Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/250

 234 The Kapila and the Piitaiijala Siil?zkhya [CH. far as can be judged from the copious extracts supplied by Alberuni) shows that these ideas had undergone some change from what we find in the Yoga sidra. Following the idea of God in Alberuni we find that he retains his character as a timeless emancipated being, but he speaks, hands over the Vedas and shows the way to Yoga and inspires men in such a way that they could obtain by cogitation what he bestowed on them. The name of God proves his existence, for there cannot exist anything of which the name existed, but not the thing. The soul perceives him and thought comprehends his qualities. Meditation is iden- tical with worshipping him exclusively, and by practising it uninterruptedly the individual comes into supreme absorption with him and beatitude is obtained 1. The idea of soul is the same as we find in the Yoga siUra. The idea of metempsychosis is also the same. He speaks of the eight siddhis (miraculous powers) at the first stage of meditation on the unity of God. Then follow the other four stages of medi- tation corresponding to the four stages we have as in the Yoga szUra. He gives four kinds of ways for the achievement of salvation, of which the first is the abhyasa (habit) of Patanjali, and the object of this abhyasa is unity with God 2. The second stands for vairagya: the third is the worshi p of God with a view to seek his favour in the attainment of salvation (cf. Yoga szttra, I. 23 and I. 29). The fourth is a new introduction, namely that of rasa- yana or alchemy. As regards liberation the view is almost the same as in the Yoga siUra, II. 25 and IV. 34, but the liberated state is spoken of in one place as absorption in God or being one with him. The Brahman is conceived as an jirddkvamula aviikiiikka asvattka (a tree with roots upwards and branches below), after the Upaniad fashion, the upper root is pure Brahman, the trunk is Veda, the branches are the different doctrines and schools, its leaves are the different modes of inter- pretation. I ts nourishment comes from the three forces; the 1 cr. Yoga Slttra I. 23- 2 9 and II. I, 45, The }'(Iga sutras speak of Isvara (God) as an eternally emancipated purua, omniscient, and the teacher of all past teachers. By meditating on him many of the obstacles such as illness, etc., which stand in the way of V oga practice are removed. I Ie is regarded as one of the alternative objects of concentration. The commentator Vyasa notes that he is the best object, for being urawn towards the Yogin hy his concentration He so wills that he can easily attain concentration and through it salvation. No argumt:nt is given in the Yoga sittras of the existence of God. 2 cr. Yoga II. [.