TEMPORAL WELFARE

He who pursues the path of spiritual ignorance and who uses clever techniques to master the illusions of the world, mistaking the pursuit of worldly pleasures or psychic powers for true happiness, Yoga-Vasistha (5.89.15) highlights, they are in temporal welfare, as they are blind to the salvation of Atman, or Self; no matter how advanced their techniques may appear to be, they are against the course of the holy sages and saints. In reality, they are not for Atmajnana, or Self-knowledge, and Ātmabodha, or Self-awareness. They, in spite of their mastery and fleeting skills of worldly experience of senses, remain immersed in Avidya, or ignorance. Those of the former are truly self-realised, contented, and maintain virtues of detachment, equanimity and forbearance.  They denote the realisation that one's true nature is the witness-conscious Atman, or Self, of Purusha, the eternal, imperishable and fundamentally one with Paramatma, or Brahman, or the Absolute Existence. It is distinct from the body-mind complex, the perishability and ephemerality aspects of nature. The Atmic path is often regarded as the Ultimate path to Moksha, or liberation. Such people reflect Self-study, Self-reflection, Self-introspection, and Self-enquiry. However, those who rely on the cleverness of their mind by reflecting on their body-mind-intellect complex remain in temporal welfare. The aim here is the pursuit of immediate, worldly well-being, material prosperity, and fleeting pleasures, which are often prioritised by the ignorant but considered inferior to spiritual liberation by the wise. In Yoga-Vasistha, it is often referred to as temporal welfare. It represents attachment to ephemeral, mundane life, whereas true wisdom remains under the veil of attachment, desires, greed, aggrandisement, jealousy and hatred. They adopt the pathways of Avidya, or ignorance, and remain in the Samsara Chakra, or wheel of birth and death, only to savour the transient, fleeting sensation of the phenomenal world. They get themselves into the illusionary entrapment of Maya, or illusion, because of their own volition sprouting from the Avidya, or ignorance, even though they are skilled in worldly matters, or possess certain extra-natural abilities. These people are full of ignorance (Avidyāmayā) themselves and are not among the knowers of the Self (Ãtmavñāḥ).

1. Outline
The uncontrolled outward expansion of the expansive mind alone is temporal welfare. It gets attracted to worldly things through sense perceptions involving the sensual organs to savour the fleeting sensations as if they are there to stay forever. The mind being veiled by the Avidya, or ignorance, fosters a cognition deficit to comprehend and cognise the world of apparent realities as transient, cyclical and primarily consisting of opposites of birth and death, heat and cold, happiness and distress, and so on. It ensnares the intellect within its grasp and deprives it of the power of discrimination between eternal and ephemeral, bliss and misery, and freedom and bondage, as well as attachment and detachment. The ensnarement propels one to think that one can use mystic techniques or intellectual manoeuvring to gain worldly powers, yet still remain bound by the ego and ignorance. Yoga-Vasistha (5.89.15) highlights a critical distinction between Atmajñāna, or Self-knowledge, and Ātmabodha, or Self-awareness vis-à-vis Avidya, or ignorance, and fleeting skills of worldly experience of senses. Those of the former are truly self-realised, contented, and maintain virtues of detachment, equanimity, and forbearance. They denote the realisation that one's true nature is the witness-conscious Atman, or Self, of Purusha, the eternal, imperishable and fundamentally one with Paramatma, or Brahman, or the Absolute Existence. It is distinct from the body-mind complex, the perishability and ephemerality aspects of nature. The Atmic path is often regarded as the ultimate path to Moksha, or liberation. They reflect Self-study, Self-reflection, Self-introspection, and Self-enquiry.
However, according to Yoga-Vasistha (Book 5, Chapter 89), those who rely on the cleverness of their mind by reflecting on their body-mind-intellect complex remain in temporal welfare. The aim here is the pursuit of immediate, worldly well-being, material prosperity, and fleeting pleasures, which are often prioritised by the ignorant but considered inferior to spiritual liberation by the wise. In Yoga-Vasistha, it is often referred to as attachment to ephemeral, mundane life, whereas true wisdom lies in detachment and inner, spiritual peace. They adopt the pathways of Avidya, or ignorance, to remain in the Samsara Chakra, wheel of birth and death, only to savour the transient, fleeting sensation of the phenomenal world. They get themselves into the illusionary entrapment of the world, even though they are skilled in worldly matters or possess certain extra natural abilities. These people are full of ignorance (Avidyāmayā) themselves and are not among the knowers of the Self (Ãtmavñāḥ).
Those who elevate themselves through the power of their mind by remaining steadfast with Atman, or Self, move towards the direction of Moksha, or salvation. Those who are steadfast in Karma yoga, always think, “I am not the doer,” even while engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, moving, sleeping, breathing, speaking, excreting, grasping, and opening or closing the eyes (Srimad Bhagavad Gita, 5.8-9). With the light of Self-knowledge, they see that it is only the material senses that are moving amongst their objects. They refer specifically to the experience of Self as Aham Sphurana, frequently used by Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi. It denotes that "Aham" means "I" and "Sphurana" means "radiation", "emanation", or "vibration". It is the shining of I AM. It is the "I-I" consciousness, described as the direct, non-verbal, soundless pulsation of Atmic experience, or Self-experience. It contends knowledge that is "experienced" directly rather than "learned" as direct, personal realisation or internal perception.

2. Scriptures
The scriptures refer to two pathways for human pursuit: the Atmic path, or Shreyas, or Self-pathway; and Preyas, or the temporal, or worldly path. The former focuses on nurturing Self-knowledge, Self-awareness, Self-experience and Self-realisation as Atman is fundamentally inseparable from Brahman, or the Supreme Self, or the Absolute Existence. The goal is Self-liberation from the pangs of the Samsara Chakra, or wheel of birth and death, and to realise the non-dual essence, Existence as one. The latter is driven by worldly desire, material pursuits, and ritualistic actions (Karma) aimed at achieving temporary pleasures, whether in this life or a heavenly afterlife. These paths represent the choice between ultimate liberation and temporary, worldly gratification. Katha Upanishad covers topics such as the nature of Atman, or Self, the transience of worldly pleasures, and the pathways to Moksha, or liberation. It highlights the value of Self-realisation, Self-knowledge, and Self-introspection and Self-discipline as Self-pathway to Shreyas, or the ultimate good, over Preyas, or the fleeting sensory pleasures. Shreyas represents long-term spiritual growth and salvation, while Preyas brings temporary enjoyment but leads to bondage. The Upanishad uses the well-known chariot analogy to show how the body, mind, senses, intellect, and self are all related. In a similar vein, Yoga-Vasistha (5.89.1-68) articulates the self-pathway as a path to salvation and of the worldly pursuit of damnation in the Samsara Chakra, wheel of birth and death. Know all earthly contrivances to be the offspring of worldliness and the progeny of spiritual ignorance. Say then, what spiritualist is there that will be so foolish as to plunge himself into this gross ignorance? He who pursues the path of spiritual ignorance by his meditations and contrivances for his temporal welfare must be blind to the future welfare of his soul, against the course of the holy sage and saint. Whoever is in the Atmic path is ever content and quiet in his soul and is devoid of desires and affections in his mind; he is of the form of empty air and remains with his spiritual knowledge as the idol of his Self. He is unapprehensive of adversity or calamity and unaffected by feelings of pleasure and pain; he has full satiety in his privation of everything and is unconcerned about his life and death by remaining himself as the living dead. He remains unmoved at all evens and odds, as the ocean is at a standstill with all the outpourings of the rivers, and he continues to meditate on and adore the divine spirit in his own spirit. He has no need of acquiring or amassing any wealth for himself, nor is he in need of asking anything of anybody for his support. The temporal path person who aims at the acquisition of supernatural powers must sacrifice the means of his consummation to the acquisition of such powers. It is well accepted in the scriptures that Atman, or Self, which relies on its pure consciousness and is freed from the net of its desires, remains only with its subtle spiritual body. Atman is indivisible and unconsumable, and neither does it moulder nor dry up at any time.

3. Remarks
Yoga-Vasistha, a foundational Advaita Vedanta text in the form of a discourse between Sage Vasistha and Sri Rama, presents a non-dual philosophy aimed at navigating life's challenges in the world of mental projection while attaining Self-realisation and liberation, or Moksha. The ultimate purpose of life is to recognise one's true nature as the eternal, uncaused, Self-luminous, Self-effulgent, formless, and blissful Atman, or Self. The goal is to become a Jivanmukta, or living liberated—one who is liberated while still in the physical body.
Waking from the Dream: Life is described as a long dream or a "creation of the mind". The aim is to wake up from this dream of "I-ness" (ego) and see the world as a non-dual play of consciousness.
Equanimity: The purpose is to reach a state of inner calm, remaining unaffected by the opposites of life.  Yoga-Vasistha teaches that the world you experience is a reflection of your own inner state and mental projections. It emphasises equanimity in thought and action. Temporal welfare is not merely accumulating possessions but acting in the world with a calm mind, unattached to the outcomes. Yoga-Vasistha states four gatekeepers to welfare, or freedom that must be cultivated for true, lasting prosperity and peace:
Santi: Self-control or tranquillity of mind.
Vichara: The spirit of enquiry (constantly asking "Who am I?").
Santosha: Contentment, which destroys all sins.
Satsanga: Company of the wise.
Inner Coolness: A person whose mind is cool and free from attachments is truly successful in life.
Yoga-Vasistha sets conceptual outlines for life management that you are not a helpless victim of fate. Self-effort can change your destiny. It says the mind works both ways, and it all depends on how one puts it in control; accordingly, it becomes a friend as well as an enemy. The uncontrolled mind (filled with vasanas or desires) is the cause of bondage, while the mastered mind is the tool for liberation. It does nothing as well as everything. The root of misery is the ego (Ahamkara). Its annihilation through inquiry is liberation. It says to be actively inactive by participating in worldly affairs but remain inwardly quiet. "Whatever comes, let it come; whatever goes, let it go." One needs to discriminate by asking constantly what is real and what is not.

- Asutosh Satpathy