Author: Jnanananda Bharati
Translator(s)/ Editors(s): Subhash Jain
Publisher: Manoj Publications
Year: 2011
Language: Bi-Lingual
Pages: 316
ISBN/UPC (if available): 9788131012925
Description
Yoga Vashishtha is a dialogue between Sage Vashishtha and Sri Rama written by Sage Valmiki. Yoga Vashishtha Contains the spiritual teachings that Sri Rama received from his Guru, Sage Vashishtha, when he was only a teenager.
Jnana Vashishta is a well-known text of Vedanta. Though much of it is narrated in style of stories, it is immensely philosophical and rational, in the approach to search and find Reality, by way of pointed metaphors and allegories. The original Sanskrit work ascribed to the 'first sage Valmiki' has nearly 30,000 verses. Then a smaller version of 6000 verses was compiled by Abhinandana of Kashmir and it has the name - Laghu Yog Vashishtha.
The main theme of these teachings is that the world is a dream of the soul from which we must awake. Throughout its six chapters Yoga Vashishtha helps us identify why the world is a dream and how we can proceed from a state of sleep to a state of wakefulness, and how we can overcome the restricting factors of our personality and gain greater appreciation, awareness, understanding, contentment and peace in life.
According to Yoga Vashishtha this world of experience with various objects, time, space and laws are is a creation of the mind that is an idea or Kalpana. Mind is the cause of bondage and liberation. To know that you are the immortal, all-pervading self is to become that. This is moksha. This is the goal of life.
This book is an “Abridged” version of the Yoga Vashishta. And will appeal to the general reader.
Contents
1. The Dejection of Shri Raama 2. The Beginning of Teaching 3. Te Manner of Origin 4. The Story of Leelaa 5. The Story of Suchee 6. The Power of Thought 7. The Story of Lavana 8. The Story of Bhaargava 9. The Story of Daama and Others 10. The Story of Daasoora 11. The Story of Janaka 12. The Story of Bali 13. The Story of Prahlaad 14. The Story of Gaadhi 15. The Story of Uddaalaka 16. The Story of Suraghu 17. The Process of Destruction of the mind 18. The Story of Veetahavya 19. The Quenching of Mind 20. Contemplation of the Self-pure Conscious 21. The Story of Bhushunda (A crow) 22. Manner of Worshipping of the Deity 23. Glory of the Power of pure consciousness 24. The Story of Bhageeratha 25. The Glory of Choodaalaa 26. The Penance of Shikhidhvaja 27. The Teaching of Choodaalaa 28. The Test of Shikhidhvaja 29. Living in the auspicious state of the conscious 30. The Story of Ikshvaaku 31. Conquest of the Steps 32. Conclusion of the Treatise Appendix : Some Terms and Names