further says that the entire lot of worldly performances are classed under iṣṭa and pūrta.^[5]

Iṣṭa:-

The offerings viz. gold etc., which are purified by chanting of hymns and offered into the sacrificial altar, by an agent authorized to perform a sacrifice, in the presence of Brahmins, is called iṣṭa. It is called iṣṭa because it results into the fulfillment of worldly desires.^[6]

Pūrta:-

The experts define pūrta as an act of constructing ponds, wells, water reservoir and places of worship and the donation of food.^[7]

In his treatise Śāstravārtāsamuccaya Haribhadrasūri has defined the terms iṣṭa and pūrta. Its verses are similar to that of the verses of the text Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya.

The verses of Śāstravārtāsamuccaya are as follows:

ṛtvigbhirmantrasaṃskāreḥ brāhmaṇānāṃ samakṣataḥ |
antarvaidyāṃ tu yad dattamiṣṭaṃ tadabhidhīyate ||
vāpī-kūpa-taḍāgāni devatā''yatanāni ca |
annapradānamityetatpūrtamityabhidhīyate ||
   -10. 8-9

The words iṣṭa and pūrta are basically Vedic terms. Let us see how they are defined in vedic tradition.

(1) śaṅkhasmṛti 3./gṛha.148
aginahotraṃ tapaḥ satyaṃ vedānāṃ caiva pālanam |
ātithyaṃ vaiśvadevaṃ ca kaṣṭamityabhidhīyate ||

(2) In skandapurāṇa 6.26.66
vāpī-kūpa-taḍāgāni devatāyatanāni ca |
annapradānamārāmāḥ pūrtaṃ tadabhidhīyate ||

(3) In muṇḍakopaniṣadbhāṣya 1.2.7 Śaṅkarācārya says:
kaṣṭaṃ yāgādi śrautaṃ karmaḥ
pūrtaṃ vāpī-kūpa-taḍāgādi smārtam |

Every iṣṭa or pūrta act yield a particular type of result. Both are performed with an intension to please worldly deities who grant worldly wishes of a worshipper. However, Haribhadrasūri makes one thing clear that even when the performance of an act is of the same nature the ultimate consequences are different on account of the difference in mental attitudes while performing the act in question; from this it follows that the most decisive factor, in acquiring a result is not the performance of the act but the intentions exist in the mind of a worshipper while performing the act in question. Haribhadrasūri compares the decisive factor in yielding fruit with the water which is considered to be the most decisive factor in an agricultural operation.^[8]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

citrācitravibhāgona, yacca deveṣu vaṇitā |
bhaktiḥ sadyayogaśāstreṣu, tato'pyenamidaṃ sthitam ||110||

citrācitravibhāgona-vakṣyamāṇalakṣaṇona, yacca deveṣu vaṇitā-lokapāla-muktādiṣu, bhaktiḥ sadyogaśāstreṣu- sauvādyātmacintāsāreṣu, tato'pi....||110||

- Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya and its auto-commentary.

[2]:

In place of sauvādyātmacintāsāreṣu we also get śaivādhyātmacintāśāstreṣu in Mota’s edition, pg.311, part-2.

[3]:

See. Nayalatā the commentary on Dvātriṃśad Daātriṃśikā, line 5,6, pg. 1582, vol-6.

[4]:

saṃsāriṣu hi deveṣu, bhaktistatkāyagāminām |
tadatīte punastatve, tadatītādhvayāyinām ||111||
citrā cā''dyeṣu tadrāga-tadanyadveṣasaṅgatā |
acitrā caramo tveṣā, śamasārā'khilaiva hi ||112||
saṃsāriṇāṃ hi devānāṃ, yasmāccitrāṇyanekadhā |
sthityaiśvaryaprabhāvādyaiḥ, sthānāni pratiśāsanam ||113||
tasmāt tatsādhanopāyo, niyamāccitra eva hi |
na bhinnanagarāṇāṃ syā-dekaṃ vartma kadācana ||114||
   - Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya.

[5]:

kaṣṭāpūrtāni karmāṇi, loke citrābhisandhitaḥ |
nānāph lāni sarvāṇi, draṣṭavyāni vicakṣaṇaiḥ ||115||
   -ibid.

[6]:

ṛtvigbhirmantrasaṃskārai-brāhmaṇānāṃ samakṣataḥ |
antarvaidyāṃ hi yad datta-miṣṭaṃ tadabhidhīyate ||116||

ṛtvigibharyajñādhikṛtaiḥ.....antarvaidyāṃ hi yad dattaṃ hiraṇyādi, iṣṭaṃ tadabhidhīyate..... ||116||

- Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya and its auto-commentary.

[7]:

vāpīkūpataḍāgāni, devatāyatanāni ca |
annapradānamottatu, pūrtaṃ tattvavido viduḥ ||117||

vāpīkūpataḍāgāni lokaprasiddhānyeva, devatāyatanāni ca-vasatikādīni ca, tathā annapradānaṃ laukikamova,......||116||

-Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya and its auto-commentary.

[8]:

abhisandheḥ phalaṃ bhinna-manuṣṭhāne samo'pi hi |
paramo'taḥ sa eveha, vārīva kṛṣikarmaṇi ||118||

........| paramaḥ pradhānaḥ ataḥ kāraṇāt sa evā'bhisandhireva kaha-phalasiddhau kiṃvadityāha-vārīva kṛṣikarmaṇi kati dṛṣṭāntaḥ, paramo lokarūḍhyā ||118||

- Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya and its auto-commentary.