Yoga Vasishta - Post 4

Valmiki is well acquainted with every truth. Tell him my errand, which is to instruct the dispassionate king, saying, ‘O great sage! Plead with this king who is humble and dispassionate and dislikes the enjoyments of heaven so that this king, who is aggrieved at the miseries of the world, may gradually come to attain his liberation.’ “

 

I went and explained my mission to the royal hermit, then took him to sage Valmiki. I delivered great Indra’s charge so that the king may practice for his final liberation. Sage Valmiki welcomed the king with gentle inquiries regarding his welfare. 

 

The king replied, “O great sage, you are informed in all the truths of religion. You are the greatest of those who know the knowable. The very sight of you has given me all that I desired, and therein is all my welfare. Great sage, I wish to learn from you how I may escape the miseries that arise from one’s connection with this world. I hope you will reveal this to me without reserve.”

Valmiki said, “Hear me O king! I will relate the entire Ramayana to you. By hearing and understanding you will be saved even while in this life. O great and intelligent king, listen as I repeat the sacred conversation that took place between Rama and Vasishta relating the way of liberation, which, I know from my own knowledge.”

 

We read through the following extracts on Dispassion

1. Rama's dispassion is conveyed in the following text (post 2)

Vasistha remarks that the Vairagya (indifference) of the Prince is not akin to that produced by such momentary accidents as the loss of some dearly beloved relative or wealth but is one which is the premonitory symptom of a spiritual development in him after which development all his duties will be regularly per formed by him. 

 

2. In the story of King Arishtameni (Post 3),  when Indra sends his car with apsaras etc to the King and conveys him through his messenger to come to Indra Loka, the King asks the messenger as to what is special in Indra Loka and after hearing all about Indra Loka, the King replies,

 

"O divine messenger, I do not like heaven that has such conditions. Henceforth I will practice the most austere form of asceticism and abandon this my unhallowed human frame in the same way as a snake abandons his time-worn skin. Be pleased, O messenger of the gods, to return with your heavenly car to the presence of the great Indra from where you came. Travel in good fortune.”

 

Further, Valimki writes in detail on Rama's addressing the august gathering of Dasaratha and Viswamitra where Rama talks in great detail on "Dispassion"

Glimpses of His talk is given below

"Valmiki is narrating / writing about the conversation that takes place in Dasaratha’s court and relevant extract related to “dispassion” is being given in today’s post without getting into detail the situation in which these conversations took place.

Sri Rama speaks

“Wealth taints the heart of even a wise scholar. To the lotus of right action, wealth is the night. To the white lotus of sorrow, it is the moonlight, to the lamp of clear insight, it is the wind, to the wave of enmity, it is the flood, to the cloud of confusion, it is the favorable wind, to the poison of despondency, it is the aggressive agent.

 

It is like the serpent of evil thoughts, and it adds fear to one’s distress, it is the destructive snow fall to the creeper of dispassion. It is the nightfall to the owl of desires, it is the eclipse of the moon of wisdom, in its presence, a person’s good nature shrivels. Indeed, wealth seeks him who has already been chosen by death.

Rama continues..

“I can only compare a tree to the body, with branches for arms, trunk for the torso, holes for the eyes, fruits for the head, leaves for numerous illnesses - it is a resting place for living beings. 

Who can say that it is one’s own?. Hope or despair in relation to it is futile. It is but a boat for one for crossing the ocean of birth and death, but one should not regard it as one’s SELF.

 

Love.

 

 

 

Yoga Vasishta - Post 3

Agastya continues with the story of Brahmin named Karunya.

 

Karunya was the son of Agnivesya and accomplished in the Vedas and all their branches. After finishing his studies with his teacher, he returned to his own home. He remained a skeptic at home, reluctant and impassive to do anything. When his father Agnivesya saw his son so slack in his duties, he upbraided him for his good. 

 

Agnivesya said, “My son, why do you not discharge your duties? Why are you not observing the daily rituals and the injunctions of the holy scriptures? 

 

Tell me how can you succeed in anything if you remain inactive? How can you attain salvation? Tell me why you are not doing anything.”

 

Karunya replied, “The offering of daily oblations, and performance of morning and evening devotions during life, are inculcated in the Veda and law as the active duties. But it is neither by acts or riches, nor by means of children that one obtains his liberation. It is solely by self-denial that the great souls taste the ambrosia (of emancipation). 

 

Tell me my father! Which of these rules am I to observe? Doubtful of this I have become indifferent to acts.” After so saying, Karunya held his silence. His father seeing him quiet, continued speaking.

 

Agnivesya said, “Hear me, My Son…” “My Son, Let Me Tell You A Story… When you have fully considered its meaning, you may do as you like…”

 

Agnivesya Started Speaking…:—

 

There was a lady named Suruchi, the best of the apsara nymphs, who was seated on the mountain peak of Himalaya, surrounded by peacocks. Here kinnaras inflamed by love sported with their mates, and the fall of heavenly streams (Ganga and Yamuna) served to cleanse the gravest sins of men. She saw a messenger of Indra making his way through the sky. Then Suruchi, this most fortunate and best of apsaras, addressed the messenger.

 

Suruchi said, “O you messenger of gods, tell me kindly from where you come and what place are you going at present?”

 

The divine messenger replied, “Well have you asked, O pretty browed maid, and I will tell you all as it is. The royal sage, King Arishtanemi, has given his realm to his son, and with religious indifference to the world, has set out to the forest to practice asceticism. He is performing his austerities on the Gandha-madana Mountains. I am now coming from there after discharge of my errand, and returning to Indra’s palace to report the matter.”

 

Suruchi said, “Tell me, my lord, what has taken place there? I am humbly very curious. You should not cause me the pain of anxiety.”

 

The messenger replied:— Hear me, gentle maiden… I will describe everything as it has occurred.

 

On hearing that the king was practicing the utmost rigors of asceticism in that forest, Indra, the lord of gods, asked me to take this heavenly car and proceed at once to the spot. “Take this car,” said Indra, “bearing the apsaras equipped with all their musical instruments, and furnished with a band of gandharvas, siddha spiritual masters, yakshas and kinnaras. Convey them,” said Indra, “with all their string instruments, flutes and drums to the woodland mount of Gandha-madana. There, having placed King Arishtanemi in the car, bring him to the enjoyment of heavenly delight in this city of Amaravati, the seat of immortals.”

 

The messenger added:—

 

Receiving this instruction from Indra and taking the car with all its equipment, I proceeded to that mountain. Having arrived at the mountain and advanced to the king’s hermitage, I delivered the orders of the great Indra to him. Hearing my words, O happy lady, King Arishtanemi reluctantly spoke to me saying, “I wish to ask you something, O messenger, which I hope you will answer. Tell me what good and what evil are in heaven, so that I may decide whether I want to settle there.”

 

I answered, saying, “In heaven there is ample reward for merit, conferring perfect bliss (to all); but it is the degree of merit that leads one to higher heavens.  By moderate virtue, one is certainly entitled to a middle station. Virtue of an inferior order leads a person to a lower position. But one’s virtue is destroyed by impatience at the excellence of his betters, by haughtiness to his equals, and by joy at the inferiority of others. When one’s virtue is thus destroyed, he must enter the abode of mortals. These and the like are the effects of good and evil in heaven.”

 

Hearing this, O good maiden, King Arishtanemi answered, “O divine messenger, I do not like heaven that has such conditions. Henceforth I will practice the most austere form of asceticism and abandon this my unhallowed human frame in the same way as a snake abandons his time-worn skin. Be pleased, O messenger of the gods, to return with your heavenly car to the presence of the great Indra from where you came. Travel in good fortune.”

 

continued...

 

 

Love.

 

Yoga Vasishta - Post 2

Chapter 1

 

VAIRAGYA KHANDA

(ON DETACHMENT/ DISPASSION)

 

Most of our readers will have been fully acquainted with the contents of our great Epic poem, the Ramayana.

 

We find therein that Rishi Viswamitra turns upon the stage in the early years of Sri Rama. The Rishi appears before his father, Dasaratha and demands of him his son Rama to war with the Rakshasas interfering with his sacrifice. Just before this time, Rama goes on a pilgrimage to the many sacred places; and having visited the Asramas (hermitages) of the wise, returns to his native place. On his return, he grows quite disgusted with his material life, spurns his wealth and other regal possessions and grows despondent without performing any of his daily duties. 

 

His attendants go and complain to the King his father of the grievous plight of their master. Thereupon the father sends for his son, seats him on his lap and enquires of him his state. But the son evades the question by simply laughing over the affair and gets away. 

 

At this juncture, Muni Viswamitra turns up and the King delighted with the usual arrival of such a distinguished and reverend guest consents to execute any orders of the noble Muni. The Muni demands Rama for his aid at which Dasaratha is panic-struck. Yet rallying himself, he volunteers his own services in lieu of his eldest and dearly beloved boy begotten through dire Tapas.

 

Immediately the Muni begins to curse Dasaratha for his vacillation in the fulfilment of his promises, when Vasistha interposes and pacifies the sage by making the King fulfil his promise. Then Rama is sent for and his servants meanwhile relate to the Rishis the pitiable present plight of their master disdaining to perform such actions as tasting food, drinking water, etc. 

 

At which Vasistha remarks that the Vairagya (indifference) of the Prince is not akin to that produced by such momentary accidents as the loss of some dearly beloved relative or wealth but is one which is the premonitory symptom of a spiritual development in him after which development all his duties will be regularly per formed by him. 

 

On Rama’s arrival at the regal assembly, he is asked by one of the Rishis as to the cause of his present sorrow. At which Rama makes a long tirade against wealth, life, Ahankara, Manas (mind), desires, body and other material things and at last winds up by saying that he will rather expose himself to the torments of hell-fire than undergo the excruciating mental tortures, consuming him little by little through the above mentioned causes.

 

Story on dispassion 

 

One Sutikshna, a Brahmin whose mind was full of questions, went to the hermitage of Agastya and respectfully asked the sage, “O great sage! You are informed in all the ways and truths of virtue, and know all the scriptures with certainty. I am in a great doubt, and I pray you will kindly remove it.  Tell me, in your opinion, whether liberation results from a man’s acts or his knowledge or both?”

 

Agastya replied:— As the birds fly in the air with both wings, so the highest state of emancipation is attained through both knowledge and acts.  Neither our acts nor knowledge alone produces liberation, but both together are the means.  I will recite to you an example from old traditions, a story of a brahmin named Karunya, who was learned in the Vedas in the days of old.

 

Continued…. 

 

 

Love.