English
, Mumukshu (longing after Salvation), Utpatthi (origin), Sthithi (preserva tion), Upasanthi (quiescence) and Nirvana (absorption), the last. In these five chapters, Vasishta inculcates advice upon Rfima, gives him the reason why and how he should work in the world by tracing the origin of the universe and the " I' in man to— which are identical from the idealistic stand point with — the Original Cause or the Causeless Cause INTRODUCTION. XlH of all and devising means for their destruction and finally initiates him into the mysteries of Atma. First comes the story of Sukha in the first Prakarana. Sukha was not satis fied with all the explanations his father, Vyasa gave of Mdya and hence resorted to Janaka for aid who, by Aparoksha or direct realisation within himself, showed the end. Then comes the second Prakarana called Mumukshu. Of the four fold qualifications necessary to a disciple on the path, vis., the discrimination of Atma and non-Atma, &c., Rama having developed the first three is asked by Vasishta to concentrate his mind upon the attainment of Moksha. For this purpose, Vasishta expatiates in Mumukshu Prakarana upon the pre liminary qualifications necessary for the attainment of Moksha or salvation. Here the author says that the four sentinels posted at the gate of Moksha are Santi (quiescence of mind or sweet patience), Vichara (the enquiry after Atma), Santosha (contentment of mind) and Sadhu-Sanga (associa tion with the wise) and will have to be befriended by one wishing to attain Moksha. Should one of them at least be befriended, he will introduce the aspirant to his companion sentinels. Then the author goes on to explain that Moksha does not mean the physical separation from all worldly affairs but only a state of the mind bereft of all impure Vasanas or clingings towards, but yet working as usual amidst, worldly things. The difference between Vasanas, pure and impure is well defined in this chapter. Having thus given out the nature of the goal towards which all egos are gravitating, Vasishta, in order to relieve Rama from the mental despair and anguish in which he was placed, then traces the origin of " I", its growth and its quiescence and then that state from which the above three states can be viewed as one. For this purpose, he gives out its relationship with the one Reality and the universe. This is precisely the position in which Arjuna was placed when he was instructed by Sri Krishna as in the Bagawat- gita and when also he was told the relationship exis ting between the Universal Spirit, the ego and the cosmos ; the difference being that the detailed instructions in this work are not given in ajveritable battle field but in that of the mind and are illustrated by a series of stories wherein the XIV INTRODUCTION. different stages of the mind are worked out to suit a disciple on the path. Now taking his stand on the Pantheistic con ception of Brahman being the one Reality and the universe and Jiva as his aspect or manifestation, Vasishta begins the Utpatihi Prakarana with the statement that the Jiva or ego in man and the universe in their innate condition are Brahman only and this phenomenal universe is but an outcome of the Divine Will seeming to be real through the workings of the mind. In the technical phraseology of this work, the ideation reflected in the Lila-Sankalpa of Brahman is the origin of the world ; its manifestation, the preservation of the world ; and its disappearance, the destruction of the world. These are the three aspects that are dilated upon in the second, third and fourth Prakaranas. In other words, the old Hindu philosophers held that the universe is nothing but states or modes of consciousness reflected through the Sankalpa or will of Parabrahrn which is said through its Law to evolve the universe out itself for its Lila or sport. The word Sankalpa is rather a difficult word to translate. Originally it is the Divine Will in manifestation and in man in his present stage becomes the will-thought pertaining to his Antahkarana or the lower mind. It is through the Sankalpa of our Manas that the universe appears to be and it is this Sankalpa that is asked to be given up by one who wishes to soar to the one Reality beyond this universe. The author of this work defines, in one chapter, Sankalpa to mean the ideation of Aham or " I" which arises in the relationship of subject to object when conditionedness is brought about. In beginning with Utpaththi Prakarana, the author gives out a story to illustrate Parabrahm manifesting itself as Brahma, the creator with the conception of "I "through its own Sankalpa. Instead 'of giving out, as in the Puranas, that the creator, Brahma arose out of the navel of NfirAyana with four hands, etc., this work states that, out of the one vast Akasa of Jnanaor the one Plenum of Abstract Intelligence, a Brahmin, the primeval ego called Akasaja was born who lived for a long time when Kala (time) wanted to get at him and bring him under his clutches but was unable to do so through the radiant Tejas (lustre) that shone about his per son. Then Kala consulted with Yama (Death) who also is the INTRODUCTION. XV personification of Time but in the lower or Rupa planes and advised the former to go in quest, of any of the past Karmas of the Brahmin which were found to be nil. Thereupon Yama is said to have remarked to Kala that the Brahmin was no other than Brahma himself; though performing Karmas, Brahma had nothing clinging to him, as he did not perform them for any selfish purposes of his own. From this, it will be clear that, ere creation began, there was one vast space or Akasa with no activity in it or in the noumenal state of Parabrahm. When evolution began, three kinds or states of Akasa are said to have evolved, vis., Jnana-Akas, Chidakas and Bhuta- kas. The last is the elemental Akasa compounded of the quintuplicated five elements, Akasa, Vayu,&c., whereas Chida kas corresponds to the plane of the lower mind. Janakas corresponds to the third body or plane. The first ego of Brahma which is differentiated into many is then, in the story of Lila, traced in its workings in the three Akasa above- mentioned. The three pairs introduced therein are (i) Lila and Padma, (2) Arundhatiand Vasishta, (3) Yiduratha and his spouse. In the story of Karkati we come to the lowest stage, whether of the man or world. The intelligence or Purusha that pervades the physical body is described in this story. In the Upanishads and other books, the Purusha in this stage is likened to a thread or the tail-end of paddy. As stated in this work further on, the normal experience of humanity now is their being no other than the physical body, though some may, in theory, hold that they are different from the body ; the second experience is the direct perception of their being like a thread-like substance in the gross body and being different from the gross one. In the third state, they rise to a direct experience of their being the universe. The Rakshasi Karkati having a voracious stomach was unable to fully gratify her appetite and hence got a boon from Brahma to enter as a Jiva-Suchi or living needle into all human beings, with the power of troubling those of lower desires but becom ing the slaves of those who are conquerors of them. It is this Rakshasi that is at the bottom of all our pains and that can be made to minister to our wants, if we will only make up our minds to lord over our desires. The story of Aindhava brings some corroborations to the XVI INTRODUCTION. occult doctrine. The author, after describing that the uni verse is no other than the aspect of the Brahmic intelligence, now proceeds to the enumeration of the worlds that exist. At the beginning of a creation, Brahma is said to have asked the resplendent orb of the sun to describe its orgin. The sun and its nine brothers of suns are said to have been born out of Indhu —since according to the Hindu or occult doctrine all things merge into the moon during Pralaya — the son of K£syapa, and to be ruling over the ten worlds created by their own Sankalpa as if they were Brahmas themselves. Hence arose the ten worlds out of their minds. These ten worlds may refer to either the ten solar systems or the ten worlds which are subtler and subtler than one another and ex isting in space. Besides the 7 worlds as ordinarily known, there are said to be at first three other worlds which have arisen out of the one. Out of the one.