Shivabalayogi attained the highest God realization without any instruction in religious philosophy.  Not surprisingly, he attached little or no importance to theory in the instruction and training of his disciples.  However, those who insist on receiving some instruction from him or who wish to know his views on spiritual theory are apt to get referred to the Yoga Vasishta.  “Read the Yoga Vasishta,” Swamiji would say.  “Swamiji’s philosophy is fully expounded in that scripture.”

Shivabalayogi explained that the Yoga Vasishta was written down by the sage Valmiki.  The book is Vasishta’s description of his own life story, everything about himself — experiences and present and past lives.  The book consists of 32,000 slokas (verses of two lines each) spoken by Vasishta.  By comparison, Krishna spoke only eighteen slokas on the occasion that has become memorialized in the Bhagavad Gita.  The Yoga Vasishta is the only book about the teachings of a yogi in which the original is preserved.

Swamiji said that everything that humanity needs to know and everything a person could possibly want to know is in the Yoga Vasishta.  It contains everything from politics to gambling to knowing how to deceive.  There is no need to read any other book.  Swamiji advised that we should not try to read it all.  Instead, we should focus on a subject area in which we are interested.  Swamiji has read the entire book in both Sanskrit and Telugu three times and he said that he understands it all.

A devotee once asked whether Swamiji had any special connection with the Yoga Vasishta because he refers to it so often.  Swamiji responded meditate and you will know the answer.  He added that he was around when the events described in the book took place.  Rama was eight years old at the time, explained Swamiji.

Those who may be interested in the contents and philosophy of the Yoga Vasishta should read the following summary written by Gen. Hanut Singh and originally published in his book, Shri Shri Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj, Life & Spiritual Ministration originally published in 1981.

 

the Yoga Vasishta

A summary by Gen. Hanut Singh

The Yoga Vasishta concerns Rama, son of King Dasharatha.  Rama was an incarnation or avatar of Lord Vishnu and was only eight years old at the time the events in the book took place.  Rama had received permission from his father to undertake an extensive pilgrimage to visit all the holy places of India and the ashrams of the great sages of his time.  By the time he returned home Rama had become disillusioned with life and everything the world had to offer.  In philosophic terms, he was overwhelmed with vairagya (detachment from mundane affairs).  King Dasharatha was disturbed to see his son in this melancholy condition, so he asked the family guru of the Raghu Dynasty, Sage Vasishta by name, to give suitable instruction to Rama.

The instruction Vasishta gave to Rama over a period of several days has been recorded in the Yoga Vasishta.  It is considered to be the finest exposition of advaita vedanta (the non-dualistic philosophy of the ancient Veda scriptures) in the vast history of Indian religious literature.  The book explains the obscure truths of the advaita philosophy at length and in great detail with the help of a wealth of stories and anecdotes.

A remarkable feature of the Yoga Vasishta is that Vasishta was in communion with the Infinite while giving his discourse to Rama.  Towards the end of the teachings Vasishta tells Rama in a state of rapture that it was not Vasishta who was speaking to him but the soul of Rama that was instructing through the sage.  Therefore, the record of the words he spoke has the power of a mantra to infuse enlightenment in the mature spiritual seeker who reads or listens to it.

The Yoga Vasishta is divided into six sections or prakaranas as follows.

Vairagya Prakarana (Section on Detachment)

This section opens with a description of the mental state of Rama on his return from pilgrimage.  King Dasharatha summons Rama into the presence of the sages Vasishta and Vishwamitra.  Vasishta asks Rama to explain the reasons for his melancholy state of mind and his indifference towards all worldly affairs.  Rama responds by relating the thoughts and reflections that had been troubling his mind and giving him no peace.  His words and attitude reveal the awakening of a burning detachment (vairagya).  However, Rama has serious doubts about the soundness of his conclusions about life, so he asks his guru for instruction.  Vasishta begins his teaching and all the legendary saints and yogis gather in King Dasharatha’s hall to listen to this heavenly dialogue.

Mumukshu Prakarana (Section on the Aspirant Who Longs for Liberation)

This section deals with the preparations required of the person who seek God and the moral and mental qualities necessary to qualify for the spiritual path.  Vasishta states that peace of mind (shanti), contentment (santosha), keeping the company of realized sages (satsanga), and inquiry into the nature of the soul (vichara) are the four sentinels that guard the gates to moksha, or liberation.  The belief that one is confined by fate is severely condemned and the person who seeks spiritual development is urged to rely on personal efforts for progress on the spiritual path.

The person should not shun action but should learn to be indifferent to its fruits.  One should not be affected by the pleasures and pains that are the inevitable accompaniment of action.  The person is advised to keep the company of saints and to study the scriptures (shastras), particularly those dealing with self knowledge (atma vidya).

Utpatti Prakarana (Section on Creation)

This section deals with the origin and nature of the universe.  According to Vasishta, this universe with its innumerable objects, its concepts of time and space, and its varied laws is only a creation of ones own mind.  Just as the mind creates a world in the dream state, so it also creates an imaginary world in the waking state.  The only difference between the dream and the waking states is that dreams are short and the waking state is relatively longer.  Time and space are only ideas of the mind.  Through the minds perception many thousands of years may pass as a moment, or a moment in time in the waking state may be experienced as years in the dream state.  The same is true of the concept of space.  All these facts are illustrated by a number of interesting and revealing stories.

Sthiti Prakarana (Section on Firm Abidance)

This section discusses the place of the individual being (jiva) in the scheme of creation.  Vasishta points out that the individual is none other than the ego sense or I known as ahamkara.  This ego sense is the chief impediment to living with the knowledge of ones true self (atman sthiti).  It is because of the ego sense that human beings fail to recognize themselves as they really are and suffer misery.  It is only when the identification with the ego sense is extinguished that a seeker attains realization of the atman, the Supreme Soul.

The body and the senses are inert.  It is the chidabhasa, the reflected light of the atman, that gives life to the body and makes the senses perform their functions.  The objects perceived by the senses are not different from the atman.  The perceiver and the objects perceived both originate from the atman and therefore are identical.  When a person gains firm comprehension of this truth, he or she realizes that nothing exists apart from ones own atman or Self.

This atman is then realized as both the origin of this universe and its enjoyer as well.  When this knowledge becomes firm a person is freed from the duality of happiness and sorrow.  Chastity (bramacharya), constant practice (abhyas), and detachment (vairagya) are the means for attaining this knowledge, which in turn leads to a firm abidance in the Self (atman stithi).

Upasanti Prakarana (Section on Attainment of Quiescence)

The previous section on firm abidance set out the goal of abiding in the atman.  The upasanti prakarana gives instruction on the ways and means for attaining that goal.

The chief obstacle to Self realization is the false identification of the atman with the body (dehatmabodha).  This false identification is the result of ahamkara or the ego sense.  This section gives practical guidance to eliminate ones identification with the ego and describes a number of methods and yogic processes for this purpose.  The major ones are inquiry into the true nature of the Self (vichara), seeing all creation equally as varied manifestations of the one brahman or God (samadarsana), considering oneself as pure consciousness (chit) in all conditions of life and at all times, and performing ones allotted duties in life without any attachment.  When as a result of these practices a person becomes perfectly unattached to the fruits of actions (asanga), all attachments, aversions and fears disappear and the person becomes qualified for attaining the samadhi stage.

Nirvana Prakarana (Section on Liberation)

This section is divided into two sub-sections, purva bhaga and uttara bhaga.

The purva bhaga explains that the atman is the true form (swarupa) of the individual being (jiva).  The seeker is instructed to give up all ideas of diversity and to still the movement of the mind.  Once the mind is quiescent one should persist in remaining absorbed in the atman in the form of pure consciousness (chit).  From this practice, a stage comes when the person perceives the identity of his or her own atma with brahman (God).  The manifest universe is perceived as no different from brahman and, like the subtle tree that lies embedded in the seed, this whole universe in the form of created and uncreated beings is seen as a subtle seed-form lying within each persons own heart.

This sub-section also includes the highly instructive teachings that Lord Shiva gave to Sage Vasishta. At this stage of the discourse Rama becomes absorbed in deep dhyana meditation.

In the uttara bhaga, Sage Vasishta explains that true detachment is achieved only by the awakening of self knowledge (atman jnana).  The result is an automatic cessation of all actions and their results.  The person no longer identifies with the body or seeks enjoyment in worldly objects.  It is only when this realization of ones identity with the Supreme Self (atman) remains firmly established that one attains supreme liberation (param nirvana).

Vasishta also narrates his own experiences of samadhi.  The sense of separate identity is lost in this state.  He knows himself as one with pure consciousness (chidakasa).  With the attainment of this knowledge everything else becomes known to him.  He sees himself as existing everywhere and in all places and therefore he feels no need for movement, as he has nowhere to go to.  Though devoid of the sense organs, he can see everything with his eye of wisdom (jnana netra) and he thus perceives that the innumerable universes of myriad names and forms exist within the pure consciousness as his own body.

As the discourse nears its end Ramas doubts and mental agitations are all gone.  When Vasishta begins to discuss the ultimate state of bliss (nirvana) Rama and the others in the assembly listening are all lifted to the blissful plane of consciousness.

Rama, freed from the distressing thoughts that had been weighing upon his mind, is absorbed in samadhi and has no more questions to ask.  As the great sage concludes his discourse, Rama exclaims in rapturous joy, “Ah! I have attained the most wonderful state of nirvana that is the end of the purpose of life!  I am always in form (swarupa) but in the extremely peaceful myself there is nothing.  There is nothing that is now covetable to me.”

Vasishta then goes on to explain that having attained the state of nirvana, rishis are endowed with the highest state of samadhi (sahaj samadhi) that allows them to mix with people and to perform their allotted duties in life without coming down from their samadhi state.  Then Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara appear and advise Shri Rama to remain firmly established in brahman always and to joyfully carry out his work and duties in the true spirit of one who is liberated while living (jivan mukta).

The foregoing is only the briefest introduction to the great scripture that is the Yoga Vasishta.  Those who wish to know more about the profound teachings embodied in this scripture, particularly with a view to gaining a better understanding of Shri Swamiji’s teachings, would do well to make a more detailed study of the book.

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The complete Yoga Vasishta based on the 1891 translation by V. L. Mitra is available online and for download via http://userwebs.theriver.com/innerguide/index.htm.  Jay Mazo has updated the archaic English, comparing four different translations.  The result, over a million words, is available for download.