अध्यात्म-साधक योगीन्दु और कबीर
By डॉ. पुष्पलता जेन
Summary
The text discusses the medieval spiritual ascetic Yogindu and his focus on the soul as the central point of all his compositions. It places him in a historical context where philosophical discourse was expanding, noting that earlier figures like Kundakunda were pioneers of a spiritual movement that later figures like Pujyapada, Samantabhadra, and Siddhasena redirected toward philosophy. Yogindu is credited with revitalizing the spiritual movement during this philosophical era, infusing it with devotional practice. His two main works are Paramātmaprakāśa and Yogāsāra, both heavily influenced by Kundakunda. The text describes two parallel traditions emerging in the medieval period: a philosophical one and a spiritual one, with Yogindu leading the latter, which passed through Nath and Siddha traditions to later soul-seekers like Kabir. Yogindu's practice is characterized as self-address, using this method to explain the pure nature of the soul to his disciple Prabhakara Bhatta. The central question in Paramātmaprakāśa concerns the nature of the supreme soul that can liberate one from the cycle of rebirth. Both of Yogindu's works are based on the pure or absolute viewpoint, though they also employ the practical viewpoint for clarity. This approach is termed spiritualism or mysticism, which Yogindu calls 'Parabrahmanism', using the Vedic term 'Parabrahman' to describe the supreme soul, indicating a syncretic perspective. The text explores the concept of mystery or mysticism as a mental state where the seeker becomes detached from all other objects, and notes its use in Jain literature. It emphasizes that the goal of spiritual practice is the realization of the soul's true nature, which requires eliminating afflictions like attachment and aversion. Both Yogindu and Kabir view the body as transient and the world as momentary, with Kabir describing it as a market where the soul trades karma. They both consider merit and sin as forms of bondage, and identify delusion and illusion as primary causes of entanglement. The mind is seen as
Conclusion
Yogīndu’s spiritual revival of the ātma-sādhana tradition, rooted in Kundakunda’s teachings, established a parallel ādhyātmika stream that profoundly influenced later saints like Kabīr. Both masters prioritized inner purification over external rituals, identifying rāga-dveṣa and māyā as the primary obstacles to self-realization. Their shared emphasis on manonigraha (mind-control) and the rejection of superficial religiosity—such as tonsure, pilgrimage, or book-learning—underscored a radical, experiential path to brahma-sākṣātkāra. This convergence demonstrates that Yogīndu’s paramātmaprakāśa and yogasāra provided the conceptual and sādhana framework that Kabīr later vernacularized. The outcome is a unified, non-sectarian spiritual lineage where the goal remains śuddhātma-svarūpa realization, transcending