Vasishta Yoga Samhita (Sanskrit: योगवासिष्ठम्, IAST: yoga-vāsiṣṭham; also known as Maha-Ramayana, Arsha Ramayana, Vasiṣṭha Ramayana,[1]Yogavasistha-Ramayana and Jnanavasistha.[2]) is a historically popular and influential[3][4] syncretic philosophical text of Hinduism, dated to the 6th CE or 7th CE — 14th CE or 15th CE. It is attributed to Maharishi Valmiki, but the real author is unknown.[3] The complete text contains over 29,000 verses.[3] The short version of the text is called Laghu yogavāsiṣṭham and contains 6,000 verses.[5][6]
The text is named after sage Vasistha who is mentioned and revered in the seventh book of the Rigveda, and who was called as the first sage of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy by Adi Shankara.[7] The text is structured as a discourse of sage Vasistha to Prince Rama.
The text consists of six books.[8] The first book presents Rama's frustration with the nature of life, human suffering and disdain for the world.[8] The second describes, through the character of Rama, the desire for liberation and the nature of those who seek such liberation.[8] The third and fourth books assert that liberation comes through a spiritual life, one that requires self-effort, and present cosmology and metaphysical theories of existence embedded in stories.[8] These two books are known for emphasizing free will and human creative power.[8][9] The fifth book discusses meditation and its powers in liberating the individual, while the last book describes the state of an enlightened and blissful Rama.[8]
Yoga Vasistha teachings are structured as stories and fables,[10] with a philosophical foundation similar to those found in Advaita Vedanta,[11] is particularly associated with drsti-srsti subschool of Advaita which holds that the "whole world of things is the object of mind".[12] The text is notable for expounding the principles of Maya and Brahman, as well as the principles of non-duality,[2] and its discussion of Yoga.[13][14] The short form of the text was translated into Persian by the 15th-century.[3]
^Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, Volume 5. pp. 4638, By various, Published by Sahitya Akademi, 1992, ISBN 81-260-1221-8, ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3
^ abLeslie 2003, pp. 104
^ abcdChapple 1984, pp. ix–x
^Cite error: The named reference whiteysxvi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Leslie2003-105 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Chapple 1984, p. x
^Chapple 1984, p. xi
^ abcdefCite error: The named reference Chapple1984-xii was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Surendranath Dasgupta, A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521047791, pages 252-253
^The Concise Yoga Vāsiṣṭha. Translated by Venkatesananda, S. Albany: State University of New York Press. 1984. pp. 51, 77, 87, 121, 147, 180, 188, 306, 315, 354, 410. ISBN 0-87395-955-8.
^Cite error: The named reference chappleixf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^KN Aiyer (1975), Laghu Yoga Vasistha, Theosophical Publishing House, Original Author: Abhinanda, ISBN 978-0835674973, page 5
^G Watts Cunningham (1948), How Far to the Land of Yoga? An Experiment in Understanding, The Philosophical Review, Vol. 57, No. 6, pages 573-589
^F Chenet (1987), Bhāvanā et Créativité de la Conscience, Numen, Vol. 34, Fasc. 1, pages 45-96 (in French)
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the YogaVasistha, as it appears in Swami Venkatesananda's translation. The same stories are included in the Moksopaya, on which the YogaVasistha was...
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Resurrection. Princeton University Press. p. 86. ISBN 0-691-02064-7. YogaVasisthaYogaVasistha Garga Samhita (59) González-Reimann, Luis (2018). "Cosmic Cycles...
from, the yogic tradition and texts like the YogaVasistha and the Bhagavata Purana. The YogaVasistha became an authoritative source text in the Advaita...
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an avatar of God, and they consider his works, the Ramayana and the YogaVasistha, as their holy scripture. Balmiki is often depicted as wearing red clothing...
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Swami (1980), An introduction to the Supreme yoga: a translation by Swami Venkatesananda of the YogaVasistha, School of Human Communication, Murdoch University...
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of time.[citation needed] Kali, also called Kalaratri, is called in YogaVasistha as Prakṛti or "all of nature". She is described in the text, state Shimkhanda...
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