The
Yoga Vasishtha
Maharamayana
of Valmiki
The only complete English translation is
by Vihari Lala Mitra (1891).
CHAPTER XXI.—Repression of Desires by means of
Yoga-Meditation.
Argument. Desires are the shackles of the
soul, and release from
them leading to its liberation.
Vasishtha continued:—Pāvana being admonished
by Punya in the said
manner, became as enlightened in his
intellect, as the landscape at the
dawn of day.
2. They continued henceforward to abide in
that forest, with the
perfection of their spiritual knowledge, and
they wandered about in the
woods to their hearts content.
3. After a long time they had both their
extinction, and rested in their
disembodied state of nirvāna; as the oilless lamp wastes away of
itself.
4. Thus is the end of the great boast of men,
of having large trains and
numberless friends in their embodied states
of lifetime, of which alas!
they carry nothing with them to their
afterlife, nor leave anything
behind, which they can properly call as
theirs.
5. The best means of our release from the
multifarious objects of our
desire, is the utter suppression of our
appetites, rather than the
fostering of them.
6. It is the hankering after objects, that
augment our appetite, as our
thinking on something increases our thoughts
about it. Just so as the
fire is emblazoned by supply of the fuel, and
extinguished by its want.
7. Now rise O Rāma! and remain aloft as in
thy aerial car, by getting
loose of your worldly desires; and looking
pityingly on the miseries of
grovelling mortals from above.
8. This is the divine state known as the
position of Brahma, which looks
from above with unconcerned serenity upon
all. By gaining this state,
the ignorant also are freed from misery.
9. One walking with reason as his companion,
and having his good
understanding for his consort, is not liable
to fall into the dangerous
trap-doors, which lie hid in his way through
life.
10. Being bereft of all properties, and
destitute of friends, one has no
other help to lift him up in his adversity,
beside his own patience and
reliance in God.
11. Let men elevate their minds with learning
and dispassionateness, and
with the virtues of self-dignity and valour,
in order to rise over the
difficulties of the world.
12. There is no greater good to be derived by
any other means, than by
the greatness of mind. It gives a security
which no wealth nor earthly
treasure can confer on men.
13. It is only men of weak and crazy minds,
that are often made to swing
to and fro, and to rise and sink up and
below, in the tempestuous ocean
of the world.
14. The mind that is fraught with knowledge,
and is full with the light
of truth in it, finds the world filled with
ambrosial water, and moves
over it as easily, as a man walking on his
dry shoes, or on a ground
spread over with leather.
15. It is the want of desire, that fills the
mind more than the
fulfilment of its desires; dry up the channel
of desire, as the autumnal
heat parches a pool.
16. Else it empties the heart (by sucking up
the heart blood), and lays
open its gaps to be filled by air. The hearts
of the avaricious are as
dry as the bed of the dead sea, which was
sucked up (drained), by Agasti
(son of the sage Agastya).
17. The spacious garden of human heart, doth
so long flourish with the
fruits of humanity and greatness, as the
restless ape of avarice does
not infest its fair trees. (The mental powers
are the trees, and the
virtues are the fruits and flowers thereof).
18. The mind that is devoid of avarice, views
the triple world with the
twinkling of an eye. The comprehensive mind
views all space and time as
a minim, in comparison to its conception of
the infinite Brahma with
itself.
19. There is that coolness (sang-froid) in
the mind of the unavaricious
man, as is not to be found in the watery
luminary of the moon; nor in
the icy caverns of the snow-capt Himālayas.
And neither the coldness of
the plantain juice nor sandal paste, is
comparable with the
cool-headedness of inappetency.
20. The undesirous mind shines more brightly,
than the disk of the full
moon, and the bright countenance of the
goddess of prosperity (Lakshmī).
21. The urchin of appetence darkens the mind
in the same manner, as a
cloud covers the disk of the moon, and as
ink-black obliterates a fair
picture.
22. The arbour of desire stretches its
branches, far and wide on every
side, and darkens the space of the mind with
their gloomy shadow.
23. The branching tree of desire being cut
down by its root, the plant
of patience which was stinted under it,
shoots forth in a hundred
branches.
24. When the unfading arbour of patience,
takes the place of the
uprooted desires; it produces the tree of
paradise, yielding the fruits
of immortality. (Patience reigns over the
untransmuted ill).
25. O well-intentioned Rāma! if you do not
allow the sprouts of your
mental desires, to germinate in your bosom,
you have then nothing to
fear in this world.
26. When you become sober-minded after
moderating your heart's desires,
you will then have the plant of liberation
growing in its full
luxuriance in your heart.
27. When the rapacious owl of your desire,
nestles in your mind, it is
sure you will be invaded by every evil, which
the foreboding bird brings
on its abode.
28. Thinking is the power of the mind, and
the thoughts dwell upon the
objects of desire; abandon therefore thy
thoughts and their objects, and
be happy with thy thoughtlessness of
everything.
29. Anything that depends on any faculty, is
lost also upon inaction of
that faculty; therefore it is by suppression
of your thinking (or
thoughts), that you can put down your
desires, and thereby have rest and
peace of your mind.
30. Be free minded, O Rāma! by tearing off
all its worldly ties, and
become a great soul by suppressing your mean
desires of earthly
frailties: for who is there that is not set
free, by being loosened from
the fetters of desire, that bind his mind to
this earth.
CHAPTER XXII.—Narrative of Virochana.
Argument. Account of king Bali and his
kingdom, and the Infernal
Regions; His Resignation of the World, and
Rambles over the
Sumeru mountains.
Vasishtha said:—O Rāma! that art the bright
moon of Raghu's race, you
should also follow the example of Bali, in
acquiring wisdom by
self-discernment. (Bali the Daitya king and
founder of Maha Bali Pura,
called Mavalipura in Deccan, and in Southey's
poem on its Ruins).
2. Rāma said:—Venerable Sir, that art
acquainted with all natures, it
is by thy favour that I have gained in my
heart all that is worth
gaining; and that is our final rest in the
purest state of infinite
bliss.
3. O sir, it is by your favor, that my mind
is freed from the great
delusion of my multifarious desires; as the
sky is cleared of the massy
clouds of the rainy weather in autumn.
4. My soul is at rest and as cold as a stone;
it is filled with the
ambrosial draught of Divine knowledge and its
holy light; I find myself
to rest in perfect bliss, and as illumined as
the queen of the stars,
rising in her full light in the evening.
5. O thou dispeller of my doubts, and
resemblest the clear autumnal sky,
that clears the clouds of the rainy season! I
am never full and satiate
with all thy holy teachings to me.
6. Relate to me Sir! for the advancement of
my knowledge, how Bali came
to know the transcendental truth. Explain it
fully unto me, as holy
saints reserve nothing from their suppliant
pupils.
7. Vasishtha replied:—Attend Rāma! to the
interesting narrative of
Bali, and your attentive hearing of it, will
give you the knowledge of
the endless and everlasting truth and
immutable verities.
8. There is in the womb of this earth, and in
some particular part of
it, a place called the infernal region, which
is situated below this
earth. (The Infra or Pātāla means the antipodes and is full of water).
9. It is peopled by the milk white Naiades or
marine goddesses, born in
the milky ocean-sweet water, and of the race
of demons, who filled every
gap and chasm of it with their progeny. (The
subterranean cells, were
peopled by the earth-born Titans).
10. In some places it was peopled by huge
serpents, with a hundred and
thousand heads; which hissed loudly with
their parted and forky tongues,
and their long projected fangs.
11. In other places there were the
mountainous bodies of demons, walking
in their lofty strides, and seeming to fling
above the balls of the
worlds as their bonbons, in order to devour
them.
12. In another place there were big
elephants, upholding the earth on
their elevated probosces, and supporting the
islands upon their strong
and projected tusks. (These elephants were of
the antediluvian world,
whose fossiled remains are found under the
ground).
13. There were ghosts and devils in other
places, making hideous shrieks
and noise; and there were groups of hellish
bodies, and putrid carcasses
of ghostly shapes.
14. The depth of the nether world concealed
in its darksome womb, rich
mines of gems and metals, lying under the
surface of the earth, and
reaching to the seventh layer of pātāla or infernal regions.
15. Another part of this place, was
sanctified by the dust of the
lotus-like feet of the divine Kapila (Siva or
Pluto); who was adored by
the gods and demigods, by prostration of
their exalted heads at his holy
feet.
16. Another part of it was presided by the
god Siva, in his form of a
golden phallus (linga); which was worshipped
by the ladies of the
demons, with abundant offerings and merry
revelries. (Siva or Pluto—the
infernal god was fond of Bacchanals and
revels).
17. Bali the son of Virochana, reigned in
this place as the king of
demons, who supported the burden of his
kingdom, on the pillars of their
mighty arms.
18. He forced the gods, Vidyādharas,
serpents, and the king of the gods,
to serve at his feet like his vassal train,
and they were glad to serve
him as their lord.
19. He was protected by Hari, who contains
the gemming worlds in the
treasure of his bowels
(brahmānda—bhāndodara), and is the preserver of
all embodied beings, and the support of the
sovereigns of the earth.
20. His name struck terror in the heart of
Airāvata, and made his cheeks
fade with fear; as the sound of a peacock
petrifies the entrails of
serpents (because the peacock is a
serpivorous bird).[8]
[8] Airāvata signifies both Indra, the god of
caelum and the
celestials, as also his vehicle, the
elephantine clouds.
21. The intense heat of his valour, dried up
the waters of the septuple
oceans of the earth; and turned them to seven
dry beds, as under the
fire of the universal Conflagration.
22. But the smoke of his sacrificial fire,
was an amulet to the people
for supply of water; and it caused the rains
to fall as profusely from
above as the seas fallen below from the waters
above. (This alludes to
the dynamite which was ignorantly believed to
be a talisman).
23. His frowning look, made the high heads of
mountains stoop low to the
ground; and caused the lofty skies to lower
with water, like the high
branches of trees when overloaded with
fruits. (It means, that the
mountains and skies were obedient to his
bidding).
24. This mighty monarch reigned over the
demons for myriads of years,
after he had made an easy conquest of all the
treasures and luxuries of
the world.
25. Thus he lived for many ages, which glided
on like the course of a
river rolling about like the waters of
whirlpool; and witnessed the
incessant flux and reflux of the generations
of gods, demons and men, of
the three worlds.
26. The king of the demons felt at last, a
distaste to all the
enjoyments of life, which he had tasted to
surfeit; and he felt also an
uneasiness amidst the variety of his
pleasures.
27. He retired to the farthest polar mount of
Meru, and there sitting at
the balcony of one of its gemming pinnacles,
he reflected on the state
of this world and the vanity of mortal life.
28. How long yet, thought he in himself,
shall I have to rule over this
world with my indefatigable labour; and how
much more must I remain to
roam about the triple world, in my successive
transmigrations?
29. Of what use is it to me to have this
unrivaled sovereignty, which is
a wonder in the three worlds; and of what
good is it to me, to enjoy
this plenteous luxury, which is so charming
to the senses?
30. Of what permanent delight are all these
pleasures to me, which are
pleasant only for the present short time, and
are sure to lose all their
taste with my zest in them in the next
moment?
31. There is the same rotation of days and
nights in unvarying
succession, and the repetition of the same
acts day after day. It is
rather shameful and no way pleasant to any
one, to continue in the same
unvaried course of life for a great length of
time.
32. The same embraces of our beloved ones,
and partaking of the same
food day by day, are amusements fit for
playful boys only, but are
disgraceful and disgusting to great minds.
33. What man of taste is there, that will not
be disgusted to taste the
same sweets over and over again, which he has
tasted all along, and
which have become vapid and tasteless to-day;
and what sensible man can
continue in the same course, without the
feelings of shame and remorse?
34. The revolving days and nights bring the
same revolution of duties,
and I ween this repetition of the same acts—kritasya karanam, is as
ridiculous to the wise, as the mastication of
his grinded
meat—charbita charbana. (Kritasya karanam nāsti, mritasya maranam
yathā. There is no doing of an act, which has
been done? Nor the dying
of a man, that's already dead).
35. The actions of men are as those of the
waves, which rise to fall and
then rise again to subside in the waters.
(This rising and falling over
and anon again, is to no purpose whatever).
36. The repetition of the same act, is the
employment of mad men; and
the wise man is laughed at, who reiterates
the same chime, as the
conjugation of a verb by boys, in all its
moods, tenses and inflexions.
37. What action is that which being once
completed, does not recur to us
any more, but crowns its actor with his full
success all at once? (It is
cessation from repetition of the same action.
I.e. inaction).
38. Or if this bustle of the world, were for
a short duration only, yet
what is the good that we can derive from our
engaging in this commotion?
39. The course of actions is as interminable,
as the ceaseless repetends
of boyish sports; it is hollow harping on the
same string, which the
more it is played upon, the more it
reverberates to its hollow sound.
(The acts of men make a renown and vain
blustering sound only, and no
real good to the actor).
40. I see no such gain from any of our
actions, which being once gained,
may prevent our further exertions. (Action
leads to action, but
non-action is a leader to quiescence or naiskarma).
41. What can our actions bring forth, beside
the objects of sensible
gratification? They cannot bring about
anything that is imperishable.
Saying so, Bali fell in a trance of his
profound meditation.
42. Coming then to himself; he
said:—"Ah! I now come to remember, what
I had heard from my father": so saying
he stretched his eye-brows, and
gave vent to what he thought in his mind.
43. "I had formerly asked my father Virochana,
who was versed in
spiritual knowledge, and acquainted with the
manners of the people of
former and later ages.
44. Saying: what is that ultimate state of
being, where all our pains
and pleasures cease to exist; and after the
attainment of which, we have
no more to wander about the world, or pass
through repeated
transmigrations.
45. What is that final state towards which
all our endeavours are
directed, and where our minds are freed from
their error; and where we
obtain our full rest, after all our
wanderings and transmigrations?
46. What is that best of gains, which gives
full satisfaction to the
cravings of the soul; and what is that
glorious object, whose sight
transcends all other objects of vision?
47. All those various luxuries and superfluities
of the world, are no
way conducive to our real happiness; in as
much as they mislead the mind
to error, and corrupt the souls of even the
wisest of men.
48. Therefore, O father, show me that state
of imperishable felicity,
whereby I may attain to my everlasting repose
and tranquillity".
49. My father having heard these words of
mine, as he was then sitting
under the shade of the kalpa tree of
paradise, whose flowers were fairer
far than the bright beams of the nocturnal
luminary, and overspread the
ground all around; spoke to me in his sweet
mellifluous accents the
following speech, for the purpose of removing
my error.
CHAPTER XXIII.—Speech of Virochana on Subjection of the
Mind.
Argument. The soul and mind personified as a
monarch and his
minister.
Virochana said:—There is an extensive
country, my son, somewhere in
this universe, with a spacious concavity
therein, whose ample space is
able to hold thousands of worlds and many
more spheres in it.
2. It is devoid of the wide oceans and seas
and high mountains, as there
are in this earth; and there are not such
forests, rivers and lakes, nor
holy places of pilgrimage, as you see here
below.
3. There is neither land nor sky, nor the
heavenly orbs as on high; nor
are there these suns and moons, nor the regents
of the spheres, nor
their inhabitants of gods and demons.
4. There are no races of Yakshas and Rakshas,
nor those tribes of plants
and trees, woods or grass; nor the moving and
immovable beings, as you
see upon the earth.
5. There is no water, no land, no fire nor
air; nor are there the sides
of the compass, nor the regions you call
above and below. There is no
light nor shadow, nor the peoples, nor the
gods Hari, Indra and Siva,
nor any of the inferior deities or demigods
there.
6. There is a great sovereign of that place,
who is full of ineffable
light. He is the creator and pervader of all,
and is all in all, but
quite quiescent in all places and things.
7. He had elected a minister, who was clever
in administration and
brought about what was impossible to be done,
and prevented all mishaps
from coming to pass.
8. He neither ate nor drank, nor did nor knew
anything, beside minding
and doing his master's behests. In all other
respects he was as inactive
as a block of stone.
9. He conducted every business for his
master, who remained quite
retired from all his business, with enjoyment
of his rest and ease in
his seclusion, leaving all his concerns to be
managed by his minister.
10. Bali said:—Tell me sir, what place is
that which is devoid of all
population, and free from all disease and
difficulty; who knows that
place, and how can it be reached at by any
body.
11. Who is that sovereign of sovran power,
and who that minister of so
great might; and who being quite apart from
the world, are inseparably
connected with it, and are invincible by our
almighty demoniac power.
(This monarch and master is the soul and his
minister is the mind).
12. Relate to me, O thou dread of the gods!
this marvelous story of the
great might of that minister, in order to
remove the cloud of doubt from
my mind, and also why he is unconquerable by
us.
13. Virochana replied:—Know my son, this
mighty minister to be
irresistible by the gigantic force of the
Asura giants, even though they
were aided by millions of demons fighting on
their side.
14. He is invincible, my son, by the god of a
thousand eyes (Indra), and
also by the gods of riches and death (Kubera
and Yama), who conquer all,
and neither the immortals nor giants, can
ever overpower him by their
might.
15. All weapons are defeated in their attempt
to hurt him, and the
swords and mallets, spears and bolts, disks
and cudgels, that are hurled
against him, are broken to pieces as upon
their striking against a solid
rock.
16. He is unapproachable by missiles, and
invulnerable by arms and
weapons, and unseizable by the dexterity of
warriors; and it is by his
resistless might, that he has brought the
gods and demigods under his
subjection.
17. It was he (the proud mind) that defeated
our forefathers, the mighty
Hiranyas (Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu),
before they were destroyed by
the great Vishnu; who felled the big Asuras,
as a storm breaks down the
sturdy and rocklike oaks.[9]
[9] It is recorded, that the forefathers of
Bali to the fourth ascent,
were all destroyed by Vishnu, who took upon
him the first four
shapes of his ten incarnations, namely: those
of the fish,
tortoise, the boar and the biform man and
lion, to destroy them one
after another; till he took his fifth form of
the dwarf, to kill
Bali also. Hence it was one family of the
Asuras at Mavalipura in
Deccan, that called down Vishnu five times
from his heaven for
their destruction.
18. The gods Nārāyana and others (who had
been the instructors of men),
were all foiled by him and confined in their
cells of the wombs of their
mothers (by an imprecation of the sage
Bhrigu, who denounced them to
become incarnate in human forms).
19. It is by his favour that Kāma (Cupid),
the god with his flower bow
and five arrows, has been enabled to subdue
and overcome the three
worlds, and boasts of being their sole
emperor. (Kāma called also
Manoja, is the child of mana or mind, and
Kandarpa for his boast of his
triumph).
20. The gods and demigods, the intelligent
and the foolish, the deformed
and the irascible, are all actuated by his
influence. (Love is the
leader to action according to Plato).
21. The repeated wars between the gods and
Asuras, are the sports of
this minister (who deliberates in secret the
destinies of all beings.
The restless mind is continually at warfare).
22. This minister is only manageable by its
lord—the silent soul, or
else it is as dull as an immovable rock or
restless as the wind.
23. It is in the long run of its advancement
in spiritual knowledge,
that the soul feels a desire in itself to
subdue its minister; who is
otherwise ungovernable of its nature by
lenient measures. (Govern your
mind or it will govern you. The mind is best
taught by whip).
24. You are then said to be valiant, if you
can conquer this greatest of
the giants in the three worlds, who has been
worrying all people out of
their breath. (The mind longs for
occupation).
25. After the rising of the intellect, the
world appears as a
flower-garden, and like the lake of blooming
lotuses at sunrise; and its
setting covers the world in darkness as at
sunset. (I.e. in
unconsciousness).
26. It is only by the aid of this intellect
of yours, and by removal of
your ignorance, that you can subdue this
minister, and be famed for your
wisdom. (Good government of the mind, is more
renowned than that of a
realm).
27. By subduing this minister, you become the
subduer of the world,
though you are no victor of it; and by your
unsubjection of this, you
can have no subjection over the world, though
may be the master of it.
28. Therefore be diligent to overcome this
minister, by your best and
most ardent exertions, on account of
effecting your perfect
consummation, and securing your everlasting
happiness.
29. It is easy for him to overcome the triple
world, and keep all its
beings of gods and demons, and the bodies of
Nāgas and men, together
with the races of Yakshas and Rakshas, and
the tribes of serpents and
Kinnaras, who has been able to subdue this
minister by his superior
might. (Govern yourself, and you govern all
besides).
CHAPTER XXIV.—On the Healing and Improvement of the Mind.
Argument. Quelling of the misleading mind,
and waiting upon the
sovereign soul, with the perfection of
Platonic Quietism.
Bali said:—Tell me sir, plainly who is this
minister of so great might,
and by what expedients can so mighty a being be
vanquished and brought
under subjection.
2. Virochana replied:—Though that minister,
is invincible and stands
above all in his great might; yet I will tell
you the expedients,
whereby he may be overcome by you or any one
else.
3. Son! It is by employment of proper means
that he may be easily
brought under subjection, and by neglect of
which he will have the upper
hand of you like the snake poison, if it is
not repelled in time by
means of efficacious mantras and
incantations.
4. The ministerial mind being brought up like
a boy in the right way he
should go; leads the man to the presence of
the sovran soul, as the
rāja yoga or royal service advances the servant before his king.
5. The appearance of the master makes the
minister disappear from sight;
as the disappearance of the minister, brings
one to the full view of his
king.
6. As long as one does not approach to the
presence of his king, he
cannot fail to serve the minister; and so
long as he is employed in
service of the minister, he cannot come to
the sight of his king.
7. The king being kept out of sight, the
minister is seen to exercise
his might; but the minister being kept out of
view, the king alone
appears in full view.
8. Therefore must we begin with the practice
of both these exercises at
once; namely, approaching by degrees to the
sight of the king, and
slighting gradually the authority of the
minister.
9. It must be by the exercise of your
continued manly exertions and
diligent application, that you employ
yourself in both these practices,
in order to arrive to the state of your well
being.
10. When you are successful in your practice,
you are sure to reach to
that blissful country; and though you are a
prince of the demons, you
can have nothing to obstract your entrance
into it.
11. That is a place for the abode of the
blessed, whose desires are at
rest and whose doubts are dissipated, and
whose hearts are filled with
perpetual joy and calmness.
12. Now hear me, explain to you, my son, what
that place is which I
called a country. It is the seat of
liberation (moksha), and where there
is an end of all our pains.
13. The king of that place is the soul of divine
essence, which
transcends all other substances; and it is
the mind which is appointed
by that soul as its wise minister.
14. The mind which contains the ideal world
in its bosom, exhibits its
sensible form to the senses afterwards; as
the clod of clay containing
the mould of the pot, shows itself as the
model of a pot to view; and
the smoke having the pattern of the cloud in
its essence, represents its
shadowy forms in the sky. (The pattern of
everything is engraven in the
mind).
15. Hence the mind being conquered,
everything is subdued and brought
under subjection; but the mind is invincible
without adoption of proper
means for its subjugation.
16. Bali interrogated:—What are these means,
sir, which we are to adopt
for quelling the mind; tell it plainly to me,
that I may resort to the
same, for this conquering invincible barrier
of bliss.
17. Virochana answered: The means for
subduing the mind, are the want of
reliance and confidence on all external and
sensible things, and absence
of all desire for temporal possessions.
18. This is the best expedient for removal of
the great delusion of this
world, and subduing the big elephant of the
mind at once.
19. This expedient is both very easy and
practicable on one hand, as it
is arduous and impracticable on the other. It
is the constant habit of
thinking so that makes it facile, but the
want of such habitude renders
it difficult.
20. It is the gradual habit of renouncing our
fondness for temporal
objects, that shows itself in time in our
resignation of the world; as
continuous watering at the roots of plants,
makes them grow to large
trees afterwards.
21. It is as hard to master anything even by
the most cunning, without
its proper cultivation for some time; as it
is impossible to reap the
harvest from an unsown and uncultivated
field.
22. So long are all embodied souls destined
to rove about the wilderness
of the world, as there is the want of
resignation in their heart of all
the sensible objects in nature.
23. It is impossible without the habit of
apathy, to have a distaste for
sensible objects, as it is no way possible
for an able-bodied man, to
travel abroad by sitting motionless at home.
24. The firm determination of abandoning the
stays of life, and a
habitual aversion to pleasures and
enjoyments, make a man to advance to
purity, as a plant grows in open air to its
full height.
25. There is no good to be derived on earth,
without the exertion of
one's manliness, and man must give up his
pleasure and the vexation of
his spirit, in order to reap the fruit of his
actions.
26. People speak of a power as destiny here,
which has neither any shape
nor form of itself. It means whatever comes
to pass, and is also called
our lot or fatality.
27. The word destiny is used also by mankind,
to mean an accident over
which they have no control, and to which they
submit with passive
obedience.
28. They use the word destiny for repression
of our joy and grief (at
what is unavoidable); but destiny however
fixed as fate, is overcome and
set aside by means of manly exertions (in many
instances).
29. As the delusion of the mirage, is
dispelled by the light of its true
nature; so it is the exertion of manliness,
which upsets destiny by
effecting whatever it wishes to bring about.
30. If we should seek to know the cause for
the good or bad results of
our actions, we must learn that they turn as
well as the mind wishes to
mould them to being.
31. Whatever the mind desires and decrees,
the same becomes the destiny;
there is nothing destined (or distinctly to
be known), as what we may
call to be destined or undestined.
32. It is the mind that does all this, and is
the employer of destiny;
it destines the destined acts of destiny.
33. Life or the living soul is spread out in
the hollow sphere of the
world, like air in vacuum. The psychic fluid
circulates through all
space.
(The psychic fluid extending throughout the
universe, according to the
theory of Stahl).
34. Destiny is no reality, but a term
invented to express the property
of fixity, as the word rock is used to denote
stability. Hence there is
no fixed fate or destiny, as long as the mind
retains its free will and
activity.
35. After the mind is set at rest, there
remains the principle of the
living soul (Jīva—zoo). This is called the purusha or embodied
spirit, which is the source of the energies
of the body and mind.
36. Whatever the living soul intends to do by
means of its spiritual
force, the same comes to take place and no
other. (There being not even
the influence of the mind to retard its
action. So my son, there is no
other power in the world except that of
spirit or spiritual force).
37. Reliance on this spiritual power will
uproot your dependance on
bodily nutriments; and there is no hope of
spiritual happiness, until
there is a distaste towards temporal
enjoyments.
38. It is hard to attain to the dignity of
the all conquering
self-sufficiency, as long as one has the
dastardly spirit of his earthly
cravings.
39. As long as one is swinging in the cradle
of worldly affairs, it is
hard for him to find his rest in the bower of
peaceful tranquillity.
40. It is hard for you to get rid of your
serpentine (crooked) desires,
without your continued practice of
indifference to and unconcernedness
with worldly affairs.
41. Bali rejoined:—Tell me, O lord of demons!
in what manner,
indifference to worldly enjoyments, takes a
deep root in the human
heart; and produces the fruit of longevity of
the embodied spirit on
earth. (By longevity is meant the spiritual
life of man, and his resting
in the divine Spirit, by being freed from the
accidents of mortal life).
42. Virochana replied:—It is the sight of the
inward spirit, which is
productive of indifference to worldly things;
as the growth of vines is
productive of the grapes in autumn.
43. It is the sight of the inward Spirit,
which produces our internal
unconcernedness with the world; as it is the
glance of the rising sun,
which infuses its lustre in the cup of the
lotus.
44. Therefore sharpen your intellect, by the
whetstone of right
reasoning; and see the Supreme Spirit, by
withdrawing your mind from
worldly enjoyments.
45. There are two modes of intellectual
enjoyment, of which one consists
of book learning, and the other is derived
from attendance on the
lectures of the preceptor, by those that are
imperfect in their
knowledge. (I.e. the one is theoretical for adepts and the other is
practical for novices).
46. Those who are a little advanced in
learning, have the double
advantage of their mental enjoyment, namely:
their reflection of book
learning and consultation with wise
preceptors on practical points.
(Hence the practice of Yoga requires a Yogi
guide also).
47. Those who are accomplished in learning,
have also two parts of their
duties to perform; namely, the profession of
the sāstras teaching them
to others, and the practice of indifference
for themselves. (But the
last and lowest kind, only have to wait on
the guru and reflect on what
they hear from him).
48. The soul being purified, the man is
fitted for Spiritual learning;
as it is the clean linen only which is fit to
receive every good
tincture upon it.[10]
[10] Instruction of abstruse knowledge from
yoga to the impure, is
pearls before swine; as it is said:
[Sanskrit: panidatā eva
upadeshtbyāh na ca murkhah kadācan]
49. The mind is to be trained by degrees,
like a boy in the path of
learning; namely by means of persuasion and
good lectures, and then by
teaching of the sāstras, and lastly by
discussion of their doctrines.
50. After its perfection in learning and
dispersion of all difficulties
and doubts, the mind shines as a piece of
pure crystal, and emits its
lustre like the cooling moonbeams.
51. It then sees by its consummate knowledge
and clear understanding, in
both the form of its God the Spirit, and the
body which is the seat of
its enjoyments on earth.
52. It constantly sees the spirit before it,
by means of its
understanding and reason; which help it also
to relinquish its desire
for worldly objects and enjoyments.
53. The sight of the Spirit produces the want
of desires, and the
absence of these shows the light of the
spirit to its sight; therefore
they are related to each other like the wick
and oil of the lamp, in
producing the light, and dispelling the
darkness of the night.
54. After the loss of relish in worldly enjoyments,
and the sight of the
Supreme Spirit, the soul finds its perpetual
rest in the essence of the
Supreme Brahma.
55. The living souls that place their
happiness in worldly objects, can
never have the taste of true felicity, unless
they rely themselves
wholly in the Supreme Spirit.
56. It may be possible to derive some delight
from acts of charity,
sacrifices and holy pilgrimage; but none of
these can give the
everlasting rest of the Spirit.
57. No one feels a distaste for pleasure,
unless he examines its nature
and effects in himself; and nothing can teach
the way of seeing the
soul, unless the soul reflects on itself.
58. Those things are of no good whatever, my
boy, that may be had
without one's own exertion in gaining it; nor
is there any true
happiness, without the resignation of earthly
enjoyments.
59. The Supreme felicity of rest in the state
of Brahma, is to be bad
nowhere in this wide world, either in this
mundane sphere, or anywhere
else beyond these spheres.
60. Therefore expect always how your soul may
find its rest in the
divine Spirit, by relying on the exertion of
your manliness, and leaving
aside your dependance on the eventualities of
destiny.
61. The wise man detests all worldly
enjoyments as if they are the
strong bolts or barriers at the door of
bliss; and it is the settled
aversion to earthly pleasures, that brings a
man to his right reason.
62. As the increasing gloominess of rainy
clouds, is followed by the
serenity of autumnal skies, so clear
reasoning comes after detestation
of enjoyments, which fly at the advance of
reason.
63. As the seas and the clouds of heaven,
help one another by lending
their waters in turn; so apathy to pleasures
and right reasoning, tend
to produce each other by turns.
64. So disbelief in destiny, and engagement
in manly exertion, are
sequences of one another, as reciprocities of
service are consequences
of mutual friendship.
65. It must be by the gnashing of your teeth
(i.e. by your firm
resolve), that you should create a distaste
even of those things, which
you have acquired by legal means and
conformably to the custom of your
country.
66. You must first acquire your wealth by
means of your manly exertions,
and then get good and clever men in your
company by means of your wealth
(i.e. patronise the learned therewith, and improve your mind by their
instructions).
67. Association with the wise produces an
aversion to the sensual
enjoyments of life, by exciting the reasoning
power, which gains for its
reward an increase of knowledge and learning.
68. These lead gradually to the acquirement
of that state of
consummation, which is concomitant with the
utter renunciation of
worldly objects.
69. It is then by means of your reasoning
that you attain to that
Supreme State of perfection, in which you
obtain your perfect rest and
the holiness of your soul.
70. You will then fall no more in the mud of
your misconceptions; but as
a pure essence, you will have no dependance
on anything, but become as
the venerable Siva yourself.
71. Thus the steps of attaining consummation,
are first of all the
acquisition of wealth, according to the
custom of the caste and country;
and then its employment in the service of
wise and learned men. Next
follows your abandonment of the world, which
is succeeded by your
attainment of Spiritual knowledge, by the
cultivation of your reasoning
powers.[11]
[11] Reason is a divine attribute and given
to man for his discernment
of truth from untruth, and of true felicity
of the soul, from its
fetters of the frailties of this world.
CHAPTER XXV.—Reflections of Bali.
Argument. Rise of intellectual light in
Bali's mind, and his
Reference to Sukra for Advice.
Bali said:—In this manner did my sapient
father advise me before on
this subject, which I fortunately remember at
the present moment for the
enlightenment of my understanding.
2. It is now that I feel my aversion to the
enjoyments of life, and come
to perceive by my good luck the bliss of
tranquillity, to liken the
clear and cooling ambrosial drink of heavenly
bliss.
3. I am tired of all my possessions, and am
weary of my continued
accumulation of wealth, for the satisfaction
of my endless desires. The
live-long care of the family also has grown
tiresome to me.
4. But how charming is this peace and
tranquillity of my soul, which is
quite even and all cool within itself. Here
are all our pleasures and
pains brought to meet upon the same level of
equality and indifference.
5. I am quite unconcerned with any thing and
am highly delighted with my
indifference to all things; I am gladdened
within myself as by the beams
of the full moon, and feel the orb of the
full moon rising within
myself.
6. O! the trouble of acquiring riches, which
is attended by the loud
bustle of the world and agitation in the
mind, and the heart burn and
fatigue of the body; and is accompanied with
incessant anxiety and
affliction of the heart.
7. The limbs and flesh of the body, are
smashed by labour; and all
bodily exercises that pleased me once, now
appear to be the long and
lost labours of my former ignorance.
8. I have seen the sights of whatever was
worth seeing, and enjoyed the
enjoyments which knew no bounds; I have
overcome all beings; but what is
the good (that I have derived from all this)?
9. There is only a reiteration of the very
same things, that I had
there, here and elsewhere; and I found
nowhere now any thing new, that I
had not seen or known before.
10. I am now sitting here in full possession
of myself, by resigning
every thing and its thought from my mind; and
thereby I find that
nothing whatever nor even its thought forms
any component part of
myself.
11. The best things in the heaven above,
earth and in this infernal
region, are reckoned to be their damsels,
gems and jewels; but all these
are destroyed and wasted sooner or later by
the cruel hand of time.
12. I have acted foolishly all this time, by
waging a continuous
struggle with the gods, for the sake of the
trifle of worldly
possessions. (The wars of the earth-born
demons and the foreign deities
are well known in the early history of the
world).
13. What is this phantom of the world, but a
creation of the brain; what
then is the harm of forsaking it forever in
which great souls take no
delight whatever?
14. Alas! that I have spent such a large
portion of my life time, in
pursuing after trifles in the ignorant giddiness
of my mind.
15. My fickle and fluctuating desires, have
led me to do many acts of
foolishness, in this world of odds and
trifles, which now fill me with
remorse and regret. (The Remembrance of the
past, is fraught with
regret).
16. But it is in vain to be overwhelmed with
the sad thoughts of the
past, while I should use my manly exertions
to improve the present. (The
present time is in our hand, but who the past
can recall, or the future
command).
17. It is by reflecting on the eternal cause
of the endless infinity of
souls in the soul, that one can attain his
perfect felicity; as the gods
got the ambrosia from the Milky ocean. (True
bliss is to be derived from
the blissful Deity).
18. I most consult my preceptor Sukra,
concerning the Ego and the soul
and spiritual vision, of the soul of souls in
order to expel my
ignorance in these matters.
19. I must refer these questions to the most
venerable Sukra, who is
always complacent to his favorites; and then
it is possible that by his
advice I shall be settled in the highest
perfection of seeing the
supreme spirit, in my spirit, because the
words of the wise, are ever
fraught with full meaning and are fruitful of
the desired object.
CHAPTER XXVI.—Admonition of Sukra To Bali.
Argument. Sukra's appearance at the call of
Bali; and his advice
to him on the attainment of divine knowledge.
Vasishtha said:—So saying the mighty Bali
closed his eyes, and thought
upon the lotus-eyed Sukra, abiding in his
heavenly abode. (Sukra the
planet Venus represented as the preceptor of
demons, as Vrihaspati the
planet Jupiter is said to be the Spiritual
guide of the deities).
2. Sukra, who sat intently meditating on the
all-pervading spirit of
God, came to know in his mind, that he was
remembered by his disciple
Bali in his city.
3. Then Sukra the son of Bhrigu, whose soul
was united with the
all-pervading infinite and omniscient spirit,
descended with his
heavenly body at the gemming window of Bali
(decorated with glass
doors).
4. Bali knew the body of his guide by its
lustre, as the lotus flower
perceives the rising sun by his dawning
beams.
5. He then honoured his guru or guide, by adoring his feet on a seat
decked with gems, and with offering of mandāra flowers upon him.
6. As Sukra took his rest on the gemming seat
from the labour of his
journey, he was strewn over with offerings of
gems on his body, and
heaps of mandāra flowers upon his head; after
which Bali addressed him
thus:—
7. Venerable sir, this illustrious presence
of thy grace before me,
emboldens me to address to thee, as the
morning sun-beams send all
mankind to their daily work.
8. I have come to feel an aversion, Sir, to
all kinds of worldly
enjoyments, which are productive of the
delusion of our souls; and want
to know the truth relating to it, in order to
dispel my ignorance of
myself.
9. Tell me, sir, in short, what are these
enjoyments good for, and how
far they extend; and what am I, thou or these
people in reality. (Extent
of enjoyments—bhoga, means their limitation
and duration).
10. Sukra answered:—I can not tell you in
length about it, as I have
soon to repair to my place in the sky. Hear
me O monarch of demons tell
this much briefly to you at present.
11. There is verily but the intellect in
reality, and all this existence
beside is verily the intellect and full of
intellect: The mind is the
intellect, and I, thou and these people are
collectively the very
intellect. (Gloss. These sayings are based on
the srutis, namely: All
these are but different aspects of the one
intellect. Again: All things
depend on the chit. Also:—This chit am I, thou and this Brahma and
Indra and all others. There is no other
looker or the subjective; or the
hearer or objective beside the chit: and so forth).
12. If you are wise, know you derive every
thing from this Chit—the
universal Intellect; or else all gifts of
fortune are as useless to you
as the offering of butter on ashes (which
cannot consume it, or make a
burnt offering of it to the gods).
13. Taking the intellect as something
thinkable or object of thought, is
the snare of the mind; but the belief of its
freeness or
incomprehensibility, is what confers
liberation to the soul. The
incomprehensible intellect is verily the
universal soul, which is the
sum of all doctrines. (All faiths and
doctrines tend to the belief of
one unknowable God).
14. Knowing this for certain, look on
everything as such; and behold the
spirit in thy spirit, in order to arrive to
the state of the Infinite
spirit. (Or else the adoration of a finite
object, must lead to a finite
state).
15. I have instantly to repair to the sky,
where the seven munis are
assembled (the seven planets or the seven
stars of the
Pleiades—saptarshi?), where I have to
continue in the performance of my
divine service.
16. I tell you, O king! that you must not of
yourself get rid of your
duties, as long as you are in this body of
yours, even though your mind
may be freed from everything. (The embodied
being must continue in the
discharge of his bodily duty).
17. So saying, Sukra flew as a bee besmeared
with the farinaceous
gold-dust of the lotus, to the aureate vault
of heaven; and passed
through the watery path of the waving clouds,
to where the revolving
planets were ready to receive him.
CHAPTER XXVII.—Hebetude of Bali.
Argument. Bali attains to his state of
Ecstacy, by his
observance of Sukra's precepts.
Vasishtha said:—After Sukra, the son of
Bhrigu and senior in the
assembly of gods and demigods, had made his
departure, Bali the best
among the intelligent, reflected thus in
himself.
2. Truly has the seer said, that the
Intellect composes the three
worlds, and that I am this Intellect, and the
Intellect fills all the
quarters, and shows itself in all our
actions.
3. It is the Intellect which pervades the
inside and outside of every
thing, and there is nothing anywhere which is
without the Intellect.
4. It is the Intellect that perceives the
sunbeams and moonlight, or
else there would be no distinction between
them and darkness, had not
there been this intellectual perception.
5. If there were no such intellectual
perception as this earth is land,
then there would be no distinction of earth
and water, nor the word
earth apply to land.
6. If the Intellect would not understand the
vast space as the quarters
of the sky, and the mountains as vast
protuberances on earth; then who
would call the sides and the mountains by
those names?
7. If the world were not known as the world
and the vacuum as vacuity,
then who would distinguish them by the names
that are in common use?
8. If this big body was not perceived by the
intellect, how proper could
the bodies of embodied beings be called by
their names?
9. The Intellect resides in every organ of
sense, it dwells in the body,
mind and all its desires; the intellect is in
the internal and external
parts of the body, and the intellect is all
that is in existent and
non-existent. (Because the intellect has the
notions of all these
things, which would not come to exist, if
they were not in the
intellect).
10. The Intellect forms my whole self, by its
feeling and knowing of
everything that I feel and know; or else I
can neither perceive or
conceive nor do anything with my body alone,
and without guidance of the
intellect.
11. What avails this body of mine, which is
inert and insensible as a
block of wood or stone; it is the intellect
that makes my self, and it
is the intelligent spirit which is the
universal Soul.
12. I am the intellect which resides in the
sun and in the sky, and I am
the intellect which dwells in the bodies of
all beings; I am the same
intellect which guides the gods and demigods,
and dwells alike in the
movables and immovable bodies.
13. The intellect being the sole existence,
it is in vain to suppose
aught besides; and their being naught
otherwise, there can be no
difference of a friend or foe to us.
14. What is it if I Bali, strike off the head
of a person from his body,
I can not injure the soul which is everywhere
and fills all space.
15. The feelings of love and enmity are
properties of the intellect
(Soul), and are not separated from it by its
separation from the body.
Hence the passions and feelings are
inseparable from the Intellect or
soul.
16. There is nothing to be thought of beside
the Intellect, and nothing
to be obtained anywhere, except from the
spacious womb of the Intellect,
which comprehends all the three worlds.
17. But the passions and feelings, the mind
and its powers, are mere
attributes and not properties of the
Intellect; which being altogether a
simple and pure essence, is free from every
attribute.
18. The Intellect—chit is the Ego, the omnipresent, all pervasive and
ever felicitous soul; it is beyond all other
attributes, and without a
duality or parts.
19. The term Intellect—chit which is applied to the nameless power of
intellection—chiti, is but a verbal symbol signifying the omniscient
Intelligence, which is manifest in all
places. (I.e. the
Divine
Intellect is both omniscient as well as
omnipresent, while human
understanding is narrow and circumscribed).
20. The Ego is the Supreme Lord, that is ever
awake and sees all things
without manifesting any appearance of himself.
He is purely transparent
and beyond all visible appearances.
21. All its attributes are lame, partial and
imperfect. Even time which
has its phases and parts, is not a proper
attribute for it. It is but a
glimpse of its light that rises before us,
but the eternal and infinite
light, is beyond our comprehension.
22. I must think of it only in the form of
light in my own self, and
know it apart from all other thinkables and
thoughts, and quite aloof
from all shades and colours.
23. I salute his self-same form of
Intelligence, and the power of
Intellection, unaccompanied by the
intelligible, and employed in its
proper sphere.
24. I salute that light of his in me, which
represents every thing to
me; which is beyond all thought, and is of
the form of Intellect, going
everywhere and filling all space.
25. It is the quiet consciousness of all
beings, the real Intellect
(sach-chit), the Ego and the Great; the Ego
which is as infinite as
space, and yet minuter than an atom, and
spreading in all alike.
26. I am not subject to the states of
pleasure and pain, I am conscious
of my self and of no other existence besides
myself; and I am
Intelligence without the intelligibles spread
out before me.
27. No worldly entity nor non-entity (i.e. neither the gain of any
object nor its want), can work any change in
me; for the possession of
worldly objects would destroy me at once (by
their separating my soul
from God).
28. In my opinion there is nothing that is
distinct from me, when we
know all things as the produce of the same
source.
29. What one gets or loses is no gain or loss
to any (i.e. to the
gainer or loser), because the same Ego always
abides in all, and is the
Maker of all and pervading everywhere.
30. Whether I am any of the thinkable objects
or not, it matters me
little to know; since the Intellect is always
a single thing, though its
intelligibles (i.e. its productions or thoughts), are endless.
31. I am so long in sorrow, as my soul is not
united with the Holy
spirit. So saying, the most discerning Bali
fell to a deep meditation.
32. He reflected on the half mantra of Om (i.e. the dot only); an
emblem of the Infinite God; and sat quietly
with all his desires and
fancies lying dormant in him.
33. He sat undaunted, by suppressing his
thoughts and his thinking
powers within him; and remained with his
subdued desires, after having
lost the consciousness of his meditation, and
of his being the meditator
and also of meditated object. (I.e. without knowing himself as the
subject or object of his thoughts and acts).
34. While Bali was entranced in this manner
at the window which was
decked with gems, he became illumined in his
mind as a lighted lamp
flaming unshaken by the wind. And he remained
long in his steady posture
as a statue carved of a stone.
35. He sat with his mind as clear as the
autumnal sky after having cast
off all his desires and mental anxieties, and
being filled within
himself with his spiritual light.
CHAPTER XXVIII.—Description of Bali's Anaesthesia.
Argument. Anxiety of the demons at the
supineness of Bali, and
the Appearance of Sukra with them before him.
Vasishtha continued:—The servile demons of
Bali (being impatient at
this numbness of their king), ascended
hastily to his high crystal
palace, and stood at the door of his chamber.
2. There were his ministers Dimbha and others
among them, and his
generals Kumuda and others also. There were
likewise the princes Sukra
and others in the number, and his champions
Vritta and the rest.
3. There were Hayagrīva and the other
captains of his armies, with his
friends Akraja and others. His associates
Laduka and some more joined
the train, with his servants Valluka and many
more.
4. There were also the gods Kubera, Yama and
Indra that paid him their
tribute; and the Yakshas, Vidyādhars and
Nāgas that rendered him their
services. (Were the Vidyādhars the Vedias or
gipsies of modern India?).
5. There were the heavenly nymphs Rambhā and
Tilottamā in the number,
with the fanning and flapping damsels of his
court; and the deputies of
different provinces and of hilly and maritime
districts, were also in
attendance.
6. These accompanied by the Siddhas
inhabiting different parts of the
three worlds, all waited at that place to
render their services to Bali.
7. They beheld Bali with reverence, with his
head hanging down with the
crown upon it, and his arms hanging loosely
with the pendant bracelets
on them.
8. Seeing him thus, the great Asuras made
their obeisance to him in due
form, and were stupified with sorrow and
fear, and struck with wonder
and joy by turns at this sad plight of his.
9. The ministers kept pondering about what
was the case with him, and
the demons besought their all knowing
preceptor Sukra, for his
explaining the case to them.
10. Quick as thought they beheld the shining
figure of Sukra, standing
confessed to their sight, as if they saw the
phantom of their
imagination appearing palpable to view.
11. Sukra being honoured by the demons, took
his seat on a sofa; and saw
in his silent meditation, the state of the
mind of the king of demons.
12. He remained for a while to behold with
delight, how the mind of Bali
was freed from errors, by the exercise of its
reasoning powers.
13. The illustrious preceptor, the lustre of
whose person put to shame
the brightness of the milky ocean, then said
smiling to the listening
throng of the demons:
14. Know ye demons, this Bali to have become
an adept in his spiritual
knowledge, and to have fixed his seat in holy
light, by the working of
his intellect (i.e. by his intuition only).
15. Let him alone, ye good demons, remain in
this position, resting in
himself and beholding the imperishable one
within himself in his
reverie.
16. Lo! here the weary pilgrim to have got
his rest, and his mind is
freed from the errors of this false world.
Disturb him not with your
speech, who is now as cold as ice.
17. He has now received that light of
knowledge amidst the gloom of
ignorance, as the waking man beholds the full
blaze of the sun, after
dispersion of the darkness of his sleep at
dawn.
18. He will in time wake from his trance, and
rise like the germ of a
seed, sprouting from the seed vessel in its
proper season.
19. Go ye leaders of the demons from here,
and perform your respective
duties assigned to you by your master; for it
will take a thousand
years, for Bali to wake from his trance (as a
moment's sleep makes a
myriad of years in a dream).
20. After Sukra the Guru and guide of the
demons, had spoken in this
manner, they were filled with alternate joy
and grief in their hearts,
and cast aside their anxiety about him, as a
tree casts its withered
leaves away.
21. The Asuras then left their king Bali to rest in his palace in the
aforesaid manner, and returned to their
respective offices, as they had
been employed heretofore.
22. It now became night, and all men retired
to their earthly abodes,
the serpents entered into their holes, the
stars appeared in the skies,
and the gods reposed in their celestial
domes. The regents of all sides
and mountainous tracts, went to their own
quarters, and the beasts of
the forest and birds of the air, fled and
flew to their own coverts and
nests.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
( My
humble salutations to Brahmasri Sreemaan Vihari Lala Mitra ji for the
collection)
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