Moment to Speak

The Ashtavakra Gita (10.8) pronounces "Now at last stop," or "Cease that now," specifically in the context of external thought projection of mind to relish in the world of objects. The inner spirit, or Atman , remains a mute witness to all these activities of mind. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita (3.38) aptly explains it in this way: dhūmenāvriyate vahnir yathādarśho malena cha yatholbenāvṛito garbhas tathā tenedam āvṛitam The Bhagavad Gita (3.38) says that just as a fire is covered by smoke, a mirror is masked by dust, and an embryo is concealed by the womb, similarly one’s knowledge is shrouded by desire. Insatiable desire clouds our perception of reality, i.e. One, indivisible, eternal, and infinite, and impedes our ability to realise reality unobscured. The Ashtavakra Gita equally teaches to imbibe the virtues of equanimity, endurance, detachment, dispassion, and dispossession in the transient phenomenal world ingrained with sensual desires, attachments, passion, ig...

Good conduct is leading a life of virtues and experiencing the same in every way and moment to realise Self. It is all about, according to Yoga-Vasistha, contentment, a society of the virtuous, ratiocination, and quietism. These are the several means for crossing over the ocean of the world by mankind. Good conduct is interlinked with wisdom and is considered essential for spiritual progress. It involves cultivating virtues like contentment, society of the virtuous, ratiocination, quietism, self-control, and compassion. Good conduct is not merely external behaviour but a reflection of inner purity and a balanced mind. Good conduct is intertwined with wisdom, asserts Yoga-Vasistha, as each complements the other. Right conduct arises from wisdom, and wisdom is enriched by good conduct. It induces harmonious correlation between interior and exterior aspects concatenated with virtues of non-duality , transparency, equanimity , detachment , and forbearance . The text prescribes that good co...

The Yoga-Vasistha (Chapters XLII and CV ) uses the analogy of a dream to illustrate the evanescence and fallaciousness of the phenomenal world. Just as a dream world dissolves upon waking, the phenomenal world is seen as impermanent and ultimately dissolving into a vacuum upon the realisation of Atman , or Self. It presents a unique perspective on dreaming, equating it with two states of consciousness, dreaming and waking, that share similarities and can intertwine with one another. Both states are considered illusions or magical experiences, lacking true reality, while also revealing the thought projection of mind . This interplay illustrates the complexities and nuances of human consciousness. The Yoga-Vasistha ( Chapter XLII ) suggests that both are ultimately illusions created by the mind. It says (Yoga-Vasistha, Chapter CV ) that the intellect conceives the form of the world, of its own intrinsic nature, and fancies itself in that very form, as it were in a dream. The world we pe...

Brahman , or Cosmic Self, or Absolute Existence, or Ultimate Reality, or Truth, is Supreme Bliss. Brahman is transcendent as well as immanent. It is beyond human comprehension, eternal, infinite, self-effulgent, formless, attributeless, and not bound by the limitations of time, space, and causation. The quest of  Brahman is a spiritual journey aimed at realising one's unity with ultimate reality. It is a process of self-discovery and spiritual development, often involving practices like meditation, yoga, and the study of scriptures. It is a path of self-enquiry, where one seeks to understand one's true nature and overcome the limitations of self-ego emanating from the body-mind-intellect complex and attachment. The enquiry of Brahman , according to Swami Sivananda (Brahmasutras: Text, Word-to-Word Meaning and Commentary, Chapter-1, Section-1), does not depend on the performance of any act. One must know and realise eternal Brahman . Then only one will attain eternal bliss, f...

In the Yoga-Vasistha, the concepts of unity and duality are central to understanding Reality and the path to Moksha , or liberation. The text Yoga-Vasistha is attributed to Maharshi Valmiki, the author of Ramayana. Maharshi Valmiki, in the Yoga-Vasistha texts, presents conversations between Maharshi Vasistha and Bhagwan Sri Rama, discussing how the unchanging and limitless nature of Consciousness, known as Brahman or Cosmic Self, shows up as the separate world we experience. The Yoga-Vasistha asserts that this duality is ultimately an illusion, a mental construction, or projection of the mind, and that true understanding lies in realising the underlying unity. It postulates that our perception of a separate, dualistic world is a mental conditioning resulting from Avidya , or ignorance. This phrenic mode leads us to falsely perceive a separation between ourselves and the world, creating a sense of duality in our experience. It contends that Ultimate Reality is one, indivisible, imperis...

The Universal Toleration, a key aspect of Yoga Vasistha ( Yoga-Vasistha , Book VII - Nirvana prakarana, part 2, chapter CXCVIII - Excellence of Universal Toleration) advocates for a path of compassion, self-control, forbeareance, dispassion and equanimity as a means to move-up in the elevatory journey towards Moksha , or liberation. It says constrain yourself to yourself, view the phenomenal as they are of themselves, and without any concern with himself. Regard all in the one and same light with yourself, and observe a universal benevolence towards all beings, and then place your reliance on your own equanimity, conduct yourself safely and securely everywhere. Know the plan of your even-mindedness, to be productive of the fruits of purest and most delicious taste; and bearing the blossoms of unbounded prosperity, and the flowers of our unfading good fortune. Humbleness of disposition, yields the fruit of universal benevolence, and makes the prosperity of the whole world wait at it...

Sage Ashtavakra, during his discourses ( Ashtavakra Gita , 12.3) with Sage King Janaka, pronounces, 'Seeing all change, I stay as I am,' or 'I am established.' It signifies that Atman , or Self, remains unchanged while witnessing the phenomenal world's constant changes. It suggests this reflects self-realisation, where one understands Atman , or Self, as eternal, immutable, imperishable, infinite, unattached, and unaffected by transience and the state of opposites. That way, it teaches detachment, equanimity, forbearance, peace, and liberation. It emphasises the practice of tolerance, or forgiveness; sincerity, or straightforwardness; compassion; contentment; and truthfulness, like nectar. It signifies recognising that all things are subject to arising, changing, and passing away, which is their inherent nature ( Ashtavakra Gita 11.1-8). Unmoved and undistracted, realising that being, non-being and transformation are of the very nature of things, one easily finds...