N irvana Prn.

l:ara11a 127

the Chit by its idea of tne vedya, follows the ego. By this
ego gradually tbe creation of the time, place etc arise~ A ll these
, false creations are the followers o f t he ego. This creation o f the ego
with the· creations of time. place ete acquiring movement, like the
particle of wind, gaining the movement of prana becomes the power
of the jiva. It gets the name of jivas1kti· It calls itself• I' in the
form of buddbi and staoJs in ignorance. In this jivasakti. the power
of word, the power of koo ·.vledgc, the very power of action, enla·
rgiog their forms, est~\blish thcmsd ves. Tbe combination of these
powers at once acquire the name of mind, the seed for tbe Lree of
samkalpa favourable for remembrance and fu[l with the five elements.
This mind is called by the scholars as •aati vaahika' This mind with
the inner power of tbe Brahman is call~d 'jnaata' the knower;
this is possible witb the self-luminosity of th~ Atman. Ac tbis
stage in ihe Chaitanya there will be some power:> ; they appear to
be external as wetl and luminous also. Thus the long creation app ..
ars strong externally also, The powers are these: tbe pow~rs of the
wind the movement, the touch the ~kin, lustre, form watel",
sweetness liquid smell, earth, gold, the world, the country.
time. The mind forming these formless powers in it as not diff-
erent from it shines just as the seed of the tree shines poss.!ssing
the sprouts. leaves etc not diffferent from itself in itself. The
combioatioo of all these powers is called ' Puryashtaka
The in divisible pure Consciousness, the Brah man getting
all the divisions is thus apparenf lo the opinion of the ignor-
ant all tberse are true; in the opinion of tbe wise ali these ar~
fdlse. These forms are neither the forms of knowledge, the forms ..
of the knowable nor the ohetanas with the ch1d<:Jabhaasa. In tbe
middle of the vast ocean of water, tbe different peculiarities of ;:-.-atef
exist; thui, the puryasbtaka in the Brahman appears io its real form
If the world is seen from the point of view of Pure Consciousness,
it is the real form of the Atman; if it is viewed otherwise it appears
 128 Yoga Vasishtha

ff t he reality is known, it appears to be false like t he

c. s ioao im 1te.
i tnagioary to Na, false. tr the world is realised as the Atman, it
becomes very J USpicious; otherwise, it is nothing; how can the unrea-
lised Le an object.? Even if ic is taken for granted lbat tbe Atman by
itself, ia itself appears as drisya, it must be said then that the power
of lbe Atrnatau :nat ra, tbat is cr~ ated as subtle obtains the idea of
bigut:ss. As all that are created by samk alpa are false, the Atman
witnesses the world tb~~t became big in itself The senses like the
ey~ s, tbe furm s of taa1 natra.s s;:c th ese cr~akd tbiogs. Th ..: Atman
tuen creating bimS.;lf as Purusha, takin g ·Che fv rrn of Purns ba
becomes sati s fied aud full. G radually, he ~ees the big body that
took the form of tbe false jiva like the ci ty of the G and ba rva
8
aad the man seen in a dream.

Sri Vasi.ihth a:- 'Though the world is false like the city
o f the Gandbarvas and the man seen in a drl!a tn the wor!j
CiiUS(.S grief. Ho w to get rid of it ? pk · se tell me .

Sri Siva:· Vasana is the source of sorrow 1f there is the

world, there remctins vasaaa. If toe world is realised as fals~
as the mirage none d ~sires any thing; there caG not be aoy
vasa na; how can the man i o the dream drink the waters of the
mirage? When the seer ( drash ta) tbe mind tbe q u:.i li ty of rnanana
cantemplation and the world with egoism are dl"s troy€d, on !y the
Brabmaa al one re mains. [n the absence of vasa nd, vasaka aod vasy at~
(subtle d esire, the desires an d tbe des irable) it is th.; std1e of
Kevalibhava, where tbere are no il lusi ons of sarnkalpa. L~t the
world be false or tru ;:-; if tbe bo9 does not imagine a devil only a
vaccum r~cnarns. If tb~
world is non- existant, only tbe K aivaly -'
re mains. Like the imagination of a ghost at a plasc where there
is nothing, the vasana of the mind as the world is born. With its
destructi on, perfect peace reigns supreme. Re is a big fool, who
p laces bis trus t as true in ego, the world, in the waters of the
 Nirvana Prakarana 129

mirage. He is a misfit for teaching the truth. The wise teach only
to the discriminate They will never entertain the foo~s. who iden·
tify them\lelves with the body, who fall in illusion after illusion
- f
and who are idiots. Those who teach 'hem are equal to those whB
g!ve their young and b ~autiful daughters to the men of their drea·
ms 1n marriage.(l;.59)

42. The name of Paramatma

Sri Vasishtha - " Sir, then the jiva gets the i11usion of the
body, you said. In the beginning of creation, being in the sky,
what state does the jiva get?

Sri Iswara:- '' Vasishtha, the jiva as I said before in the

~ Paramakasa. Hke the man seen in the dream looks at the body
born from the Parabrabman. As the Chit is all~existent, the jiva
though having a body, like the man seea in the dream performs
actions. Then as he considers himself as the 'avyakta Sanatana
Purosha' ( the eternal and the unseen man) lie is .famoue as
'Puruaba'. That first person is called 'Sadasiva' the
..
ever-au1p1c1-
ous 10 one kalpa and 'Vishnu' in another ka1pa; the jiva that
is born from bis navel-lotus is called 'Pitamaba'. In some kalpas
be is called otherwise. This man full of samkalpa bears body or
form by sarnkalpa alone. This first samkaJpa bears the form of
the mind and all that it creates becomes capable of vyavahara.
All the objrcts full of samkalpa are all false like the betala who
tru~ to the ignorant. Thus the
1
s-non - existent They appear to be
ego spreads in the form of the world. Thug the fir's t .Tiva
becomes the drasbta . seer of his creation and be comes Cbidakasa
the moment be realises bis real form. By forgetting bis reality he

( 17)
 t 30 Yoga Vasishtha
. himself changes as end Jess samsara . An expert in creations, as per
the illusory chan~es e~periences many many kalpas. In every
. atom, in every sky. every moment comes ioto eixstence creation~
kalpas, ma:hakalpas, thoughts dnd non-thoughts occur. These crea·
-· afions as per the common vasanas appear as in tbe same forms
to some; to those who r~alise th1t every thing i-> the Atman,
the creations do not appear. Those who are immersed in these
creations they appear; in Siva. the Paramakasa really they are
non-existent In him, they acquire the form of the sky. Theso
true aod false creations dis~ppear the moment .ignorance vanishes
Just as the ·mountain seen in a dream vanishes the moment one wakes
up. These ere at ions are not con fined to any kind of time, place eto.
TbC:!se series of cre_.a tions
·. , .
are the forms of sat~they have no creative
power for kalp1s or for a nl<)ment; in fact , they are not born; they
do no·t perish. The Chit in the form of sarnkalpa creates and ex-
pands in i1self the_ peculiar world-paraphernalia; like the town of
the dream, the worlds
.
appear . and disappear. Just as the imagi-
nary mountain does not go beyond the place, time etc. the creation
also ·ca·n nnt go bey.:>nd time .place ere. But Just as the imaginary Meru
appears to have goo~ beyond time place .. etc,t.be world also appears to
have gone- beyond time, place etc. Just as time, place etc appear
to be true, the wor1d apoears _to be true. The first Jiva performs
actions only by samkalpa~. Thus, only hy samkalpa the; mean creature
·jivas also are born;thus are born "the four kinds of j i vas.the egg· born
the sweat-born etc thus fi-0 "l the 1-tighest Rlldra to the .lowest gl'."as s
are boro,io a moment by samkalpa only.Some are the atorn-like;some
·are the paramanu -like. The pl:lst creation of the jivas occurred
· thus; it shall be so in future as well. 'By the realisation of tht:
· Atman, -'the peculiarity of the wotld disappears. Wben all kiad
: of differences di.l)appear, one can stay on 10 the Brah man, the
Peace by practice . If one falls frnm the Brahman even for the
Nirvana .Prakarana 131

two hundredth part of a miriute, tbe samsara is born. The jnani.i

know that firm-ever-estabhshment in the Cbit-stune-like sky is
the Brahman. The real form of Chit is called the Brahman; if the
creation is fi.rrnly estab'ished in mind, the great Chit does not
shine . Tbe Atman becomes mea11 by the fals3 division of it a:;
time, place, quarter etc; it becomes the jiva by the tanmatras.
Later, it takes the forms of the gojs, the demons, the trees, the
creepers, the deer etc. AU these and others appear as garlands
of flowers in the endJess eternal Atman· The true as well as
. the false world stands in tbe all -predominate creator of the wnrld.
He is neitber near nor far off~ he is neither down nor up; he
is neither mine nor yours; he is neither the ancient nor tbe
modern; be is neither the morning nor tbe evening; neither sat
nor asat nor in between sat and asat. For all these false ere.
ations, the author is no other than the Puie CDnsciousness,
t be Paramatma. In him, by whose help the exteraal affairs
become fruitful, like fire in water, all tbe authorities are be-
coming ineffective; be is beyond Pramana, Prameya and Prama
ta. I answered you fully. May you be happy. We bid you
good·bye. Parvati, get np.

Sri Vasishtba:· After Siva spoke thus. I offered a handful of

flowers to Him- He next went beyond the sky with bis followers.
Then. I pondered over the great words of the great Lord. In my
newiy purified heart that became sacred, worshipped the Atman
God. Having attained absolute Peace with it I gave up the wor·
ship of the inanimate God. (1-32)

43. The Description of peaceful Rest.

Lord siva thus told me the philosophy of the world; thus

I realised, Rama, I trust thBt you also realise the same tbus.
132 Yoga Vasishtha
Let the illusion of samsua in which the Jiva, who is false witb false
illusion sees the false world, be false or true. 10 the world also, the
false praise is taken as true and favours are conferred on the
false-praiser, Just as liquidity to water, movement to wiod and
v1cuity io the c:ky are natural, tile creations of the world etc are
natural to the A.tm1n. R1 1na, follo1A.·i11~ the te:iching of L::>rd
-
Siva, I h~ve b~en wors~ioping the At nan with no worry or sorrow
whatS:J~ver w~ile eng~ged in the wnrldly affairs. The ftowitre or
my worship of the A.trn ln·G) i !\re the custom~ and actions that
fall upon nie 011 their own accord. This sort of worship or the Lord
I do day in artj day out, This is co.,, -no11 to the wise as well
RS to the anwise; but the wise realise its true parport but never tho
unwise. With this view, with unattached mind, roarn in tho wido
world of sarnsara; you shall bave no sorrows. Pander over this
when you come across deep sorrows or the Joss of mooey, kith
Rod kir1 etc. Joy at the ~ain of monev. rehtives etc and 8orrow
at the loss of them both are wrong because that is the fundam-
ental nature of sams~ra. All things of the world thus come and
~o; the jivas are thus deluded ever. The same i~ the case with
love affairs and fina.n~ial transactions. They occur unrequested
undesired. The world is not yours; you arc not in it; it is really
nothing. Why do you grieve io vail'\? Tf you are not pleased with
the idea that the world is wrernhed, then think of it as the At man
Yourself. When your own Ii mbg move, do you grieve? You are
rhe Self itself; the world is not different from you. Theo where
is the scope for the creation of likes and dislikes? The movement
of the world is nothing other than the Chit; the world it Self is
Chit's form Are not the wat'es the ocean? Why sorrow then? or
joy? Rama, from now onwards, become one with the Chit; be
in the sound sleep stage; remain in that state, the state of tureeya
Yoga Vasishtha 133
Rama, get rid of the vain immersion 10 the peculiar and varied
vicissitudes of the world; be ooe w;t h t be Brahman, the luminosity
of the world; be in the luminous body,ever worshipping the Atman·
God with broadmindedness and remain as the ocean full with the
bliss absolute. Hearing this, you have oow become the full-minded·
highly enlighteaed. Ask me if you have any questions more.

Sri Rarna:· " Sir. a tl my d o u bts are now cleared off. I

came to know a ll wbat I sh o uld know; I arn now endowed with
immaculate bliss. I have no dual ity now; I have ao mind, no
cr.eations. All my ignorance due to w h i·cb I bad the impnrity in
the Atman has now vanished. A ll this is your grace. The Atman
is neither born. dead nor impure. A.11 is the Brahman; evgry thing is
its show. I have now no questions, no doubts and no desires. My
mind like the Sua made more glorious by the machine of Visw-
akarma. the sculpt or of thd ·g )ds, is fully lustrous, and pure,
No morl;! exhortations, teachings. systems of the wise to the dis-
ciples. Will the ~1e ru, the mounta in of gold. desire some more
gold? Shall l the most desireles desire any thing more? I have
neither likes nor dislikes, in the objects of the world animate
and inanimate; the illusions of likes and dislikes, sat and asat are
no more; l neither desir~ tbe happiness of heaven nor reject the sorr-
ows of the worst bell, Rourava. I am like the M&ndara Mountain
n the calm Atman-sea of milk with all courage. The drops of
milk called the worlds scattered from the ocean of milk of sam-
sara eeased. The Aatma-Mandara (mountain) ceased ch.urnin& tbe-
ocean of milk and is in absolute rest.; A series of doubts arise
ovly in the mi nds of those who think this is an object' 'this ts
no object•; the doubts burn them. I can not look at riches and
women; only fools desire them. By your grace, 1 crossed over the
ocean of samsara full with the wav~s of worries, quite inanimate
due to non·realisation of Cb it. I have realised the end of riches
and the dangers. My mhd has decome heroic by crossing over
I 4 Nirvana Praknrana
lbe ocl!aa of sarnsara. The elephant of desires rn cut asunder'
th is is i rn pos<;ib!e to o thers. My mi od has no di st urbances, dis-
ires o t any sort; it is as firm :is a rock. Soariag high over the
famous pure thiags of tbe wor ld, etta.ioing the highest bliss,
my miad shines resplendent in the highest and he most glori ou~
stat e. '1··36)

.14. The Suggestion of the power of the chitta

L et th~ senses foll oo tbe.ir objects; if the mind is una ttached
to them. disassociated witb them an is devoid of subjectivity,
the actions caa uot be the rauses for bonJ.sge. T e p leasure of
the sense- objects is momeotary at the tirne of des ire, not at all
later. This is commoa experience. Hence only fool s. never the wise
desire t hem. O!!sire is tbe caus~ for momentary baµ pi ae:;s, whivb
ends in unhappiness, Before endless JOY tbis momeott.u v joy is no
joy; hence leave it. When once you obtain the position of t bc
Brah man, no vicissitudes of time will- ever th ro w you ialo the mud
o f egois m. You are now taking resI staying on the peak of tbe
mountaio of Self -knowledge; ,u;ay you never fall in the pi · of egoism
deep and dangerous. One whose mi nd is immersed in Ll:l1.. k nowledg ·~
of the Self, stays on tbe peak of tbe Meru Mou ataw of know ledgt:;)
He shall never fall in the deep pit of samsara. I see in you the
natural qualities of eqauality and truth; you are a bove wamsara
and above ignorance, hence you are f irmly establi shed in t be
Atman. 1t goes without saying. Let your desire gi v1.: place lO
desirelessness. your thought to n onthougbt and your mind mind-
lessness. In every thing you see, you get, there is the power
of the Brah man, full. Ignorance leads to bond age; koo \..'ledge tu
lib-eratioa. SJ, ~v~r reahse tile Self yourself by Sdf contempla-
tion and exbortatioa, 'i.l.lt stale is bca.utif ul as the pure sky,
in which there is no de trd for p leasures. no rejection of tbe
p leasareil unsought anJ wb ich is called ' Ava asaoa twa' a bsence o f
vasanas, Do actions with mmd c1~void of vasanas; be calm and
 oga Va.>ishtha 1..J': '
..I

pure like the sky aga inst odris. unite as one in the At man joata
J oaoa aad jneya (the knower, the kno wledge and the knowable,
thus make joy aod sorro ~v as on e; t bere 5hall be no samsara theo.
The expansion of the miod is the birth of the world; its contra -
ction its dissolution. By the practice o f the control of breath and
driving away vasana the mind may be made devoid of sense-obj·
ects. By practice and control make the life-breat h dissolved; by
expanding life-breath samsara is boro; by its contraction it ia
dissolved. By tbe existence of ignora nce actions are born; by its
absence with the aid of t be G uru, Sastra and vaira gya the actions
cease, By the d ust which th~ wind raises, cbe sky appears dusty
and •nov!ng. hus. by rhe m o vement of the mind tbe samsara-
defect c11mc into t: x1steace. As lb1"! light o f the Sun falls the colour
of the wall is known ; thus tbe world appears with the dri~ya and
the darsana, it he. by the At man. l f there is no m ovement the
relation of drisya and darsana the samvit that makes the world
shine is not burn since the lle a rt of the man in the picture does
not posso!SS any i d~as, Tbe movement of tbe mind creates
illusions~if the mind does aot move, tb e il lusion vanishes just
as t he waves are born with tbt: mo vement of the water; if the water
does not move waves do not rise. \Vben ~ither the vasanas are given
up by knowledge or when the li fe-brea th is controlled, the mind
becomes devoid of movement. Wnere from can the movement
come? lf the movement of samvit is coa troHed, the mind becomes
non-mind; this is PARAivlAPADA. Tbe joy that one derives from
the relationsh ip of drisya and darsana (senses and sense .objects)
is a particle of B rabmaaanda~ its extreme end is the full knowledge
of the Brab man; this is attained by t he extinction of the mind.
Where the min d is absent, tbere a ppear~ tbe abso lute uo polluted
joy, t be Brahl':jaoanda. This is absent in sa mscira , creation, just as
there can not be; a snow .. house in the Meru IVtountaia. The joy
that is derived by t.be anni nil 1tiou 0 fr '1.j niaJ is endless, absolute,
this can not b e exoressed io words; it does not diminish~ it is not
136 Nirvana Prakarana
born a n d H does not cease to exist, By the exhortatio ns of the
wise, the m in d becomes extint; by illusions it exists . Like
the illus ion of tbe boy's devil, the illusioo become
strong. Though the mind appears to he existent it
will be aooih1latcd by the knowledge of truth; just as the copper ;
that is turned in to gold will not appear as copper the
mind 1hat appears to be true appears as fa lse by the know-
ledge of the truth. Tbe mind of the koo·x er of the Self ls not
the mind; it is the sattwa . The mind is otherwise called differ e n·
tly; that mind by eoligb tenment becomes satt wa just as copper
becomes gold by the touch-stone By tbe seed of illusion it 1s
called mind it disappears with knowledge, wb 1ch dispels all illus i -
ons. The truth will never have non·eXisteoce. All the objects
like the mind etc are foll of vikalpas, cnange s or viciss itud e~; so
they are non -things like the horns of the har e~ . By Stlf· koow le-
dge they disappear; This mind remains for sumt" time as Sattwa
In the state of tureeya and attains the state above tureeya lata
on. It is only the Brahman that shines re5plendent in the form
of Peculiar illusions of the great wide world; it is only the
Brahman that appears in inournerble forms spleod id So it is to
be called all-embracing, full of all and sundry . Just as there are
no palaces, rivers or lakes etc in the heart created by the mind
there is not bing in the world except the Brahman. ( 1-34 J

45. Bilvopakhyana, the story of the bilva, (a kind of

tree called Aegle Marmelos or wood-apple its fruit)
Rama, l will now tell you a beautiful, uobedfd of before
wondetful story in brief for your enlighten rneot Please bear
There is a Bilva fruit pure, big and wide; its circumferencf& is
many yojanas, miles. Even after a a very long time, it will not
become spoiled; it has endless j uice; its paste very sweet, as sweet
as the nectar. Thoug bt it is very v.:ry old a is as fre&b as the
Nir vana Prakarana 137

disc of the boy-mean It shines resplendent as the Meru in the

middle of the worlds; it is stable like the Mandara Mountain;
very strong; even the winds of tbe Deluge can not move it. It is
impossible to measure its width io yojaoas lakhs or crores. 1ts
motber-root, tb~ caose for tbe world is untraceable. All the
Brahmandas are above tbis bilva fruit. They are like the mustard
seeds scattered on a mountain. No juice of the highest taste can
surpass its taste, its abundance; though it is full of juice, tnough
it is quite ripe, it does not fall; it does not become old. Either
Brahrua, Vishnu, Rudra or any of tbe Chiraojeevis, death -
less, long-lived are unable to find out its root or origin or end:
It bas no prop, no root, no brancb; no sprout, trunk, tree or
flower . The only one, of the only JUICe, the biggest ever, no
origin, growth or change are visible. The paste of Lhe fruit is the
essence of all fruits, of great form. seedless, changeless and colou·
rless, Like the hardest stone.it ad mi ts no hole; like th~ fulJ Moon
it always creates nectar, the juice of everLAsting joy. It is the
source of all happiness; tbe giver of coolness. ll appears as a
mountain or a !ump of mud ; its paste IS tbat of the Self..
fruit, the essence of all joys. This is the tSsence of all joys,
unseen; th is is tbe end les~. t be eternal; by its own power and
beauty it has beco me the Sripbala, bilva fruit. The idea ofdiffereoC{:
exists due to the falseness or the peculiarity of Cbit. The juice and
Past e, the Chitful cause the peculiarity of combination by thtt idea
of differeoce, the bigg est a s well as tbe smallest caus~s this peculiari1 y
witbout teaving its true nature. As it is of times immemorial, it gets
never old or young. 1t is ever fre~b like a girl. This power is the
cause of the creatijns' I aru a lady ; I am an enuncb ' etc. Tbe cause
of the ideas 'tbis is different> 'that is dtfferent' is ignorance. It is
nothing in reali1y. Before th-: Self-Luminous Cbit tbis i~ false.
This IS the true nature of the p eculiarity of thfl Atmafi.

( 18)
138 Y oga Vasishtha

'Fben where is t he ecope for :'iualism? This power is the ilky; tbis
is tb::: time; tbis is • niyati ' ·in the form of movement . This expands
t be sarnkalpa and creates d<!si res , likes and dislikes, attachment
and anger . This is the came for, 'tbis' that, mine, bis, etc crea-
tions Tbl! Brahrnandas, th.! above: and below. beiogs in them are
olso th e creations of tbis. Moreover, near and far, in front of,
back, tbe past, tile preseot and the future are its creations•
Tbi s is toe lotus, the place of play of the Brahmandmandala.
T hi s iB toe h L· <H ~ <o tus, with tbe spcouts, the seoret words of Lord
Visb ou; this is irs bud, ali rb~s ~ are tbe p~cularities of that power~
Tbis is the sky filled witb tbe Rudraganas . This is the place
of desLroyers of thos:: who are interested in creations and who are
immersed in sense·pleasures at the time of deluge. This is the north
the Meru toe c«.rn tral ptac~ of the lotus of the world. lt is full --·
with the gods-b iack·bees, drinki111g the nectar 0 f the shining Moon.
This is the fme smelling buncil of flowers~ the glory of heaven;
they are on tbe old trunk of the world-tree; their source is tbe
hell. These are the stars·filarnents; they lie endless on the 1hore
of the oc~an of the Brah wao; che sky is their p ro p-lotus. The
jiv~· Si '3.!' S going adrift ·i a the waves o f actio.JS arc: taJlin~ in rbe

w h ir~winds of cr~a.tions. Se -::. Tb1s is tbe time-lotus of the !alee of tbe

sky; the Sun, the Moo:·, aod the: planeb a re ics ftlarneots . This
bas the petals tha t det t rm·;ne tbe lon gc vily, tbe m o m ents iin d the
kalpas. These ar~ the six kinds of wicked id.;a s, the worst diseases
in the form of old ag; <~ nd deat h; tbe varied id e~s of tbe Sa3tras,
with knowted g:: and ignorance artisticaHy interwoven. These are all
the peculiarities of the paste of the Bilva fruit, its powers. By its
own sam kalpa. tbe Bi ,va fruit has all these varieties. This is One,
but not one as it ap pears as duaLdwaita; it is ne:tber varied nor two.
It bas only oneness; it bas no differences of anv kiod.It is the same
one form, the end of all creations of du alism. It is the all-embr-
aeing producer of the Cbit. Tbis is that power. This is the Mahat
Brahman, (1-36)
 Nirvana Prakarana 139
45.. Silakosopadesa, teacr ing with the example
of pictures carved on the Stone.
Sri Rama :- 'Revered Sir, you have taught me the power of
the t;i'eat Chit-Brahma n jn the form of the world 'You' and 'I'
are the forms of the Chit paste. Tber ~ are no creations or differ ..
ences of dualism or. oneness.

Sri Vasishtha:- 'The Meru etc are the inner substanne oftbe
Brahmanda koosbmanda ; thus the world is the inner substance or the
Cbit-Bil va. If the world-inner~su bstance is destroyed, the bilva fruit
also will be d~st.roye d. The brahman is changeable-to avoid these
defects the inn er substance shou!d not be understood as the usual
inner substance or paste. Tbis world-peculiarity is like the seed of
ruareechi, black-pepper and its tffect. The sculptor earves on the
stone the lotusful lake i.e. the lotus-lake, creat~d in the mind
of the sculptor appears on the stone, this world·creation is in the
Chit interior, in the state of calm skep. To illustrate this I will tell
yon a peculiar , beautiful, and wonderful story, please hear. There
is a big s ton e, smooth, lu s tro us. w1cl i~ very hard and unbreaka·
ble, In i•, there are many lotuses in rows .as in the lotusalake'
fine and fully blossomed. Th~y are innumerabl e, impossible to
couot. Their petals s trike each other as they arc very close. A ll
are connected with each other. Some are blossomed; some are
c0n tr ,·cted. Some are downwards; some are upw ards; some are
fall en All are joined toge ther down. All the faces of all the
lotuses are loo king at each other. Some art above·rooted
some are down l r oo t~d . Some have no downward connection ·
som e have thei r r.ent ra l parts dowG. It appeared as thou g h that
'
hundreds and tbous:inds of conches (s:iokbas) are t h ere like th e
lotuses, contracted. Big wheels appear as loi uses fully blosso med.

Sri Rama:· '3i r, l ba. ve see n such a stone, on whic h a

good lotu s-lake or lo tus- forest 1s carved at th e Sa ligramaks lietra .
It is exactly as you described.
140 Yoga V asishtha
Sri Vasinba:· 'You have seen such a stone as this, You
know tbe state of the Brahman 1t is tbe life·breatb to the Iife 0

breath , t he Chit-Ghana Aanand, joy, I told you of a great Stone

the Brahman. Jn the wide stomacb of it, every thing is; but
no th ing is. I told you of the ,Chit-Stone. As it is with tbe
hardness of great joy anG the only one Atman-full, it is said
to be a stone. Thougb it is very hard allowing no gap or bole,
just as tbe wiod is in tbe sky, .i n it are the infinite worlds. by
the force of illusion. In this stone are heaven, earth, wind, sky,
mountains, qu J I ters, etc. There is not even a single hole in it. ln
this stone alone, the tbick lotus· forest-world spreads . Tbougb t he
world appears as anotber thing, it is not so; it neitber some thing
else aor pure Cbidatmaka; it ii only illusion. Just as in the stone,
the conches, lotuses etc are carved, the mind of tbe sculptor
in the stone kept many pictures of the past, present and tbe
future carved; it will do so in the future as well. Just as the
figures carved on the stone appear to be real, these also appear
to be real bui: never. Tb~ forms carved on the stone appear to
be different, but the stone is the One. The Brahman is the One~
its creations may appear to be varied and different. The lotus
carved on the stone appears as different from the stone, though
it is not. Thus the creation of worlds app~ars to bi! different
from the Cbit-sto'Je, though they are never. In the stags of sound
slet;!p, Sushupti i.e. before the stone is c~rved, tbe forms of the
wheeli the lotus etc ari.! in the sroae itself. ln the Brahman
sto ae also the worlds are there before creation; they will be. Just as
the lotus in the stone, the taste pojgnant in the black pepper have ao
birth and deatb;tbus to the w:>rlds in tbeCbit· 5tOne have ndther birth
nor deatb. Just as in t be heart of the chaste lady the form of her
husband in the bilva frui t its its paste ·lie, the endless Brahm<so·
das also with all their vicissitudes lie in the Cnit·stone .. Like water-
drops in water the various vicissitudes of tbe worlds dissolve
t hemselves. in the Chinmatra ilself. As th e Chit is endless its
· Nirvana Prakarana 141

vicissitudes also are endlessj 'W'i1at is known by name dissolves wben

the na ne itself dissolv~s. Just as tbe towJ of tbe Gandbarvas
described by a poet is only namesske, the creations of the
worlds also are namesakes. The varied vikaras d escribed oy a
poet dissolve tbemselves io . the Cha1ta11ya itself which receives
them. All vikaras 3eoseless, dissolve themselves; ail the vikaras of
tbe worlds dissolve thern~elves in tbe Cbaitaaya, as they bav-!
lndependent existence. The Brahman is endless· '11herefore, use- ·
fulness. acceptance and rejection etc are all Br3hman. All the
vikar.as remain in tbe Brahman; tbey come out of it; they dissolve
themselves in it. kama hear another example. Tbe creation 1s
like the mirage. The flowers and fruits follow tbe power of ·the
seed; the world also follows tbe power of the Chit! Therefore
every thing is Cbfdatcnaka. The power of the seed cbanges gra-
dually as sprouts, stems, leaves, branches etc and becomes the
cause of them. Tb~s, the Cn1t • gbaaatwa changes as the three
worlds and becomes the cause of tbem, The seed-cause, tbe tree
leaves· flowers ·effect are one and tbe same but suggests duality !I
The idea of duality is Oneness. lf of the two one drops there·
is oneness. The world is caused by the creation of inanimity; the
Chit will never be manimate. Tbe Cnit can never be Acbit, different
from it. Tbere are no two things, Chit and Achit. Oneness is in
twoness . The pictures carved on ·t ht; stone are different and many,
but the stone is tbe same ooe. Thus, the world also though app·
ears as differeat frorn tha Brabmao, is never in reality. Like a big
stone full of lines aod sub-lines, the Great Brahman is ONE,
which is tbe source of tbe dri syeis of th .; three worlds, The signs
of the lotns, the wheel etc, the vasanas of the sculptor appear as
devoid of rise or of set; tbus, the world with the egoism 'you~
and 'I' etc appears as a thing devoid o f rise or fall; the ignorant tak,
it as eternal, true. The lines. the sub - tines, t beir essence etc are all

(19)
I

142 Yoga Vas ishtha

the stone; thus, the creator or the world, the creation, the act of
creating are all the forms of Chit, Viewed aright, the lotuses in
the stone, their movements and non·move1nents, app earance and
disappearan ce etc are vain . Thus, after realisation, the creator of
the wori l1, his creation etc do not come into account. None can
create or destroy the world, the Brahman. Both are neither crea-
ted nor destroyed. The peak of the mountain is not different
from the rnonntain:it is not its vikaan Thus are the world and the
Brahman.The ideas and methods•of che sculptors,are not peculiar and
quite different from each other, but they appear only on the
stone-form, the one and the never different. Thus innumerable varied
beings with innumerable methods of creation are in cbe Brahma n
but it shines in its real form . The form is different but there is no diff·
erence in the thing. The power of the Brahman shines in all tb1 seen
things. Toe Powe~ of the Brahman is the power of the things.
The sleeping man do!s not bother about the reality, the differen-
ce in their creation of the objects be sees in the dream; the
things of the world when awakened are exporlenced though false.
In all theae exist the power of the Brahman• The illusion of
the world with varied vikaras, like the lotus-hoes on tbe stone
is nothing bat the vasana only expanded. Though this world is the
expanded vasana, it is full of the 1ustre of the Chit, hence it
is ever-calm. Like the lotus in the stone the world appears in the
Brahmau, but it can never acquire the real state of Sat' (l -41)

47. Chitghanopadesa, The Eternity of Chit

I compared the Chit with the inanimate fruit. Like th~ fruit Chit
tattwa does not think of its real form, the creation occars. In the
dream called yogas and years, the nature of inc-ulcat1ng self-poweP
is croation, There is no scope for differenc~s here, The place, time
action etc are all full of Chit. Hence, there c~n not be any division
thia is Cllit ; this is not; fhe words~ their meanings, the vas 1nas,
the knower of samkalpas and vik<ilPas by them-all these ·a re only
Nirvana Prakarana 143

ONE. So they can not be said asat. Though the fruit, the ~paste
cbe seed etc are one, they are called by ditferent names. Thus
tboagb the Cbit is the only Satghana, the strongest reality, it bas
different names. Like the paste, or substance in the fruit lbis power
of Chit, i·ts peculiar creations, though not different and not many
appear as different and many, though not wicked appear as wic·
ked, Like the lotus in the stone, the so called world.like the town
reflected in the mirror roflects in this Chit-mirror. Though it
appears to shine outwardly, in reality it doe:t not. Just as the all
desired thia~s are present near the Clliatam1ni, touchstone, of
endless power or illusion, in the Chit-Gem there are endless wor•
Ids. Just as there are pearls in the mother of pearl, in tbc:::.· box
of the power of Chit the worlds·pearls exist; though they are
full of Chit they appear to be not. Just as the ~un by·: bis ' rise
and set creates days and nights and makes things appear and
disappear' the Chit·Sun makes bis limb-worlds appear and disa-
ppear. The whirlwinds in the middle of the ocean cracefully
move the waters, the 1r props bot they are not different from
water; thus the worlds in the Chit-Stone though appear to be
different are not different, All things now existent, non-existent
existent in the past and future are the pictures carved on the Chit-
stone. The iota of truth in the things thought of or untbought of are
the paste or substance in the Chit-bilva·fruit. It is full with it•
Thus all things are the substance of the Chit·bilva·fruit. All
are full of Chit. which is their trutbi The lotuses et1; carved no
the stone can not exist without the stone, thus, the worlds cao
not exist without the power of Chit. Hence the many·ness. the
variedness, differences and peculiarities are all full of Cb it, there
is nothing which is duit If the lotus-paintings on the stone
are not treated as different from the stone the idea of the stone
alone remains; thus if the world it. not thought of as different
from the Brahman rhe idea that every thing 1s the Brahman
 144 Yo ga V asishtha

remains. The indiscrimioate and the de.luded toke the mirage-

water: but the knowers of the mirage take it as no-water ...
ground. The wise know this as tbe li 0 bt of the Sun. wbicb
is real. By ignorance you consider yourself as tbe sat asat
body-bolder; but really you are the Chit only. The watel'
is liquid; it has no movement; bul falling in low-level areas it app·
ears to be moving; thus the Cbidgbana bas no movement but
appears to be with movement. The conch and the lotus carved
on the stone are full of stone,tbus tbe world-picture.. lotuses are carved
on the Cbit-ston~, hence they .. are Chit. Rama take them as
Chit. This stone is Chit-stone. There are no boles no vikaras or
difference. This Chit is unborn peac~ful and shines with false
creations knit together. Like .t be sarat season, the Brahman shines
itself and makes the world also shine. Like the ~loon emitting
•·
nectar, the Brabrnan sbines itself maki og the worlds shine. The
world shines both as transient as it is only the vasana but eternal
as it is in the Brahman. The lotus in the stone is false as Jotus
and transiem, true as stone and permanent. In the Brahman, the
world is as the Brahmattwa is, The words are different but the
moaning is on~; thus, the world and the Brahman are two in words
but one in meaoing; both are full of Chit. There are no birth
and death to. the world as there are non~ to the Cbit. Just as the
Sunshine is the cause for the mirage, the Brahman is the cause for
the shining of the world. Water is one, but it changes 8'i vapour
due to Sunshine, as the cloud and as tbe hail-stones; thus the
cause for all things like the cloud otc is the Brahmao. the wise
know this. They realise that all things from the Meru to the straw
are the Brahman. The power of liquid. that is in the smallest
..
drop of water is preseat in water also~ thus, in all the tsings
of the world the power of Chit is in fu1t. · Tbe only one power
uf liquid is spread 10 the straw, shrubs, creepers etc; t bus the
only Brahman is spread in all thin gs of the world . Even ia the
ray of lu..stre. there is the power that ap pe11rs as different colours
Nirvana Prakarana 145

thus, the power that shows the birth and death of things is fu11
in the Brahman, a bit in the mind, sbin ~ s just as the peacock-egg
possesses the plurn~ of the peacork, its different peculiar colours
etc. The Brahman, which is tbe c lUS~ for infinite variety, is One,
non-dual. But it should not be taken that the Brahman is both
dual and non-dual. The power of sat and asat lies in equality,
samatwa. The sat and asat are established i11 the Brahman; the
experience of many - ness and Oneness would not have occurred
had there been no Brahman. In tbe juice of the peacock-egg, its
gloriou" p; umeness lies hidden; from it, th~ world full ~ith Chit·guice
is responsible for its exisrence. The illusion of tile Varied and innum-
erable things - the plume of the peacock is in the Brahman-Chit ii
tt1 ! juic~ oc" tile egg of the peacock. la it ihe world-oeacock shines.
Hence t bere is no peacock other than that; th~re is no daffcrenc;
at all. (l - 35)

48. The idea of the Oneness of the Brahman

Just as in the middle of the egg of the peacock, the form
the plucne etc lie unforrned, in tbe Pure Chidanda, the worlds
with egoism, the worlds witb inner worlds, the quarters etc lie
iti.ll unborn. The joy of the Chil becomes the juice of the limbs
of the body i.e. prana. It also b ecom~s the different meatal
states tbe css~nce of the joy of the senses, the pleasures of
enjoyment, just as the sbadow falls on the mirror reflecting,
one must imagine for him)elf tbe endless joy of the Chit e;,per·
iencing the joy of the senses. This endless and absolute joy in the
form of self-experience is ever enjoyed by the saints, gods, the gaoas,
the Siddhas and tbe great sages, Witb hall-closed eyes non-clo-
sing eyelids. devoid of dri~ya and darsana they ever remain io
joy. 1/hougb they are doers of actions, they will never immerse

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146 Yoga ·v asishtha

themselves in the thought 0f th~ external objects~ even for a moment.

Tiley r~rn1 i a in s i lu j hi letving asi de jnana and joeya. T hei ~
minds anj life-w iriJ s are lik~ tbe b1dies in pictures unmoved.
Tbe.Je are the p~rsons wbo leav~ for good the mind and the
senses tb~ prop for the mind anj remain in Bboo rnanaoda with
tbe ll ll·.! LIJ:ll id~a . Ju .H as Pararn~s wat11 enjoys the bliss of his
rea\. form within, establishes o utwardly the illusory world, they
inwardly accom p lish the para mapurushar tha, t he h igllest end of
life, ch.: enj li.:s~ abs )jute bliss b ut 01H wardt y engage ia affairs
useful to society. J ust as the rays of tbe Mooa t:nteri og the
sprouts and le ves rn ~ke tb e10 shio t: , t he exte.rnal affair of the
great exhibits eadtess joy a n d besto ws joy on all. H ence, all
their efforts are givers o f bipp i o !i ~. The moonshine is available
in abuodance in tbe sky; tbus . the real fo rm, tbo form of pure
samvit , devo id of deviations, full of joy is ex perienced by them. fhe
pure moonsbme~Hke samvlt bas no form whatsoever, the unseen, the
untaught; il is neither fa r nor near; i c is only to be experienced
It has no b-,dy, senses li fe.. wiod mind aod vasaaa. Jt is not jiva
not movern'!ot, aot sa ·u vit, aot tile world. It is neither too'
near too far~ n or in th~ centrn. lt is neith ~r a ViCC u rn , n ou~vac
cum, nor vaccu m·nan-vaccu .n. It is a ot a thing like time place
etc; it can not o.: d.;1tcr mio ~d by tbe 1n. Lt is timei p (ace etc;
divisible by them. fhig is d ifL : -!nr froin all the objects, but
possesses a he:irt with enj less vasanas. By it th e dr isyc1 . o bjects
are born and are diss1Jlvcd; its po.vj r is call ed tb.e Atman. It iS
neither the begionio g, nor the end of the kalpa.. Tbo wmd etc caa
not change it or its form. its r~al for m will n.!ver cha.Jg in thts
world or the next world as otherwise. Thousands and tbousan s
of bodies· pots are boro and destro yed . But there is oo change
no vikara in or out of th!s Atman-sky, Hence the vikaras of
t he body will neve; b~ to the Atmaa. Again do uoL tbiuk th at
the bodies are different from the Atman; tb ey appear as different
Nirvana PrakarantJ 147

due tn t be defect of }!arning. The jnanis realised that the whole

world is tbe Brabman by tbe all-pure, full influence of the
intellect. So Rama dorng all acts continuously. seeing the Atman
cvPr, remain as the form of the realised 3>.)111 pure and tm macu•
late. Tbe seen world aoi mate and inanimat, is tbe Brahman,
wirbout qualities all-pure, devoid of the q ualities of
upadhi, This is devoid of vikaras,. the beginning ad the eud .1
the evcr•peaccful and a ll •eq Jal, Rama real is~ that ti me, the subj-
ect t he Cei use. chc actiou. cr~a tjoo, reteo t ion and descructioa•
remembrance ere are all tlrn Brahman, bi;;com~ oo~ wi th it; then
shall bl! no ffi (lfe samsara. ( l ·20)

49. San1sritivichara yoga, the analysis and examin-

ation of the \:.vorld.
Sri Rama:· '3ir, if in the Br.ibma111 tber are no vikaras,
how does jt shine io the for.n of bbav.l aud abhava thought
ad no o•t110 ugbt '?

Sri Vasisbtha. ~ 'The change of milk into cued Ii the

ch~nge ia its form . It is called vtkara or chaoge. Tbe curJ can
not chauge back as milk ,its old form. But ia th~ w. rld there
is tb~ Brahman io be begtnriiog, miJ<lle and at the ead; it is all·
pure Brahman. The vikara of the milk 1s not in the Brahman, l o i.he
Brabmaa, the begioningless, there is no samyoga of any kind or auy
rclatiooship, In the allM~q ual Brahmao; the appar Jn t worid, is
only an illusory change. Change is quite im possi ble in L11e Brah m-
an. There is neither ' sarnvedya' or •sarnvitt 1' (Juana or j a .. ya) tD

tbe Brahcnau; what is satJ by the word 'BrJ.hmao' is ll:uu it is

like the Cbidatma having no relatio a~hip whatso ·ver. The Brabwa11
m ust be understood as the one having no illusions like the world
etc . in the beginoiog aad the end; in tbe middle its appearance as
Qtberwise is due to illusron. In the beginning, the mid:Hc and
148 Yoga Vasishtha

the end, ever in every thing the Atman shines in the form of all-
equality. The change, thou~h rehted to the Atman, the Atman
does not get any vikara. Tbe all·plwerful Brahman is formless, one, .,.. •
and eternal; Hence it never collleS under th-! influences or vikaraa
of any kind.

Sri Raroa;· ' Where did ignoraoce, the disease of the mind
1n the Brahman the all .. pure, th~ all-s1t and the one exist ?

Sri, Vasishtha: -'Rama, only the Brahm in, tbe Reality, shi"'
nes resplendent in th~ past present and the fu ~ ure; this is b~gio­
oingless and eodless. There is no ignorance or avidya; thia is the
definite truth This is the Brahman express~d at tbe time of teac·
bing. in the very word itself there is no scope for vikaras; to say
it otherwise is only for t be convenience of teaching. 'You 'I the
world etc, heaven and earth, the wind etc are all the Brahman,
.\v •
There is no a.vidya. ignorance at all. It is only namesake. The
wise know that this is an illusion devoid of truth. How can the
non-existent avidya ex:ist ? How can it be trufl ?

Sri Rama :- ' Sir, you said in the U pasama prakarana what
to think of avidya. Kind·ly enlighten.
Sri Vasisbtba :- ' Rama, as you were tbeo 10 ignorance
I bad to create such things to teach you . As you are now enligh-
tened, you need not think of it now. Avidya, jiva (ignorance and
individual self) etc are created dy scholars to enlighten the ignorant.
When the mind is ia ignorance. but for this creation of igoora -
nee on the authority of the sastras ev~n hundred exhortations will be
of no avail, the jiva is exhorted by good arguments, ca ken near the ~-

Atman and is made one with it;wbat can be achieved by good argu·
ments can not be achieved otherwise at any cost. When the defect
of ignorance is not off, teaching of every thing as the Brahman
is treating a stone as d;ar and near and bemo.lning sorrows before
it. The fool by good argument, the wise by knowledge becolllo
 ~! irvana Prakarana 149
enlightened. 1 f not taught arguments fo0Js will never
better them9elves . Till you are enlightened, I taught you through
good argum~nt; now that you are enlightened. I will now tell
you the Reality . You, I, th~ three worlds. the drisyas etc all are
the Brah 1nan; t be re is nothing ehe. t)o as you please. There iS
no har .n to re1tity. Th~ pur~ Con~ciou >oe-ss. the deadliest eoemY
to all il I u >ions. the Brahm la alone pervades through all the
world s. Realise this and do as you please. There is no harm
Rama, while s1tti-ag breathing sleeping, firmly believe that you are
the Chaitaaya, tbe all-lustrous, all-spreading Para•atma, If you
are really wis~, detached and devoid of ego, you shall become
the only Chi t-juic:, the peaceful Brah man existing in all beings
You are tnat Paramapada,th~ b~ginniaglees and endless,full of lumiitt
nosity. You itre the all-pervading. th ~ one, the pure Consciousness ih
s0lf. Just <ls in all pots, th~ earth, the same earth pr~vails;
ia the Br<ihmin, ia the Atrnaa, in tur~~ya, in avidyaprakriti,, in
th~ worlds, the same pure Consciousness is without a seconj.
Prakriti is not different from the Atman; the earth is not
different from the pot. Just as earthness prevails in pot, the
Atman prevdtls in the prakriti. The whirlwind oD
wave in water, the vivarta of the Atman is prakriti. By
the movement of tbe Atman. prakriti com es into existence; hence
prakriti is the Atman. The wind and its moverueat i1re diffi;:rent
in name but a re one aud tbe same. l bus, At ma and prakriti are
two in name but ooe in reah1y . fhe jiffcrence is the result of
ignorance Jike the illusion of the rope as serpent; with the dawn
of knowledg~. it di$appears . In tbe fi eld of Chit. the seed o f
creation falls aud produces tbl'.! miod- sprour, which cre a t~ s the
future forest, the sarnsara the world. lf the crea tive- seed is burnt by
st:tf-koowledge, eveu if the v a sana~water is poured forth, it will no~

sprout. If the c,reative seed is not sown i o the m10d - fi eld, there will
be no mind·sprouts, which cause the body-tree, full with the
 5 Yoga Vasishtlza
fruits of joys aud sorrows. Rama, you are now en ligbtenedi
leave aside d uality , born of utter ignorance, thoughtlessness ..
and Wusion. B~ full with the endless and ever ··jcyfulness; be
fearless you shall have no sorrow ut any time of any kind . This is th~
esseEtce of our teachlng of paramartha. (1-36)

50. Akshasa1nveda vici1arayogopadesa, the tho-

ught of the knovv·ledgc t he eyes giv~.
Rama :- ' A\l tbat is to be known is known; all that is to
be seen is se·~n ; i am in full Brahman, by th~ nectar of the
kncwledge of th~ Brabmaa you ha ve g1veo .

Pooroatpooroa midam poornam pooroatpoornam prasooyate.

Poornena apooritam pooroam stbitaa po J rne cha poorodta,
From full lo full this is fuU; tbe full is io full~ the full comes
out of full; all this is ful l m full aod remains in full, the all-full.
I shall ask another question just as the son asks tbe father.
Kindly aftswer without being angry as this increiies knowledge.
Eventht. ugh the senses the eyes, the ears, the tongue, the nose
anj the skio appear clearly, tb e- y do not r.eci eve any thing in the
dead man but are acttve in a Jivin~ man . Why? How are the
senses coming out able to conve~ theu· experience to the heart
fro m the inanimate tbiogs like the pot Like iron rods, the pot
and the senses are scpar ute and different; attracted by each otbel!
l hey convey kaowledge. This sort of tliiaking is not possible.
Though I know these thiogs, I ask you agam for ~onfirming my
knowledge. Kindly enlighten.
•
Vasisbth_a :· 'It will be easily known tbat the senses, the
instruments of direct authority, the objects like tho pot etc and
tbe channel of understanding, the mind are not difflilreot from the
C haita.nya. by de~p thinking aad c0rr~ct unde;:rstanding. The pure
consciousness as pure as tbe sky beco-u~s chitta, mind by Stlf"l
 151
lllusion with the past vasa.n as becomes the,' Puryasbtlka' as it is
supposed to be so, This Brahman b~c ~ me 'Prakriti' the cau~e for
the existence of the world. From this prakrtti are born the senses
instruments and tbe gbata etc-objects. {t ls t be Chit t bat is chan-
ged as puryashtr.ka, by the nature of which, it attains the qualities
of Cbitta; it is this that takes the forms of gbata, the pot etc. As
at the time of death. the sookshmasareera with puryasbtaka goes
away, the senses do not possess their powers and hence become
useless .

Rama:·' Sir kindly let me koow about puryashtaka tn

detail as it is the mirror that has the power of refecting tbou.-
sarJds and thou ~ ands of worlds.
Vasishtba :· The Brahman, the beginningless, the end les
and fully lustrou!9~ after the ereation of the sooksbms bhootas liks
the sky etc became devoid of kalpana, creati0n, but became the
seed of the world and created brabmandas, became the reflection and
enters the middle of the booy in the form of jiva. l1his jiva as
pcr vasands. creating limbs becoming strong moves with the iote·
rnal and external actions . He becom~s by ego egoistic, by conte•
mpi ation mind, intellect by the power of confirmiog and senses
by seeing the things. He becomes the body by the idea of the
body. the pot by the idt!a. of the pot, tbus otber tbing8 and is
called Puryashtaka. Eogaged in the senses of knowledge, th~
koowership, ~n ga ged in the act ion of affai!"s the doership, reaping
their fruits the enjoyersbip, by being non-interfering. becomiog
the witness aad that is eng:zged in sucb kinds of objects of enjo-
• yment as these. the samviL when the Chit is important is called
Jiva; when the inanim~te is important, it is called puryashcaka.
The jiva thus entering tbe body becomes one witll it in course of
time and experience::s joys and sorrows; with the nature of pury.
asbtak~, he is adoring eadiessly c reat ed budies. Taus, wtth the
false form ~nd false knowledge, forg~ ttiog the original forms thinks
15 2 Y oga Vasishtha
himself as tbe forms endless self·created, full with vasaaas . Just
as the seed, if water is poured forth, b~comes sprout the jiva also
served vasanas takes the fo rm of the world. Th us by
false know!edge he forgets his original form and thinks him-
self as the body etc. Hit by t be waves or the ocean, the stick-
goes ·up and down ; tbus, this jeeva of vasanas attains good aod
bad births tn the ocean of samsara becoming topsy -turvy. One as pure
as Saoaka as the result of bis past sad hanas, becomes enlightened
in his very fit.st birth . gets rid of b ) a d age and attains the par-
amapada. Ano ther jiva, aftt r many births of woes and worries
for loog, b} stlf-knowledge attaius s .d va t ion . Tbis is the way
the jiva attains th~ body: now bear b ow to unders t and tbe inan-
imate by th~ help of the senses. By t be creatioo of tbe mind, the
Chaitanya changed aB the body possesses the five senses and tbe
mind. Ne-Xi: tbe external cbiags Uke the pot etc us drisya appro- ~
ach the jiva coming out through tbe senses like the eyes, falls on
the sky, covering the pot etc and becomes one with the Cbai-
tanya: then be knows tbe diffe rent objects . The senses of the
living man on ly, or the senses of the b ody with Chaitaoya oaly.
have connection with the external things but not of the d.!ad·
The external obj!O!cts like tbe p')t etc reflect o nl y in tile light of
the Pure and ctear eyes ; wheu tue rdit::ctious joi n lbe jiva again
they are expP,rienced; t be jiva has Eucb experience; there ts no
experieoce external without this When th ~ two eyes are devoid
of any disease w batsot:ver and sbine as ch isled pure gems, the
external mental art itudes witn th1;; poL. the c~o c11 ~ tc enter them.
Thus when the jiva joins the r eflection, he is abl ~ to realise th1
external things. Even boys know it; this happens even to the ~
cattle and creepers etc. The downward rays of the pure eye Cm•
brace even the very distant objects aod gives the jiva their un-
derstanding. Thus the jiva gets tbe knowledge of touch, smeu
etc, Thou gh th e sound is in the sky, as it enters the ear-sky,
Nirvana Prakarana 153

the smell joining the wind enters through the nose-holes and
reaches the jiva; hence he gets the knowlrdge of them.

Rama :- ' Sir, what is it that appears as reflection in the

mind, the mirror, the gem, the water and the sprouts?

Vasishtha:· 'Rama, the quite inanimate obects reflections

m the mirror, rhe mind's allitudes like the pot and the cloth
etc, the jiva. even the wJrld; itself·all' all are illu'sions. May you
have no trust in the false world; the ego etc are the waves of the
ocean of Chit; the Reality is only the Chit-ocean. In the ocean of
Chit, thre€ are no time, place, quarters etc ,The Atma a, the Reality of
them alt is Ereroal, always tbe all-predominent in all· Ram.:t, be ever
~ ''

detached ~1ay you be in peace. realising that joys and sorrows

are false· Get ri~ of the dis.:ase of th~ illusion of samsara-
Contcentrate on and get the aJl-blissfal state, tbe idea of one.
ness and equal ty. Ever remain in the Absolute Brahman. (l-40)

51. lndrayarthopalambhavichara, the rejection

of the fruits of indriyos
Rama, I told yoa that the pure Consciousness before the
kalpa bas no senses, like the eyes etc. that they were in the
Hiranyagarbh a, the creator and that are experienced in the in·
dividaal jivas a]so, Jost as the puryashtaK:a and the power to
know the things are born in the Hi rany agarbha, they are born
in the jivas also. To the jiva in the womb of the mother in
the sixth month, the indriyas like the €yes and the ipuryasbtaka
are born; then he will tbink of the objects fit for bis actions
by the vasanas and sees tbejn as such. I also told you . bow in
the very first Hiranyagarbha,s mind the iadriy~s, the samvcdana
hod objects of the indriyas enrich themselves. in th~ jiva also
they shine so. The pure Samvit. that was be for creation, was

(20)
154 Yoga V asishtha
born 10 all in the same form. Later it becomes the puryashtaka
with the attachment of 'aham'. In spite of it, this s·amvit is·
pure. This samvit is tbe one, the endlcis, the unknowable.
Hence, in this pure and spotless samvit, the existcne of another is
impossible. la th is there are not good and bad,the mind etc. Before
the samvit, which is the only true, all others are false as they are
all divided by time plaoe and the thing and are unsubstantial.
This sarnvit i> called the mind, Rea1iy, it is not the mind; this
is that which appears to manana, contemplation, the falsity of
the nature of intellect; it is neither the mind, the jiva nor the
puryashtaka, Tbe ual form of sarnvit is the luminosity of know·
ledge. The fools say that it is nonexistent; but it iii beyond mind 0
senses etc; it is called 'paramatma'. To say that the jiva, the
form of chit and the object of contemplation is born from the
Br a.hman is also an illusion. It is said so for the convenience of
teaching. Wben a disease appears instead of trying to find out
the cause of it, it is better to get it cured at once; thus, 1n
stt;ad of trying to find out the cause of ignorance, better to get
it destroyed by knowledge, in which dissolve all the worldly
affairs, live as a jivanmukta and shine resplendent. All that
appears is born of avidya; if it is destroyed. it will never reappear.
Do 'not ask 'how can I take the objects I see as false? all the
ttings :)are l 1ke the mira1e illusory. Avid ya, though false appears
to be true; if knowledge dawns, its true nature will be se¢o; theu.
the illusion vanishes. The jiva, the pury <\Shtaka etc are the illu.
sions of avid ya , the. creations, the falseocss etc of which are born
by the proximity of the true Atman. The sastras say that avidya
creates the jiva etc. I will explain to you what is meant by Avidya '-.\..!.

again for your benefit. Hear attentively. W h<.n the Chit likes to
see the external obj~cts, it changes itself as puryashtaka etc cove-
red by kala, the black spot. Then it gets that idea with which
it thinks of objects· Just as the weak boy crea~es the ghost at
night and is afraid of it the jiva-Cbaitaoya takes as true the ere•
ations of the five tanmatras, it becomes the jiva. Next, it sees the
 N ir v'ana Prakarana 155

creation of the indriya rand bras, tbe holes of iodriyas1 senses. By

the panchatanma~ras, the external five elements are born. From
the seed-sprouts many branahes of the tree grow and appear to
•- be different; thus, tbe elements appear to be different from the
BrahmHn. The jiva takes as true the internal mind, prana etc and
the external th itlgs like the pot etc and becomes strong by his
vasanas. Just as the rays o f the Mo 0n are nothing btH the Jµstre
of tl:le Moon, the sense.. pleasures derived by the sense-objects are
not bing but the Self-pleasure of Chaitanya. The taste of the biack
pepper, the emptiness of the sky are nothing other than black-
pepper and Che sky; tbough they appear different. thus, the seose•
enjoyments are nothing but the At man, though they appear to be
differenl· After the enjoyment of the woridly sense-pleasures_ the
end of life will be attained. With this idea, the worldly and other
w orldy ac :ions (karm3s) are ordained. Of the two, one is got by
pravritti, worldly involvem ent and the other by the Sastras, Some
times, one is coDquered by effort and strength and the other
appears in one. The juice of sugarcandy changes as _ sugar-candy;
the muJ changes as the pot; thus· the Atman its~lf changes as
the results as per pravitti or the Sastras, But the Atman does not
change like the juice or the mud. The change occurs only wbere
there are the divisions of time, place, meeting, parting etc. If
they are not rn the Atman, the change, does not occur
The juice of the Sring season in the forest chan ges as fJower at
one place a~d leaf at another place. Though the juice is the same,
it thus acquires dulli :i rn; the Atman in itself gets duali$m like
the gha ta and the pata; in reality tbe Atman is non·dual. The
cloud in the beginning is in the form of tb e rays of the Sun. next
it changes in the rainy season as rarn·water; then that rain-wate.r
becomes the seed for the cloud and the future rain; thus, the
Atman, the sat as well as the asat cbanges as the world and
becomes the seed for the next or the later wor]ds This is so that
is thus· this does not happen-al! these id eas are spP.ead-ing in the
156 Yoga Vasishtha
Atman-God who can say 'no'. In the pure mirror-like sky., its real
form, or its actions can not reflect as they are not different from
it; it alone shines. When the Brahman, t be very naturally the
form of Cb it takes the form of d ualisrn, it reflects as the power
of things and the jiva . Juiit as in the pot of gold or ornaments,
the real gold ~bin es io the mind the true and false Chaitanya
and jada are mixed up. Whoever takes the Atman in whatever
way he likes, it becomes that though false; lt is quite certain. As
the Cbit is all-expansive. its Cbaitaoya is in the mind ab10 just as
gold shines in the inanimate other ornaments, The Chaitanya
which is t be cause of the mind and the body, whenever
and wherever in whatever form it thinks of itself, theo
it gets the ideas of god, man or jada for ms. This Chit as per
the peculiarity of the vasana .. bud thinks of varied forms, it gets
them in dae c,ourse. All this takes place as in a dream. In a •
dream, one sees the village, which later turns as forest etc and
gets the idea of forest etc, the ji va also gets one body from
another body. A maia app>!aring in the dream appears at once
as wall, cloth etc changed; thus at the time of death-unconsc-
iousness happens the entering another body. The death and the
birth are both false; the jiva commits this mistake of birth and
death by avic:lya. This change is unlike boyhood, youth and old
age. The change occurs only in the ooe body as per time. The tak·
ing of another body occurs only due to vasana, not by ti me. In
a dream · the seen as well as the unseen things are enjoyed, The
world is the dream of the jiva, here among tae vasanas enj oyed
in endless time whatever is seen at the time of death, that becomes
the cause for future body. The attainment of salvation by the
mabavakyas (great words of the wise) and the ideas of the
Brahman are not the dreams full ·of vasaoas. why because the
Chit-Brahman is exhorted by sivam, the allrauspicious, adwaita,
non dualism and the Fourth, the self-epithets. He is seen by the
threeya· idea; He does not possess tbe waking, dreaming and
 Nirvana Prakarana 157

soundly sleeping states. He is not experienced in the w j kiog state;

he i3 devoid of vasanas, hence be is no t full with va sanas: be is
pure immaculate Chaita oya. He bacomes jiva, by bis nature of
Chit, in dream be sees many seen and unseen tbiogs. Due to
constant thinking of unseen things the past seen vasanas of
senses dis a pp ear, they only shine. Selt-effort is able to conq u~r
the vasanas also, Yest erday's bad action by to-day's good action
changes as good aciion. The body of the jiva etc the results of
vasanas will not cease but by salvation. Till one attains salvation
the senseli as per time place etc shine and cease to exist. Till
the attainment of salvation, the 9ody remains; the body is the
vasana created. As the ghost is near the boy, the VdSana shows
the body created by the five elements. The aativahika (subtle)
body with the mind, intellect, egoisrn, the five :· tanmatras is
• called puryasbtaka . The Iingasareera of Chidatma is for~
mless, undivided, The external sky is divided into five. Its
windness is the great tree. Its body is the Sumeru-i.e. they are non-
existent in the lingasareera. The stboola sareera has no real salva-
tion. By dispassion etc, the creations dit)appear; the reality beco.
mes evident. Tnen that salvation in which the inanimate creations
are all dissolved in itseH soundsleeplike salvation is aLtained. The
sukshmasareera resembling the dream till salvatio 11 is attained,
roams in the birthpla ces of animate and inanimate bein~s. The
aativahika body auaios some times dream and some times sound
sleep. This is a common ex p~ r i ence. I a sound skep, asii mil~ting
in itsdf the w~ uld be bad dream . a s the ji va is the form of Cbit
like tb t fire at the time of dtl u~e shines as the seed. lo the beiogs
ianimate ere, tbe sound 5l~ep is very domi r· aot. The kalpavriksh a,
desire-yielding tr~e bir1 bs may be due to some go od, they do not
have tbe enligl'.itnment of the bumdn beings. The inanimate stage
of the mind is souod sleep ; the roaming of lhe miod is samsntt
tbe world; enl.igbtenment is salvation; tbe tureeya state is the
waking sf ah~ from the point of view of sound sleep, The enli-
1 3 Yoga V asishtha
gbtenrnent of jiva is s1lvation; by enlightenment the jiva becJmes
pure and the Paramatm a just as purified copper becomes gold.
The salvation due to the eolightenm'3 nt , of the jiva is of two
kinds. tbe jivanmukH and videhamukti. The state of tureeya is
jivanrnukt i; ir leads co t h ~ state beyond turceya, c1l1 .::d 'Bodba'
Later th e jiva atta ins the form of the Ilrahman, the oniy Chit'
By the effort of tbe intell.,ct, Bodin is attained. By it in the
body itself, with the: enlightenment becomes absorbed io Parama-
tma, The jiva realises that his fears are illusions of dreams long
and th ick,wby b ..!c ·HB~ ir1 t h :! l:leart 0f c:h~ jiv.i not bing but the Chit
shines. Seeing it as some thing els~, the jiva unnecessarily gt ieves.
Ia the jiva there is . notbin~ else t baa the Para mat ma, The world
that appears here (jnd there is spread of illusion only, The boiling
water in the pot getting various forms causes illusions: thus in
the jivas the illu:,1ons of samsara appear vainly, The bondage of
the jiva is v .:isa t•d; its destruction is liberation. The end of
vasnnas is tbe sound sleep of the jiva; the tureeya and the above
tureeya states are b~void of vasanas, which apeear i;>eculiarly m
dreami. Then the jivs become' inanimate etc. If the vasanas of
the jiva are neutral, be is born in tne animal world. l f the
vasanas are less, be is born as a man or a ~andharva. If the
sound sleep vanishes and from bead to foot, the praoas and ego
spread ' I am with such a body' he thioks. He then thinks
that the pot etc are external. Then the power of vasana appears
peculiarly with tbe ideas of the receiver and the received like
'I am able to know the pot' when the pot etc spread by the jiva
from th~ inner mind comir1g out from the gates of tbe eyes etc.
\fhus the inne1 Chaitanya wit.b tbe external objeets non-Atman
in the form vasaoa of the receiver and the received shines as a
mirage. Therefore, all the relations like the receiver and the
received etc are all illusions created by vasanas, not real. Here
there is nothing for the Aman to aceept or reject. The Chidatman
'Nirvana Prakarana 15~

alone shines as tbe internal and external particles of light, Hence,

realise that tbe thr~e worlds are the peculiarity of the Chit. The
idea tbat th~y are different is of no use. In t'eality, all of us shine
in that Reality. There is no world other than the Chit in the past~
tho present and rhe future, internal or external In the vast ocean
I

there are no waves, foarn or the l)ubbles; c;very;thiog is water, as

pure as the sky if not mor<:'. This is evidedt by correct thinking.
Io the sam\! way, ia the world. there are no vasanas, states etc
t be innuroer4 ble differences. It is onJy the Paramapada, the be -
ginningless, cudless and etanal.

52. The story of Naranarayanas, the avatars

(Arjunopaakh tana)
The dream -world of every individual is different from each
other. The waking w..>rJd is the same ev~rywhere.'How can the
waking world seen by all in the same way becom:; a dream'? Do
not ask. Tbe dream of Hiranyagarbha is our waking world; this is the
created samsara, which is neither true nor false, The dream of
the creator, Hiranyagarbba is not the same as the dream of the
individual. All our ideas in the waking worid are bis wakiog-
dreams. Tbere is no difference between them and tbe things .of the
dream. Tbe fals0 unsubstantial dream of tbe Hirdoyagarbha is
very long . lt does not disappear in a mornent like our dream.
Going from one dream to another dream is the falsf! world. All
the jivas owe their existence to the creation of Hiranyagarbha
Tbey all witness the waking falsehood, tbe world. Such is the
•
tremendous creation of Hiranyagarbha . The Brahman the Chaitanya
is seen as inanimate as it is -under the influence of the illusion of
th!! individual self Th~ j1vas delude themselvrs in dream due ·to
the Atman; thus, the jivJs of tbe three worlds having light from
tbe Sunshine, mutually creating differences delude themselves; The
sole reason for this delusion is that the Atman is all~expansive
160 Yoga Vasishtha

and endless; henee whatever creations the individual self make

appear to be true. I will n :)W tell you the story of Arjuna, who
following th:! au -; picious a11aasiikliyoga, as will be enunciated by ...
Lord Sci Krishna gets rid of all wJes and worries and live very
happy.

Rama:- 'W ben wi 11 Arjuna be boru and when win the Lord
teach him th e Anaasakdyoga?
V asishtb a : ~Rama, Just JlS the sky shines depending on
0

the sky, the A tm 1n shines d;;!pending on tbe Atman itself that is

de$:cribed as the sat and that whicll is.Just as in gold the orna-
ments, the waves in water are seen, the 'illusion of samsara is
seen in the pure changeless Atman. Just as the birds entangle
themselves in the ne ', lhe fourteP.o varieties of jtvas or beings
entangle themseivcs ia the series of illusions. To the sarnsara with
the five elements, to th e worlds, the rulers of tbe worlds, praised
in the Vedas and S1s• rar.; such as Yama, Cbaodra, Surya and Indra
etc become the leaders. By the jnana attained by their self
samkalpa, ' th is is good, this is to be accepted this is bad, this
is to be rejected; they establtsb the etquette in tbe form of their.
authoritalive rule. Fr0m tlien till now Yama though falling in
the flow of bis owJ karma stand3 lik~ a rock with firm mind, like a
mountain, Yam'l b !gins to do p!o 1 nc~ fearing tbe sin acquired
by killing the jivas at the end of every D..vaparayuga. He do~s
so some tim~s eigilt y.!ars, som~ t1tn~s teu or twe lve years · some
times fiv~ or seven years and som .~ li.m:;s six teen ye1 rs During
this period as be remains otherwise engaged. there will be no
deaths. Hence, 1 be eartb will be filled witb iunu .nerable b~iog3
like the mosquitoes on tbe icbor·emittiog elepl:lan t. Tben the
godi kill these peculiar b.;;ings in ev~r so many ways to reduce
the weight oo the earrb. It happened thol!sa nds aad tbousands of
times thus. Endless worlds and beings were killed1 Tbe present
Yama is the son of the Sun. After some yug~s. he will go to do
Nirvana Prakarana 161

penance for twelve years killing none. The Barth becomes burden·
s0me with deathless human beings, forests and shrubs. Just as the
decoits-insulted - deft- lady seeks the protection of her husb-ind,
the Earth unable to bear the burd~n .seeks the protection of
Vishnu, who will then be boro as Nara Narayanas. One will be
the son of Vasudeva named a~ Vasudeva; the other will be Arjuna
the son of Pandu1 Yudhishtira. the son of Dharma will be the
first son 'Of Paodu and will rule the whole earth surrounded by
the four oceans, knowing all the dilarmas. Duryodbana will be
the son of Dhritarashtra, elder brother of Pandu. Duryodhana will
. develop ~nmity with Bheemasella, like the serpent with the mon-
goose.Both kauravas and paodavas gather eighteen akshouhinis of the
army to fight with each other. Lord Vishnu himself in the form of
Arjuna the bolder of Gaandeevi, destroys the armies and lessens the
burden of earth. Defore that when Arjuna's body becomes wor.
ldly, he will be under ignorance and the d wndwas, joy and
sorrow etc, He refuses to . fight with grief of killing the kith
and kin on both sides. The body. of Vjshnu full of knowledge of
the Self teaches the body of Arjuna Aatmajnaana. '' The
Atman has no births · and deaths; it has no changes of any
kind. lt JS not now born~ will never be born.
It is never born, ever eternal, and all -pervading. Even if the
body is destroyed it will never be destroyed. Those who say
that they aro killing the Atm1n and that the Atman is killed
are the non•knowers of Self. The Atman kills none and 1s
, never killed by any· Who can in what way kill the Atmani
the One, the endless, the sat, as subtle as the sky?

Anantamavyak tainana adimadbya rn

Aatmaanamaalokaya samvidaatman

' (21)
162 Yoga V asishtha

Samvidvapub sphaaramalabdhadosbam
Ajosi ni tyosi niraamayosi.
Oh. the best knower of the Atman, realise that tbe Atman is en·
dless. inexpressible, the beginnin g, midle endle&s You have become th.e
C bai tanya, tbe spo tless . You al.'c: the never born, the Eternal and
the Diseasdess. (1·3 9)

53. Exhortation to Arjuna.

Arjuna. give up the idea chat yo r1 are the killer. You
are the Atman, d evoid of old age and death, aud the Eterpal
Oae wbo is de void of egoism, whose mi 1)d never becomes atta·c hed,ki!li·
ng the beings. in the wor ld becomes th~ non-killer. None can kill
him. As pc:r . the int~rna! thougnt ooe experiences the external.
So give up .the idea that you are sui:;b and such a man, of
attachment. As you thi nk tbat you ·are ·the killer and the sinner
you are subjecting yourself to joys and sorrows. The qualities
covering tbe A tman and app~aring as the particles of the · A.tman
do actions. but the egoi.r nc m~n tbiuks that he is doing. The
eyes see; the car~ bear; the s.kin tonches; the .tongue tastes-l have
nothing to do with them. The mind of the great does actions;
the Atman has nothing to do . with them, Then, what is the
relationship betwee~ the Atman and the persons who you think
al'.e the losers? For _the work done t>y m.aay, it 1s ridiculous to
think that one is th~ doer . The great wise do actions with body, mind
intellect and the senses utterly detached for the purification of
the mind. Those who,-,e body is net covered with the poisonous !1

potion of e go~ and who are devoid of attachment and anger

may immerse in worldly affairs; but they always remain unatt-
~hed and the non- doers; though enjoying, they are not the
eojoyers. One, though is an all·round genius and the knower of
many does not shine if he is characterless; thus, the man who is
 Nir vana Prakarana 163

filled with the filth of attachment can never shine, The man whose
mind is detached, who is devoid of ·egoism. who sees the joys and
sorr-0ws equally. ano wha is patience persoiaified may do many
tbinis but remains detached. Though very cruel, the duty of the
member of the warrior race is the best suited to you . It will lead
you to happiness and auspiciousness. Though ·crooked and cruet
do your duty as man of the warrior-race and become immortal.
Even to a fool, swadh&rma, one,s own duty is the fittest; then
is it not to a wise man? Men of detach.:.d minds and egoless
hearts may do sinful aces but they will never be sioful. With
detached miod. do acts as they fall on you; you shall not be
bound by tbem . .With body peacefuL immersed in the Brahman
and do acts of the Brahman. One who dedic!ites every thing
to the Brahman becomes the Brahman in a moment. Or dedicdte
, every thing to lsw fira, become lhe Iswaraatman and tho diseass·
les~..It you realise that tswara resides in aH beings. you wiU be
the adoration of tbe eatir~ earth. Or, give up all samkalpas
completely. see every thing as equal, remain in contemplation, be
peaceful. be ever fu[l with self··realisatioo;-then also you will
attain salvation.

Arujuna;- "What is dis~Jsociation? What is dedicating every

thiog to the Brahman? What is ls...varaarpana? W h~t is J aaaua
What is yoga? pray elucidate.

Sri Bhagavan:- ' The ' cessation of all sacnkalpas, the destr·
uction of all vasanas and the utter absence of ev~o the srn:llll!st
• form to be contemplated lead .. one to the
.
blessed state. which is
. . . .

verily called the state of Parabeahma. 17be effort of the wi~e to

get at it is called jnana or yoga. I and the whole wodd. all all is
the Brahman; coming to this conclusion is ~Brabruaarpana'dedicatiag
to the Brahman, 'lihe ·Brahman shines as a vaccum inwardly as well as
outwardly.hard like the heart of the stoile. p~aceful,pure as the sky and
164 Yoga Vasishtha
the non-drisya. The world comes out of it ~nd appears as different;
this is false . fbe world is attributed to the Brahman; It is an ilJu ..
sion. A very very very minute part is Jiva, an illusion. We
should not ea tangle ours\! lves in this illusion. The indivisible
Brabman appears to be divisib l:.! and d 1vided. T be divisibility of
the Brabm.io and eg·J is m in the indivisible Brahman do not stand
to reas oo. The b-4sel~ s ; divisibility of the Brahman is false. The
ego-monkey is no t diffcren t from t be so also t b
Brabrnan;
elephant and tbc pot. Abanta, (I, Mine etc) the ocean etc all are
none other than the full Brahman. Theo whdt is the meaning of
attachment !o them? Innumera ble pec uliarities appear in the Brah'"
man. full of koow k dge . Then why not kee p trust in the Brahman
the absolute? ha the mind of one who thus makes self - enquiry.
the ego and attachment can not live for long. He theo gets the
result of giv ing up acrioos, Thi5i is called Saooyasa, good giving
up. This results in samkalpatyaga or the state of asanga. Con·
centrate all t be cre ations in . Jswara and give up t be idea of dua Iism~
Tba is lswa raarpa na, dedication to fswara. The differences arc
created in Chidatma due to ignorance. To the knower of Self
the world aod the Brahman are one and the same no doubt about
it. I am the quarters, I am the world, I am the action, I am the
time, I am the adwita, I am the Jwaita, I arn the ogoislic world.
Keep your mind on me, be my devoLee, perform sacrifices for me,
salute to me ever, if you always thiuk of me you will become
myself.

Arjuha : - 'You have two forms the ordinary and the

1reat (para aod apara) What kind of forms are they? Which form
when worshipped bestows salvation?

Bhagavan :- 'Arjuna, my ordinary form is with bands feet

and other limbs holding the conch, the wheel, the mace etc. l\1y

.
great form is that which has no beginning and end, the diseaseless;
Nirvana Prakarana 165

this is called tbe Brahman, the Atman, Paramatma etc. As long

as you remain unenlightened and devoid of self-knowledge. worship
my ordinary form as per the injunctions of tbe Vedas. Later, with
the p1uity of beart you c1n realise my great form, realising which
you will never be reborn. lf your mind is pure, if you realise tbe
realisable, if you realise t be Br ab man as Pure Consciousness.
examine carefully jiva and ls .vara, twa m and tat and arrive a\
th«it conclusion tbat ther~ is only the One~ the undivided, tbe
indivisible, the full Atman and attaia it . 'I acn this, this is l'
all tbese words I U~ :} j jll:H to te1cb you !h~ knowledge of the
Self. (f you f~d sure ttlat you realised what I said and rest in
the great Paramapada, if all your doubts are fully cleared off,
rest your.;elf in tbe true One Atmaa. s~e tbe Atman in all beings
being tbe same Atm 1n, treat ever ev~ry t bing as equal. See every
thing tn tbe A~man aad tbe Atrnao in every tbing, lf you witness
tbe Atman as On'! and in all being\i, you will never be reborn,
though you do all kiods of deeds . The all means tbe One that is
tbe all; tbe one is the Atmlo; tbis is n~itber sat nor asat. 'llne
moment it is experienced it is attained. Sbioining in the minds of
all in the three worlds, making them shine and causing us thin~

I and mine is called the Atman. The liquidity of the waters of

the worlds, the t::iste of cow·milk in tbo three worlds and the tast~

of salt of the oc~ao is tbe Atman. Thi srate of tbat subtle expe·
rience that is evident ia ell lh~ o;.>dies of the beings, whi~h shines
as very subtle coming out of ttie sum-total of the objects, that
Atman shines all-exoansive . Just as there is ghee in all milk, in all
bodie», the Atm.tn is exisrnat. Just · as Lhe lustre of the gems of
the oceans is Lbe cause of the extl!roal sbiuiog of tbe ocean, the
inner lustre of the Atman is the CClUSe of tbc sbining of the bodies
externa1ly. Just as the thousands of p :)ts contain the sky in and
out, in the bodies of the three worlds, the Atman in the form
of ego shines, Just as the thread in the garland of p~arls remains
unseen, ·in a\l the ..nillioos of bodies the Atman shines unseen Th
 l 6fl Y oga V asishtha

jnao i kuov·1s full well that the changeless Atman, io which all
things from the highest Brahman to the lowest grass.piece are
do rmant1 is bi ctb less, changeless. The Atinan. tbe cause of egoismt
the worid ere the i1lusioos though attaias the form of jiva like
tbe lustre of the gem, attai11s tbe form of jiva does not lose its
t~ II fo rm but rem1i llS as the Brah maa, All the cban ges of the
world are tb~ Atman. Tbe only Orie Atm1n kills whom? Whom
cao it kill? wby do you b .n ber about the sorrows of the world
auspiciou.:i and inauspicious? The true ::;t:er is the seer of the
Atman , wh1ch is the mirror to the 1·eflecti0ns, tbat shines as
witness and remaius undestroyed in tho destructive bodies. I am
this, I a::n not tnis·- this saying of mine is as good as dividiug
the mirror 'and the r~ftection keqJ off tbe refJect1on and present
the mirror. Realise me as the pure oalllred, the non-dual aud
the Atman o f 11 Just as water moves in the ocean, the creation,
the destruction and the changes in tha world occur due to tbe
mind's eg o~ Just as in reality al! mountains a re stones, all trees
are logs of wood. all lbe w.ives are water. all things am the
Atman. O ne who sees the Atrnan m all th~ b~in5s aod all the
,I beings in the Atman , does not see the Atman as doer. Just as
there is only water in all varieties of waves, there is oaly gold
iu a ll lbe oroaillents, there is the Atman oaly ia all things
shines. All the objects, all the bein gs. the great At ma all
are Ooe aod the same; there 1s absolutely no difforeoce
whatsoever. When the cha ~~eless Brabm:in alone is all-exis ting,
wbere is the scop~ for ttle ex istence uf th~ WQrld etc? \Vhy do you
grieve io v hi uu nec"!ssarily ~ H ~.flriog ab ,HH tbt Atman absolu- l .

tely fearles5. contemplate rn mind, experience grcally, depend

upon the sam'!ness; Oueness and eternity, from which njver fall-
ing, th~ Jivaorc. uktas rc,am happily in t his world . Conquering ego
and illusiou, getting rid o f as ::>ociati on and its de f~cts, devoid o f
desires, kickiog off the pairs of opposites, joys and sorrows eve=-
rnmainiug in self· knowledge. the jivaomuki:as attain the highest
Brab man. (1·66)
flirvana Prakarana 167

5-.. Ex hortatio n for Self-knowledge

Arjuna, hear me further f0r your s 11.1sfaction and enlight-
enment. Cold and heat, joy and sorrow are the results of senses
aod their sense-objects, They come and go intermittantly; they are
transient. Put up with tbem. As a matter of fact, you are the
Atman. Where i8 joy? Wh ~re is sorrow ? You are beginningless
and endless ~nd also limbkss. Yo u are one and the ever full.
Where are joys and sorrows for you? Wtcb the disappearance
of the illusioo of th~ sense:s and their objeces, with courage of
conviction and looking at joys and sorrows equally unconcenued,
one Gan attain immortality. All these false things are created in
tb~ Atm1 n; it is not irn~ossible to bear th~rn. la reahty, there are no

joys or so:·rows io the Atm.!n ctt al!. vVbeo the Atman itself is preva•
lent ever everywhere, where can aoatma b~? The asat can not stay;the
rnt can not but stay. Hence, there are no joys and sorrows which are
false. Para ma tma alone shines resp leaden t anywhere and every-
where, The thought that the world is aad tbe thought that the
Atman is not and che ignoranoce tbat joins tbem both-leave
aside for gC:lod; Stay on firmly in tbe Cbidatmaa. Though it is
animate, the seer, living in the body itself will not be happy at
joys and unhappy at sorrows. Tbe inanimate things that form the
body i. e. the mind etc experience joys and sorrows. Even if the
body perishes or gets weakened there cao be no harm to the Atman.
All the il111si0ns like the iuao imate body, the jiva lh$.lt experiences
joys and sorrows are of illusion due to •gnoranoe. There is only
the Atman; tbere is nothing else tban tbe Atman . The body, joys
and sorrows ~tc are all false, it is iguor lnce t bat gives the illu ..
sion of sorrow: by complde kaow!edge it will be destroyed . Tbe
fear of the serpent io the rope is bc- rn of ignorance: it is des·
tr o yed by knowled g,e; thus, the ill usioos of bodily sorrows tttc
will be wiped our by knowledge. T he wh ole world is full with
the F ull BrahmaL., which wi.1 ncvt r b~ d~stroycd; it is nev,r
168 Yoga Vasishtha

born. This is the only truth, the highest truth. This 1s

the highest knowledge· In the vast ocean of the Brahmao, many
waves rise and again di'lsolve themselves in the whirlwinds of
tbe Brahman, with the knowledge of which you will be Brahman
again. The time, place, actions, you, I, and the vicissitudes of
thought and non·thougbt, all are the illusions that appear in the
Brahman. in wbicb they really do not exist. Give up fear and
sorrow; pride and ego. joys and s:: > rrows, Giv~ up dualicy the
asat; be the form of the s.tt. Th Hl'.jh yJu wage war killing
crorea of armies, fill it op with the pure Brahman, Unite with
the pure Brahman ignorance, joy and sorrow, gain and Joss'
victory andi defeat; you remain as tbe ocean of the Brahman,
Treat gain and loss as one and the same· Realise the truth ;
never cntertaia the mean ideas of jiva etc. Like the wind kept in
a cave, be firm unmoving and wage war. Corne to the firm con·
clusion that what you do,wbat you eat, what you offer to the fire-god
wbat you give is the Atman. What one thinks inwardly, be surely
becomes that. Therefore, b ecomli the true Brabmao, immerse you-
rself in it. The knower of Self never desires the fruits of bis
action~ ; he becomes tbe Brahman. with the idea of the Brahman
performs all duties that fall upon him. Whoever sees in actions
the non-doing Brah.man and in th~ Brahman actions, he is the
wise among men; be is the full action- doer, performer of actions.
Arjuna, never fall under the grip of lobba etc; never have repulG
si<> n fot duties that fall upon you. Be a Yogi; do aciions;
have no attachment with c. ny, W ithout interest. without igoor
ance, wi tbout becoming a non-doer , treat all as equa l and p erform ".
actions tha t fall on you . Give up interest in the fruits of action,
b e ever contented, never d epend on aoy body, or any thing ; do
actions, you will be the non · doeii . Tn e idea if doersbip is attac-
hme nt; the idt:a o f oou-dot rsb1p is de;:cachment. The mind should
give up all that is ig1torau t . R eali sin g the Selr, liv1og in i c, t be
great man wh ile d ci .'J~ a ll actions wiU never think that he is the
 Nirvana Prakarana 169

doer. The non-doership leads to n'ln-enjoyersbip. whic}i leads to

equality, which leads to endlessness. which leads to brabmatwa you
have given up the idea of the varied many·aess. You became one with
~ the Self.Your dotng the duties or non-duties, you will nut be the doer.
He is called the wise scholar whose actions are devoid of desire and
attacbmeot,whose actions are burnt by the fire of koowledge by the
koowers of Self.The man of equality,tbe huroble,firm,peaceful,detac-
bed from the s~nse-pleasures will be a non-doer, though doiog innu-
merable actions. Remain abov~ duality, be the Atman, perform
deeds tba t fall on you; you wi \I t heo adore t be world. By contr -
oiling the senses of action. the fool that always thinks of sense·
pleasures is called the mitbyacb .1ra vain principled. First, control
the senses by the mind. do actions by the senses of action
unattached and disinterestedly; that .; s the best karmayoga. One
•· in whom a11 the desires subside, just as the flowing rivers of
flood subside in the ocean, who is firm like the greH ocean (of
the knowledge of Se\f) attains perfect peace; never the man or
desires. (1-38)

5 5. Jivci ta ttvvanirnaya, Enunciation of the idea

of the individual soul
One should neither give up pleasures nor be thinking alw-
ays about them but should treat them both as equal and be
doing actions as they fall on undesired. Never think tbe body as
the Atman; it is anatrrno, ev~r changeable. Ever think or the
true Self. If the body is destroyed, nothing is destroyed; if the
Atman is destroyed, every thing is destroyed, but it will never
b<: destroyed. This is true ever. This Atman is different from the
mind; the Atman will never become dilapidated . If this is sepa•
rated from the mind and ev~ n if actions are done, one will be
the non·doer: Passion is doersbip, dispassion is non doersbip; mind's
ignorance should be wiped off when it is prevalent. Under the guidance
170 Yoga V asishthv

of a great mao. one with absolutely detached mind may do innu-

merable actions; but he will not have the doership The wise know
that the Atman is beyond destruction and d~atb. The illusion
that the Atman perishes is grief-giving The great knowers of the
Self will never think of the Atman as destructible. They find in
themselves the Atman direct and m:v~r take tb~ body etc as the
Atman.

Arjuna.- Sir, even if the bodies of tbe ignorant are destr-

oyed they will not lose any thing .

Bhagavan:- 'Yes, Thus never any tbiog is destroyed· When

there is only the Self and that 011e is never destroyed, whatelse is
there to be destroyed? It is only due to illusion that one thinks
this is lost; this is gained, If the illusion is absent or destroyed.
th~se idea:s do not cccur just as the so11 of a barren lady newr
exists. The c sat nevn r xists; the- sat is never non-existent-the wise
realised this. The all·expansive Self is indestructible; the imperi-
shable Self can never be destroyed by any body, All the bodies
wi!l be destroyed, never the Atman So, wage war. Tne ooe, the
only one absolute is: nothing else is, the one is the indestructibl('.
the endless a, d the sat. the only sat. If you go above oneness
and twones~. aekatwa, dwittwa, there remains tbe Pard.mapada
10 between sat and asat. That Paramapada ·is all-peace.

Arjuna;- ''What i& the reason for thinking tbat lhe

immortal Self bas death ? what is the reason for the existence of
the men, the worlds and hell and heaven ?

Bbagavan :- "Tbe jiva with the tanmatras earth. w lter,

fire, wind the sky, the mind and the intellect lives in the body.
He is dragged by the rope of vasanJ, like a calf of the cow:
bound in the body like the bird io the cage, he is As per time
and place, as the body becomes weak, spoiled: the Jiva goes t0
an.other body taking along with him, just as the wind takes the
 tvirvana Prakarana 171

fragrance &long with it the five senses, the t'ars. the eyes, the skin,tbe
tongue and the nose. The body of vasanas only gets destroyed; with
the destruction of vasanas, then remains the Paramapada, The
jjva with the vasanas becomes strong by food and drink and
roams in different birthvgivtng organs. Just as the man created by the
mesmerist roams in the sky, the jiva carrying tlle burden of illusion
roams, Just as the wind takes the fragrance from the flowers, jiva
with vasanas, with th~ qualities of senses from Lhe body goes to ano"
tber body. When the jiva goes out of the body, the body becomes
unmoved. This sta!e, like the stare of Che non-movement of the
tree with the stoppage of tbe wind, is called death, Then the
body without moverneut, as if the limbs are cut off or disjoined,
begins to decay and dis1pp~ar. This lifeless body is said to be
a dead body. The jiva going out of the body finds all bis
~· vasanas as if personified sees in tlle sky above as per the power
of bis vasana.s Lhis b-,dy of tbe jiva is false but be sees it.
As this a!so 1s perishable, do not look at it as one sleepiogi
soundly. As is the begiuniog so is the eod of a tbing. H ran-
yagarbha creates iPnumerable beings with the help of bis c reatiog
power in the beginning of toe ka)pa ; s per his previous vasanas.
That is the creation of the world. Either in tbe beginning or at
the end; it bas no truth in it, but it! appears to be true The
thing that posses,es a certain nature at the beginning of its creation
will remain so tii! its end. lt is the power of ll1e Brahm·1n that gives
the power to the thi;H; s; if that is absent, they will not exist at
all. The previous sins are got rid of by acts of repentence;
yesterday's house is burnt to ashes by the fire of to-d y. 'Jbus, the
vas anas of the p ?- st can be destroyed by the self-effort. One can
achieve what he want5 by sincere aod serious self- effort. Ev(n
~f the Vindbya is broken, even if tbe wlods of the deluge blow,
the wise will never give up st If-effort as directed by the Sastras.
The jiva immersed in ignorance from ti mes immemorial, by the
172 Yoga Vasishtha

power of bis thick vasanas sees before him heaven. bell and the
creation of the worJd.

Arjuna:- '' Please tell me the reason for the creation

of heaven, hell and the world anj their existence.

Bbagavan:- " Vasanas are the reason for the creation of

the dreamlike illusions of samsara.

Arjuna:- '' How are th e vaasoas born? How do they go?

Bbagavan: •' Tbey arise from ignorance and create the

ides of Atman in Anatm~n. W ith the knowledge of the . Self,
ignorance vanishes; with it the vasaaas also vanish. You are now
in the know of th ~ Atman. wbicb you have realised. Give up
the ideas 'this, l. mine, our kith and kin' etc.

Arjuna;- '' If the Yasanas are destroyed, tbe jiva also is

destroyed. With the jiv:i time and place etc are also dtstroyed.
Tbe thing that depe nds uoon another will also be destroyed with
the destruction of the other. Then who will undergo birth and death?

Bbagavan:- '' It is the Atman that becom es the jiva, by

its own desire. with vasanas. By enlightenment. tbe j iva giving
up vasanas becomes the A t man. Be a jivanmukta and realise
this real truth. Ooe who is libe rat ed from the vas.1 nas is liberated
from the shakles of samsara . Tf the vas d n a ~ are not destroyed,
even if one is a sarvajna, all · knower and sarv :id harm aparayan a,
the observer of all dharm as he is a bird imprisonej in a cage.
The A 1man can oat be seen by tbose who are bound by vasanas
the existence of the vasanas like the peacock's tail in the sk y as
shown by the mesmerist will not allow one to attain th~ Atman.
By the help of the Sastras, if one destroys the vasanas, one can
attain salvation, which is nothing other than the destruction of
t be vasanas, (1~45)
Nirvana Prakarana 173

56. The description of the mind.

By giving up vasanas, you will become a jivanrnukta with
peace of mind. So, give up the idea of sorrow due to the death
of the kitb and the kin. Never entertain the doubt ab )Ut jar a and
marana, old a ge and death. Let yo~r inind be as broad as the
sky. Let tnere be no likes and dislikes; have no passion for any
thing. Do your duly as ic falls upon you; do action; you will
not lose any tbing. The nar.ure of the jivaomukta is to act, do
duties and perform karmas, but oot to give up . Giving up kar-
mas can never be jivanmukti . ' I should do this, I sho uld not do
this' th ese are the ideas of the ignorant, not of the wise, who are
equal in doiog and non-doing. Performing duti es as ttlcy fall upon
liko a flow, ke~ping up mental p~ace the Jivanmuktas remain as if
l bey are iu souod sleep. Just as the tortoise contracts its limbs
within, the jivanmuktas contract tbeir senses without allowing
them to fall on sense·obj~crs and remain firm in Paracnt1tma
unshaken. The mind-sculptor oo the Paramatman-stooe cbisles the
three-world picture of the three times 3ue to ignorance, though
unseeg, it spreads in the s~y of ignorance and shines withe varied
vicissitudes of mind The Hiranyagarbba, creating the world
-picture also created the subtle sky as its prop' The illusion of
the world is beginniogless and endless full of maya, lik~ the wall
of straw. To the ignorant tbis IS true aod to the: wise never.
The wall aad t he painting on it appear different; so the mind
and tbe world but in reality tbey are one and the same. The
mind's pic1ure~painting is as vaccum as the sky Like the dream
which makes one experience the thr ee worlds rn a moment
which are quite false, the mind also makes one experience the
three worlds, which are as false as the dream-worlds, To the
utterly ignoraot, they are true . To the knower, it is an i 11 usioo ~
That the appearadce of the worlds is an illusion is known on1y
when one b~co:nes a jnani, to whom the illusion van is bes and
 17-l Yoga Vasishtha

dis solves in the Brabmaa ju~t as tbe shining of the sarat cloud
9

djgsolves Ill the S unshine Then tbe miodupainter's three worlds ..

picture having no c1n vas l) f wall vcinish es b~coming formless 0

I I They are not in you; there 1s tlO relations hip between you and
them. Tileo wbo is kill ing wbom? who is killed by whom?
Giving up L be ideas of tbe killer and t be kt \led, remain in the
sky of tbe B ·ahma n, pure and peac .! ful. The Brahman bas no
activity; what appears as activity is the Brahman itself .There ..
fore,this picture- painting, depending upo n time. action etc: its
differences or variety is tbe Brabrna kasa Itse lf. The miod·created
kingdom appears as tbe world; but it is nothin g Thus, the world
also is a greater vaccum than the sky. What tbe mind-painter
painted on the mind - canvas is a peculiar wor1d, the origin and
dissolution of wbich take place in tbe mind itself. Io tbe s1me -
way. in the wor ld also v~ry transient things c o nstruction and
destruction, birth and death take place . Due to illusion, you
got the ideas o f tbe killer aod the killed io the mental kingdom
You got rid of tbern by my teaching. Just as the mind is
capable of creating its own kingdom. it can make a moment a
kalpa .. Hence the false world appears as begin ningless and of
innumerable kal pas . The 1ni uJ ma lce5 Lrut h fal sehood and vice
versa. Hence this illusion . In ~ mome nt, th e mental kingdom
arises and appears as m ·r ny it arises from the
world'i . A)
Brahman, the ever liberated, the igno r.1tlt beli eve it as trU ! and
indestructible, though it is mean and tran sie otl It is created
in the Brahman and hence th~ illusory w,)rid neither is nor is
not. In the m ind of tbe mind·paioter tbe world never existed ~

Without canvas or the wall-background it remains with colours,

Wonderful, the painting without prop shines bright. It is attra ..
cting the sight and the mind as if a very grand painting. It
is painted. with innumerable filthy paints and shines
by the lustrous objects like the Sun, the Mooa and the stars
Nirvana Prakarana 175

etc. Its l irnbs are varied ka I pas; it re ma ins due to differeo t

desires; it bas eyes .vith varied playful loo ks c alled the experi-
ences. of variedoess. As per the movement of the Sun etc, it draws
different colours. In it there is a blue lake called the sky with tbe
lotuses of the suo,the moon and the stars etc.On the wo£ ld-wad call-
ed the sky, there are the clvud-leavcs lakiog difftr~ot shapes and bu·
pches of flow~rs A.t different places, there are pictures of gods. men
and demons. This appears as a lady young and fair lus trous with
the ~uoshine and moonsbine · The tbreewo1 l<l divine dancer is created
in the Brabrnakc:a-ia. Genius 0r intellect is its d.!ocing grouad: it
is understood from the activitic:s of the rn md coming out from
the Cbaitanya; the witness. She is fickle with her luxuriJus mov·
ements; her creator is the mind -lover. The Brahm<inda is her
golden-c•JlotJred body•creeper. the clouds are he'r h~irs curly. she
\ooks at the world with her two eyes, the Sun aad rhe Mooo. She
wears a double cloth pravritti and nivritti that establish dharma,
artha and kama. the nether world is her foot; the earth is her
nitamba; Brahma, Indra. Rudra, Hari are her four b ands; viveka
and vairagya, discri minat ioo aod dispassion ar~ her two breasts;
the quality sattwa is her breast - cove;ing jacket; her feet·
bearing, - seat is the earth born by Sesba the thousand·
hooded serpent; the world of men ts her stomach; the Meru
Mountain etc are the beautiful lines on her body. She is dispe-
lling the darkness of tbe uights by the ~ un and the Moon, her
two eyes; the st ~ rs and the 1igbtnings are the group of her teeth.
The bei ngs of tbe four v.irietie:s of the fourteen worlds that run
hellmeU for fea r of tbe Dooms Day Destruction arc the joy-hairs
that rise from her body; she wears the garl anJ of kadam ba"
flowers-sounds of th<:! Dooms Day. fhe tbree-world .. painting full
of innumerable jollies is painted by tbe expert mind-painter on
the sky of the Br .•hman only with individual souls and their
varied deeds. All this is a myth, utterly false.(1·37)
176 Yoga Vasishtha
57. The description of the inner peace of Arjuna
Arjuna, observe th is great wonder. first the painting and
~·
next the canvas are creatt:d; the baseless painting appears and
then its prop. How wonderful! is tbis illusion? Tbe tumba nut
that alway." floJts on water i~ drowned and 1he great stone that
always drowns in water floats on wa1er 1s drowned and the great
stone that always drowns in water f !oats now You attained the
knowledge of the Self. Wby do you care for the mlnd-kingdom
like ~ssenceltss things? The world nay all the worlds is a mytb,
a vaccurn. What or who ts your attachment to the ;n ?
Sarvam vyomakritam vyomoa vyomni -wyoma viliyate
Bhujyate vyomani vyoma vyoma vyomani cbaatatam
AJl appear in tbe sky by the sky and dissolve in the sky;
the sky enjoys the sky; tre sky is covered by the sky. Vasana,
the endlessly spread like a rope rounded the wb01e world; tbe
Chidakasa also is rounded by it. Just as the refltction falls on the
mirror, the world reflects in the Brahman; as the Brahman jS
its source, it 1s cut off only by. tbe knowledge of the Self for
that reason, This world liable for differences like the killer
and the killed, shines in the sky of the Brabman, not different
from the Brahman, When only the Brahman exists and nothing
else. who will be destroyed by wbom? By my exhortatiol! you
have become devoid of vasanas . If one is not devoid of vasanas.
even if he performs all duties, e11en if be is the knower of all
Sastras iike a p a rrot in the cage is always bouod . In thelfield of t he
mind, even if a very very small seed of vasanas, by it the mmsara
becomes eJCpansive, all-embracing By ktndliog the fire of true
knowledge in the mind by practice and by dt:stroying the vasaoa
seed completely, it does not sprout again. Just as tbe pure 1otus-
leaf though in water will not be submerged under water the mind
which has the burnt seed of vasana does not entangle itself with
abjects that give joys and sorrows. Devoid of fear and greed
with peace reignmg supreme within by my teaching of knowledge,
getting rid of the illusions of. the mind, remain firm in "the Atman,
as a symbol of absolute peace aod Tranquillity. (1·12)
/\~ ir>1na Prakarana 177

58. Arjuna's fulfilment

Arjuna.- -~ Ob Lord, all il{usion vanished; by your grace,
my mind regained the remembrance of my being the Self. I
remain with no doubts of any kind. I will do what all you asked
me to do.

Bhagavan:-" Arjuna. if by my exhortation the vasanas are

destroyed and tbey never rise again, take it for granted that your
mind is in peace and is devoid of vasanas . Then w bat is called
'Pratyakcbetana' becomes the Brahman devoid of upadhis That is
the All and tbe all-pervading. The physical limbs or any thing of
tbe world can not see that state just as tbe high flown bird can
not be seen. The pure and the Desireless Atman is the 'pratya-
kchetaoa' and makes many things shine, but 1t i! not seon like
a thing far far away. Tbis Paramapada, above all things, the all
auspicious can not be seen like tbe smallest atom without the
necessary equipment, the pure ·vasana.s. With the realisation of
the Self, all ·vasanas disappear. Just as a drop of snow disapp·
e.Hs in no time near th~ f1re·mountainaigno~ao.cc disappears tbe
moment Self· realisation is attained. Wberc is vasaua, tne binder
with pleasures, very wretched like the mean dust-particle and the
all worlds-eogulfiag Cbaitanya wind. Avidya appears witb varied
vikaras so iong as the Self is not realised by the Self' As ·the
drisyas vanish, purity dawns, the Paramatma, that fills itself with
every thing and fu!l as the sky app~ars. Tbe form of the entirity
the form that is devoid of the world, inexpressible by words is
the form of the Atmao, to codlpare with which there is nothing.
The Vishucbi, th~ di:iogerous disease of cholera, drive away with the
spt!ll of destroying the Vi sh uchi-driviog·expert carefully. Be fear-
less in samsara· and become the Bbagavao yourself.

Vasishtba:- " Having thus spoken the Bbagavan, the Lord

of the worlds, keeps quiet for a while before Arjuna. Then Arjuna
1,,. 7,,
x Y og2 Vasishtha

speaks to him thus, jusl as the bl:-:. ck-bee speaks to the white
.l ot us. ''Oh Lord, by yoUi exhortation just as the lake of lotuses
is exhorted by the Suo, the kin g of the world , my mind attained
jnana of the highest kind; tbe burden of sorrow was rooted out.
'' Thus speaking Arjuna gets up, doubtless wages war like a play,
Having Lord Krishna as bis charioteer. with bis invincible bow
Gandeeva io hand Arjuna wages wu shedding the blood of elep•
hants , horses. wounding the charioteers, fills the earth with great
streams of blood flowing abundantly; with bis arrow-clouds, tbe
Sun, the eye of the world-sky will be filled witb dust rising
from the arrows'(l-17)

5_,. Pratyagaatmaavab0dhaoa (praty a gatn1a-par""

ameswara, Brahmacba itanya)

Rama, follow this poim of view, wbicb destroys

and take aud ai!!1tangas'.lnoyasa, reouociation followed by aon-att~
achment and dedicate every tbing to tbe Brabmdn. realise that
the Paramatman is full of every thing; it is every thing, every
where ever. it is full of all, aH is full with it; it is eternal•
Though it appears to be far far away, H is very very near u"
it is all·spreading. If you rernzrn 10 it ev , r, you wil!
become it ever; you can not be otber tban that Th~t

which reflects in the activities of the mind and that whicb is

the Witness, is devoid of the three Jnatru, Joana, jaeya - tlrn
triputi-is the Paramapada. It is the hig11esl of the highest; the
greatest of the greatest view-points; it is the most glorious of
the gloriest; it is tbe mos t valu 3.~ l ~ of tll~ valuaoles. Tbis
•
highest Atmau is the form of Samvit; it is not a vaccum. The
highest state, the f ult est knowledge, this peacc: fof state is all ..
auspicious and tho supreme state ov~r which tbere is nothing.
1t is the form of all e~perience:> io the body; by its existence
all things appear as tn1e~ it is the Brrthmau; it is oil to the
 Nirvana Prakarana 17':J

sesame seeds of tbe world; it is the lamp to the house of the

world; the juice of 1he tree of the world and is rhe protector
of the cattle of the world, This is the thin thread spread in
the sky of pearls of the beings. This is the beings bliiaCk pepper's
thick flavour. It is the thingness of all things; of the pbi loso ..
pbies. the highest, it is the power of ttiiugs sat; it is the noth -
ingness in things asat, tbe o nly thiog that exists and can be
attained only by knowledge firm and true. AH the ideas of the
world shine due to ignorance, All lhes~ things disappear with
self.. enquiry; from the ego to tbe groups of worlds are the
illusions created in the Atman, Those who believe them as true
are bound; all these are the first and last ego. Who can describe
or specify the sky of the Brahman, which is devoid of the
bggioning and the end? The koowers of this do karmasa
actions sincerely. Those whose minds attarn this equality and
equanimity will have no rise and set, birth and death. One
who attained the body full wnb the Hrabman, without the world
and witb non-dualism and with mind uudisturbed will never get
confused though immersed in the worldly affairs. The reflection
of the man in the mirror wdl never bother about respect or
oisrespecc of others. fbus, even in tbe midst of wordly affairs,
the ideal man wbose mind will never ge t conf u .Jed, attains sal-
vation , Though the reflection falls on the mirror, it wiU never lose
its real form, even though the worlds fall in t be gem of Chit,
it does not lose its origina l real form. { n the very pare Chit
all the affairs reflect; the world, ~be peculiarity of the Chic
a also 1eflects. In reality, except tbe Chit, there is nothing one
uess, twoness, my e1'hortation, your f ollowiug it etc~ Th~y are not,
different from it, The all-peace Atman changes itself: in itself the
change of Chit is the world; the cbangelessne ss is Para.napada.
If the change ends. the samsara ends; if in the great Chi-t, the
indivisble Brahman, the creations of the world ends. the Parama 1
pada si attained; this is the destruction of tbe vasanas. The
180 Yoga Vas ishtha

movement of th~ samvit is only a creuioo, kC\lpana# the experts

i n experience say th::it the inanimate movementlessness is the
nature of the Brahman . fbe creation or the world , the exhibi-t
tion of th ~ form of anaatma and the inanimate form of the
world. if believed appears to b~ s') ; if the ii ea is arJt taken
as true or dissolved . it becomes essenceless . If tbis idea is united
with the Cbaitaoya, Chaitanya alooe re-n ains . The wise know
that the change of Chaitaoya is the wb eel of s ·1 msara roling.
All tbe ideas like pramata, ; pram{ ya and pra ma na etc just as
the orn ., men ts are not different from gold, are not different from
the Brahman. The movement of Cbit is the world or samsara;
The Chitta, the mind is tbl:! movem ~ nt of Cbit; not knowin g
this is ignordoce: due t o ignorance, just as the ornaments appear
as different from gold. tbe world appears to be different from
r.
the Brahman. With knowled ge , lhe ignorance disappears; thn
ouly pure Cbit remain~; the realisat ion of the truth of self
drives away fo ;ever tb~ vasaua for pleasure·m o ngeriog The
nature of jivaumukta is never lhinkiog of the pleasures of the
world, wby b ecause t be pleas ures arc never happier than th :!
happiness of the knowledge of the Se If Oo~ who is fully fed wi 11
nev~r desire dirty food. A not.her good nature of the j1vanmukta
is that be never likes pleasures naturally as he is cen t p er cent
sure that tbe Self is in differ..:ot forms like the eater eating a rid
the eatables etc. One wbo makes thi ~· idea by practice cock-su e
in bis heart of hearts is a jiv a.nmukta Though be enjoys
pleasures, he is a n o n- enjoyer. His actions to attain the obs-
truction of the world are as good as b e atin~ £be sky with a
•
stick. If the u nnatural wordly mind is not taken as an illusion,
one can never get salvation that confers the higbest bliss
endless. Without specially dissolvin~ all things in the Atman, even
lf one does an adventurous act like cutting off his body iDto
pieces, this illusion does not vanish. Till it vanishes, this move·
ment. the form of ignorance continues. With the acquisition of
 Nirvana Prakarna 181

full knowledge, the various changes vanish. This movement of tbe

Atman is like the laml) exstioguished losing its very name of the
lamp. Like the peaceful lamp, cbe Chit bas neitber movement
nor non-movement. 'Fbe life-wind becoming movementless can
not b~ said as sat or asat or beyond description: Salvation,
devoid of tbe movern~nt of ignorance, tbe reality or Chit is the
same. If the m1od is devoid of movement and if it becomes the
pare Chit it becomes the real form of tbe Atman aad never causes
bondage or liberation. If the Cbit does not take or does take the
form of Cbitta in vain, it would hav~ no bondage or liberation.
'May l attain salvafr:>n' this idea also is injurious to the fullness
of the miod. •J do not want salvation' this idea also leads to
bondage. So it is better and beneficial never to think of bondage
or liberation. Take only the Chaitanya the self·luminous, the prop
of alJ, and devoid of senses is the Paramapada. Bondage 0r libe-
ration will accrue to the movement of Mahachaitanya as the
1'ord and meaning of samkaJpa. As soon as it is seen or realised
the movement. spandana, vanishes, Thus when by mere seeing
or realising, ego vanishes without any prop, what is bound, where
it is bound, and bound by what? The discriminate man, 1a
his own created samkalpa, ' I wanted it, I did not want it,
leaving aside such division thinks that bis own created sa~
mkalpa is false, Thus though wanted, with oo des ire, no move·
meat it appears as non-existent. In this way, when by enlightened
consciousness, movement and the wind full of movement vanish,
the whole seen world vanishes . Wben t be Atman is firm without
a movement, existing, 1 ts lustre 1s bc:c0ming the form of Chit-spa-
ndana, the movement of Chit. Tnis lruth is to be pondered over
ever, the world that is born of it also vaoisbes, d estroyed by
itself, Rama. the knowledge that the lustre of Cbaitanya is Cbit-
spandana, the move ment of Cbit, is ever present, no other Chit-
spandaoa than the lustre of Ctlaitanya ever remains thereaft er.
182 Yoga V asishtha

The knower of Self the jnani, the flong dream full of drisya
appears to pass to ano ther dream, does not poss~ss the illusion
of his own movement etc. as be knows full well that his Atman >
is omnipresent, all· spreading.

Yatrodeti prasabbamauisam &arvasamvittisatta

Yasminnete sakalakalanaakarapankaa galanti
Ud yantyete swadanasubhagam yatra sarvopalambha
Dhya oenaiv;;Hn tamavag o1 maya pratyagaatmaana mantah
Rama, see in your heart of beans the Pratyagaatma, the Para-
meswara or the Brabma·Cbaita nya, from whom always the forms
of worlds come out forcibly, from whom the experience of
enjoying the bliss of sense-pleasures arises, and in whom is t>orn
the state of power of the entire creations by dint of med itation
and worship. ( 1- 48)

60. Vibhutiyogopadesa, the glorious manifestations

of the Atman.

Tb us~ Rama. for every thing the source or fountain is

the Paramapada. the Chidgbana, the Cbinmatra. Tbtt great souls
Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswara etc establish themselves on the
Paramapada; they are full with joy, glory and power. Staying in
the Parabrahmapada9 human beings, the gandh a rv ~ s etc. just as
the heavenly beings enjoy in ht:aven, enjoy for loag, with tbe
powel' to roam in the sky etc. There shall be no birth or
death for those who become the Brahman , tbe highest of the
blisses from that of the mortals to thcit of the trinity. The o ne •
that attained the Brahman will never b~ thirsty or hungry ~
never be hindered by any one, any thing. Jf he knows the form
of the all- expansive Chi nmatra, even to some extent if not fuJiy
0

be will be liberated ~ Even if he is engaged in the affairr of tbe.

world, or sarosara, he will not grieve.
 Nirvana Prakarann 183

Rama :-' Sir, when you say that the all·expaosive Cbinmatra
do you mean the form in which the mind, intellect. ego etc are
dissolved or that which possesses them all?

Vasisbtha:- '' Rama, there is no meaning to your question,

What I meant w!l.s that Brahman, in all the forms of the jiva, in
the idea of Iswara, in salvation too fo llows aad is spread ever
everywhere and does all ~cts like eating , drinking, going etc, tbat
makes all dissolve in sound sleeo a.nd the at time of all Diss ..
olution, that remains in the tureeya, d evoid of all senses, the
all pridomio;;i.nt, the beginning1ess, the endless, that is available
by knowledge, the al I-form and the essence of all. It is that that
is the form of the sky in the sky. in the form of sound in sound
in the form of touch in touch. in the fvrm of skin in skin, in
the form of smell in the nose, in the fo~m or smell in smell.
It is that Brahman that is in the form of strength in body, the
form of earth in earth. in the form of water in water, in the
form of wind in wind, in the form of lustre in lustre, in the
form of intellect in intellect, in the form of mind in the mind. in
the form of ego in ego, in the form of samvit, in samvi in the form
of chit 1a in chitta. In the same way. it is in the form of tree in
the tree, in t be form of clot b in cloth. in the form of pot in
pot, in the form of picture in pictures, in the form animate in the
animate in the f'Jrm of inanimate in tbe inanimate, in the form of
stone In stone, in the form of cherana in the four kin Js of beings,
Thus the "Brahman shines in the form of god in gods, in the form of
man 10 of men. in the form of animal io ·animals and
• iu the form of insect in insects . In the yuga and the year as time
in the form of spring etc in seasons, in the form of miuute and
second in minutt.'s and seconds, in the form of whiteness in the
white things, the blackness in the black things, the form of
actioo in actions, the form of niyati in aiyati, the form of exi·
stence in existence, tile form of destruction in d estruction , the form
184 Yoga Vasishtha

of origin 10 origia, that Brlbman, the Parameswara remains, Rama

that Parameswara exists in the fJrm of boyhood in the boyhood~
in the form of youth in youth, in the form of old age in old men
and in the form of death in the dead. Just as the ocean posse~
•
sses water only in the form of waves etc. the Paramatma exists in
all things, not at all differeot from them. The maoy-ness in
things is false. Just as the boy created the ghost io his mind .
the true nature of Cbit created the world. I am the Chit, spread
everywh~re. It is I that created tbe world myself. I spread the
entire Brahmaada by my innumerable praaks; all this is my
glory, There is nothing whi -.; h is diffor ~ at from me, ' with these
firmly determined id<: as, be peaceful and. remain in your Self- power·

By the time Vasishtba said these words, it was dawo; the

Suo set; the audience left the place saluting each other to per- r-·
form their evening duties, religious. After the nigbt passed, witll
the rays of the Sun, the audience again gathered . (!-24)

61. The world-Dream

Rama:- The wearing of tbe body by Brd hrna etc is as
good as our seeing in a dream towns and cities. The world
also is dream·like. fhen bow did the iHusioo that tbe world is
true come into existence?

Vasisbtha.- I think that this world is the cre · tioo of

vasao.as by Brahma of the provious kalpa when h ·~ was ignorant,
now tba t he attained salvation, his ignorance vanished by attaining.
the knowledge of the Self. Hence, really the world is i non-existent
As the chaitanya i~ all-pervading. so long as ignorance remains, it
attains Jivatwa and experiences samsa.r a everywhere. As samsara is
due to ignorance. when it vanishes with the dawo of knowledge,there
will be no samsara.As Brahma is eolighteaed,this world is as good as
vanished.Hence, take theidea oft be existence of:heworJd as esseoceless
celess. But, it stands tigbt becomiog eoe with the ego, which is boro
 Nirvana Pralcarana 185

of igooraoce. You may ask why this world does not disa ppea r with
f he disappearan ce of the ignora nee of Brah ma. Tbougb t be dream

, is of short duratioo.. it appears as too 1oog as per the luck

of tbe pleasure-loving dreame r. Tbus.the world also which is the
dream of the jivas collectively does nol vanish due to the c bstru·
ction of eojoymeoc.· In this world-dream, just as in dr ectm we
see the things familiari the worlJs of jivas appear con t inuiag
as endless streams forever As is the seed so is tbe fruit, VVe know.
Thus, the world that is seen by Brahma: l1ke the drc:aro-persoo.
is also dreamlike; The creation of the mind that is fal~~
is also false. This creation gives rebirths, heaven and bell but never
trust that creation as true. Though the idea of the world as uu~
is deep rooted. as it is very improper, tbe false world-mindedness
r-· sh0uld b~ rejr:: c red as it is nochiog. lo a dream, wiz fre1 tbat it
is Lruc: . Ihe world-Jrearn of Brabma is aminute for him but a
loog time for us. lt is called a kalp1. A ll the jivas see tbe world
dream; the creations of Chit arise like waves in water. The dream ..
hke innumerable creations are uoc Lrue. As they are the drisya,
they are transient dOd false. At tbe cod of tbe kalpa. Brahma
with bis creation disappears; only t be Paramavastu remains. When
tbe world- dream 1s false, is it p0ssible to believe iL? As whatever.
we see a thing, ll is seen so. I here 1s nothing wbicb is not
possible for illusion. By ignorauc~ only, we see innumerable tllings
in the three worlds, lt 1s impos;) tble to s;c fire in water ~ but .
we see tbe se"- fire, .BCldd.bJ5ui. W c s~~ ~1lies and towns in
the ~kY:. a vaccum; tbe worlds ltke th~ beaven etc tbe dwelling
• places of tbe roamers io tb~ acr opla u ~s, The lotus-flowets are
born in stones. lo the snow-full Himal..; yas, the kalpavriksbas
grow . Only at ooe place all good is accumulated e.g. tbe kalpaka
tree· The stones give us gems e,g the Cbiotamaois. In the interior
of stones, there are living creatures like: tbe frogs 10 the stone.
Water comes out of stones ea g. the Moon-stone emits water. Jn
(24)
 86 Yoga Vasishtha
a moment Jn a dre3m the ghata {pot) becomes the pata (cloth)
De1-th in dream though fa1 st appears to be tru e to the dreamer1
Suddenly the sky is fill ed wit b wa 1e. c- e. g. the st om .:: ch-sky. Tbe .,.
sky is filled with watec like ·vitaana '1he covering above the cot,. e. g9
the sky -Ganges Gre·» t moun;aios rise a11d roam e. g. tbe winged
mountains. The ston~ gi ves eve1y thing e . g· the Cbiotamania All
desires are fulfilled in a forest e g. the Nandanody ana . But some
desires ar~ never f ulfd lcd e ven th ere e. g. Let salvation be attaia
ned or !et rhe n ~ d hmao d;·siroy itself or let ni yati not work or
the Vedas be unauth o rirntive e tc. Even ioaoi mate objects act
l et
e.g. the machiue-mhn. Such and such other impossible things app-
ear to hap p~n ~--, y tllu~>io ns By mesmeri sm or t be art of the gao·
dharvas, such Jl1usion s are created- Su cb illusions are also created
by time, plac:', tbiag, n.eti--:in and th;;; gems. By the art of the
Gandha!' VdS, innu rn ~ r a.b l e h:lppcoiags are possible. Thu s, the world
appe!1rs to be r::al. it is 1 mp ussible to prove it Otherwise, but it
is quite poS5ibk tbi:lt it is foise. By thil ttle co rollary tuat it
wilt be dissJlved in tbe fi..-. ture is (.llSO p ossible. The impossible
1s becoming possible; in the opinion of the igoor..;.ut the world
is existenr; in the opinion of tbe Jnini. it is CVf'r non-existent.
only tne Br ..1.bmi:io js existent, If view~d from the point of view
of tbe Brahman, cbere is no1bing wbich is false; from the point
of view of rhe world, notbio g is true . Therefore in tbe wodd~
dream, every iL1iog is pnsible everywbere and is seen by all~
The dream-immersed man takes ail things of th e dream as true;
those who are immersed in cbe world dream t ake all the tbiogs
of tbe world as true. The jiva U[ldergocs noe illu_,100 after another,
takes tbeffi all as definitely true . In the S:Hn e way, in the world the
the jiva, j1va 11, ioks of tbe world as very true and is engulfed in ill•
usion; that is t be state of tbe ji va . Just ci s the ignorant deer with
great greed for the greeo grass goes to aod falls from one pit
to and in another; the foolish igoordn t jiva due ro his illusion the
ver.v form of downfall, goes and falls fro m one samsara to and in
another samsara .(1-31 1
 1Virvana PrakatHa 1~7

62. J@eva topaakhy aana, t he storv of ·JeevaLh a

beggar .
...
To prove this, i will give you a story of a Bhikshu, a be-
ggar, a parivrn.j~ka. goiDg from place t o place and always in tere-
sted io practifing samadbi, deep c on te m p lati on~ He was eodo wc d
with patience and he used to spenJ th e who le d1y with t Me prrn·
ciples of a parivrajaka putting ia pr actice: As a resu lt, bis mind
became pure gettiug rid of his prdvous vasao , s. Just as water
changes into waves, what he tho u ~b t, he used to beco me that .
One day sitting conceotr cited ,in the yogic p osture in s. rna hi he be-
gan to think of bis duties as a pZirivrajaka. Tbe Bhiksbu thought
•' I sball playfully tbi ok of t be intentions of an a vera ~ e follow.''
Just as water moves, the! fl o wing water becomes a whirlwind, b e
b~carne an average ruao. devoid of !he principles of a p c.tivrajaka.
He bore the name Jeti:vata himself. his mind like the crow and
the palmyra fruit changed as per bis thought and li '- e a drearo-
man he began to waoder io the streflt of bis dream-city. Just as
che black bee drinks the ho. ey. of che flower and becom.es in·
toxicated, be drank wioe and bccei rne iutoxicded . He was rn
sound sleep, ia wbic:h be had a. drea 0, in whicn be thought of
1

himself as a pious br ~h'11a in, gett in~ the V.:!das by throd t and
imt>arting them to bis students tbro 1.1gh mou th! Goi ng to another
couatry in a dream is only by illu sion; so a lso t be brab m inbood
vf the man, J~e:: vala. One day aft·~ r perfo r m1u~ his duties as a
g·.Jod bral1mio, ex hans ted skpt , di 3solv10J his s .u skaras in him·
sdf like tbe tree beco ·ning the seed. He hl d a dream io wbicb
h.~ found himself as a dependent ki ng, wh o a fter eating surnpt·
uously, slept. In sound sleep, be dream t that be was an emperor·
Just as flowers appear on the cree per, all kinds of pleasures and
enjoy nents app.;areJ i n bim. Oae day a fter the evening clawn,
Just as ca...isc possesses in it the future effect, fbe emper rJ r d iss -
olving all h 1s sa rnsklras io h. rn foll as kc p Theo be had a drt' am
t88 Yo ga V asishtha

in which be becam : an iipsaras j\ bc:iv~nly nympb1 just as tbe

juice of a tree becomes th e buncb of fl owers. The heavenly nymph
was dead tired in coat io ;:i with her l1)v..:r and slept Shti bad a ..
dream, in which she became a deer just as water changes as waves
The deer always tbioki of tb ~ creeper with dread as it binds the
deer often. So as per her constant . thought the deer became a
creeper, which sb~ W3nted to become in her dream. The animals
also dream a'.l per the s-i n)kar as of their minds, tbe objects tbey
see becoming tbe causes of their remembrances. Tbe creeper ha·
ving inouinerable flowers, appeared as tbe creeper-house of tbe
forest-gojdess. The creei:)t~r due to tbe presence of the Chaitanya as
Witness in her sound sleep dreampt that it was born as a black-bee.
It was later born so, as per her samskar:t. Tbe black bee. just as the
lover roams with bis lady-Jove roamed in the forest creepers and
0lossomed lotuses Thus roaming in the pearls-like forest-creepers and
groups of flowers.just as ihe lover drinks the nectar of his lady-Jove,s
lips drank ·tbe honey of tbe fJow~rs.One day .it fell in love with a lotui
and became bound in it with I usL fhe inert mini also som~times
fal Js
in love with something.One day an elephant came there and raised its
foot to destroy tbe lotus because the feet of idiots rise to des-
troy the most beautiful- Then the bee with the lotus got entan-
gled in the tooth of the elepban t and became, like tbe grain
grinded, powder. By seeing and contemplating on the elephant, it
became an elephant in her next birth. Just as tbe jiva grieves en -
tangled in the samsara, which is rnore grievous t ban tbe binding
of hands and feet by iron shack les, tbe elephant fell in a pit,
deeper tban the pit of 1ne dried up ocean. Some members of
.'
the royal fa m lly lifted ic up and gave it to the king. The el e ph-
ant won for the kiog battles and became b; s favourite. H became
proud. One night cbe elephant died with the wouod:.; of the swords
of the enemy, just as tbe gust of wind tbe gust of wind of
discrimination blows off the idea of J1va. As the black bees always
roam for its icbor, ar;d at tbe time of death the e]epbant saw a black
Ivirvans Prakarana 189

bee; it was again born as a black bee, T he b~e enjoying t he forest-

creep~rs went ag1in n~ar t. e lotui -lake, It is very difficult !o idiots
to give u p bad habit s acq uired by bad vasrinas, It was again er,.
ushed by the foot of t he elenhan t and was born as a swa n as i.t
saw a "wan at the time of deatb. Later after the swa n got eighty
five other bir ths i n dif Lrent yol'l is, it was born agai ri as a swan,
ft w1' with its C 'l - )·va'l li. c;h~ w nted to b~oome the carriag
of Br1h.n .:i, bearin g its glo r y ~ The desire grew u p like the plume
of th ~ peacock in the juice of ihe egg of the peacock. H avirige
the str o ng idea of beco ming the swan of Brah ma, tbe creator,
always thinking of it, the swan died d ue to the disease c ~lled
' vyadbt' As per its past vasan aq a nd their power, she was born
as the carri age of Bra hma. After beco mi'lp so the swan aquired
discrimination by always hear ing the. words of Brah ma on reone
-ci'1ti on knowledge etc a nd by givirtg up the worldly pleasures kno"'
wing that t hey were quite esse nceless. The later attained jivaornu-
kt i Along with Brahma, the swan will get videbamukti af the
1

end of tbe k ~ lp:i. T h~s, the sw.in bec:i'ne immortl.a (1· 37)

63. Sw ap nasat ~ r udriyakath anam, The st0ry of

hundred fo rms of Rudra in d re ,~ m·
T he swan as the carn age of Brah ma happened to go to
Rudra. seeing w10m the swan th o u ~h . lhdt it is Rudra, At once
lik ~ the ref lectt on falling in t he mirror t he for m of Rudra the
swan atcaincd. J 1J st as £1 ~ fra gra11c ~ ch ·1 r1 g !s as wind and the
flowers as baoches the s w!l n left beh i:d t he previous body and
9

had the , body o f R udra . The s w n- Rurlra beca me pro minent as Gao -
apatya Rudr .1 <ind began to r narn freely in the ci ty of Rudra.
following t he ha bits 11 f R 11 d r ,, . T h c Swa n- R t' d r .:!. by R ud r a- mind
began to t hi nk of tbe p rcv i•)US births• \:V itb t h~ body filled with
k nowled ge and with out an y cover iog ( aavara11a) to the kaow le-
dge. the Swaa·R udra sitting alo ne, quite remembering the past
hundred dr e~ ms. t hought th us: " How . W•)nderful is the world-
 190 Yoga Vasishrha

deluding illusion. though false appearing DS real, like water in the

mirag<:>, mciking the entire world fall a prey to iL Though first
I was the Chit, [ became Chuta and the result is all these !llusio-
ns by my desire to change My cbidamsa . i; all·knowkdge; my
Jadarnsa, is tbe division lik~ tbe sky etc. Later, entering the stage
of cbidabbasa in t be bodies, joining with t be B bu tat;anmatras as
per tbe peculiarities of vasana, coloured like tne painting, I acq-
uired1 tbe idea of the jiva, who uod~cgoin~ innumerable births,
in one of them. I acquired patieace, forbearance, renunciation etc
aod was not troubled by the senses In the Parivrdjika(beggar)
birth, I kept my mind on th~ goj:i ere thinking chat they are
beautiful. I left behind tb.,c I live in every tbiag ~nd so l acql.l-
ired those births. As tbe minJ strongly pl>sS.:~s~s peculiar ideas,
it becomes so just like the creeper takes in wat.r in theSp :10g season.
it leaves, it and becomes dry in tbc summer. Thougb tbe parivrajaka
bad knowledge, his mind roamed 10 the worldly vasands;
therefore, be was delud>!d. He roamed in c!1fforent bodies
like ant roaming rn diffl!rent holes. As be possessed respect
for brahmins~ be became a brahmin. One becomes tbe strong and
deep thought alone. Ht wau<:ed to become a dependent king; so
be became; the tree puts forth such fruit as per the juice it
possesses. As the brabmin performt:d righteous deeds with desire
be became a king. As he was love-lorn> he became an apsarap
heavenly damsel. Ass be desired to have the eyes of a deer. she wa:,
born a deer possessing such eyes. See how the delusion of vasaoa lea-
ds to sorrow As lb~ deer was thinking of Lht: creep::r always, rhe
deer b~came a creeper, bat wa~ cu[ off. A; tbc creeper always
sees the b!ack··b~cs oa it, it b..;cam.; a black bee. L.H~r a~ per
the vasanas, it bad aiaery births wirn att<!chm~nr co samsa.ra.
I am the hundredth bi rcb as Rudra [ n the illusion of samsara. fbus
I roamed in tbe for(;sls ot· smsua, wt11ch appeared as true. In differe·
ent births I came oat from diffe1ent yonis, fem;i.le organs. [ was
Jeevata; I was a brahmin; I was a king; l was an elaphant; swan
 J.V ir irana Prakarana l ':) l

in a lotus-forest. In tbe body-machine I took all these forms.

From tbe moment I came o.it of tbe form of tbe Brah man,
thousands of Yugas, millions of years, accountless days~ seasons
• etc passed. T hougb I had t be necessary qualifications as parivrajak .l
to acquire knowledge, but by fatal fall I beeame tbe SWdU of
Brahma, by whose contact. I became Rudra. If lhere is v~ry stro-
ng sadhana, practice?. a s:nall fall now and then, wbicb results
in falling from inuumera.ble y·1ois, atlaEt, tbe sadbana and sastra-
vasana will sav~ one. If the jivJ luekiiy g 1ias the glorious associ-
ation of tbe saintly, all the in au \,JlCious vasanas vanish. fbe In-
auspicious vasaaa:> can be roo led out by self-etfort, wbicb is 'Very
useful Slrong belief in one appears to be true in many lives. In
the waking and dreaming states. what we contemplale appear to
b.: true in experience. Self-knowledge certainly leads to auspiciou-
sness. Any thought good or bad res 111ts in the mixture of joy and
sorrow; witb no thought whatsoever, one gets tbe conquest of
evi.s and evil-occurrences. Only by fal3e tboughr, tbe jiva thinks
bimselt as the body. This false idea spreads by leaps and bou-
nds itself just as tbe seed b.!coming the sprout, the creeper and
tbe all-surrounding bush. The false idea disappears the moment
one will look at it with Self-knowledge. It is false in the past,,
at;itbe present and in the future aad defocuve ever, We hav~ noLbiog
LO do Wllh l h IS Wrt:tCht!d tl l U:il 0 o. f his W ;Jl' ld-Jll USlOn IS ii k:~ t be

blueness or ttl~ bJa.ckll~~s of tnt! sky, wn1c 'l H false. Just as

the sky is never blue or black, tne world is never existent; it
is tbe Brabmau that is existenc. As we are cent per cent sure
of tbis, we do ool want at.ly m~du.i lu Prov.: It, The truth of
the false world is in tb1:: Bralline:i.11 H.s::lf. Ail ih~ ka\pas etc are
our Self-creations for fun; tbey wd1 oevt r harm us . We fear not
We see the innumerable bodtcs f0r fun . Looked at them in re-
ality, all tbt: upadhis b~come one 10 tbe Self. ::) J tbiuking tbe
swan-Rudra went to tbe place wbtrt: the body of the parivrajaka
lay as dead body without movement .. The · swan-Rudra at once
192 Yoga Vas ishtha
made bis m ind a nd ·the Ch aj tqnyl fi lled knowled ge enter
wit h
the body of the Bhikshuka; T be Bh ik sbuka became ali ve a nd
could u nde rstan d h is del usio n. A ~ th e rayentered o f Rud ra
there and as b2 iq o f sat y as!lmk alo ~, th e dream without van ish ing
in the waking sta te as if remai niru. the d r ~ am rem:iined. As the
Rhiksbuka called Jeevata was wi th t he g 1ia of knowledge. he
could see the Rudrarwa and thP: bfld it>" n f Jf'~ vata etc at the s 'lle
ti me. As a. man o f k nowlPdge. he sho o! d have no sur orise b ut h
was surprised . Both R ud ra and jeevata Wf'nt to another Brah-
maoda . said to be anot her pirt of Cbidalcasa, where the world
of jeevata was pres~ o t. They w:nt to th lt wo~ l.J , that i s l ~ nd

t hat country ard to t h;it hou se wht!re he lived . Th ey saw there

the body of Jeevata, rno vtme ntless as one sl eeping. There t he y
hid their effulge nc e pe rtai ning to R udra and m · de them-
selves invisible to others T hey wtrc of ooe f ,)fm , u~ing their
mind and Clletana made J~evata w 1ke up . The y t hus ap pel red
in tbree forms-R udra, jeevata and Bhik bu1<8 . They we r<. inter.
nally consci ;"us of the mselves. but l ike ignora nt p . . nple, wi th
a·p p ·u e nt wonder remai ned t berP- for a mom e rl ~ like p ictures. fhe
thr ee· the n left lo tbe worl ci of the wh ich existed 10
b r::..h rn in,
ano ther part of the Cbid :l kasa Jt is ()nly jeeva ta's evol ution of
mind. Ir v 1aG fu ll with the h ubb• b of b .~ ir\ gs. fhe y en tered· the
inner world of the Drah manda th ,; islan d, the province a nd the
ro use o f th e brah min, wbo was sk.::pi ng with his wife. who ernb·
r<i ced his n1:ck as if he is her li fe j u ~ t l' Ome o ut. They exhorted bim
with their mind a nd co mcious mss. f1e wnke up. Th e four a p p -
eC' rr d li ke :a.•onda· struk . Th ey a il wer.t to the world of tbe
d c. pe ncl Lo t ki ng, which was no thi 1J g b ut the pervefsion of thei r
mi;:d and w hich was in l b~ Chi d~ 'asa. Thal world: the illusion
c f the dep t uc.j ~·n t
kin g was ve:ry b ·a ut iful. T bey eot ~red that Bra·
bm a nd a, tlrnt coun t ry. t hat provi nce and that house where he
was sleep in g oo his bed, which was like a lotus, H is body was
gold ·like em , drng .lustre; it ?ras oo the fo rt rc:,s of the breasts of
J.Virvana Prakarana 193

bis wife, Hemangi. They appeared like a blaek· bee-couple in

the middle of tb~ lotus. He was among young ladies like a tree
with flower-bunches and was like gGld bedecked with gems and
rubies. They awakentd him by using their mind and consc-
iousne'S. Though they were many they shine with one idea;
though they were wonderstruck, they seemed otherwise. All of
them io tbe same way woke up the emperor; next the other bodies
of other live~; the dead were brought back to life. All of them one
hundred in number ac ~di oed Rud rat wa by the evol utiou of the
miRd called Brahm~bamsa. As their minds were awakened by the
mind and consciousness of Rudra and as they were endowed with
knowledge, tb_;y shone as hundred Rudras. Tha glory of Par1me-
swara is such; though he is the only form of knowledge; the
one and the only Brahman, but takes innumerable bodies to per ..
form innumerable acts; though he is of one forrn be shines in in-
numerable forms the form of Sata Radra, bandred Rudras, shines in
the real form of Chit, devoid of covering (avarana). Causing the
false world, he lives as the inner being of every thing. Thus,
buudreds of tbc forms as SataRudras exist. The present world
illusion you and I experience, is the eleventh world illusion .in
the hundred \'-l'orlds illusions created by the Bhikshu and the Rudra.
One who is entaugled in the labyrinth of samsara like the Bhik
shuka is unable to see, meet the other jivas in the samsara. m
which he is, tbe reason being that they are unenlightened and
ignorant. Tbe ealigbteoed great souls, like the one sea with tho ..
usands aod thousands of waves, can see the one form of all beings
millions aod millioos tbe Brahmc\11; tne un-en1ightened 11 following
'
the apparent things are unabk to see the whole but the parts ~nd

are like oieces of clay, inert. Jw1t as all waves on accouor of rbeil·
fluidity completely mix up mutually, the enlightened souls. as
they are Chiomatrtls, they become one in the power of Cbaitanya

(25)
 19~ Y oga V asishtha
in full mutually. Tbe sum total of all jivas appearing in samsara,
tboagh quite false appears to be true due to the spread of the
powe1 of Cbit1 all-spreading. Joining the truth of reality, the
Parabrahman, defini rely coming to the conclusion that there i 3
nothing except the Bra.bman and every lh1og is Sdf-crcation, 1be
ivas may mutu~lly j 1.)in tog~tber. Wnerev.::r you dig the earih,
there the all·spreadiog sky appl!ars, in the same way, from the
all-spreading tru~ Chai rnaya, whatever is eliminated by knowledge
that and tha t remains as only toe Chit. Just as you see all Lhe
world!l, tbe five elements and experience them everywhere, expe.
rience the reality of the Brab1nao, the soul of all beings sbinin g
everywhere. The sculptor and tbe chisler change the wood and
the ~lOne as diffaent toys or pictures, we see them as sucb: in
the same \Xay, the One Re '.:1 lity, the s 1t is seen in thousands
~·
and thousands of forms; in tbis form of Chit, the world sbines
The world is the false knowledge. in Lhe form of sense-objects
in the Parabrahman, which is pure and the One juice of Chit
and which is beyond the reach of the senses. Ti.le inert form of
the world is irrational and appear3 as vaccurn in the sky; j, e.
there is no other cause for this except false knowledge; Belief in
the lruth of drisya is boodag: ; its non-belief and belief io tb e
Absolute: is liberation. of the two, what you like most, make
strong~ cultivate firmly. quickly . Creation, non-creation, bon:lage,
liberation, knowledge and igno rance are not different from the seer
tb e Witness. Now, do as you please. Why bother about that which
destroys itself if you do not look at it? What you get by reckle-
ssness is already with you. Tbe world appears due to · vedana •
(knowledge; t be experience of j0y aud sorrow); it vanishes due to
'avedana' yo ;,,i know the 'vedaoa ·; now do as you please. The
moveme'lt of water is tbe wave; the throbbing of the Cbit is tbe
world. Tbe difference between wave and water is the same as the
difference between tbe Brahman and the world. Like the waves
in water tbe worlds in the Brahman were not first present; later

II
 Nirvana Prakarna 195

they are attributed to it aod treated as the world. Tbe Self-

luminous form of the Atman, the Chaitanyamatra Brahman, due
to the coverage of igoorauce, appeari og as a bit 1ustrous, took the
form of the world, The real form of Paramatma, the form of Chit
is all-knowledge: not jada1 ioert. Tbe worlds are created by diff-
erences, which please destroy by the best examples given by the
Srutis; Then yoH will realise the world as namesake. Even this
aamesakeness j8 not in the Brahman, wbich is the form of abso]u
te peace, the Paramatma . tbe all~ lUSpicious. The whole world is
nothing bat pure Consciousness. The word 'the world, and its
meaning are not different frorn the Brahman. the world and the
Brahman are never different. Just as the waves and the water cannot
be s~id to bedifftreot; the wo Id and the Brahman can not be differ-
,.
..
·~nt; are not different would never be different. It is due to ignorance
the d;fference appears. Tbe idea of dualism is fit for the state of
ignor:rnce; how c~n it stand at the time of knowledge the absolute
S.:lf-realisation? ( l- 7 5)

o4. Ganatvv·aprapti, the gain of group-status

Sri Ra ma: - ·• Sir, wbat happened Jater to the bodies of
jeevara, brabrn e!na etc and that of the swan etc the dream·bodieS
of the Bbiksbuka?

Sri Vasisbtha:- Rama jeevata and others were born of

the amsa of Rudra. They were happy mutually looking at the
affairs of tbe pa5t, present and tbe future accomplishing their end
a nd aim. Rudra, a favourite of fun and frolic looked at the then
born illusion and commanded J eevata and oth ~ rs to en ter samsara
agaiu. 'Go to your placc'.s, livt': with your wives and children
for some ti me: e nJOY tbe plea s ures thereof and come back to me.
Tbeo you wiil jolll tb e Rudragaoas lhe group of my followers,
who adore my city. At the CD 'J o f the kalpa, .we shall all together
go to Paramapada1 iSo saying Rudrc:& disappeared. The y all beha ~
196 Yoga Vasishtha
v1ng inwardly as Rudraganas with the forms of the Witness of
purn consciousness entered the sams '.~ ras of jeevasa etc- They en-
ioyed the pleasures of flesh with tbeir wives. Later they will be ·'-

Rudraganas. Some times they will shine as stars in the Paramapada.

Srl Rama.- 'How can tbe forms of samkalpa of the Bhik3h-

uka become real? How can imagin ary things become re al ?

Sri Vasishtha :- 'R-i ma 'never think th at the objects of ima-

gination are real. The appearance of reality to tbem is due to the
Brahmaoada, which is ;->.J l·i;ornorehensive. As per the luck of the
jivas. the imagin ary things ge t the power of action,.:ipparentiy not in
realitv. All that appe-ar in dreams or imagination,though .. tbe form of
Truth change as time a11d p lace a poe ar as moving tv other pl~
aces and time e xi~ t o r,Jv in th ~ Brahma n, thP. source of a!L Just
as going to other places is not possibl e without the streng th of
..
limbs, time and the director of pat h, the imaginary, dream things
will not occur without the Chit. As per the luck of the man to
enjoy, as per the vasanas, what were thought of in the mind be-
come drisyas as the Brahman is all -embracing. Without tbe luck
of constant practice, no Para n,-:pada '' nd the gain of things of the
dream or imagination are possible As S1nkara and other rare expe rts
in yogavidya, and vijoaoavid ya, even without due practice, they see
every thing everywhere as per their accomplishments. Without the
practice of conc entration, r can not accomplish the objects of
im1ginatioo. If the mind thinks of the imagined thin g and some
oth ~ r thing also at the same ti me it becomes useless, The conce•

ntrated mind can get at the des ired tbiogs. Caa any body tgoiog
to tbe south reach the nor th? Those who concentrate on desired
thin gs can get the desired things, not others. The concentration
of things before their very eyes, brings them those things . Those
who desire the things they iro a~i o e . due to lack of cooce otrat 1on
they are losing bo th. The Bhiksbuka be ing one of co ncentration
accomplished every thing Rudratwa . sarvatmakatwa and sarvajnatwa