The Yogapradīpa in Two Voices: Textual Variations, Editorial Choices, and Authenticity in Jain Yoga

The Yogapradīpa, a medieval Jain yoga text, survives in two distinct recensions: a shorter version (90 verses) and a longer version (142 or 143 verses). While the longer recension is attested in many manuscripts, two early 16th-century manuscripts containing bālāvabodha (vernacular) commentaries preserve only the short recension, suggesting that it had a distinct role in monastic education. This paper examines three key printed editions: the 1911 Hindi edition, which references 143 verses but omits verses 67–99; a multi-text edition that ends at verse 90, confirming the short recension’s circulation in print; and the 1960 Gujarati edition, which selects the longer recension (143 verses) based on seven manuscripts. These versions raise important questions about textual transmission, manuscript versus print culture, and shifting notions of authenticity in Jain yoga. By analyzing which verses were omitted or added, this study explores how different manuscript and printed traditions shaped competing definitions of “real” Jain yoga.