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PREFACE : XXI
Justification Of name -
This work has been named as “Mahāpratyākhyāna'. Amongst the Prakīrnaka texts the two - Mahāpratyākhyāna and Āturapratyākhyāna are devoted to the subject of Samādhimarana or voluntary death in a state of mental equanimity. Literally, Mahāpratyākhyāna' means the greatest vow'. The word 'pratyākhyāna' means 'giving up'. As the greatest attachment of a person is for his body, therefore, if there is a greatest renunciation, it is the renunciation of his own body with a view to voluntarily embrace death and the vow of renouncing the body in this manner is the greatest vow. The process of renouncing the body by taking the vow of voluntarily giving up life sustaining food till death and then, too, remain in a state of mental equanimity and spiritual balance is known as Samādhimarana. This work has also been given the name 'Mahāpratyākhyāna'as it deals with the subject of Samādhimarana in all its implications and ramifications. The way in which Samādhimarana has been mentioned in the Nandi-cūrni and the Pāksika-cūrni, while introducing Mahāpratyākhyāna, it is evident that it concerns Samādhimarana.
Besides Mahāpratyākhyāna, there are a number of other works on the subject of Samādhimarana such as - Āturapratyākhyāna, Maranavibhakti, Maranasamadhi, Maranaviśuddhi, Samilekhanāśruta, Bhaktaparijñā and Arādhanā, etc. All these works, relating to the subject of Samādhimarana, have been compiled into one volume, which has been given the name, Maranavibhakti'. The available version of Maranavibhakti includes these eight independent works – 1. Maranavibhakti, 2. Maranasamādhi, 3. Samlekhanāśruta, 4. Bhaktaparijñā, 5. Aturapratyākhyāna, 6. Mahāpratyākhyāna, 7. Ārādhanā and
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