Yoga Vasistha 1

Yoga Vasistha
Yoga Vasistha (योग-वासिष्ठ), also known as Vasistha's Yoga, is a
Hindu spiritual text, traditionally attributed to Valmiki. It recounts a
discourse of the sage Vasistha to a young Prince Rama, during a
period when the latter is in a dejected state. The contents of
Vasistha's teaching to Rama form the basis of Advaita Vedanta [1] ,
the principle of non-duality. The book has been dated between the
5th and 14th Century C.E.[2] and is generally regarded as one of the
longest texts in Sanskrit, after Mahabharat and Ramayana and an
important text of Yoga. It is a religious text that is used to help
newcomers understand the Hindu philosophy. The book consists of
around thirty thousand slokas as well as numerous short stories and
anecdotes used to help simplify the content. Chronologically, the
conversation in the Yoga Vasishta takes place before Ramayana.

Some other names of this text are: Maha-Ramayana,

Arsha-Ramayana, Vasishtha-Ramayana[3] and Vashita Geeta.

About Yoga Vasistha

It is said that this book alone can lead to spiritual liberation. The
conversation between Sage Vasistha and Prince Rama is of that
between a great enlightened sage and a seeker who is about to reach
completeness. This is amongst those rare conversations which
directly leads to Truth. A painting from the Yoga Vasistha manuscript, 1602

This scripture provides several understandings, scientific ideas,

philosophies, and explains about consciousness, creation of the world, the multiple universes in this world, our
perception of world, dissolution of the world and the liberation of this soul, the non-dual approach to this creation.
Just as the blue sky is an optical illusion this entire world and the creation is but such an optical illusion. When the
illusion ends in the mind, the world and its miseries too end. The self is the seer of all, the self is the perceiver of all
and the self is the experiencer of all. And that self is only one. There is no two, there is no subject, seer and the
object. It is all one.
Another oft repeated verse in the text is that of Kakathaliya (coincidence). The story of how a crow alights on a palm
tree and that very moment the ripe palm fruit falls on the ground. The two events are apparently related, yet the crow
never intended the palm fruit to fall nor did the palm fruit fall because the crow sat on the tree. The intellect mistakes
the two events as related, though in reality they are not.
All of creation is the play of consciousness. As an unenlightened person may have a desire for action, and then
perceives themselves doing action, the two are unrelated as the crow and the palm fruit. Consciousness is the actor,
the action, the process and the witness of action.
The book is divided into 6 parts:
1. Dispassion
2. Qualifications of a seeker
3. Creation
4. Existence
5. Dissolution
Yoga Vasistha 2

6. Liberation
The Yoga Vasishta sums up the spiritual process in terms of the Seven Bhoomikas:
1. Subecha. Longing for the Truth
The yogi or sadhaka rightly distinguishes between permanent and impermanent; cultivates dislike for worldly
pleasures; acquires mastery over organs, physical and mental; and feels a deep yearning to be free from Samsara.
2. Vicharana. Right inquiry
The yogi has pondered over what her/she has read and heard and has realized it in his/her life.
3. Tanumanasa. Attenuation or thinning out of mental activities.
The mind abandons the many and remains fixed on the ONE.
4. Sattvapati. Attainment of Sattva
The Yogi at this stage is called Brahmavid or Knower of Brahman.
In the above 4 stages, the yogi is subject to Sanchita, Prabrabdha and Agami Karmas. He/she has been practicing
Samprajnata Samadhi or contemplation in which consciousness of duality still exists.
5. Asamsakti. Unaffected by anything
The yogi, now called Brahmavidvara performs necessary duties of own will (that is, without a sense of involvement).
6. Pararthabhavani. See Brahman everywhere
External things do not appear to exist to the yogi, now called Brahmavidvariya, and functions are performed only at
the prompting of others.
Sanchit and Agami Karmas are now destroyed. Only a small amount of Prarabdha Karma remains.
7. Turiya. Perpetual Samadhi
The yogi is known as Brahmavidvaristha and does not perform his duties either by his will or the promptings of
others. The body drops off after approximately three days of entering this stage.

Philosophy and origin

Some scholars are of the view that Yoga Vasistha is a synthesis of the Upanishadic Brahman, Vijñavāda of
Buddhism and the Śaiva Trika philosophy of Kashmir. The philosophy behind the Yoga Vasistha is that in truth
there is only Brahman or God.

Importance
Yoga Vasistha is considered one of the most important scriptures of the Vedantic philosophy.[4]
In the late sixteenth century A.D. Nizam al-Din Panipati translated the Yoga Vasistha into Persian (Jug-Basisht). The
book became popular in Persia among intellectuals with Indo-Persian interests since then.[5] [6]

Context
Prince Rama returns from touring the country and becomes utterly disillusioned after experiencing the apparent
reality of the world. This worries his father, King Dasaratha. The King expresses his concern to Sage Vasistha, upon
his arrival. Sage Vasistha consoles the king by telling him that Rama's dispassion (vairagya) is a sign that the prince
is now ready for spiritual enlightenment. He says that Rama has begun understanding profound spiritual truths,
which is the cause of his confusion and he just needs confirmation. Sage Vasistha asks king Dasaratha to summon
Rama. Then, in the court of king Dasaratha, the sage begins the discourse to Rama which lasts for several days. The
answer to Rama's questions forms the entire scripture that is Yoga Vasistha.
Yoga Vasistha 3

English translation
Yoga Vasistha was originally written in Sanskrit. It was translated to English by Swami Jyotirmayananda [7], Swami
Venkatesananda, Vidvan Bulusu Venkateswaraulu, and Vihari Lal Mitra. K. Naryanaswami Aiyer translated the
famous condensation Laghu-Yoga-Vasistha.

Quotes
"The great remedy for the long lasting disease of samsara is the enquiry, 'Who am I?, to whom does this samsara
belong?,' which entirely cures it."
"Nothing whatsoever is born or dies anywhere at any time. It is Brahman alone appearing illusorily in the form of the
world."
"O Rama, there is no intellect, no nescience, no mind and no individual soul (jiva). They are all imagined in
Brahman."
"That consciousness which is the witness of the rise and fall of all beings, know that to be the immortal state of
supreme bliss."

See also
• Valmiki
• Vashishta

Notes
[1] Yoga
[2] Christopher Chapple, The concise Yoga Vāsiṣṭha By Venkatesananda (http:/ / books. google. co. uk/ books?id=fe_5bUKSaUEC&
pg=PR10& lpg=PR10& dq=vasistha+ yoga+ date+ valmiki& source=bl& ots=1Ziar1TcGC& sig=b7ha5nS0KJwBWD71qqY8R6bCjAo&
hl=en& ei=A8NMSoGIBIGL-Qap5sCABA& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=3), 1985, pp. ix-x
[3] Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, pp 4638, By various, Published by Sahitya Akademi, 1992, ISBN 81-260-1221-8, 9788126012213
[4] The Himalayan Masters: A Living Tradition, pp 37, By Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Contributor Irene Petryszak, Edition: illustrated, revised,
Published by Himalayan Institute Press, 2002, ISBN 0-89389-227-0, 9780893892272
[5] Juan R.I. Cole in Iran and the surrounding world (http:/ / books. google. co. uk/ books?id=CdzFJIE7f5oC& pg=PA22& lpg=PA22&
dq=vasistha+ yoga+ influence& source=bl& ots=V3C9rk-674& sig=gYCh0pX02QyTH5DVDj5DTm4msQ4& hl=en&
ei=1q1MSv_wD8KF-QaI2dCRBA& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=5) by Nikki R. Keddie, Rudolph P. Matthee, 2002, pp.
22-23
[6] Baha'u'llah on Hinduism and Zoroastrianism: The Tablet to Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Concerning the Questions of Manakji Limji Hataria (http:/ /
bahaistudies. net/ hindu_zoro. html), Introduction and Translation by Juan R. I. Cole
[7] http:/ / www. yrf. org

References

English translations of Yoga Vasistha

1) Complete translation
Vālmīki (1891). The Yoga-Vásishtha-Mahárámáyana of Válmiki. trans. Vihārilāla Mitra. Calcutta: Bonnerjee
and Co. pp. 3,650 pages. OCLC 6953699.
Vālmīki (1999). The Yoga-Vásishtha-Mahárámáyana of Válmiki. trans. Vihārilāla Mitra. Delhi: Low Price
Publications.
Vālmīki (2000). The Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha of Vālmīki. trans. Vihārilāla Mitra. Delhi: Parimal Publications.
OCLC 53149153. Sanskrit text with English translation.
Yoga Vasistha 4

This complete translation is currently being prepared for publication in the public domain at the Project
Gutenberg/Distributed Proofreaders: http://www.pgdp.net
A preliminary version (after proofreading round 1 and partly 2) is available at:
http://www.scribd.com/group/73643-yoga-vasishtha-mitra-translation
2) Abbreviated versions
Jyotirmayananda, Swami: Yoga Vasistha. Vol. 1-5. Yoga Research Foundation, Miami 1977. http:/ / www.
yrf.org
Venkatesananda, Swami (1993). Vasiṣṭha's Yoga. Albany: State University of New York Press. p. 768 pages.
ISBN 0585068011. OCLC 43475324. Abbreviated to about one-third of the original work.
Venkatesananda, Swami (1984). The Concise Yoga Vāsiṣṭha. Albany: State University of New York Press.
p. 430 pages. ISBN 0873959558. OCLC 11044869. A shorter version of the above.
Vālmīki (1896). Yoga-Vâsishta: Laghu, the Smaller (http:/ / www. archive. org/ details/
yogavasishtalagh00aiyeuoft). trans. K Nārāyaṇaswāmi Aiyar. Madras: Thompson and Co. p. 346 pages.
OCLC 989105.
Abhinanda, Pandita (2003). The Yoga Vasishta [Abridged Version]. trans. K.N. Subramanian. Chennai: Sura
Books. p. 588 pages.
Vālmīki (1930). Yoga Vashisht or Heaven Found (http:/ / www. sacred-texts. com/ hin/ yvhf/ index. htm).
trans. Rishi Singh Gherwal. Santa Barbara, USA: Author. p. 185 pages.
3) Ongoing translation at Google Groups
http:/ / groups. google. ca/ group/ yoga-vasishtha - This ongoing translation into modern English also includes
materials for students of the Sanskrit original. The Sanskrit text [in Devanagari and Romanization] includes
literal translations; and extracts from the Commentaries; and other analyses of the text. The first two books are
now [2009] complete and can be viewed/downloaded from http:/ / www. scribd. com/ doc/ 9704185/
Yoga-Vasishtha-new-translation-Book-12. New Cantos are published once or twice a week. Positive and
negative feedback are equally welcome.

External links
• http://sivaloka.tripod.com/YogaVasishtha.htm
• http://www.dlshq.org/religions/yogavasishtha.htm
• http://www.bhagwanvalmiki.com/yogvasistha1.htm
Article Sources and Contributors 5

Article Sources and Contributors

Yoga Vasistha  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=388007510  Contributors: Abecedare, Buddhipriya, ChrisCork, David spector, Davin, Debaashis01, Deeptrivia, Ekabhishek,
Goethean, Goldenhawk 0, Hayadel, Interiot, Internet Scholar, Msankarramiah, Naveenkoneru, Nekohakase, Oxymoron83, Phuzion, Pigman, Prior Unity, Ptr123, SahayWik, Tkynerd, Toktok,
Vikramaditiya, Wiki-uk, WikiKabir, 29 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

Image:Meister des Jog-Vashisht-Manuskripts 001.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Meister_des_Jog-Vashisht-Manuskripts_001.jpg  License: Public Domain
 Contributors: Abhishekjoshi, AndreasPraefcke, Calame, Durga, Emijrp, RobertLechner, Roland zh, 1 anonymous edits

License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
http:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/