216 Buddhist Philosophical Researches

on the Agaanas and manifested its occasional hostility to and reconciliation

with the Vedic tradition.
4. See IPVV Vol. I. pp. 2s, 29, es, 92, 291, Vol. 11, pp. 4a, 13,14,206, 6 SIDDHI-S IN THE BI-IAGAVATA_
210, 298, 354, Vol. ll], pp. 142, 279, 298, 328, 393.
5. For example: Tamera bluintamanubluiri San-van‘: (Katha Upanisad, 5-15)
PURANA AND IN THE YOGASUTRA-S
quoted in Isvara-pratyabhijnavivrtivimarsini (IPVV in short) KSTS Vol. ll, OF PATANJALI—A COMPARISON
9- 339; sadfla 5°""ya idamagra asit (Chéndogya upanisad Vl.2.1) Ibid.,
p. 203; Vijflataramare kena vijaniyfld (Brhadaranyaka, II.5.l9) Ibid in Vol. I, D11. T.S. Rutumn
p.72.

(i)
qgzwIw1iq1‘sdne§im1mesin1§ilira-m;_=1=IIIfi'gr¢lha@aria-
51"! ,q¢ 1&9
(fi)l%|1;ws&s=e=iwl‘zena'é\i=:g=rtnwl‘nTw=¥|wrl’arv5s=1i'rar|
$¥fl11IWliuTWwsfir=ttiWiBitli'@rvhQi’q'&IreqwImwl'“sz:1-eqa||
awlwzwfiiahiiwrfltgnlflflwfiniewafawwiqu
2+20
(iii) mqeiuitfififldgminfinwmitdtfiwtfiirhalhd
fl niqnmnfnmEg'<m1wmrafi=aa:|
-213'} 2-3-14
(iv) nqrinfafwewurrweeislir qfi
filfiwigl
(v) irrnirinnrfinlitiliwriirimdtjfiewrffliitiafmeam
nnletfnwredwrsu fiwmairamwhfiwrwndqnawm
innit, an in nf1==|=-are flzwnmwial a=s|-aqe=r\weitll=rf=rw1-
erwvqww=|as,=iafgarsu=iw=1n-:miesqfunsnn=iamiirFars|e-
1'F5mw:fimmrsrnl=nf<eni : wrfilfs-11-I 1r|=nsq1?r?sn,w|arf-mri
§i5'lf'$WI!fllI?1'rI?l¥H’I5R1fi'I1\T¥lflT'i:H'ai’UFI'I%TWl'GTql
t=rr=iin=ntrfeenarwm1r[e‘ta'm:| frraqfia-qlia, 4.15-I6
up The Bhfigavata Purina, along with the other Purfigtas, are all
-considered to be the works of the great Vyasa. Traditionally he
is also the author of the commentary on the Yogasz7tra~s of
Patafijali. It will thus be interesting to study the siddhi-s as des-
cribed in these two works.
The Blnigavata Purina is acknowledged as a book of synthesis
and a narrow, sectarian spirit is absent here. In a book which
has bhakti-yoga as its supreme message, malcsa can only be
sdlokya, siirsfi, sfimljnya, sririipya and sdyujya, as described in
many places in the Bhfigavata Purrigral The synthetic character
of the Bhiigavata Purina, on the other hand, oomes out clearly
in many passages which are close to Siirikhya, Yoga and Vedrinra
mgi including Advaira Vedfinrafi
—q@2-4-3 That Yoga has been given an important place in the Bhfigavara
Purfirta is brought out clearly when $uka, at the beginning of the
second skandha, in answer to Pariksit's question as to what a
man who is about to die is to do, states that he should give up
all his possessions and make for himself an fisano in a solitary
place. Then he should meditate on the three~lettered Om with
perseverance disregarding the distractions caused by the qualifies
of rajas and tamas-'
Various meditations on both gross and subtle aspects of
Blmgavdn are described in the second skandha of the Purina‘
which remind one of the different srlzitibandhinr-s in the Yoga-
siitras ofPatai'1jali.‘ In the description of death of a yogtin the
Puriigaa the various cakras and the Brahmarandhra are mentioned.
In place of the attainment of kaivaiya, moksa is the state of
Visnu in the Purdgtafi
The Bluigavata Purina is also an important text of the Bh&ga-
vata school or the Priiicardrra cult and ekatva or sfiyqiya is an
important conception of moksa in this literature. Ekatva means
‘the cessation of all worldly existence and a sense of identification“
218 Buddhist Philosophical Researches
with the Supreme Being’. It is also described as ‘the return of
Brahman into His own true nature’! There are many verses in
the Parana which proclaim the return of the individual soul to
the Absolute and its merging into the Absolute.“ The advaitic
trend of these passages is unmistakable. But the Parana takes.
care to mention, even in such passages, that the object of con-
centration is always Bhagaviin thus preserving its overall‘
character as a book of bhakti.
The Bluigavata emphasizes yoga as bhakti and it is in the
method of realisation of its spiritual goal that Yoga becomes
important. Just as Nyriya with its stress on correct reasoning
became indispensable for epistemological enquiries in every
school of philosophical thought, so also Yoga with its tools of
yama, niyama, iisana, prcindydma; pratydhiira, dlraragrfi, dhyiina
and samcidhi was generally accepted as the means to reach the
ultimate ontological truth in each system, which may vary
according to its own beliefs. As a result yoga became an indis-
pensable part of the spiritual quest in many of the systems both
orthodox and heterodox. It is therefore not surprising to find
such a large number of yogic passages in the Bhagavara Puragra.
The siddhi-s are an integral part of the Yoga philosophy, and it
is interesting to note that the Bhiigavara Parana describes them
in many places. But in this paper the siddhi-s as described in the
tenth chapter of the eleventh skandha have been taken up for
comparison with the siddhi-s mentioned in the Viblnitipiida of the
Yogasfilra-s.
The very first verse in this chapter of the Puriigza states that to
the yogi who has controlled his senses and prim!-S and concen-
trates his mind on Bhagavdn various siddhi-s come.“ In the
Yogasiirras we are told by Patafijali that the siddhi-s are obsta-
cles in the realisation of the ultimate goal, but are powers in the
state of activity in the world!"
Thus, on the face of it, while it appears that the siddhi-s will
come to any one practising samadhi, not all are agreed on that..
For instance, Vijfianabhiksu very clearly mentions that ‘those
respective samyama-s are to be practised only by yogi‘-s who
desire these respective powers’." And those desiring liberation
should practise samyama only on knowledge in the form of
distinction between the sattva-intellect and purusa." The same
idea is reiterated by Vijiianabhiksu again whenhe repeats that
Siddlti-s in the Bluigavata Purina 21.9
only the siddhi of insight into the distinction between satrva and
purusa will ensure liberation."
Thus, from the above, it appears that one is free to choose the
siddlu‘ and strive for it through the appropriate samyama. Calling
the siddhi-s obstacles by Pataiijali also then makes sense. For if
siddhi-s come any way, irrespective of desiring them or not.
there seems to be an inevitability to the whole process over
which one has no control. But the Yogasiitra-s lay a lot of em-
phasis on self-effort and on the choice of the object for samfidhi
(samyama). The connection between the object of samyama and
the siddhi attained seems to be inherent and if the choice of
siddhi were not there then it would have been sulficient to indicate
any one samfidhi which. when done to pefection, will not only
give rise to kaivalya in due course but will also give rise to the
various siddhi-s. on the way. It is perhaps this logic that has
made later commentators remark, as already mentioned. that
the kind of samyama determines the kind of siddhi that will come
about.
In the context of the siddhi-s the Yogasilrra-s insist on the
practice of samyama, while the Bhdgavata Parana is content to-
limit itself to dhfiranfi or dhydna. Samyama is a technical word
referring to dhfiraari, dhyfina and samfidhi practised with referen-
ce to the same object." Instead of repeating the three—a'luirana',
dhyrina and samfidhi every time, the purpose is achieved by using
the word samyama. Later commentators see samyama as a device
or formula for the sake of brevity."
The next question then is whether there is any dilferencu bet-
ween what is said by the Purina and by the Yogasfitra-s in this
regard. The Puragra uses the words dhfirand, yogadluiranfit
dhfiranavidalz, dlzdraqrdyogaparagalz. yoga and various forms of
the root 1/dltyrii in place of samadlu‘ or samyama." Even though
the word samiidhi is not specifically used, the sense conveyed by
all these words is samddhi. It is only in samfidhi that the mind
becomes one with the object of meditation» It has to be pre-
ceded by dhfiragifi and dhyana for the mind by its very nature
cannot attain sr.-miidhi, at least initially, without going through
dhiirarrii and dhyiina. Thus Pataiijali defines dhiirand as fixing the
mind on one object" and dhyfina as the continuous flow of
thoughts pertaining to the same object." A-nd when the same
dhyfina shines as the object alone (in the mind). appearing to
 220 Buddhist Philosophical Researches
have 1°“ its l'fifl¢¢tiV¢ nature, it is samddhi." Thus it can be seen
that both sanuidhi and samyoma, in the context of siddhi-s can
0111? mean the same thing. Therefore both the Bhfigavata Purina
and the Yogasiirra-s mean the same thing while using the words
dfui:-and (dhyfina) and samyama respectively.
The Bhdgavam Pu:-firm first mentions the eighteen siddhi-s
collectively as a result of yogadhfira;u'i,’° and then goes on to
describe their connection individually with the kind of concen-
tfation Practised. All the siddhi-s here are the results of samidhi
on different aspects of Bhagavfin Himself. Depending on the
specific aspect of Bhagaviin taken up for samfidhi, a particular
siddhi comes into being which is in congruence with that rami-
dhi. Thus the siddhi of omniscience comes to the yogi whose
mind is purified by bkakn‘ towards Bhagavfin and who knows
how to concentrate on God." Such a one is also unaffected by
birth and death says the Purina.
Again. in the Purina the eight common sidd/Ii-S-—dpin15.
malzinui, laghinui, prfiptili, prfikfimyam, Lfitvam, vasiiui and
kdmfivasfiyini are all obtained by dluirarui on Bhagawin in his
various representations. as having those properties. Thus in the
case of mahimfi and vasirfi the Pu:-one says-'Fixing one‘s mind,
having a similar attribute, on Me as possessing the adjunct of
the cosmic intelligent mind. one attains the power of immensity.
Concentrating on Me as possessed of the adjunct of ether and
the other elements one attains the respective immensities of those
e1ements.’== ‘Fixing the mind on Narayana, the Transcendent
One, called also Bhagavén. the yogi like Me. attains the power
of self-control!”
Thus in the Bhfigavata Purina all siddhi-s are already there in
Bhagavfin in an infinite form and are conferred on yogi-s, in
Vaiying d¢EI'6¢8- depending on their devotion.
In the Yogasfitro-s there is an intimate connection between
samyama on an object and the siddhi which comes into being as
already mentioned. Thus siddhi-s like animfi, mohimfi etc., come
to one practising samyama on the different aspects like grossness,
subtlety, essential nature and so on of the elements." The siddlzi
of knowledge of the sounds of all living beings comes to one
practising samyama separately on a word, itsintended object and
the idea conveyed." This is echoed in the Bhfigavata Puriigra
when it says that ‘by meditating on Bhagavfin with ether as an
Siddlu‘-s in the Bhfigavata Purfigia 221
adjunct and listening to the subtle sound through one’s mind he
hears the varied speeches of living beings manifested in that
etherf“ -
I
Entering another’s mind, another's body,” giving up one s +
body at will,” assuming any form that one desires," going any-
where one wants to go," are all mentioned in the Bhfigavaza and
they can all be achieved by meditation on Bhagavfin Himself.
Thus it says ‘Using the mind as material. whatever forms the
yogi wishes to assume, he assumes those desired forms, by resort-
ing to the power of concentration on Me’.°1 As a Puriina advo-
cating bhakti as a supreme means to liberation and with B!zaga-
viin being the repository of all the powers, meditating on
Bhagavfin is enough to achieve all the siddhi-s as well as molcsa
in the Purina.
But when we look at these very siddhi-s in the Yogasitra-s we
find that there is a conscious effort to match the particular siddhi
with the object of samyama. Knowledge of other peopIe’s minds
for instance comes by samyama on ideas.” The Yogasiitra seems
to say that by samyama on the phenomenon of ideas. as repre-
sented by a single idea, there can be a transcendence into the
realm of ideas per se—almost like the archetypal Idea in Plato
and then it is easy to know all ideas including ideas in other
people's minds.
As for entering another's body the Yogasitra mentions it as
due to the loosening of the karmabandha through the power of
samfidhi. ‘He then removes the citta from his own body and
places it in another’s body.’” Vyasa goes on to say that the
sense organs follow the mind which is thus placed in another
body. The simile he uses is of the bees following the king bee:
‘Similar to the bees following the king bee the sense organs
follow the mind when it enters the body of another person’. The
Bhfigavata Purina also uses the same sitnile but worded different-
ly. It says that leaving the gross body and taking on the subtle
body, ‘he should pass through the. external air like a bee (to
another body)’.‘“ L
There seems-to be a logical conne ion between samyama on
a particular object and the resulting siddiri in the Yogasiitra-s.
Thus, in connection with the siddhi of hearing divine sounds it
is said that practising samyama on the relationship between
iikfisa and the organ of hearing results in this siddhi.“ ikdiia in
 222 Buddhist Philosophical Researches
Indian philosophy has always been connected with the property
of sound (siabda). Thus samyamalon the connection between the
two is spoken of as resulting in divine hearing.
Again in the siddhi of 'movement in space’ Pataiijali mentions
that by practising samyama on the relationship between the body
and dkzisa or by samfiparri on lightness such as that of cotton
fibre, there follows movement in space." Vyasa by way of
explaining the relationship between the samyama and this siddhi
says ‘wherever there is the body there is fikeifa since it makes
room for it; therefore the body has an invariable relationship to
it (fikdsaj. The yogi who practises samyama on that relationship
conquers that relationship and becomes light?" As a result of
this siddhi he can move anywhere he wants including space. The
second alternative, i.e. samyama on objects like cotton fibre to
attain this siddhi, is not diflicult to follow. If oneness with light
objects like cotton is achieved then the body can move over
water, over spiders’ webs and through air. Again while talking
about the siddhi of being invisible to ordinary human beings
Patafijali says. ‘By practising samyama on the outer form of the
body when its power to be seen is stopped, there being no contact
with the light of the eye, there is disappearance of the yogi’s
body’.“° It is the eye which sees outside objects; therefore when
this power to be known is stopped by samyama on the outer form
of the body, there being no contact with the eye, the person
becomes invisible. In keeping with this logical connection with a
particular samyama and its own siddki the knowledge ofdeath
comes about by samyama on karma. ‘Karma is either fast in
fruition or slow in fruition; by practising samyama on them or
on portents of death, there is knowledge of death?" Believing in
the concept ofjivanmukti which is tied up with prfirabd/la karma,
yoga cannot logically advocate giving up the body at will. All the
l/°gic methods can only achieve jrvanmulcti. The Bhiigavata
Purina, on the other hand, mentions the giving up of one’s body
or death along with the other siddizi-s.‘°
The movement through space or being invisible to others is not
mentioned as siddlzi-s in the Bhdgavata section. It is also silent
about the siddhi of knowledge of earlier births. But in Patafljali
knowledge of earlier births comes through samyama on the
samskfira-s.“ Since birth. span of life and kind of experience are
Siddhi-s in the Bhdgavata Purina 223
all connected with karma and samskfira-s, the relationship bet-
ween samskdra-s and birth is logical-
Thus one can say that the close connection seen between a
samyama and its siddhi in the Yogasiitra-s is its unique feature.
It is also not arbitrary and links up with the metaphysical
-doctrines of the system. The Bkfigavata Purdqta, on the other
hand, dispenses with this logical connection and confers the
various siddhi-s as rewards for devotion to Bhagavfin.
There is also no gradation of the siddhi-s in the Bhiigavata
Purfina. In the chapter under consideration Bhagaviin states, at
the beginning, that the siddki-s are eighteen in number. eight per-
taining to Himself and the remaining due to perfection in sartva.
Inpassing, one also notices that the siddhi-s mentioned in this
section are very few compared to as many as thirty described in
the Yogasfirra-s. The siddhi-s in the Yogasfitra-s also cover a wide
range of powers right from physical prowess“ to the highest
spiritual attainment.
After mentioning the eighteen siddhi-s generally. the Bluigavara
Purina describes them one by one in the later verses. But even
here there is no distinction drawn as to which is the higher and
which is the lower siddin‘. All the siddhi-s are acquired by medi-
tating on the corresponding aspect of Blwgavfin. It is therefore
not possible to count some siddhi-s as higher than some other
ones unless one says that certain aspects of Bbagavfin are inferior
to certain other aspects of Him. As that is not possible one has
to draw the conclusion that there is no higher or lower siddhi in
the Bhfigavata Purdna. Thus the Purina makes a categorical
statement that Bhagavfin is the lord of all siddki-s. ‘He is their
cause and is their maintainer.”
In the Yagaszirra-s there is a clear cut division between the
minor and the major siddlzi-s. The most important siddhi is the
insight into the difference between the sattva-intellect and
purusa.“ While all the other siddbi-s come about by the practice
of samyama with reference to the sense-organs and objects of
knowledge, this comes about by the practice of samyama with
reference to the knower.“ It can also come into being by samya-
ma over the moments and their succession." This is a state where
one is omnipotent and omniscient. All the others are individual
powers and are inferior in comparison to this last one. This is
also the last stage of samprzyfifira samiidhi and the Visnu Purina
224 Buddhist Philosophical Researches Siddhi-s in the Bhagavata
' Puragza
' 22
33. ibid. 111.38.
describes all other knowledge (siddluis) as equal to light and this 34. Bhi. P. XI.lO.Z3.
knowledge (siddhi) born of insight as equal to the light of the 35. YS. 111.41.
sun." 36. ibid. 111.42.
In a work which deals with Yoga in detail this is as it should 37. Vyzlsabhaeya on 1H.42.
be. The Bhcigavata Punigm acknowledges these beliefs in society 38. YS. 111.21.
by finding a place for them. As a book of biuzkti, with the belief 39. ibid. 111.22.
40. BM. P. XI.l0.24.
in the supremacy of Blzagavfin, siddhi-s in the Puriiea can fit in 41. Y8. 111.18.
only as blessings to the ardent devotee. 42. ibid. 111.23-30.
43. B115. P. XI.ID.35.
References 44. YS. 111.49.
45 O T. S. Rukmani. Yognvdrttika of I/ajffidnabhfksu. Vol. l'lI p. 184
l. T. S. Rukmani. A Critical Study ufthe Bhfigavam Purdgra. pp. 32, 132. 46v YS. 111.52.
2. (a) Bhégavala Puniqra second skandhe. 47 Vlsglu Purfipa 6.5.62
(b) Bhnraum Kumarappa. The Hindu Conception ofthe Deity. pp. I17-18,
I20.
(c) '1‘. S. Rukmani, ibid pp. 25-26, 30, I33, 206.
3. Bhi. P. II.I.
4. ibid. II.I.22-23.
5. Patufijali-Yogasfirra-3 1.34-39.
6. Bhé. P. 11.2.21.
7. Bharatan Kumarappa. ibid. p. 111.
8. Bhfi. P. I[I.2T.6-ll.
9. ibid. Xl.l0.l.
10. Patafljali. YS. 111.35.
ll. T. S. Rukmani. Yagavzirnika of Vijfifinabhiksu. Vol. III p. 73.
12. ibid. p. 73.
13. ibid. pp. 184-as.
14. Patafijali. YS. III.4.
15. T. S. Rukmani. Yogavdrrtika of Vljddnabhikw. Vol. III p. 7.
16. Bhi. P. XI.l0.2-36.
I7. YS. 111.1.
18. ibid. IIL2.
19. ibid. 111.3.
20. Bhfi. P. XI.l0.3.
21. ibid. XI.l0.28.
22. ibid. Xl.10.ll.
23. ibid. X1.l0.l6.
24. Patafijali. YS. IIL44-45.
25. ibid. IIL17.
26. B115. P. XI.l0.l9.
27. ibid. X1.l0.26.
28. ibid. XI.I0.24.
29. ibid. XI.l0.22.
30. ibid. XI.l0.21.
31. ibid. XI.l0.22.
32. Patafljali YS. 111.19.