Volume 3 - Classical Sanskrit Literature

The Plan of the Yogavāsiṣṭha 43
so that people may be freed from misery. Valmiki agrees and
completes the work.
The introduction to the Yogavāsistha is rather interesting and
in the matter of style resembles the Bhāgavata. The story is
introduced like this: A Brāhmaṇa named Sutikṣṇa 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 Agniveśya and Kāruṇya. While doing so he introduces
a subsidiary dialogue between Suruci, an Apsaras, and Devadūta
who tells her that he went to the sage Valmiki with a request from
his Lord Indra to explain to King Ariṣṭanemi, who was practising
severe penance, the true nature of things so that he may not refuse
to come to heaven. Vālmīki agreed to this request of Indra and
the Devadūta took King Ariṣṭanemi to him. When the king asked
him to explain the true nature of things, Valmiki recited to him
the Rāmāyaṇa which he had composed in the form of a dialogue
between Rāma and the sage Vasistha. Valmiki's claim was that
one who would listen to this Rāmāyaṇa would become
Jivanmukta. King Ariṣṭanemi listened to this Rāmāyaṇa. In
the
course of the recitation of Yogavāsiṣṭha Rāmāyṇa Vālmiki
introduces a number of upākhyānas 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