English
This lust of women which, being without discri mination, is enchanting at a distance, craves always, even if gratified, and flutters like the wings of a honey-drinking bee and is hard to be given up. Being afraid of the terri ble consequences it works, such as diseases, death, dotage and the mental and other pains, I do not long after it now. How without its renunciation, can I expect to attain the rare Brahmic seat ?" Dotage. — "The never-ending stage of infancy is devour ed (or succeeded) by the stage of youth ; the latter is, in its turn, devoured by that of old age with its great changes. If dotage sets in, accompanied as it is by delusion, diseases, pains, &c., then one's ripe intelligence bids adieu to him, like 'the affection of a husband :- towards his first wife after marrying a second one. With dotage, there ensue manifold pains, such as decline in this body of nine gates, forgetfulness, inability to gratify the desires or perform the requisite actions, dire diseases, complete helplessness in getting at things re quired and the scorn heaped upon him by his sons and others. Friends, issues, relatives, servants and others will laugh at the poor man who is quivering with old age. Like owls 1 6 YOUA-VA'SISHTA. resting in the hollows of a tree, his desires will abide in this uncouth form of his, full of pains and greyness and devoid of strength and good qualities In this old age beset with frailties and imbecility when all dangers having, as their hand maids, desires burn one's hearts, all imaginary fears arise in him as he is unable to cope with the desires which arise in voluntarily in him and to contemplate upon the beneficial nature of the existence in the higher world. Thirst of joy in material objects will increase with old age ; but the person will be powerless to gratify that thirst. Being unable to enjoy them, all his thoughts will droop and wither. Death lays its hand on grey heads which are like ripe pumpkins of the genus that become grey at their proper time. It is before the king called Death that the armies of mental and physical diseases march in procession in this world, having the insignia of the Chamara* called greyness. In the tabernacle of this body white-washed by greyness, there live the dames called dangers, imbecile mind and diseases that make one droop. What bliss can we expect to derive from association with this the old grey hag of dire dotage ? It is very difficult to do away with the desires of old age by getting rid of the three kinds of desires (of son, wife and wealth) very easily. Kdla. — All the pleasurable objects of enjoyment in this world arising through Ajnana in the series of re-births take leave with the arrival of Yama (Death or Time), like a thread nibbled by a rat. There is nothing in this world which is not devoured by Kala (time) like Vatava-Agni (the deluge fire) quenching the ocean waters abounding in crecodiles, fishes, &c. Even in the case of the ineffable great Ones, he will not wait a minute beyond the allotted time. Having swallowed up everything, he would be all himself. Even glorious Divine Kings, the beneficent Brahma, Asura Vrittaf of the might of Mahameru and others come under his clutches like a serpent under an eagle's grip. He will easily destroy all things, whether they be tendrils or leaves, a straw or Maha meru, the ocean waters or the lofty Mahendra mountains and wield them according to his will. He now creates in the morning this forest of the universe with the Aswatha * Chumar-- Jhcnvris or the Yak tails used as signs of regalty. f Asura Vntta— the enemy of Indra. VAIRA'GGYA-PRAKARANA. 17 (fig) tree, wherein grow the fruits of the mundane eggs buzzing with myriads of the flies of egos and having seen them ripe in the noon through his eyes of the sun, plucks them now grown as the guardians of the quarters and eats them up (in the night). Also he strings in a rope of three* gunas, even the gems of the highest men of the universe, and makes them his prey. In this dilapidated dwelling of the small universe, he collects, in the casket of Death, all the worldly men scattered everywhere in it like rubies. Having hunted all the egos of beasts, birds, &c., in the great forest of this essenceless universe, he, at last, during the Maha- kalpa, sports in the tank of the great ocean filled with lotus of the shining Vatava fire. This personage of time has, in the repast of the diverse created worlds, all the living ones as his dainties of the six tastes such as bitterness, &c., and the incomparable seven seas of milk, clarified butter, <fcc., as his beverage; and cycles round and round in the objects created at every Mahakalpa." Destructive Kakli. — "This invulnerable and destructive Sakti (potency of Brahman) does away with the universe with all its moving and fixed objects and reigns triumphant like a tigress in the forest of delusion along with her attendants — the goddess Durga and others. Having put an end to all living beings and the universe, she holds up in her hand a honeyed vessel (vis.\ this earth and wears on her breast the three Lo- kas (worlds), as a garland composed of the three lotuses, blue, red, and white.* In her arm, she carries, like a sportive par rot in a cage, a man-lion thundering with the sound of a thunder-cloud. On her stainless body, still as the autumnal sky, she has sportively, like the young cuckoo, the great Time with his sweet voice like that of the melodious flute. Her victorious bow is the non-existence of all and her arrows, the created pains. Thus (at the time of Pralaya or deluge'), does she dance and reel every where at her sweet will and pleasure with great radiance. Besides, she wears on her head Swarga as her head ornament and on her feet, Patala, the many hells strung as her leg ornaments. The sun and the moon are her ear ornaments, the Himalayas, her bones and Mahameru, her golden ornament and the Chakravfila * The 3 colors of Prakrit! or matter. 3 i8 YOGA-VA'SISHTA. Mountain, her girdle. Sometimes ?he will ride on the pea cock-vehicle of Subbaramania (the son of Siva) inclining backwards and moving to and fro. Sometimes she will as sume the head of the Rudras, having three eyes and the terri ble moon on their head. Sometimes she will wear (on her person) as a Chowri the beautiful locks of the Goddess Paramoswari or the writhing headless living trunks of the mighty and terrific Bairavas ;* or she will carry as an alms- bowl the body of Devendra shining with a thousand eyes. Wearing (on her neck) the garland of skulls strung together by the bodily muscles, she will annihilate all the worlds in a manner terrific even unto herself and stay in the one shining Akasa. It is this terrific woman that at the time of the great Pralaya dances with joy with the garlands in her breast composed of the lotuses (w#.), the round heads of the all- pervading Vishnu." " All the objects heretobefore described by me are not real. This dire mind arises only through Ahankara. All the visible objects are dead to me. I am not able to know the end (and aim) of these births. Therefore my mind falters and is afflicted through mental cares. The diseases of desires preponderate in all. It is rare to find those high-souled men who are free from the intense mist of desires. This my youth which is well-fitted for the acquisition of the higher spiritual ends is now vainly spent in fruitless endeavours. Association with the wise. — "True love for great personages is at a great discount and hence the path of Moksha (salva tion) is not known. So it is that it is rare to attain Atma- Tatwa. As the stainful mind (of man) has not the good heartedness (or benevolence) to consider other's happiness as its own, it is ever reeling. Again as this mind has not the complacency to rejoice at another's virtue, there is no internal contentment. Then as it does not consider others' pains as its own, there arises not compassion in it. Again if it is not indifferent to the vicious actions of others, base ness (of mind) however distant, will overtake it. And then cowardice will take the place of courage ; else persons de graded into hell will again return to Swarga. It is very * One of the terrific manifestations of Siva, VAIRA'GGYA-PRAKARANA. 19 easy to contract association with the ignorant, but it is very hard to do so with the truly illuminated." " All thoughts of objects which appear but to perish produce bondage only.