YOGA

VAASISHTA

A PHILOSOPHICAL TREATISE

COMPOSED BY

VAALMIKI MAHARSHI

q~ 9*


*
ESSENCE OF YOGAVAASISHTA
Compiled by
1
Tejasvini


91

~9

*
91

FIRST HALF OF SECTION SIX

FINAL EMANCIPATION

PART EIGHT


[QUESTIONS OF A VETAALA]

INTRODUCTION

The term Vetaala usually refers to a spirit which occupies inert dead bodies and
performs weird actions.
Here mind or intellect is the Vetaala which keeps on projecting bodies for the fulfillment
of its various desires.

This is an allegorical story of a Vetaala or the intellect which asks questions about the
Chit-state without the actual experience, but only proud of its scriptural learning.
Without the reasoning process or contemplation of the Supreme, Self-state cannot be
experienced by anyone.
In this story, the Vetaala is a reformed devil. It has stopped harassing the people and is
able to control its hunger. But arrogant of its learning, it looks down upon the ignorant
who are not in any way equal to its intelligence.

In its so called pious life, it encounters a king (Vichaara or Reasoning).
The king blasts off its intellectual learning into pieces by describing the mammoth nature
of the Supreme.
When the Supreme state becomes an actual experience, the intellect (Vetaala) dies off,
unable to comprehend the enormous size of the creation.

In the story the king answers the six questions presented by the Vetaala; but the whole
section is directed only at describing the hugeness of the world-appearance.

OM

91

FIRST HALF OF SECTION SIX

FINAL EMANCIPATION


CHAPTER ONE


{LIBERATION}

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When one follows the method of mind-control through Vichaara (rational enquiry),
Jeeva becomes a non-Jeeva (free of limitations);
mind attains the state of non-mind (Sattva-state);
and Avidyaa ends once for all.
That alone is termed as Liberation.


{POWER OF VICHAARA}

*

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The mind, ego-state etc are all perceived like the unreal waters of the mirage.
Through even the slightest reasoning process,
this mirage dissolves off.


{VETAALA}

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Listen to these wonderful questions presented
by the Vetaala (a spirit),
about the dream of this Samsaara,
which came to my memory in this context.


CHAPTER TWO

In the great forest of Vindhya Mountain lives a Vetaala of a huge form.
He was very proud and arrogant.
Once he wandered in some populated regions desirous of eating some ignorant people.

The Vetaala had previously lived in the shelter of a noble king (like Karkati demoness
sheltered by the Kiraata king). He was given ample food in the form of thieves and
cheats. He was happy in the blissful state of the Self.
He never without any reason killed a faultless man standing in front, even if tormented by
hunger. Pious men are always beacons of perfect actions.
He lived in the forest-regions.
Some day he went towards the city to satiate his hunger to consume some ignorant
mortals. He met a king there who was out on his night patrol.
The terrifying devil spoke to him making horrifying noises.


Vetaala spoke

Hey king! You are caught today by me in the form of this terrifying Vetaala!
Where do you go? You are dead today! You are my food today!


King spoke

Hey RaatriChara (you who move at nights only)!
If you forcefully eat me here without any reason, your head will split into thousand pieces
for sure!


Vetaala spoke

I will not eat you without any reason. I will tell you the reason.
You are a king! You are duty-bound to fulfill all the wishes of the needy!
I also place this request before you.
Hey king! Fulfill this wish of mine too, which has risen now!
Answer correctly all these questions presented by me.

(If you are ignorant you are a person who commits thousands of mistakes and deserve to be killed.
If you are a knower, you never will do any mistake.
Only to test your knowledge, these questions are asked.
I am not asking worthless questions to mask my killing desire.)



CHAPTER THREE


{SIX QUESTIONS OF VETAALA}


Vetaala spoke

1 1

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171

Which is that Sun,
in whose shining rays
the tiny atoms namely the cosmic eggs float across?

Which is that wind which contains the sands of great skies?

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Moving from dream to dream numbering hundreds; nay even thousands,
who discards (all the identities of the succeeding dreams one by one);
yet does not discard ones pure nature which reveals them all?

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7717

He is like the plantain trunk
which is made of leaves alone,
overlapping one over the other, again and again, on the inside.
Which is the atom inside all that?








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Countless cosmic eggs, hosts of beings and their planets,
countless solar spheres, and Meru Mountains
are worthless atoms which do not lose their atom-ness
because of that one single atom!
Which is that?

11

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The tri-world is
just the essence of the dense inside of the rock of that huge mountain
of the supreme atom which has no parts.
Which is that?


Vetaala spoke


Hey wicked creature! Hey self-killer!
If you do not answer (these six questions), then I will kill you and immediately go to your
country and swallow it off like a fruit, like Yama consuming the world!

*
Vasishta spoke


After the Vetaala spoke like this, the king laughed aloud making the space around him
whitened by the shine of his teeth and started to answer the questions.










CHAPTER FOUR


(As the Vetaala had mentioned- the tiny atoms namely the cosmic eggs, - the king wants to blast that
statement away by describing the enormous nature of the whole perceived phenomena.}




King spoke

{FRUIT}


(Imagine a fruit with a thick skin. The skin is made of layers and layers of skin covering one on top of
another. Each layer is ten times thicker than the other. Each layer is a host of beings beyond the count of
numbers.)

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There is this fruit of a cosmic egg which never ages.
Its skin is made of hosts of beings,
which overlaps one above the other, ten times thicker than the other.



{FRUITS IN THE BRANCHES}



(Countless such fruits cover the branches filled with leaves. These branches grow high and wide into the
sky. Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

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Such thousands of fruits fill the countless branches
which grow very high
and are covered by moving leaves (worlds).




{BRANCHES ON THE TREE}

(Countless such branches are on a tall tree which is so huge that it cannot be even seen fully.)
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

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T1 H

Thousands of such branches are there
in that huge tree,
which is so big that it cannot come within the range of the sight at all.




{TREES IN THE FOREST}



(Countless such trees are in a forest covering the lands as much as your eyes can reach and beyond that too.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

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7~


Thousands of such trees are there in that forest which grows very high.
It is filled with endless clusters of such trees.



{FORESTS ON THE MOUNTAIN}


(Countless such forests cover the huge mountain up to its peak.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

T P 7c
T1 q

c



Thousands of such forests are there filling the mountain completely
up to the topmost edge of the lofty peak.




{MOUNTAINS IN THE HOLLOWS OF THE TERRAIN}

(Countless such huge mountains cover the hollows of an extensive terrain.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

T P q

7c
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Thousands of such peaks of mountains are there in that extremely extensive country
which has abundant hollows.




{COUNTRIES IN THE ISLAND}


(Countless such huge terrains cover a huge island filled with lakes and rivers.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

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Thousands of such countries exist in a huge island,
which contains huge lakes and rivers.



{ISLANDS ON THE EARTH-SURFACE}



(Countless such huge islands cover a huge earth.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

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T1 | 7

Thousands of such islands are there on the surface of the earth-pedestal
which contains multifarious objects with varied names and forms.



{EARTHS IN UNIVERSES}

(Countless such earths exist in a countless universes.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

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7c
T1 1

+

Thousands of such earths are there
in that excessively spread out entangled mass of universes.



{UNIVERSES IN THE COSMIC EGG}


(Countless such huge universes exist in a huge cosmic egg.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

T P 7c
T1 +

Thousands of such world masses are in that huge egg,
which is terrifying and is the pedestal of space.




{EGGS IN THE BAMBOO-BASKETS AND BASKETS IN THE OCEAN}
(CREATIONS/VAASANAA COLLECTIONS)


(Countless such huge eggs are placed in a basket. Such baskets float in a huge ocean filling it densely.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

T P
T1 17

Thousands of such eggs are in the baskets (creations)
which densely fill the huge sea completely filled with waters
which is so full that it cannot even quiver.



{OCEANS ARE SHALLOW WAVES OF HUGER OCEANS}
(PRINCIPLE OF BRAHMA)


(Countless such oceans are tiny waves in a very big ocean.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

T4H q
T 1c 1

Lakhs of such seas are tiny shallow waves in a huge ocean (Brahma)
which enjoys itself and is taintless.



{OCEANS INSIDE THE BELLY OF A MAN}
(PRINCIPLE OF NAARAAYANA)


(Countless such huge oceans are just waters inside a huge belly of a man of a colossal size standing tall and
high. Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

TP 17
T1 7c



Thousands of such oceans are the belly waters of some man
who stands high and is very huge.

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1 1

(Naaraayana is said to be the store-house all experiences of all beings which are in the form of waters.)













{MEN WOVEN AS A GARLAND}
(PRINCIPLE OF SHIVA)


(Countless such men are woven in a massive garland worn by another huge man.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

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H 1 1
9 c T1


Lakhs of such men are woven in the garland
adorning the chest of a supreme person,
who is the support of all beings.



{GARLAND-WEARING MEN IN THE LUSTER OF SUN}
(CHIT-SUN)



(Countless such men are inside a sphere, and stay there densely crowded like the hairs on the body.
Now you can imagine how many cosmic eggs of beings could be there!)

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c
17

1 1


Thousands of such great men rise in that sphere
like the dense hairs on the body.



{SUN IN THE EYES}


(That is the sphere of the Supreme Sun which shines in countless eyes.)

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1 11 |

Such great sun is there in hundreds of eyes.
All these divisions and differentiations seen are his radiance.




{COSMIC EGGS ARE DUST PARTICLES FLOATING IN THAT SHINE}


(And in the shine of that sun alone, float countless cosmic eggs!)

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The cosmic eggs are dust-particles floating in the shine of this Sun.
He alone was mentioned by me as Chit-Sun.
He burns everything that is here.

{HE IS THE PRINCIPLE OF KNOWLEDGE}

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He is knowledge in essence.
He is the Supreme source of light who reveals all this.
All these cosmic eggs are the dust particles floating in his shine.

7 1 7 7
++ 4~++

All these splendors of the world-day shine and exist
because of the shine of Supreme Sun of knowledge,
like the splendor of the Sun.



















{SHUT UP AND BE QUIET}


(Hey you arrogant Vetaala!
At least place your questions properly.
Keep your mouth shut if you do not understand what you are asking about!)


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4
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7 71

Hey you (Vetaala)!
That Supreme gem (shining as the Sun) over the bower of tri-world,
shines only in those who have realized the Self
through the knowledge bestowed by the scriptures;
is not understood by those creatures who have not sought the knowledge of the Self.

Those countless allusions of doer, enjoyer etc
which are there for every individual self
in the mansion of the world perceived
by the Jeeva rising out of Chit (like spark from the fire),
are not there in the least (in the state of Chit).

So remain silent!















CHAPTER FIVE


{REST OF THE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED}


(First question: Which is that wind which contains the sands of great skies?)

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All these subtle hence taintless (secondary) principles of time, sky,
vibration of action of the nature of awareness,
principle of pure consciousness, and rest of all the principles-
causing changes and modifications of varied nature,
are just the dust particles floating in the winds namely
the Supreme Self;
as if different from it;
like the fragrance of a flower which is also a part of the flower,
yet appearing as if different.

_



(Third question: Moving from dream to dream numbering hundreds; nay even thousands, who discards (all
the identities of the succeeding dreams one by one); yet does not discard ones pure nature which reveals
them all?)

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F c 7 [7c

In the great dream called the world,
moving from dream to dream,
Brahman of the nature of knowledge
expanding its own quiescent nature,
shines as the unbroken luster untouched by the faults of the dreams
and does not discard its own nature.

_


(Fourth question: The plantain trunk is made of leaves alone, overlapping one over the other, again and
again, on the inside. Who is the atom like that inside all?)

+1+ 77
771 [ c

Just like the plantain trunk is made of overlapping leaves alone, one over the other,
these worlds keep encircling one over the other,
changing continuously due to intermediate causes,
inside the Brahman-state.

_


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It is celebrated by the words of Sat, Brahman, Aatman etc,
They do not represent That actually,
as it is empty of any characters or limitations.
It is not anything or nothing.
(Because)
That taintless pure consciousness alone spreads out as
all these realities
which exist overlapping each other, one under the other, as in the plantain trunk,
and are a matter of experience only.

Yet it remains untouched by them.


(The reality of the cloth is founded on the thread; that is based on the cotton; that on the fruit; that on the
plant; that on the seed, water, mud etc.
Like the plantain trunk, the Chit discards those changing realities which are a matter of experience only,
and remains only as pure consciousness. That Chit alone spreads out as this world.)



_



(Countless cosmic eggs, hosts of beings and their planets, countless solar spheres, and Meru Mountains, are
worthless atoms which do not lose their atom-ness because of that one single atom? Which is that?
This fifth question also gets answered by the above verse.)

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7c 9


Being subtle and ungraspable,
this Supreme Self alone is the Supreme atom of the subtlest nature;
(yet not broken or divided).
Being endless, this principle of Brahman alone is the support of
all those Meru and others.


_


71 +1

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All these worlds etc shine as formless only like Brahman,
and they alone are the subtle atoms of this Supreme Being
who is more indestructible than the atom.


_




(Sixth question-The tri-world is just the essence of the dense inside of the rock of that huge mountain of the
supreme atom which has no parts. Which is that?)

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F 1


This Supreme subtle atom is the huge mountain because it cannot be grasped
and it fills all.
He is the Supreme Being who is all that is with form and without form,
yet is understood as none of them.


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He is only of the nature of knowledge.
The tri-world is his essence.
O Good one!
Understand that the tri-world is only within the cognizing nature of the Brahman.

_

7 7
717F


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1

71

The worlds are only there because of the cognizing power of the Supreme,
which is of the nature of quiescence,
which is blissful and eternal.
Hey you immature ghost! You can never dream ever of crossing it over!
Experience that state as the Self and be quiet!


_
















CHAPTER SIX

*
Vasishta spoke


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1c

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The Vetaala calmed down after hearing these answers from the king
who was in the direct experience of the Self
and who had attained knowledge through proper reasoning.
With the mind free of all agitations,
contemplating on the blameless single state of the Self,
it became still; and was absorbed in the Self,
forgetting the tormenting hunger.


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H 1

Rama!
I have told you now about the questions presented by that Vetaala.
In this manner, the world is established in the Chit-atom as answered by the king.


|
1 * c

The world stored in the chest of the Chit-atom dissolves through reasoning,
like the body of the Vetaala.
And whatever remains is the state of the Supreme!








PART EIGHT OF
SECTION SIX - NIRVAANA PRAKARANAM
COMPLETE













About the Author:

Maa Tejasvini

The author spent many years doing research on ancient Sanskrit texts in the Himalayan
region. She was exposed to many unique spiritual experiences which are beyond human
comprehension.
Her mission in life was to translate all renowned spiritual texts and literature of Sanskrit
and bring them to the light of the public.