H바시쉬타상히따H(Vasiṣṭhasaṃhitā) 37) 「요가편」(Yogakaṇḍa) 연구- 제V장의 번역과 역주를 중심으로 -

초록

The Yogakaṇḍa of Vasiṣṭhasaṃhitā is a medieval Haṭhayoga text in the form of teachings delivered by the sage Vasiṣṭha to his son Śakti. The work consists of six chapters, and from Chapter I through Chapter VI it provides explanations of the eight limbs of yoga—Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Pratyāhara, Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna and Samādhi—together with detailed descriptions of bodily constituents such as Nādī, Kanda, Cakra, Kuṇḍalinī, and Vāyu. The Chapter V, consisting of 55 verses in total, first explains “the limitation of the Ātman,” “the doctrine of categories,” and “liberation from saṃsāra,” and then goes on to describe the signs of death and auspicious or inauspicious actions. Among these, the discussions on “the limitation of the Ātman,” “the doctrine of categories,” and “liberation from saṃsāra” reflect the standpoint of Vedānta philosophy, while the subsequent section dealing with the signs of death and auspicious or inauspicious actions relates to “the prediction of death.” It can be inferred that Chapter V of the Vasiṣṭhasaṃhitā addresses “the prediction of death” as a preliminary exposition for Chapter VI, which explains “the methods of conquering death.” The theme and main content of Chapter V can be outlined as follows. Śakti’s first question is: “If the Ātman is without attributes, pure, eternal bliss, and neither ages nor dies, then who undergoes saṃsāra?” Vasiṣṭha’s reply is that “the Ātman is only one, yet—like the moon reflected in water—it abides within all beings and is eternally liberated; it is rather the individual self (jīva), deluded and limited by the body and the like, that transmigrates and receives the consequences of good and evil deeds.” Śakti’s second question (verse 2) concerns “where the limited self resides when the physical body is destroyed.” Vasiṣṭha’s reply is that “when the body is destroyed (kṣetra-nāśe), it resides in the subtle causal body (sūkṣma liṅgaśarīra), and this very causal body (liṅga-deha), depending on one's merits (puṇya) and demerits (pāpa), assumes another (anya) body (deha). After the exhaustion of karma, liberation is attained.” Śakti’s third request (verse 3) asks to be told the “time of death.” In response, Vasiṣṭha explains that “the time when the body is destroyed” (the time of death) can be known through “signs related to death,” and further advises that one should understand the internal (abhyantara) and external (bāhya) signs (cihna) associated with death, act appropriately based on them, and handle everything according to one's own capacity. Vasiṣṭha continues by emphasizing the importance of “maintaining the physical body,” and specifies that what a Brahmin responsible for sustaining the body should do is to “know the time of death through external and internal signs.” He then refers to “internal signs governed by the flow of the vāyu” and adds that the time of death can also be determined by counting the breaths. In verses 4 to 27, he goes on to explain the units for this calculation. Finally, Vasiṣṭha states that “the auspicious and inauspicious results (śubha–aśubha) experienced in the human body in the past, present, and future should be understood based on the movements of the planets (graha) within the rāśis (the twelve zodiac signs),” and he goes on to explain the auspiciousness and inauspiciousness according to the flow of the twelve zodiac signs and the planets. Finally, Vasiṣṭha states that “the auspicious and inauspicious results (śubha–aśubha) experienced in the human body in the past, present, and future should be understood based on the movements of the planets (graha) within the rāśis (the twelve zodiac signs),” and he explains how auspiciousness and inauspiciousness arise according to the flow of the twelve zodiac signs and the planets, which can be summarized as follows. In conclusion, the Vth chapter of the Vasiṣṭhasaṃhitā examined in the foregoing may be understood as preparatory to the discussion undertaken in the VIth chapter, namely the “five techniques for the conquest of death.” A comprehensive investigation of the methods of conquering death delineated therein must, however, be deferred to future research.

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