Posts
Yoga Vashishtha 3.2.44–50
(Nature of Ultimate Reality)
मृत्युरुवाच ।
ग्रहीतुं युज्यते व्योम न कदाचन केनचित्।
श्रुत्वैतद्विस्मितो मृत्युर्जगाम निजमन्दिरम् ॥ ४४ ॥
श्रीराम उवाच ।
ब्रह्मैष कथितो देवस्त्वया मे प्रपितामहः।
स्वयंभूरज एकात्मा विज्ञानात्मेति मे मतिः ॥ ४५ ॥
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
एवमेतन्मया राम ब्रह्मैष कथितस्तव ।
विवादमकरोन्मृत्युर्यमेनैतत्कृते पुरा ॥ ४६ ॥
मन्वन्तरे सर्वभक्षो यदा मृत्युर्हरन्प्रजाः।
बलमेत्यब्जजाक्रान्तावारम्भमकरोत्स्वयम् ॥ ४७ ॥
तदैव धर्मराजेन यमेनाश्वनुशासितः ।
यदेव क्रियते नित्यं रतिस्तत्रैव जायते ॥ ४८ ॥
ब्रह्मा किल पराकाशवपुराक्रम्यते कथम्।
मनोमात्रं च संकल्पः पृथ्व्यादिरहिताकृतिः ॥ ४९ ॥
यश्चिद्व्योमचमत्कारः किलाकारानुभूतिमान् ।
स चिद्व्योमैव नो तस्य कारणत्वं न कार्यता ॥ ५० ॥
Death spoke:
3.2.44: "The void can never be grasped or captured by anyone at any time." Having heard this, Death was astonished and returned to his own abode.
Sri Rama said:
3.2.45: "O Lord, you have described to me this Brahm, my great-grandfather, the self-born one, the Singular Essence, the Self of Consciousness —this is my understanding."
Maharishi Vasistha said:
3.2.46: "Thus, O Rama, I have narrated this Brahm to you. In the past, Death himself engaged in a debate on this very matter."
3.2.47: In a certain Manvantara, when Death, the all-devourer, was consuming all beings and had gained immense power, he himself initiated an assault upon the realm of Brahm, the lotus-born one.
3.2.48: At that very moment, he was instructed by Yama, the Lord of dharma, who was accompanied by his hounds: "Whatever action is performed habitually becomes the source of one's attachment and delight."
3.2.49: Indeed, how could Brahma, who is the Supreme void itself, be invaded? The mind alone is mere volition and resolve, devoid of any form beginning with earth.
3.2.50: And that wondrous expanse of Space which appears to possess the experience of form—such a thing is nothing but the void of Consciousness itself; for it, there is neither causality nor effect.
Summary of the Teachings:
These verses from the Yoga Vasistha delve into profound metaphysical inquiries about the Nature of Ultimate Reality, personified through a dialogue involving Death (Mrityu), Rama, and the Sage Vasistha. The narrative begins with Death's Realization of the ungraspable Nature of the Void (representing Brahm or Pure Consciousness), which humbles even the embodiment of mortality and prompts his retreat. This sets the stage for Rama's affirmation of Brahm as the Singular, Self-Existent Essence beyond all dualities, underscoring the text's core teaching that True Knowledge arises from direct intuitive understanding rather than intellectual grasping. The episode illustrates how even cosmic forces like Death, when confronted with the Infinite, must yield to the Formless Absolute, emphasizing humility as a prerequisite for spiritual insight.
Building on this, Vasistha recounts a mythological anecdote from a past Cosmic cycle (Manvantara) where Death, emboldened by his relentless consumption of life, attempts to conquer Brahma's realm. This act symbolizes the ego's futile rebellion against the Divine order, highlighting how unchecked power through habitual action—here, devouring beings—leads to delusion and overreach. The teaching here warns against the dangers of attachment to one's role or prowess in the Cosmic play, as such identifications obscure the underlying Unity of Existence. Death's hubris mirrors the human condition, where repetitive behaviors reinforce ignorance, preventing recognition of the impermanent nature of all phenomena.
The intervention by Yama, the god of righteous judgment, introduces the principle of karma through the axiom that habitual actions engender attachment:
"Whatever is done repeatedly becomes the object of one's fascination." This verse encapsulates a key yogic insight into the mechanics of samsara, where desires and inclinations are perpetuated by routine, binding the soul to cycles of birth and death. Yama's guidance, enforced with symbolic hounds representing vigilance and pursuit of truth, serves as a corrective force, reminding Death (and by extension, the Seeker) that True Realization requires transcending compulsive patterns. It teaches that ethical discipline, aligned with dharma, is essential to redirect the mind from destructive tendencies toward contemplative Wisdom.
The narrative culminates in a rhetorical dismissal of Death's invasion: Brahm, as the "Supreme Void," cannot be assailed because Reality is fundamentally mental and Formless. The mind's projections—volitions and resolves lacking substantiality like gross elements (earth, etc.)—are exposed as illusions, reinforcing Advaita Vedanta's non-dual philosophy. This verse dismantles the illusion of separateness, portraying the Universe as a mere mental construct without inherent Reality, urging the practitioner to inquire into the substratum of experience. By questioning the possibility of conquering the unconquerable, the text invites a shift from action-oriented striving to serene abiding in the infinite, where invasions of the ego dissolve into the Peace of Self-Realization.
Finally, the closing verse elevates the discussion to the experiential dimension of Consciousness, describing the apparent wonder of Space (vyoma) as infused with form yet ultimately identical to the "Void of Consciousness" (cidvyoma). Here, neither cause nor effect holds sway, dissolving all notions of agency and consequence in the boundless Awareness. This teaching affirms that phenomena arise as modulations within Pure Sentience, without independent existence, and that the perceiver's awe is but a reflection of this innate luminosity. Collectively, these verses guide the aspirant toward viveka (discernment), encouraging detachment from the transient to rest in the eternal, where the dramas of gods and demons alike reveal themselves as playful expressions of the One Self.
No comments:
Post a Comment