THE STORIES IN YOGA VASISHTA
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BOOK I: ON DETACHMENT
In this opening story of Yoga Vasishta, sage Agnivesya tells his son, Karunya the story of what Indra’s heavenly messenger told the nymph, Suruchi, and it is the story of King Arishanemi who declines the offer of Indra’s heaven because it is impermanent. Indra instructs the king to go to the ashram of sage Valmiki in order to attain liberation by listening to Yoga Vasishta. (I.1.19)
BOOK II: LONGING FOR LIBERATION
Shuka as a child obtains the highest truth, but is uncertain of it. His father, sage Vyasa, sends him to the royal sage King Janaka for instruction. Shuka becomes sage Shukadeva. (II.1.6-45)
Brahma reveals the nature of creation to his mind-born son, Vasishta. (II.10.10-44)
BOOK III: ON CREATION
Leela and Saraswati (Padma’s body on the shrine) — Queen Leela and King Padma lead an idyllic life, but as they age Leela fears he might die first, in which case her own life would be intolerable. She does tapas to Goddess Saraswati and obtains the boon to have her husband’s spirit always with her. She and the goddess astral travel and time travel to see the couple’s prior life as simple brahmins when her husband sees a lavish royal hunting party, creating a desire in him to possess the wealth of an empire. That desire manifests after King Padma dies and the queen and goddess see another reality in the deceased king’s mind. He is now King Viduratha ruling a vast empire with a second Leela as his wife (III.15-30) — The Great War : Leela and Saraswati witness the great war between King Viduratha and his enemy King Sindhu. (III.31-39) — Viduratha Awakens : Leela and Saraswati awaken Viduratha who remembers his past lives, including as the brahmin who wanted to possess the wealth of an empire. (III.40-41) — Viduratha Killed : In the end, Sindhu wins, Viduratha is killed, and Sindhu rules. (III.43-51) — Back to the Shrine; Nirvana : Saraswati instructs both Leelas, they return to King Viduranatha’s tomb in the shrine, King Viduranatha-Padma is brought back to life in front of the two Leelas, and both Padma (Viduratha) and the first Leela attain nirvana. (III.52-59) — There is a twist on the ending in Book VI, part 2. (VIB.156-157 )
Karkati — Karkati (“Crab”) is a female demon (rakshasi) who performs powerful tapas and obtains the boons to become Vishuchika (“Cholera”) and Suchi (“Needle”) so she can feast on mankind. Unsatisfied, she does tapas again to regain her original form and learns from a king and his minister how to eat lawful food. (III.68-83)
The Ten Aindavas (Sons of Indu) — Indu and his wife perform tapas and receive the boon of having ten sons. After their parents die, all ten complete tapas and attain the boon to become God the Creator, the sole God of the Universe, at the same time. (III.86-87) — (See also VIB.178.26-48 )
The Adulterous Lovers — Libertine Indra and Queen Ahalya, are discovered by King Indra who seeks to punish them. Despite torture, the two lovers refuse to abandon each other. Cursed by sage Bharata, they die and reincarnate together over many lifetimes until they perform tapas and attain liberation. This story illustrates the power of belief. (III.89-90)
Deluded Men Punish Themselves — Men in a desert, club themselves, fall into pits and jump into thorny brambles. They rest in shady groves, then resume the self-punishment. (III.98-99)
Three Non-Existent Princes — An old nurse makes up a story of three princes who never exist. (III.101)
King Lavana, a Magician and a Horse — The magician appears in King Lavana’s court and manifests a magnificent horse. The king mounts the horse and disappears for a couple of hours. Upon his return, the king explains that he had passed a lifetime married to a tribal woman, raising children. When his tribal family died in a great famine, he was preparing to immolate himself when he woke up, found himself back in his court, and realized the magician had put a spell on him. (III.104-109)
BOOK IV: ON EXISTENCE
Shukra Falls in Love with a Nymph — Shukra, the son of sage Bhrigu, had performed tapas but falls in love with a fairy nymph. He pursues her to Indra’s heaven and ends up getting lost in repeated incarnations until he does such severe tapas by the Ganges River that his body perishes. Bhrigu uses his yogi powers to look for his missing son, finds the dead body, and complains to Yama, the god of death. Yama explains the nature of reality to sage Bhrigu, then awakens Shukra who restores his original body and becomes the guru of the demons (Shukra, Venus). (IV.5.7-IV.16)
Dama, Vyala and Kata — The demons Dama, Vyala and Kata (who become known as Bhima, Bhasa and Dridha) are created by the demon-king Sambara in order to defeat the gods in war. Having no prior birth, the three lack ego and are invincible. The defeated gods obtain Brahma’s counsel to foster ego in the three demons, and the demon armies are defeated. The three demons experience innumerable reincarnations until they attain liberation as a sparrow, a gnat, and a parrot when they overhear a king’s minister telling the story of their war with the gods. (IV.25-33)
Dasura — Dasura does tapas sitting in a kadamba tree. A goddess appears who seeks a son and he gives her the boon. Dasura tells the son the story of the air-born King Khottha (mind) and his grand city. Vasishta interviews Dasura. (IV.48.8-IV.55)
The Song of Kacha — Kacha, the son of Brihaspati (Jupiter, the teacher of the gods), sings of the Spirit abiding everywhere. (IV.58)
BOOK V: ON DISSOLUTION – BECOMING QUIET
King Janaka — King Janaka overhears the divine siddhas (spiritual masters) singing praises of Brahman (the Self), reflects upon the meaning, and attains Self-realization. (V.8-12)
Punya and Pavana — Punya and Pavana are brothers whose devout parents pass away. The elder Punya is enlightened, but the younger Pavana grieves. Punya teaches and enlightens Pavana about reincarnation. (V.19-V.21.3)
Bali, the Demon King — Bali (or Mahabali), a benevolent king of demons, tires of life. He remembers asking his father Virochana about attaining everlasting happiness. Virochana explains that the mind is like a royal minister — subduing the mind, one subdues all. Bali gets instruction from Shukra, teacher of the demons, that all is consciousness and does a thousand years of tapas. Vishnu tricks Bali into giving the world to Indra, then imprisons Bali in a cave. Bali regains his authority and rules as an enlightened king. (V.22.7-V.29)
Prahlada, the Demon King Devotee of Vishnu — Prahlada, lord of demons, is the son of Hiranykashipu who was defeated in battle by Narasimha, the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu. Vishnu is the lord of gods, the enemies of the demons. Prahlada becomes a devotee of Vishnu, as do his demons. Through discrimination Prahlada attains enlightenment and performs tapas for thousands of years, throwing the demon world into anarchy for lack of a ruler. Vishnu awakens Prahlada, explains living-liberation, and Prahlada resumes his governing duties. (V.30-41)
Gadhi — Gadhi the brahmin looses consciousness as he performs his ritual bathing. He wakes up as a child in the womb of a tribal woman. He lives a lifetime among tribals until he outlives his contemporaries, then wanders to a rich city, Kira. There the royal elephant chooses him to be the successor king. After eight years of rule, the citizens discover he is a tribal, so brahmins and ministers immolate themselves in disgust. Gadhi does the same, and as he throws himself on his own funeral pyre, he wakes up and realizes that his entire life as a tribal and a king was a brief daydream. But the dream seemed so real that Gadhi travels to where he lived as a tribal and where he ruled as king. Three times he explores, interviews witnesses, and thinks that it had all really happened. Three times he does tapas to Lord Vishnu who tells him it was just in his mind. (V.44-49)
Uddalaka — Uddalaka practices discrimination, meditates in samadhi, and practices pranayama breath control. The story is an occasion to explain some aspects of pranayama. (V.51-55)
King Suraghu — King Suraghu of the Kiratas (indigenous peoples of the Himalayan foothills) receives instruction from sage Mandavya, practices self-inquiry, and attains Self-realization. (V.58-60)
King Parigha — King Parigha of Persia, disheartened by a severe famine, performs tapas and becomes known as Parnada (“Leaf-eater”). He wanders about and meets his old friend, the now Self-realized King Suraghu of the Kiratas and they discuss enlightenment. (V.61 to 63)
Bhasa and Vilasa — The two friends grow up in the ashram of sage Atri, then wander off to perform severe austerities but without gaining true knowledge. They meet again as old hermits, converse, and finally attain liberation. (V.65-66)
Vitahavya — Vitahavya abandons his practice of puja and yagna (ritual worship and fire sacrifices) and practices self-inquiry. He attains samadhi and performs tapas in a cave for such a long time that his body becomes inert and is covered in deep mud and clay. The sage devotionally bids farewell to the various aspects of his body and attains liberation. (V.82-87)
BOOK VI – PART 1: ON LIBERATION
Bhushunda — Bhushunda is an ancient, Self-realized crow who has survived countless cycles of creation and dissolution. Vasishta visits Bhushunda who tells the story of his birth. He was one of twenty brothers born when the crow Chanda mated with seven swans who are the divine vehicles of god Brahma. Bhushananda describes numerous creations and dissolutions, many Creators, Shivas and Vishnus, and many incarnations of the personality of Vasishta, Rama and other sages and avatars. Underlying reality, he explains, is the principle of vital air, and this becomes an occasion to elaborate on pranayama. (VIA.14-27)
Shiva Instructs Vasishta — Shiva instructs Vasishta on the best way to worship God, which is internally as empty consciousness. He explains that consciousness has forgotten itself, and that creation really exists as divine consciousness. (VIA.29.85-VIA.42)
Parable of the Bael Fruit (Wood-apple) as Creation. (VIA.45)
Parable of a Carved Rock as the Soul. (VIA.46)
Arjuna and Krishna — This is the Yoga Vasishta version of the Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna and Krishna are dual incarnations of Vishnu. Vasishta describes how Krishna instructs Arjuna to perform his duty with detachment and go into battle, and how Arjuna attains enlightenment. (VIA.52.8-VI.58)
The Hundred Rudras — The story begins with a mendicant who dreams numerous incarnations until a swan dreams it is Rudra (Shiva). This enlightened Rudra restores the mendicant’s body and they proceed to awaken each of the intervening dreamed incarnations, becoming the one Rudra with one hundred forms. (VIA.62-65)
The Vetala and the Prince — A vetala (ghost, vampire) threatens to kill and eat a prince unless he properly answers the vetala’s questions. The prince does and the vetala forgets its hunger. (VIA.70-73)
King Bhagiratha — This is the story of how the Ganges River was made to flow on earth. King Bhagiratha ages and tires of his great life. He seeks counsel of his spiritual guide (the ascetic Tritala), becomes a renunciant, and in his wanderings agrees to rule another kingdom which has no heir. He thinks of redeeming his ancestors and performs tapas in order to make the heavenly Ganges river flow and purify the earth. (VIA.74-76)
King Sikhidhwaja and Queen Chudala — The royal couple lead an idyllic life and both pursue spiritual knowledge. Chudala practices self-inquiry and attains Self realization. Sikhidhwaja notices she appears unusually radiant, but when she explains Self realization, he dismisses her as a mere woman. — Astral Travel : Chudala keeps her wisdom to herself and learns the yogic powers of manifesting astral bodies and astral travel. (VIA.77-80). Vasishta explains how such powers are possible. Queen Chudala tries to share her knowledge with her husband, but Sikhidhwaja continues to simply dismiss her as being only a woman. (VIA.83)
The Parable of the Miser Kirata and the Philosopher’s Stone . In this interlude within the story of Sikhidhwaja and Chudala, Vasishta explains how one can learn something valuable despite seeking trifles. The miser is searching for a lost cowry shell when he discovers the Philosopher’s Stone. (VIA.83.16-24)
King Sikhidhwaja the Hermit; Chudala as the Brahmin Boy Kumbha — Thinking asceticism is the way to attain enlightenment, King Sikhidwaja abandons his kingdom to become a hermit. Queen Chudala, knowing she has to allow her husband to learn in his own lessons, remains home to govern the country in his name, periodically using her powers to astral travel and check on how her husband is faring. She assumes the form of a brahmin boy, Kumbha, who becomes the hermit-king’s spiritual teacher and questions whether the hermit is progressing towards his goal of liberation. (VIA.84-87)
The Rich Man Who Failed to Grasp the Real Philosopher’s Stone — Kumbha (Chudala) tells her hermit-king husband a parable about a rich man who obtains the Philosopher’s Stone (chinthamani). (VIA.88, 90)
A Foolish Elephant Twice Captured — This is also told by Kumbha (Chudala) to teach the hermit-king. (VIA.89, 91)
Sikhidhwaja & Chudala (Kumba) Continued — The king burns all his hermit possessions in an attempt at complete renunciation, and Kumbha (Chudala) explains the real meaning of renunciation and reality, and that God and creation are the same consciousness — The King Attains Samadhi : the king attains enlightenment and gives up his need to live as an ascetic. (VIA.92-103) — A Married Couple Again : Sikhidhwaja and Kumba (Chudala) wander the world together and the queen desires to make love with her husband. The queen, as the boy Kumbha, tells the king that a curse by sage Durvasa makes him become female each night. It is in this form that they are married. (VIA.104-106) — Chudala Tests Sikhidhwaja by making a false Indra appear as if making love to her, he passes the test, Chudala reveals her true form to her husband, and they are reunited. (VIA.108-110)
Kacha — Kacha, son of sage Brihaspati, seeks lasting peace of mind. His father teaches him to understand that there is no such thing as ego (personal existence). Kacha does tapas to attain liberation. (VIA.111)
Aerial Man Building Aerial Homes — A parable describing creation. (VIA.112.15-VIA.113)
Shiva Explains the True Virtues of good action, enjoyment of life, and indifference to the king of the Bhringis. (VIA.115)
Sage Manu Teaches King Ikshaku that creation is an appearance. (VIA.117-122)
The Story of the Hunter and the Sage — A hunter chases a wounded stag and comes across a sage incapable of knowing where the stag had gone. (VIA.124.28-34)
BOOK VI – PART 2: THE LATTER TREASURY
Bhushunda — Bhushunda, the long-lived crow, instructs a vidyadhara demigod who has tired of the world. Bhushunda describes the tree and temple of illusion, and the nature of Brahman. (VIB.5.4-VIB.12) Bhushunda instructs the vidyadhara that the sense of ego is the source of error and the vidyadhara attains liberation. (VIB.15)
Indra’s Rule of an Atomic World — This story is told by Bhushunda to the vidyadhara. Indra, king of the gods, became weak by studying spirituality, and is defeated in war by the demon asuras. Indra hides by making himself minute inside a lotus flower, when he imagines a palace and a universe. Countless successor Indras rule that universe. (VIB.13.5-VIB.14)
Manki — The brahmin Manki, on pilgrimage and crossing a wasteland, encounters Vasishta. Manki complains about life, receives Vasishta’s instruction, and attains liberation. (VIB.23-26)
Vasishta’s Stories: Vasishta’s Search for Seclusion ; A Vidyadhari’s Song ; Her World inside a Block of Stone ; and Her Husband, Creator God Brahma — Vasishta seeks a secluded place in the universe where he does a hundred-year tapas. (VIB.56) Awakening, he hears the sound of a woman singing and explores creation, a network of alternate realities. (VIB.59-60) The song is from a beautiful vidyadhari who grieves because her ascetic, brahmin husband is uninterested in her. She describes their world inside a block of stone. (VIB.64-66) Vasishta and the vidyadhari awaken the husband, a brahmin who is the creator god Brahma, who explains that she is an aspect of his own creation and that creation is about to dissolve. (VIB.69-70) — A Siddha Master Visits Vasishta’s Aerial Home . Vasishta has experienced cosmic dissolution and returns to the aerial site of his 100-year tapas. He finds a siddha master has taken up residence there. (VIB.93-94)
King Vipaschit — The besieged king, a devotee of the fire-god Agni, enters sacred fire and emerges in four forms in order to wage war successfully. (VIB.108-113) — Travel the Four Corners of the World : The four kings, each with his courts and armies travel the four corners of the world, walking across the oceans and praising creation. (VIB.114-123) — Lost in Repeated Reincarnations : His four persons get lost in repeated reincarnations; some attain enlightenment and help the others. (VIB.124-126) King Vipaschit, in the form of a deer, is produced by Vasishta before Rama and Dasharata’s court. The Deer Enters a Sacred Fire and emerges as the liberated Bhasa. Bhasa describes his many incarnations. (VIB.129-133)
The Story of the Cosmic Carcass — Bhasa (Vipaschit) relates the story of the wonderful carcass to Vasishta, Rama, and Dasharata’s court. He saw a huge carcass fall on the world causing a cosmic dissolution. What is left was used to recreate the world. (VIB.133-135) — Agni Explains the Carcass : Bhasa describes how he had asked the fire god Agni the meaning of the carcass, and Agni related the story of the asura demon cursed to become a gnat, then becomes a deer and a hunter. The hunter comes across an unnamed sage who tells him his own experience entering into the dream consciousness of his student, where the sage gets lost and experiences cosmic dissolution. (VIB.136-141) — The Unnamed Sage Finally Awakens and realizes he imagined everything. Another sage visits him and explains that all is Brahman. The first, unnamed sage explains to the hunter that the guest sage was also himself. (IVB.147-150) — Prophesy that the Hunter Will Ask Questions : The guest sage tells the unnamed sage that he will instruct a hunter who will ask questions about dreaming and sit in tapas. (IVB.153.1-5) — The Boon to Become Huge : Agni, who is telling this story of the hunter to Bhasa (Vipaschit), who is repeating it to Vasishta and Rama, describes how the unnamed sage told the hunter that he will complete tapas, earn the boon to become huge, tire of his body, and the carcass falls on the earth, destroys creation, and becomes a new creation. (VIB.155) — The Hunter Becomes King Sindhu who defeats King Viduratha in battle, then retires and attains liberation. (VIB.157-158) (See the story of Leela, Saraswati and Vidhurath in Book III.) — Vipaschit Does Tapas : Agni’s explanation of the carcass to Vipaschit completed, Bhasa relates how, in his incarnation as one of the four King Vipaschits, he completes tapas. Indra appears and says he is fated to go through more incarnations before liberation, ending up as a deer in the court of Dasharata. (VIB.159.3-26)
Story of the Unnamable Crystal Rock — Vasishta’s description of creation. (VIB.166)
Kundadanta and the Upside-Down Ascetic — This is a story related by Rama. Some time before the assembly that is Yoga Vasishta, the wandering Kundadanta appeared before another assembly that included Rama and Vasishta. Kundadanta tells his story of finding an ascetic hanging from a tree. They travel together and find another ascetic, a hermit living in a desert by a kadamba tree, in what used to be goddess Gauri’s forested ashram, stripped bare by woodcutters. The kadamba tree hermit describes his tapas with his seven brothers which resulted in the blessings of all eight acquiring dominion over creation. Meanwhile, their parents went on pilgrimage and sought wives for the eight sons. They inadvertently gave offense to sage Durvasa who cursed their sons’ tapas to end in failure. (VIB.180-183) — Personified Blessings and Curse : Kundadanta relates how the personified blessings and curse argue before god Brahma who explains how both blessings and curse come to pass. (VIB.183) His story of the kadamba tree ascetic completed, Kundadanta listened to Vasishta’s teaching and attained liberation.
King Prajnapti — The king asks Vasishta how immaterial can create material; Vasishta’s discourse to King Prajnapati. (IV.206-210)
Rama’s Prior Life Learning under Vasishta — Rama asks Vasishta to illustrate how the supreme Brahma comes to think of ego. Vasishta replies that Rama had asked this same question of him in a prior incarnation. (IVB.212.19-IVB.213)