After first having drunk water, he should collect himself silently. Then he should [offer] the first oblation to the [life force] called prâna. (13)
The second [oblation] should be to apâna, the next to samâna, the fourth to udâna, and the fifth to vyâna. (14)3
After having completed one oblation after the other, [all the while practicing] the restraint of the life force (prâna) [through controlled breathing], he may then enjoy the remainder to his heart’s content. Taking again water and rinsing, he should touch his heart [i.e., chest]. (15)
Nonstealing, chastity, dispassion, absence of greed, and nonharming are the five most important vows of the mendicant (bhikshu). (16)
Absence of wrath, obedience toward the teacher, purity, moderation in eating, sustained study-these are the five well-known [forms of] self-restraint (niyama). (17)
Above all. [the yogin] should dedicate himself to knowledge that leads to the goal. The multiplicity of knowledge as it exists here [on Earth] is an obstacle to Yoga. (18)
He who seized-by-thirst (trishita) dashes along [in the belief that he must] know this or that will not even in a thousand eons obtain that which is to be known, [namely the ultimate Reality]. (19)
Abandoning society, curbing wrath, eating moderately, and controlling the senses, lie should block the gates [of the body] by means of wisdom (buddhi) and let the mind come to rest in meditation. (20)
That yogin who is yoked incessantly should always practice meditation in empty rooms, in caves, and in the forest. (21)
Control of speech, control of action, and control of the mind—these are the three [masteries]. He who [practices] these restraints unfailingly is a mighty “triple-restraint” ascetic. (22)
“Upon hearing, considering, and understanding this [Yoga- Vâsishtha], asceticism, meditation, and recitation are superfluous. What more does a man require for the attainment of liberation?”
—Yoga-Vâsishtha (2.18.36)
I. OVERVIEW
Whatever is in this [book] is also [to be found] in others, but what is not in it will also not [be found] elsewhere. Hence the learned know this [work] as the treasury of all philosophical learning. (3.8.12)
Thus announces proudly the composer of the Yoga-Vâsishtha-Râmâyana, a philosophical work of about 27,687 verses (though tradition mentions a total of 32,000) written in the finest poetic Sanskrit. The author—whom tradition fancifully identifies with Vâlmîki, the creator of the Râmâyana epic—is poet, philosopher, psychologist, and yogin in one person. In the form of an imaginary dialogue between the ancient hero Râmacandra and his teacher Vashishtha,1 Vâlmîki presents an abundance of ideas, stories, and experiences that show a rare depth and universality of outlook.
The original and now lost version of the Yoga-Vâsishtha was probably composed in the eighth century C.E., and in the ninth century it was fashioned into the still extant Laghu (“Small”)-Yoga-Vâsishta by Gauda Abhinanda, consisting of 4,829 verses (though tradition speaks of 6,000 verses). The full version was created some time in the tenth century C.E. In its various forms, Vâlmîki’s work has exercised considerable influence on Yoga and Vedânta theory and practice. It has been translated into a number of Indian vernaculars, notably Hindi and Urdu, and it also has several commentaries and summaries. Thus, the fourteenth-century Vedânta philosopher Vidyâranya quotes no fewer than 253 verses from it in his famous Jîvan-Mukti-Viveka, and he also compiled the Yoga-Vâsishtha-Sâra- Samgraha, which consists of some 2,300 verses. There also is a 225- or 230-verse abridgment known as the Yoga- Vâsishtha-Sâra by an unknown authority. The modern saint Râm Tirtha called the Yoga-Vâsishtha “one of the greatest books, and the most wonderful according to me, ever written under the sun … which nobody on earth can read without realizing God-consciousness.”2
II. MIND ONLY— THE IDEALISTIC APPROACH
The philosophy of the Yoga-Vâsishtha is radically nondualist. The fundamental thesis of this scripture, reiterated innumerable times, is that there is only Consciousness (citta). This Consciousness is omnipresent, omniscient, and formless. Sage Vashishtha also refers to it as the Absolute (brahman), stating that just as the mind of a painter is filled with numerous images of a great variety of objects, so the pure Consciousness is suffused with the images of the multiple forms of Nature—an idea that we also encounter in the teaching of the Christian mystic Meister Eckehart. Vashishtha defines the Absolute as follows:
It is the Self (purusha) of volition (samkalpa), devoid of physical form such as earth [and the other material elements]. It is singular (kevala), Consciousness only, the essential cause of the existence of the triple universe.3 (3.3.11)
The phenomenal world is but a reflection of that universal Mind. It is that Mind. The experienced objects are simply an idea (kalpanâ) conjured by the Mind, as are the objects populating our dreams. Space and time, too, are imaginary products of the Mind. We fail to realize this truth merely on account of spiritual ignorance (avidyâ), which has us in its grip. When the yogin enters the unifying state of ecstasy (samâdhi), space evaporates and time stands still.
The world is neither real nor unreal. It is situated in Consciousness but appears to the unenlightened mind as something external. It is like a dream, or a bubble rising in the absolute Consciousness. Once it is understood that the world we perceive is “our” world, “our” creation, and that bondage and freedom are states of mind, the next step is to break down the habit of wrong conceptualization. The mind (manas) itself must be transcended.
This philosophy is best characterized as a form of idealism in which Brahma, standing for the Cosmic Mind, is the generator of all ideas under whose spell we fall as long as we do not recognize our true nature as the singular Self.
The spiritual path outlined in the Yoga-Vâsishtha is essentially that of Jnâna-Yoga, and it has great similarity with the Buddhi-Yoga taught in the Bhagavad-Gîtâ, wherein action and knowledge are blended harmoniously. Vashishtha disdains the kind of asceticism that is performed with an empty mind or that is attended with pain. The genuine yogin, according to him, is free from the push and pull of passionate attraction on the one side and hostile rejection on the other. Such a yogin looks at a lump of gold and a pile of rubbish with the same unperturbed mind.
According to Vashishtha, it is the human mind alone—spellbound by the Mind of the Creator-God— that creates the illusion of bondage or the reality of liberation. There is, therefore, no point in external renunciation. Rather, what is needed is a total inner reorientation. He calls this doctrine “mental liberation” (cetya-nirmuktatâ). Yoga is variously defined by him as “the restriction of the fluctuations of the mind,” “nonemotionality” (avedanâ), and “separation from the effects of the poison of passion.” In contrast with the teaching of the God-man Krishna, which emphasizes our emotional capacities in the form of devotion (bhakti), Vashishtha stresses the cognitive side of our psychic life. He has little patience, however, with those who are merely interested in intellectual gyrations without proper application in life. The knowledge he deems useful is wisdom, or real insight, that leads to illumination.
Thus, the author of the Yoga-Vâsishtha seeks, in ever new ingenious phrases and metaphors, to evoke in his readers the conviction that they are absolutely in charge of their own destiny, if only they can see the trick the human mind is playing on them. Destiny (daiva) is a formidable force, but human effort (paurusha)—literally “manliness”—is superior to it.
According to one passage (6.13), Yoga consists of both Self-knowledge (âtma-jnâna) and the restriction (samrodha) of the life force (prâna). The former is the path of meditative absorption; the latter approach may be identified with Kundalinî-Yoga, involving the arousal of the Consciousness-Energy hidden in the body.
Both the mind and the life force are said to be most intimately associated. The stoppage of the one leads to the cessation of the other. By “mind” (manas), Vashishtha means the ego-consciousness, which projects its own world through the process of imaginative vo
lition (samkalpa), propelled by the force of root desire (vâsanâ). He compares the mind to a madman with a thousand hands, who constantly beats himself, inflicting pain on his body. The mind is galvanized by the vibration (spanda, parispanda) of the life force circulating in the body, while the life force is impelled by primal desire (vâsanâ). Control of the quivering of the life force is the most direct means of quieting the mind and transcending the compelling force of desire. But Vashishtha also recommends concentration and meditation as superb aids for taking charge of the mind.
III. THE YOGIC PATH
Vashishtha’s Yoga comprises the following seven stages (bhûmi):4
Shubha-icchâ (“desire for what is good,” written Shubheccâ): A person becomes aware of his or her spiritual ignorance and state of suffering and begins to desire to know the truth through the study of the traditional lore.
Vicâranâ (“consideration”): Through the deepening of study and contact with holy people, the practitioner’s conduct improves, and his or her desire for liberation is kindled.
Tanu-mânasâ (“refinement of thinking”): This stage is characterized by a growing sense of indifference to the things of the world.
Sattva-âpatti (“attainment of being,” written sattvâpatti): The practitioner becomes capable of getting in touch with pure Consciousness through meditation.
Asamsakti (“nonattachment”): By virtue of true illumination, the mature practitioner becomes perfectly indifferent to the world, which is recognized as being a mere production of the mind.
Pada-artha-abhâvanâ (“nonimagining of external things,” written padârthâbhâvanâ): The world is recognized to be unreal like a dream.
Turya-gâ (“abiding in the Fourth”): The yogin transcends everything and remains perpetually in pure Consciousness, which is called the “Fourth” (turya, turîya, caturtha), as in Upanishadic Vedânta, since it transcends the states of waking, sleeping, and dreaming.
Yogins who have realized the Fourth, or the Self, are liberated even while the body-mind continues to exist. This is the ideal of “living liberation” (jîvan-mukti). Because they are no longer ensnared by the ego-illusion, they can be all things to all people, reflecting people’s own states of mind, but themselves living in perpetual bliss.
Enlightenment is ego-transcendence in every moment, regardless of whether the body-mind is active or in a state of repose. Vashishtha relates the story of King Bhagîratha, who abandoned his kingdom in order to dedicate himself to spiritual life. After years of meditation at a remote place, Bhagîratha attained enlightenment. One day he happened to wander through his former kingdom, and when the people recognized him they begged him to accept the throne again, as his successor had just died. Because nothing can bind a Self-realized adept, Bhagîratha accepted and for many years ruled over his people, bringing justice and wisdom into their lives.
The Yoga-Vâsishtha is a truly remarkable creation, which has had a strong influence on the more literate community of Yoga and Vedânta practitioners of medieval India. It is a lasting monument to the wisdom of nondualism.
SOURCE READING 16
Yoga-Vâsishtha (Selection)
The following is a complete rendering of Chapter 53 of the sixth book of the Yoga-Vâsishtha. Chapters 53-58 form what is known as the Brahma-Gîtâ, which is modeled on the Bhagavad-Gîtâ. The context is the same as that given in the Bhagavad-Gîtâ: Arjuna is facing his kinfolk on the battlefield. He is despondent and refuses to fight lest he kill his relatives and teachers on the enemy’s side. Bui the God-man Krishna. Arjuna’s teacher and charioteer, reprimands him for this faulty attitude. He argues that Arjuna’s dilemma springs from spiritual ignorance (avidyâ), on account of which he experiences himself as a limited egoic being rather than the omnipresent Self.
Krishna insists that Arjuna should tight because he is fighting for the maintenance of the moral order of the universe, and because it is his duty as a member of the warrior estate to do so. Death. Krishna declares, only affects the body. Our true nature is immortal. The transcendental Self (âtman) cannot be slain. It is the only Reality there is. All objects that appear to the unenlightened mind actually arise in and as that singular Being-Consciousncss.
The Blessed Lord [Krishna] said:
Arjuna! You are not the slayer [of your kinfolk]. Give up the impurity of the self-will (abhimâna). You are the eternal Self itself, free from senescence and death. (1)
He who has no ego-sense (ahamkrita-bhâva) and whose mind (buddhi) is not stained, even if he were to destroy the worlds, he does not slay nor is he bound. (2)
Whatever arises in consciousness, that is experienced within [as pleasure or pain]. Give up the inner consciousness of “I am he, this, that.” (3)
O Bhârata [i.e., Arjuna]! [The thought] “I am connected with such-and-such” or “I have lost [such-and-such]” [merely] torments you, subjecting you to joy and sorrow all round. (4)
Performing actions severally through [the force of] the constituents (guna) [of Nature] and with [only] a fragment (amsha) of the Self, the Self deluded by the “I-maker” (ahamkâra) [begins to] think “I am the doer.” (5)
Let the eye see, the ear hear, the skin sense, and the tongue taste [of things]: This is the state [in which one asks] “What is there?” and “Who am I?” (6)
When there is a prompting for action or for pleasure in the mind of a great-souled ladept], there is no “I” (aham) in this. What is your [ego] in [your present] share of trouble (klesha)? (7)
O Bhârata! [Action], which is accomplished by a combination of many [factors], is [the product] of the plight (duhkha) of a single self-will (abhimâna) and is performed for pleasure. (8)
Shunning attachment, yogins perform actions [without self-investment, but] merely with the body, the mind (manas), the wisdom faculty (buddhi), or the isolated senses, and for the purification of the self. (9)
Those whose body is not subdued by the antidote [lit. “nonpoisonous powder”] to the “I” while they are acting or even slaying—they cannot [cure their malady of spiritual] indigestion. (10)
[For him who is] defiled by the impure [ idea of] “mineness” toward the body, Consciousness (cit) does not shine forth. Even though he may be wise and very learned, he is like an ill-bred person. (11)
He who is patient, devoid of [the idea of] “mine” and “I.” the same in joy and sorrow, he, though performing obligatory and nonobligatory [actions], is not stained (by his deeds], (12)
O Pândava [i.e., Arjuna]! The excellent innate duty (sva-dharma) of the warrior, though [apparently] cruel, is for your highest good, joy, and prosperity. (13)
Though [you may deem it] a blameworthy as well as an unlawful course of action, it is [really] the besl for you. Be the immortal here [on Earth], just as [you carry out your allotted] work. (14)
[To do] one’s duty is good even for the ignorant, how much more for the truly understanding [person]. The understanding [person, from whom] the “I-maker” has slipped away, is not stained even on failing [to do his duly perfectly]. (15)
Abiding in Yoga, perform actions while giving up [all] attachment. O Dhanamjaya! When you perform actions as necessary, while remaining unattached, you are not bound [by them]. (16)
With the body [subdued like] the tranquil Absolute (brahman), perform actions conforming to the Absolute. [When your] conduct is an offering to the Absolute, you become the Absolute in an instant. (17)
With every purpose (artha) offered up to the Lord (îshvara), having the Lord as [your very] Self, free from ill, [recognize] the Lord as the Self of all beings—thus be an adornment to the surface of the earth. (18)
With all volition (samkalpa) cast off, an equable, tranquil-minded sage, performing [actions] with the self yoked through the Yoga of renunciation—thus cultivate a liberated mind. (19)
Arjuna said:
O Lord! What is the nature of abandoning attachment, of offering [one’s actions] to the Absolute, of the form of offering to the Lord, and of renunciation in general?
(20)
Likewise, [what is the nature] of wisdom and Yoga? O Lord, this relate to me step by step to remove my great delusion (moha) [about reality]. (21)
The Blessed Lord said:
When all volition is appeased, the mass of desires (vâsanâ) are pacified as well. The form (âkâra), [for which there is] no conception (bhâvanâ) whatsoever, is known as the supreme Absolute. (22)
Application (udyaga) toward That the mature-minded (krita-buddhi) know to be wisdom and Yoga. “The Absolute is the whole world as well as the ‘I’ (aham)”—[this realization] is known as the offering to the Absolute. (23)
Like the chest of a stone[-sculpture], which is void inside and void outside, [the Absolute] is tranquil, lucid as the vault of the sky, neither to be seen nor beyond vision. (24)
The slight bulge [of the hollow statue] appears as other [than what it is]: It is the reflection of the world that, like the ether-space (âkâsha), is [mere] voidness (shûnyatâ). (25)
Comments: This somewhat obscure stanza tries to make the point that the apparent external world is void, that is, the formless transcendental Reality.
What is this [idea that] “I exist”? Every single [being and thing] has arisen from Consciousness (citi). Who is the “recipient” (pratigraha) who is, as it were, a minutest fragment [of the Absolute)? (26)
This [ego-“recipient”] is not a separate entity [apart from the Absolute], [although] it appears to be a separate entity. Separation cannot be a [real] limitation, [and hence] one realizes that there is no “I.” (27)
As with the “I,” so it is with a pot, etc., or even a monkey, or the ocean, or one’s desires. What about the “recipient” of egoism? (28)
When conceptual distinctions, whether manifold through variety or singular, are presented to the Self, [which is of] the essence of Consciousness (samvid), how can there be a grasper? (29)
Thus [comes about] the cessation of the apperceived distinctions in one’s mind. Casting off the fruit of one’s actions the sages know as renunciation (samnyâsa). (30)
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