0
TALKS
ON
YŌGAVĀSIṢṬHA
By
Prof. A Satyanarayana Shastry
Edited by
G S Radhakrishnan
TALKS ON YŌGAVĀSIṢṬHA
ब्रह्मानन्दं परमसुखदं केवलं ज्ञानमूर्तिं
द्वन्द्वातीतं गगनसदृशं तत्वमस्यादिलक्षणम् ।
एकं नित्यं विमलमचलं सर्वधीसाक्षिभूतम्
भावातीतं त्रिगुणरहितं सद्गुरुं तं नमामि ॥
I salute to that Sadguru who is the source of eternal bliss, supreme happiness, who has true wisdom, who is beyond the dualities, who is infinite,whose attention is always on the divine, who is unique, eternal, pure, steady, and who sees with the eyes of wisdom who is beyond thoughts and beyond three gunas
.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The long cherished desire in me to take up for editing, the lectures of Prof Shastrji on Yogavasishta, finally made its way to the print as a practical tool for a seeker of truth.
Although this was an arduous talk as the material we had in hand were disjointed and in two different languages, this was made possible mainly due to unstinted support and co operation of my brother Rangarajan and Sri Nagabhushan. They have always stood by me and I am indebted to them.
Smt Shastrji was good enough to provide me with tapes of the talks of Shastiji at Detroit, and I profusely thank her for her excellent gesture.
Shri Vinayak Joshi as usual has been providing me the tapes of talks of Shsrtiji in Bangalore. I am greatful to him for his support.
I am thankful to Sri M Sugumaran, an ardent follower of Sri Shastriji, in transcribing the talks delivered at USA.
I am thankful to Sri Anup Vinay for the excellent cover design.
Shri Venkatesh Babu of Omkar Offset Printers, New Tharagupet Bengaluru 560002 took up the printing eagerly and I am thankful for the neat work done by him.
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Yogavasishtha was very close to Shri Shastriji’s heart. He found immense benefit by delving deep into this text and quoted profusely from the book and had made it almost as his companion. He was often identified in his college where he taught, as a “man with the green book” (since he had wrapped the book with a green cover). He used to carry it wherever he went and used to read the same whenever he got time and ruminate on the lines and even get into Samadhi states.
There was a strong reason for this. When he was in a very highly agitated state of mind and was unable to get answers from the various doctors he met and also his effort to find a solution from the spiritual texts, one of his uncle suggested him to peruse Yoga Vasishta to get suitable answer for all his confusions. He was reluctant to study one more book as he had already run over many books on Upanishads and Vedanta. Out of sheer curiosity, one day, he took the book to read and happened to open a page in the middle of the book. One sloka which immediately caught his attention on that page, changed his life. This was the famous sloka he always used to quote and confirm to his listeners that, that was all the Vedanta to be assimilated.
द्वित्वैकत्वदृशौ चित्तं तदेवाज्ञानमुच्यते
एतयोर्यो लयो दृष्टयोस्तज्ज्ञानं सा परा गतिः.
dvitvaikatvadr̥śau cittaṁ tadēva ajñānamucyatē
ētayōryō layō dr̥ṣṭayōstajjñānaṁ sā parā gatiḥ.
(YV-6-9-418)
That itself is bondage if either the mind cognises several objects at a time or concentrates on one object only. If both these modes of the mind dissolve then that is the highest exalted state.
If cāncalya (disturbance of mind) is a bandhana (bondage) then ēkāgratā (concentration or focusing) also is a bandhana. When these are put an end to, then that is liberation.
This was the master stroke on which he discovered that speed and focusing are the two main tormenting aspects on the life of any person and the only way to get out of suffering is to practice naidhaanya and an attitude of anaasakti or let go. All his efforts of research for long periods to get a simple answer culminated in framing a theory of the energy shift mechanism to release the pressure of the so called boredom which he called as anaadyavidya. Also, by leaving the dependency on the agency that gave happiness or sorrow one can attain a steady state of mind which helps a saadhaka to pursue his goal to reach the Ultimate reality. He simplified the entire Vedanta in these simple saadhana tricks.
He never believed in taking lessons chapter wise in Yoga vasishta as he always said that it was a manana grantha( a treatise for rumination and deep introspection) and the saadhaka has to study carefully every sloka and ponder over it to get its deeper meaning and put the ideas into practice.
However due to insistence from a few close associates, he spoke on a few important chapters like, Lavanopaakhyaana, Bhshundopaakhyaana, Prahladopaakhayaana, Saptapadaam, and Saptabhumikaam which are mainly useful for saadhana. These have been incorporated in the book and classified into different chapters. An effort has been made as in his previous books to retain the originality of his talks with least editing. He was at his best when he spoke on Choodalopaakhyaanaa of Nirvana Prakarana which was very close to his heart and he excelled in his talks on the subject matter. Unfortunately there are no recordings of his talks on this subject since no recordings have been done at that time and no one has even taken the notes also. His mention about this aspect wherever he has touched upon has been included.
I am confident that the saadhaka will benefit from these lectures and put the ideas to use in his spiritual sadhana.
G S RADHAKRISHNAN.
A CURSORY GLANCE OF YŌGAVĀSIṢṬHA
The treatise Yogavasishtha (Maharamayana) supposed to have been authored by Sage Valmiki is one of the comprehensive Vedanta text ideally suited for a seeker who is already on the path of spiritual pursuit. It is an anthology of 32000 slokas or 64000 lines of poetic grandeur unparallel in the literary world. The whole narration is in the form of a dialogue between sage Vasishta and Lord Sri Rama of the Ramayana fame. Although the whole text is narrated in the puranic style, the content is highly philosophical in nature directing one to the search of the ultimate truth and reality in this world.
The whole philosophy is explained by way of stories, stories within stories, to impress on the reader to validate the deeper significance of how a seeker (mumukshu) has to approach the problem confronting him.
Being too big a narrative, it is sometimes boring with jarring repetitions, it was thought fit by a Kashmir pundit Abhinanadana to bring out an abridged version called Laghu Yoga Vasishta containing about six thousand verses. The verses are however produced verbatim, deleting the lengthy digression which may not be relevant to the aspects of practice (sadhana). It has been translated into many languages. The wholly Sanskrit abridged work has been brought out by Motilal Banarsi das and co, edited by Vasudeva Sharma Panasikara.
The main theme of the book centers’ around the root cause of the removal of melancholy of Sri Rama when he returned from a pilgrimage disgusted and depressed showing no interest in any activity, his pains in his royal sojourn, and to bring him out of the strange depression which had overtaken him. On the advice of Sage Viswamitra, King Dasharatha arranged a dialogue between his son and sage Vasishta in the hall with numerous saints and intellectuals, being in attendance. Sage vasishta addresses all the doubts of Sri Rama, who raises some of the most fundamental questions regarding life and death and human existence itself. It has been rendered in plain simple poetic language for all to understand and to get immersed into the depths of the discussions.
The opening page of the book itself clarifies as to who is eligible to study the contents. It clearly states that the work is intended for the chosen few who have already had the needed spiritual development in the search for truth, capable of absorbing the salient facts explained in the narrative. It is written to benefit those who have become indifferent to this worldly life, and who are eager to pursue realization here and now.
It is not intended for those who are worldly minded, who are deep rooted in the world of pleasure and sorrow that originates thereof, and indifferent to spiritual truths. It is equally surprising to note that the author states that the book is also not for those who are well advanced toward discovering the Ultimate Reality.
The book is divided into six broad sections called prakaranas which are:-
-
Vairagya prakarana - Detachment or dispassion.
-
Mumukshu prakarana - Aspiration for liberation
-
Utpatti prakarana - Creation, origin or genisis
-
Stithi prakarana - Existance
-
Upashama prakarana – Quiescience or quietitude or a state of inactive restfulness.
6 Nirvana prakarana - Liberation
Each section establishes the truth through various stories and narrations of the deep truth of Vedanta, presented in such way for the easy grasp of the aspirant (mumukshu).
It is noteworthy here that this Bruhatgrantha has been translated into English by Shri Vihari Lal Mitra (1981) and edited by Thomas L Palotos (2013). I have taken some salient pointers from this book. Interested seeker is advised to refer to the original texts for better understanding.
Vairagya Prakarana – On detachment
This book opens with a description of the mental state of Sri Rama on his return from the pilgrimage. King Dasharatha wants to ascertain, in the presence of Sages Vasishtha and Vishwamitra, the reason for his son’s melancholy and indifference to worldly affairs. Sri Rama raises some fundamental questions which have been haunting him resulting in his not getting the peace so badly needed. His words and attitude reveal the awakening of a burning detachment (vairaagya). He asks his Gurus to sort out his serious doubts about – “Who am I?. What is this play of the world: What is life and death? What is the genesis of the world? Etc.” Sage Vasishtha begins his teaching.
Mumukshu Prakarana – An aspirant longing for liberation.
This section deals with the preparation required of a person both morally and mentally, the needed qualities which are essential to qualify him on the spiritual path to seek the Ultimate Reality.
Vasishtha outlines the four major sentinels that guard the gates to Moksha or liberation. They are: Peace of mind (Shaanti). Contentment (Trupti or Santosha). Keeping the company of realized sages (Satsanga). Inquiry into the nature of the Soul (Vichaara). These are important to overcome the main obstacle, that is, the belief that one is designed by fate and is severely condemned for life.
In order to attain the spiritual development and progress one need not shun action, but should learn to be indifferent to its fruits, without being affected by the pleasures or pains that are inevitable consequences of the actions one takes in one’s life. Such persons have to be always in the company of realized persons, particularly those who are endowed with Self Knowledge (Atma Vidya).
Utpatti Prakarana - On Creation or Genesis.
This section deals with the origin and the nature of the universe. As per Vasishta, all the talk about creation, the universe with its innumerable objects, its concept of time and space and the varied laws for the same are only the creation of one’s own MIND. just as the mind creates the world in the dream phase, it also creates an imaginary world in the waking state, the only difference being that the world in the dream phase is very short and relatively long in the wakeful state. Time and Space are only ideas of the mind. Using for example, one’s mind, it is possible to condense many thousands of years of the world into a moment (Kshana) or a moment of time in the waking state may be expressed as years in the dream state. The same is true of the concept of Space. Number of interesting stories illustrate these points, such as astral travel, yogi pratyaksha, travelling backward and forward in time, etc.
Stithi Prakarana - On Existance
This section discusses the place of an individual in the scheme of creation. Vasishta points out that this individual is none other than the ego sense or ‘I’ or ahankaara. This ‘I’ is the chief impediment to abiding with one’s True Self or Atmastithi. It is because of this, a human being fails to repeatedly recognize the true aspect of himself and suffers misery. Only when this identification with the ego is destroyed or dissolved through vichaara, the seeker attains the realization of the Atman or the supreme soul.
According to Vasishtha the body and the senses are inert. It is the chidabhaasa or the reflected light of the Atman that drives the senses to perform their respective functions. The objects perceived by the senses are not different from the Atman. Both the perceiver and the perceived object originate from the same Atman and therefore are the same. When a person gets a firm foothold on this truth, he or she realizes that nothing exists apart from his or her own self.
Thus the Atman becomes both the enjoyer and originator of this universe as well. When one is firmly established in this knowledge, he becomes free from the duality of sorrow or happiness. Chastity (brahmacharya), constant practice (abhyasa) and detachment (vairaagya) are the means of getting this knowledge which further leads one to remain in the abidance of the Atma sthithi.
Upashama Prakarana - On dissolution or becoming quiet.
This section gives instructions on the ways and means of attaining the goals for the firm abidance in the Atman. The false identification of the Atman with the body (dehaabhimaana) is the main obstacle in the realization of the self. This is the result of the ahankaara or ego sense. Thus, this section gives practical guidance to the elimination of one’s identification of the ego and outlines a number of methods of yogic processes for the purpose. Enquiry into the true nature of the self is one such method. By this, one sees all creatures equally as different modifications of the same Brahman. He considers himself as pure consciousness (Chit) in all conditions of life and at all times and performs the duties allotted to him without any attachment or hatred. As a result of this, attachment drops by itself (asanga). All types of fear disappear and the person becomes qualified for attaining the samaadhi state.
Nirvana Prakarana - On liberation
This section explains that the Atman is the true form (swaroopa) of the individual being. A saadhaka has to give up all ideas of diversity and stop the movement of the mind. Once the mind becomes quiet, he remains absorbed in the Atman as a pure consciousness (chit). By this, as time elapses he or she perceives the identity of his or her own Atman with Brahman. Now the manifest universe looks like Brahman and no different from it like the subtle tree which is embedded in the seed, like the whole universe in the form of created and uncreated beings is seen as a subtle seed in such persons own heart. This section also includes the highly instructive teachings that Lord Brahma gave to sage Vasishta.
The book closes by the affirmation of Sri Rama declaring that all his doubts are cleared and he is convinced that there is nothing higher than the knowledge of the Self and the Spiritual Preceptor knowing that Self.
The Rishi Valmiki thus offers his salutations to That nature of Brahman or the supreme spirit which has been clearly emphasized in the Veda’s and Upanishads as, ‘all this universe is verily Brahman and from That all things originate, into That all things dissolve and by That they are sustained.
EDITOR
ABBREVATIONS USED IN THE BOOK
Abbrviation Expansion B G Bhagavad-Gita Y V Yogavasistha Bru.Upa Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad Man.Upa Mandukya Upanishad Gau.Ka Gaudapada Karika Cha.Upa Chandogya Upanishad Ka.Upa Kathopanishad Tai.Upa Taittiriya upanishad S B Shankara Bhashya