LAGHU YOGA VASISTHA
(English Translation)
BY
K. NARAYANASWAMI AIYER
CONTENTS
VAIRAGGYA-PRAKARANA
MUMUKSHU PRAKARANA
UTPATTI PRAKARANA
1. THE STORY OF AKASAJA, THE SON OF AKASA
2. THE STORY OF LILA
3. THE STORY OF KARKATI
4. THR STORY OF AINDHAVA THE SON OF INDU OR THE MOON
5. THE STORY or THE DECEITFUL INDRA
6. THE STORY OF MANAS (MIND)
7. THE STORY OF A BALA (LAD)
8. THE STORY OF A SIDDHA
9. THE CONCLUSION OF UTPATHTHI-PRAKARANA
STHITHI-PRAKARANA
1. THE STORY OF SUKRA VENUS
2. THE STORY OF DAMA, VYALA AND KATA
3. THE STORY OF BHEEMA, BHASA AND DRUDHA
4. THE STORY OF DASURA
5. THE STORY OF KACHA
6. THE CONCLUSION OF STHITHI PRAKARAXA
UPASANTHI PRAKARANA
1. THE STORY OF KING JANAKA
2. THE STORY OF PUNNYA AND PAVANA
3. THE STORT OF THE GREAT BALI
4. THE STORY OF PRAHLADA
5. THE STORY OF GADHI
6. THE STORY OF UDDALAKA
7. THE STORY OF SURAGHU
8. THE STORY OF BHASA AND VILASA
9. THE STORY OF VEETHAHAVTA
10. THE CONCLUSION OF UPASANTI PRAKARANA
NIRVANA PRAKARANA
1. THE STORY OF BHUSUNDA
2. THE STORY OF DEVA-PUJA (THE WORSHIP OF GOD)
3. THE STORY OF BILWA FRUIT
4. THE STOKY OF SILA, A GRANITE
5. THE STORY OF ARJUNA
6. THE STORY OF THE HUNDRED RUDRAS
7. THE STORY OF VETALA (GOBLIN)
8. THE STORY OF BHAGEERATHA
9. THE STORY OF SIKHIDWAJA
10. THE STORY OF KACHA
11. THE STORY OF MITHYA PURUSHA, THE ILLUSORY PERSONAGE
12. THE STORY OF BHRINGISASA
13. THE STORY OF IKSHWAKU
14. THE STORY OF A MUNI AND A HUNTER
THE CONCLUSION OF NIRVANAPRAKARANA
K. NARAYANASWAMY AIYAR - BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
IT is intended to give herein a short introduction to, and an analysis of, Laghu Yoga Vasistha. Of course the analysis cannot be an exhaustive one, as it will have then to run through many pages and form a book of its own. There are, as at present known to us, two works by the name of Yoga Vasistha, the larger one going by the name of Brihat Yoga Vasistha and the smaller one, Laghu Yoga Vasistha. The term Brihat means great, while Laghu signifies small. Vasistha is because of this work emanating from Rishi Vasistha as will be seen later on. Though the book is dubbed with the appellation, Yoga Vasistha, it treats of jnana only though practical Yoga is dealt with in two stories in this work. Even there it says that the pure Raja-Yoga is meant and not Hatha-Yoga. Rather the word Yoga seems to have been used in the title of this work in its generic sense of including Jnana-Yoga and other Yogas as in the Bhagavad Gita. Of the two above mentioned works, the smaller one is an abridgment of the bigger and contains about 6,000 Granthas1, whereas the latter contains 36,000.
The commentary of the former has the same number of Granthas as the original whereas that of the latter amounts to 74,000 Granthas which with its original is a lakh on the whole. In the abridged text, almost all the words of the bigger one are reproduced verbatim from the bigger one, the work of the author being generally to clip the bigger of its expansive descriptions and so on; so that in the work before us, we have got the quintessence extracted. This work seems to have been undertaken by one Abhinanda, a great pandit of Kashmir. The authorship or rather writership is attributed to Rishi Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana who is said to have related the whole of Yoga Vasistha to Rishi Bharadwaja as having occurred between Sri Rama and Rishi Vasistha. But of this, later on. The larger work seems to have been partially translated by a gentleman hailing from Bengal. But this one, though small, it is named, is yet big enough.1 A Grantha equals 32 syllables This work is, in the words of Madame Blavatsky, meant for the few only. In the phraseology of this work, it is intended neither for those Ajnanis (or the worldly-minded), who welter in the sea of Samsara without being indifferent to the worldly things nor for those higher spiritual personages who have reached a state of adeptship, so as to be above all advice. Hence it is written in the interests of those who have become indifferent to worldly things and crave for spirituality becoming a potent factor in their daily lives.
Fancy a work like The Voice of Silence put into the hands of a worldly person of decidedly materialistic view and he will throw it away in sheer disgust. Similarly will this work appear to a person who has not caught a glimpse even of the higher life and principles. A person of true Vairagya, should he wish to have not only some hints thrown on the nature of cosmos, Manas (mind) and Universal Spirit from the idealistic standpoint but also some rules of guidance in his daily practical life towards occult knowledge with the proper illustrations will here in find, in my opinion, a mine of knowledge to be guided by and to cogitate upon.
(English Translation)
BY
K. NARAYANASWAMI AIYER
CONTENTS
VAIRAGGYA-PRAKARANA
MUMUKSHU PRAKARANA
UTPATTI PRAKARANA
1. THE STORY OF AKASAJA, THE SON OF AKASA
2. THE STORY OF LILA
3. THE STORY OF KARKATI
4. THR STORY OF AINDHAVA THE SON OF INDU OR THE MOON
5. THE STORY or THE DECEITFUL INDRA
6. THE STORY OF MANAS (MIND)
7. THE STORY OF A BALA (LAD)
8. THE STORY OF A SIDDHA
9. THE CONCLUSION OF UTPATHTHI-PRAKARANA
STHITHI-PRAKARANA
1. THE STORY OF SUKRA VENUS
2. THE STORY OF DAMA, VYALA AND KATA
3. THE STORY OF BHEEMA, BHASA AND DRUDHA
4. THE STORY OF DASURA
5. THE STORY OF KACHA
6. THE CONCLUSION OF STHITHI PRAKARAXA
UPASANTHI PRAKARANA
1. THE STORY OF KING JANAKA
2. THE STORY OF PUNNYA AND PAVANA
3. THE STORT OF THE GREAT BALI
4. THE STORY OF PRAHLADA
5. THE STORY OF GADHI
6. THE STORY OF UDDALAKA
7. THE STORY OF SURAGHU
8. THE STORY OF BHASA AND VILASA
9. THE STORY OF VEETHAHAVTA
10. THE CONCLUSION OF UPASANTI PRAKARANA
NIRVANA PRAKARANA
1. THE STORY OF BHUSUNDA
2. THE STORY OF DEVA-PUJA (THE WORSHIP OF GOD)
3. THE STORY OF BILWA FRUIT
4. THE STOKY OF SILA, A GRANITE
5. THE STORY OF ARJUNA
6. THE STORY OF THE HUNDRED RUDRAS
7. THE STORY OF VETALA (GOBLIN)
8. THE STORY OF BHAGEERATHA
9. THE STORY OF SIKHIDWAJA
10. THE STORY OF KACHA
11. THE STORY OF MITHYA PURUSHA, THE ILLUSORY PERSONAGE
12. THE STORY OF BHRINGISASA
13. THE STORY OF IKSHWAKU
14. THE STORY OF A MUNI AND A HUNTER
THE CONCLUSION OF NIRVANAPRAKARANA
K. NARAYANASWAMY AIYAR - BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
IT is intended to give herein a short introduction to, and an analysis of, Laghu Yoga Vasistha. Of course the analysis cannot be an exhaustive one, as it will have then to run through many pages and form a book of its own. There are, as at present known to us, two works by the name of Yoga Vasistha, the larger one going by the name of Brihat Yoga Vasistha and the smaller one, Laghu Yoga Vasistha. The term Brihat means great, while Laghu signifies small. Vasistha is because of this work emanating from Rishi Vasistha as will be seen later on. Though the book is dubbed with the appellation, Yoga Vasistha, it treats of jnana only though practical Yoga is dealt with in two stories in this work. Even there it says that the pure Raja-Yoga is meant and not Hatha-Yoga. Rather the word Yoga seems to have been used in the title of this work in its generic sense of including Jnana-Yoga and other Yogas as in the Bhagavad Gita. Of the two above mentioned works, the smaller one is an abridgment of the bigger and contains about 6,000 Granthas1, whereas the latter contains 36,000.
The commentary of the former has the same number of Granthas as the original whereas that of the latter amounts to 74,000 Granthas which with its original is a lakh on the whole. In the abridged text, almost all the words of the bigger one are reproduced verbatim from the bigger one, the work of the author being generally to clip the bigger of its expansive descriptions and so on; so that in the work before us, we have got the quintessence extracted. This work seems to have been undertaken by one Abhinanda, a great pandit of Kashmir. The authorship or rather writership is attributed to Rishi Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana who is said to have related the whole of Yoga Vasistha to Rishi Bharadwaja as having occurred between Sri Rama and Rishi Vasistha. But of this, later on. The larger work seems to have been partially translated by a gentleman hailing from Bengal. But this one, though small, it is named, is yet big enough.1 A Grantha equals 32 syllables This work is, in the words of Madame Blavatsky, meant for the few only. In the phraseology of this work, it is intended neither for those Ajnanis (or the worldly-minded), who welter in the sea of Samsara without being indifferent to the worldly things nor for those higher spiritual personages who have reached a state of adeptship, so as to be above all advice. Hence it is written in the interests of those who have become indifferent to worldly things and crave for spirituality becoming a potent factor in their daily lives.
Fancy a work like The Voice of Silence put into the hands of a worldly person of decidedly materialistic view and he will throw it away in sheer disgust. Similarly will this work appear to a person who has not caught a glimpse even of the higher life and principles. A person of true Vairagya, should he wish to have not only some hints thrown on the nature of cosmos, Manas (mind) and Universal Spirit from the idealistic standpoint but also some rules of guidance in his daily practical life towards occult knowledge with the proper illustrations will here in find, in my opinion, a mine of knowledge to be guided by and to cogitate upon.