3.2. The Plan of the Yoga-Vasistha

[Full title: Yogavasishtha studies (2): The Plan of the Yoga-Vasistha]

The Yogavasistha is divided into six chapters which are titled as Vairagya, Mumuksu, Utpatti, Sthiti, Upasama and Nirvana. The Nirvana-prakarana is the biggest of all and is divided into first half (Purvardha) and latter half (Uttarardha). According to a statement in the Yogavasistha itself the work contains 32000 verses,' but the vulgate edition of it as brought out by the Nirnaya Sagara Press does not contain more than 29289 verses, which are divided into various chapters in the following manner: The Vairagya has 1146, Mumuksu 807, Utpatti 6304, Sthiti 2414, Upasama 4322, and Nirvana 14296 verses (in the first part of this chapter there are 5331 verses, and in the latter part 8965). In the beginning of the work the author gives his reason for composing it. It is that the sage Valmiki composed a few Ramastories and taught them to his pupil Bharadvaja who, recited them to Brahma on the mount Meru. Brahma was highly pleased with him and asked him to choose a boon. Bharadvaja asked him to show the path by which people could be freed from misery. Brahma told him to go to Valmiki and request him to finish the Ramayana, which he had begun to write in the form of a dialogue between Rama and Vasistha, but had not completed. By reading this people would attain true knowledge which would lead them to final absolution. Not only does Brahma ask Bharadvaja to go to Valmiki with this request , he himself goes to his Asrama and requests him to complete the Yogavasistha Ramayana which had been left unfinished by hill. This he should do, suggests Brahma, Collection, New Delhi: Digitized

The Plan of the Yogavasistha 43 so that people may be freed from misery. Valmiki agrees and completes the work. The introduction to the Yogavasistha is rather interesting and in the matter of style resembles the Bhagavata. The story is introduced like this: A Brahmana named Sutiksna goes to the sage Agasti and asks him which of the two paths, the path of action and the path of knowledge, would be better for one who seeks final emancipation. Agasti replies that neither of them would be better. Both would be needed just as both wings are needed for a bird for flying. Then to illustrate his point he introduces a dialogue between Agnivesya and Karunya. While doing so he introduces a subsidiary dialogue between Suruci, an Apsaras, and Devaduta who tells her that he went to the sage Valmiki with a request from his Lord Indra to explain to King Aristanemi, who was practising severe penance, the true nature of things so that he may not refuse to come to heaven. Valmiki agreed to this request of Indra and the Devaduta took King Aristanemi to him. When the king asked him to explain the true nature of things, Valmiki recited to him the Ramayana which he had composed in the form of a dialogue between Rama and the sage Vasistha. Valmiki's claim was that one who would listen to this Ramayana would become Jivanmukta. King Aristanemi listened to this Ramayana. In the course of the recitation of Yogavasistha Ramayna Valmiki introduces a number of upakhyanas to illustrate certain philosophical principles and to make the work interesting and easily intelligible to the masses. In fact, the zeal of the author to create interest in his work is so intense that he gives his dull and drab mass of philosophy a highly poetic garb, which has a permanent appeal and charm for connoisseurs of literature. Then his work is not restricted to the Santa -rasa which must predominate in a work propounding highly philosophical doctrines leading to vairagya, the spirit of renunciation ; but also turns into a work by which one attains final emancipation. It introduces a number of Rasas to attract the people with different and varied interests. The descriptions of natural phenomena, battles and wars floods and conflagrations are all there to keep

44 Classical Sanskrit Literature the reader engrossed. It is these which are introduced intermittently, not to allow the interest of the reader to flag at any time. The first two sargas of the Vairagya-prakarana form an introduction to the Yogavasistha. The actual dialogue between Rama and Vasistha which begins from the third canto of the second chapter called Mumuksu is prefaced by a description of the state of despondency of Rama when Visvamitra comes to take him to the forest, his advice to him to behave like King Janaka who would perform his duty without any feeling of attachment or sorrow and his request to Vasistha to tell him how he should behave, which he (Vasistha) complies with readily. This is the subject-matter of the work from the 3 rd canto of the Vairagyaprakarana to the 2 nd canto of the Mumuksu-prakarana. From the 3 rd canto of the Mumuksuprakarana to the 213 th Canto of the Second half (Uttarardha) of the Nirvana-prakarana is the real Yogavasistha, the dialogue between Rama and Vasistha. From the 214 th canto the story is given a finishing touch. In it King Dasaratha, Rama, Laksmana, Narada, and Satrughna, express their gratitude to Vasistha for the upadesa and there is a description in detail as to how King Dasaratha honoured the Brahmanas, fed them and worshipped them. In the 215 th canto, Valmiki winds up his dialogue with Bharadvaja. 216 th is the last canto of the Yogavasistha and serves as the finale to the incidents with which the work is introduced. In the first two verses of this canto the dialogue between Valmiki and Aristanemi comes to an end, the latter telling the former in verses 3-8 that his ignorance is now removed and he, therefore, is ready to go to Indra's abode. In verses 9 and 10, the Apsaras expresses her satisfaction and allows the Devaduta to go. In verses 11-12 Agnivesya winds up his talk with his son Karunya, the latter informing him on a query from the former that he would henceforth behave in an unconcerned manner, neither insisting upon the performance of the rites nor avoiding them. And then comes the end. The dialogue between Agasti and Sutiksna is wound up. Agasti tells Sutiksna that he should not entertain a doubt about jnanakarman and think that actions do not lead to bondage after true knowledge has been Shastri Collection, New

The Plan of the Yogavasistha 45 attained. From verses 18-24, Sutiksna expresses his gratitude to his teacher for it is on account of his grace only that he has come to know what he should.2 The last two verses are in praise of Brahma and Vasistha respectively. The work closes with the lines: ekam nityam vimalam acalam sarvadhisaksibhutam bhavalitam trigunarahitam srivasistham natah smahll The Six Sheaths P.C. Divanji has in his inimitable way explained the six sheaths of the Yogavasistha: "The Atma of the teaching of Vasistha (from the 3 rd sarga of the Mumuksu-prakarana to the 213 th sarga of the second half of the Nirvana-prakarana which is the real Yogavasistha) to Rama is placed in the first sheath of a dialogue between Bharadvaja as well as Brahma and Valmiki, that again in the 2 nd sheath of a dialogue between Valmiki and Aristanemi, that again in a 3 rd sheath of a conversation between Valmiki and Aristanemi, that again in a 4 th sheath of a conversation between the Devaduta and Suruci , the Apsaras, that again in a 5 th sheath of a teaching imparted by a Brahmana named Agnivesya to his son Karunya, that again in a 6 th sheath of a dialogue between the sage Agasti and his pupil Sutiksna, and that again in a 7 th sheath which is a very thin covering as it consists only of four verses by the unknown author, by the first three of which he makes obeisance to the Highest Essence and by the fourth of which he introduces the dialogue between Sutiksna and Agasti. Thus, there are seven layers in the Yogavasistha as it exists today³." REFERENCES 1. moksopayabhidhaneyam samhita sarasammital trimsad dve ca sahasrani jnata nirvanadayinill II.17.6. 2. bhagavans tvatprasadena jnatajneyo 'smi samsthitah, VI (ii). 216.21 3. The Date and Place of Origin of the Yogavasistha, The Calcutta CC-0. Oriental Journal, 1933-34, pp. 157-158.1 istri Collection, New Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA