Yoga vasistha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yoga Vasistha, also known as Vasistha's Yoga, is the discourse of the great Sage Vasistha to Prince Rama when he is in a state of dispassion at a young age. "Yoga" means union - with the Truth. "Vasistha" is the name of the sage who has imparted this knowledge.
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[edit] About Yoga Vasistha
It is said that this book alone can lead to spiritual liberation. The profound 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. The truths, wonders and mysteries of Reality are revealed in a fabulous and grandiose way by Sage Vasistha.
From time immemorial until now, this scripture is a well of wealth from which several understandings, scientific ideas, philosophies and perceptions have been realised.
[edit] Importance of Yoga Vasistha
Yoga Vasistha is considered amongst the most important, if not the most important, scripture of the Vedantic philosophy. The knowledge and secrets revealed in Yoga Vasistha are highly beneficial in leading a seeker to spiritual liberation.
[edit] Yoga Vasistha, the book in English
Yoga Vasistha was originally written in Sanskrit. It was translated to English by Swami Venkatesananda. As it goes with such with the highest knowledge in scriptures, it is extremely important that the teacher or translator be competent of such a task. And it is widely regarded that Swami Venkatesananda is pure consciousness and qualified for the task he has accomplished very successfully.
The book is divided into 6 parts:
- Dispassion
- Qualifications of a seeker
- Creation
- Existence
- Dissolution
- Liberation
[edit] Context of Yoga Vasistha
Prince Rama returns from touring the country and becomes utterly dipassionate after seeing 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 Dashratha to summon Rama. Then, in the court of king Dashratha, the sage begins the discourse to Rama which lasts for several days.
