Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Yoga Vasishta - Post 40



 


VASISTHA continued:

 

After granting the desired boons to the king, Sarasvati vanished at that spot. The king and the queen fondly embraced each other. The royal attendants who were guarding the king's body woke up and rejoiced that the king had come back to life.

 

There was great rejoicing in the state. People far and wide recounted for a long time how the queen Lila returned from the other world with another Lilt as a gift to  the king. The king heard from the enlightened Lila all that took place during the previous month. 

 

He continued to rule and enjoy the blessings of the three worlds through the grace of Sarasvati, which he had no doubt earned by his own self­ effort.

 

Thus is the story of Lila, O Rama, which I have narrated in detail to you: contemplation of this story will remove from your mind the least faith in the reality of what is perceived. Truly, if only that which is true can be removed, how can one remove what is unreal? 

 

There is nothing to be removed, for all that appears to be in your eyes (the earth, etc.) is nothing but the infinite consciousness; and if something has been created even that has taken place by it, within it itself. 

 

Everything is as it is; nothing has ever been created. You may say that what appears to be is the creation of Maya, but then Maya itself is not real!

 

RAMA said:

 

Lord, what a grand vision of the ultimate truth you have given me! But, Holy one, there is an insatiable hunger in me for the nectar of your enlightening words. Pray, explain to me the mystery of time: in the story of Lila sometimes a whole life­time was spent in eight days, sometimes in one month. I am puzzled. Are there different time­scales in different universes?

 

VASISTHA replied:

 

O Rama, whatever one thinks within oneself in his own intelligence,that alone is experienced by him. Even nectar is experienced as poison by him who fancies it is poison. Friends become enemies and enemies become friends, depending upon one's inner attitude. 

 

The object is experienced by one strictly in accordance with one's  nner feeling. To a suffering person a night is an epoch; and a night of revelry passes like a moment. In dream a moment is non­different from an epoch. A life­time of Manu is but an hour and a half to Brahma; Brahma's lfe­time is a day of Visnu. Visnu's life­span is Siva's day. 

 

But to the sage whose consciousness has overcome limitations, there is neither day nor night.

 

Continued...

 

 Love.




 


No comments:

Post a Comment