Philosophy and Religion / Yoga Vāsistha / Yoga-Vāsistha (6.2): Nirvāna-Prakarana

Válmiki

Yoga-Vāsistha, Book 6: Nirvāna-Prakarana (On ultimate extinction) - part 2. Chapter 34 - Sermon of the Practice of Spiritual Yoga or Intellectual Meditation

Vasistha continued: - The man who is lost in the pleasure or under the pains, which fall to his share in this life, is lost for ever for the future; but he who is not thus lost ¹, is pronounced to be imperishable by the verdict of the śāstras.

He who has his desires always rising in his mind, is ever subject to the changes of his fortune; therefore it is proper to give up desire at first, in order to prevent the alternation of pain and pleasure.

The error that this is I and that the world, does not attach to immortal soul; which is tranquil and unsupported, quite dispassionate and undecaying in itself.

That this is I, that is Brahma, and the other is the world, are verbal distinctions that breed error in the mind; by attributing different appellation, to one uniform and invariable void that is ever calm and quiet. ²

Here there is no ego nor world, nor the fictitious names of Brahma and others; the all pervading One being quite calm and all in all, there is no active or passive agent at all in this place ³.

The multiplicity of doctrines and the plurality of epithets, which are used to explain the true spirit and inexplicable One, are null and refutable, and among them the word ego in particular, is altogether false and futile.

The man absorbed in meditation does not see the visible, as the thoughtless person has no perception of the ghost standing in his presence; and as one sleeping does not perceive the dreams, occurring to another sleeping by his side, nor hear the loud roar of clouds, in the insensible state of his sound sleep.

In this manner the courses of the spirits are imperceptible to us, though they be continually moving all about us; because it is our nature to perceive what you know of, and never know anything, which is without or beyond our knowledge.

Knowledge also being as our soul, shows all things like itself ⁴; therefore our knowledge of the ego and the world beside, is not separate from the soul and the Supreme soul also.

So our knowledge ⁵, manifests itself in the form of the world before us; in like manner as our dreams and desires ⁶, represent the same as true to us. These various manifestations of the inward soul, are no way different from it, as the waves and bubbles are no other than the water, whence they take their rise.

Notwithstanding the identity of the soul, and its manifestations of knowledge, notion, ideas and others; they are considered as distinct things by ignorant thinkers, but the learned make no distinction whatever, between the manifestation and its manifesting principle.

As the integral soul becomes a component body, by its assuming to itself all its members and limbs; so the eternally undivided spirit of God, appears to be multiplied in all parts of the world, and various works of creation.

So the intellect contains numberless thoughts in itself, as a tray holds a great many golden cups in it; and whenever this intellect is awake, it sees innumerable worlds appearing before it.

It is Brahma himself that shines in his brightness, in the form of this fair creation; by being dissolved throughout the whole, in his liquefied form of the Intellect, as the sea shows itself in the changing forms of its waves.

Whatever is thought of in the mind, the same ⁷ appears in the form of the world etc., and the formless thought takes a definite form; but what is not in the mind, never appears to view.

The word intellection and want of thought, are both applied to the Supreme Intellect, from its almighty power to assume either of them to itself; this sort of expression is for the instruction of others, or else there are no such states, apper­taining to the ever intelligent soul in reality.

The world is neither a reality nor unreality, but exhibits itself as such by intellection of the intellect; but as it does not appear in absence of intellection, the same is inculcated in this lecture. ⁸

Intellection and its absence, are as the agitation and stillness of the soul; and both of these being under your subjection, it is quite easy and never difficult for you to restrain your­self, by remaining as still as a piece of stone.

An appearance which has neither its essence or substance, and any assignable cause for its existence, is the very nature of this egoism of ours, which we know not whence it has appeared as an apparition before us.

It is very strange that this apparition of your ego, which has no entity in reality; should take such possession of your mind, as to make you insensible of yourself.

It is by accident that one happens to observe ⁹ the ego, in the person of the impersonal Brahma; just as a man by deception of his eye sight, comes to descry an arbor in the sky.

If my ego and the world are really the same with Brahma, then how and whence is it that come to have their production and dissolution, and what is the cause of our joy or sorrow in either of these cases.

It is by the almighty power of God, that this world of thought ¹⁰, comes to be visible to sight; but as the absence of thought of it, prevents its appearance into us; there be thoughtless of it in order to avoid its ¹¹ sight ¹².

It is by mere accident that the vacuous ¹³ mind of Brahma, exhibits the ideal world in itself; just as any man dreams a fairy city, or sees the objects of his desire and fancy in his mind. How then is it possible to separate the contained from the containing mind?

The creation abides in the divine mind, in the same manner, as the waves appertain to the sea and statue inheres in the wood; and as the relation of pots and other things is with the earth, so do all things pertain to the nature of Brahma.

As all things appear in their formless ¹⁴ state, in the unsubstantial and transparent vacuity of the mind; so does the ego and this word also appear in the divine mind: ¹⁵.

As the air by its natural inflation, breathes out in various sorts of breezes, so One whose nature is unknown, evolves himself in every form of the ego of each individual and of the world. ¹⁶. The meaning is that, as the formless and vacuous air produces all sorts of winds. So does God who is nihsvabhāva without and beyond svabhāva nature produce all natures.

As the formless smoke or vapour, presents the forms of elephants, horses, &c, in the empty clouds; so does the unsubstantial spirit of God, represent the formless ego, to and all things beside in itself.

The creation is a component part, of the unknown body of Brahma, as the leaves and branches are those of the tree; and it contains both its cause and effect of the other.

Knowing the impossibility of the existence of the world, beside the self ever existent soul; remain at peace and without trouble within yourself. Be free from attributes and errors, and remain as free and detached as the free, open and void space.

Know that neither you nor ourselves, nor the worlds nor the open air and space, are ever in existence; and that Brahma alone is ever existent, in his eternal tranquility, calmness and filllness.

Seeing the endless particulars in the universe, do you remain free from all particularities as I, myself, you, yourself &c, and think yourself in the sole and Supreme One, if you shall have your liberation.

Know the knowledge of the particulars, is for your bondage alone to them, and your ignorance of them lends only to your liberation ¹⁷. Sit as you are and doing your business, in your state of tranquility and total nescience of everything.

Let not the visible attract your sight, nor allow their thoughts engross your mind; thus the world disappearing with your thoughtlessness of it, say what else have you to think about.

The absence of the states of the visible and its looker i.e. of the subjective and objective, resembling the state of the waking sleeper, will make remain as void of thoughts, as the vault of the autumnal sky is devoid of clouds.

The Knowledge of the action of the divine Intellect, as distinct from the invariable of Brahma, is the cause of our making a distinction of the creating from its creator; just as our knowledge of the difference of the wind from air, causes us to think of their duality. It is therefore our want of this distinction, and the knowledge of the unity of Brahma, that leads us to our liberation.

The knowledge of the inflation of the divine spirit, is verily the cause of our knowledge of the world; whereas the absence of this knowledge, and want of our own intellection, is what is called our nirvāna or utter extinction of God.

As the seed is conscious of the sprout growing out of it to be of its own kind, so the divine Intellect knows the world that is produced from it, to be self-same with itself.

As the seed becomes the plant from its conception of the same in itself, so the divine Intellect becomes the creation itself from its concept of the same.

As the thoughts are but the various modifications of the mind, so the creation is a modality of the divine Intellect; and in this case all kinds of seeds serve as instances, of having their products of the same nature.

The world is the changeless form of the unchanging essence of One, and know to be as unchangeable and undecaying as One, himself, who is without beginning and end.

The divine soul is replete with its innate will, whereby it produces and destroys the world out of and into itself; this form of unity and duality, is as the appearance and disappearance of an imaginary city.

As you have no distinct idea of the things, expressed by the words sky and vacuum; so must you know the words Brahma and creation to bear no distinction in the divine spirit. ¹⁸

The great Intellect or omniscience, which is the sempiternal form of divine essence, has the knowledge of the ego co-eternal with itself, which men by ignorance assume to themselves.

There is nothing that ever grows or perishes in the mundane form of Brahma, but everything rises and falls in it like the undulation of the sea, to rise an fall in all way and never to be lost in any away.

All things being of the form of Brahma, remain in the self same Brahma; as all spaces remain in the infinite space and all waves and billows rise and fall in the same sea.

Wherever you are placed and whenever you have time, attend but for a moment to the ¹⁹ nature of the soul in your consciousness, ²⁰, and you will perceive the true ego.

The sages, O Rāma, have said of two states of our consciousness, namely its sensible and insensible states; now therefore be inclined to that which you thinkest to be attended with your best good, and never be forgetful of it. ²¹

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