Yoga Vasishta Sara (The Essence of Yoga Vasishta)

Yoga Vasishta Sara (The Essence of Yoga Vasishta)

The Brihat (the great) Yoga Vasishta or Yoga Vasishta Maha Ramayana as it is also called, is a work of about 32,000 Sanskrit couplets, traditionally attributed to Valmiki, the author of Srimad Ramayana. It is a dialogue between Sage Vasishta and Sri Rama, during which Advaita (the doctrine of non-duality) in its pure form of ajatavada (theory of non-origination) is expounded, with illustrative stories in between. This vast work was abridged some centuries ago by Abhinanda Pandita, a Kashmiri scholar, into 6,000 couplets, which go by the name of Laghu Yoga Vasishta. This is a masterpiece in itself, like the original Brihat.

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi used to refer to Yoga Vasishta frequently and has even incorporated six couplets from it in His Supplement to Forty Verses (verses 21 to 27).

A further condensation of this work was made long ago, by an unknown author, into about 230 couplets, divided into ten chapters, as Yoga Vasishta Sara (Essence of Yoga Vasishta), of which this translation is presented for the first time. By making this condensation the author has rendered a great service to all sadhaks. This is indeed a goldmine fit for repeated reading and meditation.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 - DISPASSION
CHAPTER 2 - UNREALITY OF THE WORLD
CHAPTER 3 - THE MARKS OF A LIBERATED PERSON
CHAPTER 4 - DISSOLUTION OF THE MIND
CHAPTER 5 - THE DESTRUCTION OF LATENT IMPRESSIONS
CHAPTER 6 - MEDITATION ON THE SELF
CHAPTER 7 - METHOD OF PURIFICATION
CHAPTER 8 - WORSHIP OF THE SELF
CHAPTER 9 - EXPOSITION OF THE SELF
CHAPTER 10 - NIRVANA