"'Yudhishthira said, "It behoveth thee to explain to me, O sire, what the
difference is between the Sankhya and the Yoga system of philosophy. O
foremost one of Kuru's race, everything is known to thee, O thou that art
conversant with all duties!"
"'Bhishma said, "The followers of Sankhya praise the Sankhya system and
those regenerate persons that are Yogins praise the Yoga system. For
establishing the superiority of their respective systems, each calls his
own system to be the better. Men of wisdom devoted to Yoga assign proper
and very good reasons, O crusher of foes, for showing that one that does
not believe in the existence of God cannot attain to Emancipation. Those
regenerate persons, again, that are believers in the Sankhya doctrines
advance good reasons for showing that one, by acquiring true knowledge of
all ends, becomes dissociated from all worldly objects, and, after
departing from this body, it is plain, becomes emancipated and that it
cannot be otherwise. Men of great wisdom have thus expounded the Sankhya
philosophy of Emancipation. When reasons are thus balanced on both sides,
those that are assigned on that side which one is otherwise inclined to
adopt as one's own, should be accepted. Indeed, those words that are said
on that side should be regarded as beneficial. Good men may be found on
both sides. Persons like thee may adopt either opinion. The evidences of
Yoga are addressed to the direct ken of the senses; those of Sankhya are
based on the scriptures. Both systems of philosophy are approved by me, O
Yudhishthira. Both those systems of science, O king, have my concurrence
and are concurred in by those that are good and wise. If practised duly
according to the instructions laid down, both would, O king, cause a
person to attain to the highest end. In both systems purity is equally
recommended as also compassion towards all creatures, O sinless one. In
both, again, the observance of vows has been equally laid down. Only the
scriptures that point out their paths are different."
"'Yudhishthira said, "If the vows, the purity, the compassion, and the
fruits thereof recommended in both systems be the same, tell me, O
grandsire, for what reason then are not their scriptures (in respect of
the paths recommended) the same?"
"'Bhishma said, "By casting off, through the aid of Yoga, these five
faults, viz., attachment, heedlessness, affection, lust, and wrath, one
attains to Emancipation. As large fishes, breaking through the net, pass
into their own element (for ranging in felicity), after the same manner,
Yogins (breaking through lust and wrath, etc.) become cleansed of all
sins and attain to the felicity of Emancipation. As powerful animals,
breaking through the nets in which hunters enmesh them, escape into the
felicity of freedom, after the same manner, Yogins, freed from all bonds,
attain to the sinless path that leads to Emancipation. Truly, O king,
breaking through the bonds born of cupidity, Yogins, endued with
strength, attain to the sinless and auspicious and high path of
Emancipation. Feeble animals, O monarch, entangled in nets, are without
doubt, destroyed. Even such is the case with persons destitute of the
puissance of Yoga. As weak fishes, O son of Kunti, fallen into the net,
become entangled in it, even so, O monarch, men destitute of the
puissance of Yoga, encounter destruction (amid the bonds of the world).
As birds, O chastiser of foes, when entangled in the fine nets of fowlers
(if weak) meet with their ruin but if endued with strength effect their
escape, after the same manner does it happen with Yogins, O chastiser of
foes. Bound by the bonds of action, they that are weak meet with
destruction, while they that are possessed of strength break through
them. A small and weak fire, O king, becomes extinguished when large logs
of timber are placed upon it. Even so the Yogin that is weak, O king,
meets with ruin (when brought in contact with the world and its
attachments). The same fire, however, O monarch, when it becomes strong,
would (without being extinguished) burn with the aid of the wind, the
whole Earth. After the same manner, the Yogin, when grown in strength,
burning with energy, and possessed of might, is capable of scorching the
entire Universe like the Sun that rises at the time of the universal
dissolution. As a weak man, O king, is swept away by a current, even so
is a weak Yogin helplessly carried away by objects of the senses. An
elephant withstands a mighty current. After the same manner, a Yogin,
having acquired Yoga-puissance, withstands all objects of the senses.
Independent of all things, Yogins, endued with Yoga-puissance and
invested with lordship, enter into (the hearts of) the very lords of
creation, the Rishis, the deities, and the great Beings in the universe.
Neither Yama, nor the Destroyer, nor Death himself of terrible prowess,
when angry, ever succeeds in prevailing over the Yogin, O king, who is
possessed of immeasurable energy. The Yogin, acquiring Yoga-puissance,
can create thousands of bodies and with them wander over the earth. Some
amongst them enjoy objects of the senses and then once more set
themselves to the practice of the austerest penances, and once again,
like the Sun (withdrawing his rays), withdraw themselves from such
penances.[1582] The Yogin, who is possessed of strength and whom bonds
bind not, certainly succeeds in attaining to Emancipation. I have now
discoursed to thee, O monarch, on all these powers of Yoga. I shall once
more tell thee what the subtile powers of Yoga are with their
indications. Hear, O chief of Bharata's race, the subtile indications of
the Dharana and the Samadhi of the Soul (such as Yoga brings
about).[1583] As a bowman who is heedful and attentive succeeds in
striking the aim, even so the Yogin, with absorbed soul, without doubt,
attains to Emancipation. As a man fixing his mind on a vessel full of
some liquid (placed on his head) heedfully ascends a flight of steps,
even so the Yogin, fixed and absorbed in his soul, cleanses it and makes
it as effulgent as the Sun. As a boat, O son of Kunti, that is tossed on
the bosom of the sea is very soon taken by a heedful boatman to the other
shore, even so the man of knowledge by fixing his soul in Samadhi,
attains to Emancipation, which is so difficult to acquire, after casting
off his body, O monarch. As a heedful charioteer, O king, having yoked
good steeds (unto his car) takes the car-warrior to the spot he wishes,
even so the Yogin, O monarch, heedful in Dharana, soon attains to the
highest spot (viz., Emancipation) like a shaft let off from the bow
reaching the object aimed at. The Yogin who stays immovably after having
entered his self into the soul, destroys his sins and obtains that
indestructible spot which is the possession of those that are righteous.
That Yogin who, heedfully observant of high vows, properly unites, O king,
his Jiva-soul with the subtile Soul in the navel, the throat, the head,
the heart, the chest, the sides, the eye, the ear, and the nose, burns
all his acts good and bad of even mountain-like proportions, and having
recourse to excellent Yoga, attains to Emancipation."
"'Yudhishthira said, "It behoveth thee to tell me, O grandsire, what the
kinds of diet are by taking which, and what the things are by conquering
which, the Yogin, O Bharata, acquires Yoga-puissance."
"'Bhishma continued, "Engaged, O Bharata, in subsisting upon broken grains
of rice and sodden cakes of sesame, and abstaining from oil and butter,
the Yogin acquires Yoga-puissance. By subsisting for a long time on
powdered barley unmixed with any liquid substance, and by confining
himself to only one meal a day, the Yogin, of cleansed soul, acquires
Yoga-puissance. By drinking only water mixed with milk, first only once
during the day, then once during a fortnight, then once during a month,
then once during three months, and then once during a whole year, the
Yogin acquires Yoga-puissance. By abstaining entirely from meat, O king,
the Yogin of cleansed soul acquires puissance.[1584] By subjugating lust,
and wrath, and heat, and cold and rain, and fear, and grief, and the
breath, and all sounds that are agreeable to men, and objects of the
senses, and the uneasiness, so difficult to conquer, that is born of
abstention from sexual congress, and thirst that is so terrible, O king,
and the pleasures of touch, and sleep, and procrastination that is almost
unconquerable, O best of kings, high-souled Yogins, divested of
attachments, and possessed of great wisdom, aided by their
understandings, and equipped with wealth of contemplation and study,
cause the subtile soul to stand confessed in all its glory. This high
(Yoga) path of learned Brahmanas is exceedingly difficult to tread. No
one can walk along this path with ease. That path is like a terrible
forest which abounds with innumerable snakes and crawling vermin, with
(concealed) pits occurring every where, without water for slaking one's
thirst, and full of thorns, and inaccessible on that account. Indeed, the
path of Yoga is like a road along which no edibles occur, which runs
through a desert having all its trees burnt down in a conflagration, and
which has been rendered unsafe by being infested with bands of robbers.
Very few young men can pass safely through it (for reaching the goal).
Like unto a path of this nature, few Brahmanas can tread alone the
Yoga-path with ease and comfort. That man who, having betaken himself to
this path, ceases to go forward (but turns back after having made some
progress), is regarded as guilty of many faults. Men of cleansed souls, O
lord of Earth, can stay with ease upon Yoga-contemplation which is like
the sharp edge of a razor. Persons of uncleansed souls, however, cannot
stay on it. When Yoga-contemplation becomes disturbed or otherwise
obstructed, it can never lead the Yogin to an auspicious end even as a
vessel that is without a captain cannot take the passengers to the other
shore. That man, O son of Kunti, who practises Yoga-contemplation
according to due rites, succeeds in casting off both birth and death, and
happiness and sorrow. All this that I have told thee has been stated in
the diverse treatises bearing upon Yoga. The highest fruits of Yoga are
seen in persons of the regenerate order. That highest fruit is
identification with Brahma. The high-souled Yogin, possessed of
greatness, can enter into and come out of, at his will, Brahma himself
who is the lord of all deities, and the boon-giving Vishnu, and Bhava,
and Dharma, and the six-faced Kartikeya, and the (spiritual) sons of
Brahmana, the quality of Darkness that is productive of much pain, and
that of Passion, and that of Sattwa which is pure, and Prakriti which is
the highest, and the goddess Siddhi who is the spouse of Varuna, and all
kinds of energy, and all enduring patience, and the bright lord of stars
in the firmament with the stars twinkling all around, and the Viswas, and
the (great) snakes, and the Pitris, and all the mountains and hills, and
the great and terrible oceans, and all the rivers, and the rain-charged
clouds, and serpents, and trees, and Yakshas, and the cardinal and
subsidiary points of the compass, and the Gandharvas, and all male
persons and all female ones also. This discourse, O king, that is
connected with the Supreme Being of mighty energy should be regarded as
auspicious. The Yogin has Narayana for his soul. Prevailing over all
things (through his contemplation of the Supreme deity), the high-souled
Yogin is capable of creating all things."'"
The end of the Santi Parva [, Part two of three].