(6) The relationship between an occult Guru and his Sishya or disciple (as appears from the story of Sikhidwaja).
(7) The experiences of those persons (who are able to ele vate themselves beyond their physical bodies) as a Jiva-Suchi or Neevara-S ukham, either as a needle or the tail-end of paddy which is exemplified in the Story of Karkati.
(8) Some of the secret meanings of Brighu, Vasishta, Kasypa, &c., as well as of the worship of God.
(9) The reality of thought as in the story of Gadhi.
(10) The emergence of all objects from the moon after a minor deluge.
Without multiplying more instances of this kind, I shall proceed to the contents of this work. The occasion which called it forth demands that the work was intended for those
only who wish to practically travel on the higher path. Most of our readers will have been fully acquainted with the con tents of our great Epic poem, the Ramayana. We find therein that Rishi Viswamitra turns upon the stage in the early years of Sri Rama. The Rishi appears before his father, Dasaratha and demands of him his son Rama to war with
the Rakshasas interfering with his sacrifice. Just before this time, Rama goes on a pilgrimage to the many sacred places ; and having visited the Asramas (hermitages) of the wise, returns to his native place. On his return, he grows quite disgusted with his material life, spurns his wealth and other regal possessions and grows despondent without per forming any of his daily duties. His attendants go and com plain to the King his father of the grievous plight of their master. Thereupon the father sends for his son, seats him on his lap and enquires of him his state.
But the son evades the question by simply laughing over the affair and gets away. At this juncture, Muni Viswamitra turns up and the King delighted with the usual arrival of such a distinguished and reverend guest consents to execute any orders of the noble Muni. The Muni demands Rama for his aid at which Dasaratha is panic-struck. Yet rallying himself, he volunteers his own services in lieu of his eldest and dearly beloved boy begotten through dire Tapas. Immediately the Muni begins to curse Daaaratha for his vacillation in the fulfilment of his
promises, when Vasishta interposes and pacifies the sage by making the King fulfil his promise. Then Rama is sent for and his servants meanwhile relate to the Rishis the pitiable present plight of their master disdaining to perform such actions as tastingfood, drinking water, &c. At which Vasishta remarks that the Vairaggya (indifference) of the Prince is not akin to that produced by such momentary accidents as the loss of some dearly beloved relative or wealth but is one which is the premonitory symptom of a spiritual development in him after which development all his duties will be regularly per formed by him. On Rama s arrival at the regal assembly, he is asked by one of the Rishis as to the cause of his present sorrow.
At which Rama makes a long tirade against wealth, life, Ahankara, Manas (mind), desires, body and other material things and at last winds up by saying that he will rather ex pose himself to the torments of hell-fire than undergo the excruciating mental tortures, consuming him tittle by tittle through the abovementioned causes. This concludes the chapter called Vairaggya Prakarana or the section on in difference to worldly things.
This work consists on the whole, of six Prakaranas or sections. Passing by the first, w tf., Vairaggya Prakarana which has appended to it, the story of Sukha, the son of the pre sent Vyasa, we have five other Prakaranas, via., Mumukshu (longing after Salvation), Utpatthi (origin), Sthithi (preserva tion), Upasanthi (quiescence) and Nirvana (absorption), the last. In these five chapters, Vasishta inculcates advice upon Rfima, gives him the reason why and how he should work in the world by tracing the origin of the universe and the “ I in man to which are identical from the idealistic stand point with the Original Cause or the Causeless Cause of all and devising means for their destruction and finally initiates him into the mysteries of Atma.
First comes the story of Sukha in the first Prakarana. Sukha was not satis fied with all the explanations his father, Vyasa gave of Mdya and hence resorted to Janaka for aid who, by Aparoksha or direct realisation within himself, showed the end. Then comes the second Prakarana called Mumukshu. Of the four fold qualifications necessary to a disciple on the path, vis., the discrimination of Atma and non-Atma, &c., Rama having developed the first three is asked by Vasishta to concentrate his mind upon the attainment of Moksha. For this purpose, Vasishta expatiates in Mumukshu Prakarana upon the pre liminary qualifications necessary for the attainment of Moksha or salvation. Here the author says that the four sentinels posted at the gate of Moksha are Santi (quiescence of mind or sweet patience), Vichara (the enquiry after Atma), Santosha (contentment of mind) and Sadhu-Sanga (associa tion with the wise) and will have to be befriended by one wishing to attain Moksha. Should one of them at least be befriended, he will introduce the aspirant to his companion sentinels. Then the author goes on to explain that Moksha does not mean the physical separation from all worldly affairs but only a state of the mind bereft of all impure Vasanas or clingings towards, but yet working as usual amidst, worldly things. The difference between Vasanas, pure and impure is well defined in this chapter.
Having thus given out the nature of the goal towards which all egos are gravitating, Vasishta, in order to relieve Rama from the mental despair and anguish in which he was placed, then traces the origin of “ I”, its growth and its quiescence and then that state from which the above three states can be viewed as one. For this purpose, he gives out its relationship with the one Reality and the universe. This is precisely the position in which Arjuna was placed when he was instructed by Sri Krishna as in the Bagawat- gita and when also he was told the relationship exis ting between the Universal Spirit, the ego and the cosmos ; the difference being that the detailed instructions in this work are not given in ajveritable battle field but in that of the mind and are illustrated by a series of stories wherein the different stages of the mind are worked out to suit a disciple on the path. Now taking his stand on the Pantheistic con ception of Brahman being the one Reality and the universe and Jiva as his aspect or manifestation, Vasishta begins the Utpatihi Prakarana with the statement that the Jiva or ego in man and the universe in their innate condition are Brahman only and this phenomenal universe is but an outcome of the Divine Will seeming to be real through the workings of the mind. In the technical phraseology of this work, the ideation reflected in the Lila-Sankalpa of Brahman is the origin of the world ; its manifestation, the preservation of the world ; and its disappearance, the destruction of the world.
These are the three aspects that are dilated upon in the second, third and fourth Prakaranas. In other words, the old Hindu philosophers held that the universe is nothing but states or modes of consciousness reflected through the Sankalpa or will of Parabrahrn which is said through its Law to evolve the universe out itself for its Lila or sport. The word Sankalpa is rather a difficult word to translate. Originally it is the Divine Will in manifestation and in man in his present stage becomes the will-thought pertaining to his Antahkarana or the lower mind. It is through the Sankalpa of our Manas that the universe appears to be and it is this Sankalpa that is asked to be given up by one who wishes to soar to the one Reality beyond this universe. The author of this work defines, in one chapter, Sankalpa to mean the ideation of Aham or “ I” which arises in the relationship of subject to object when conditionedness is brought about.
