English
Hence I conclude they will perish, should the mind perish through stainless discrimination." Desires. — " The pack of owls called passion and anger play in the Akasaof Atma during the night of restless desires enveloped with the intense gloom of dire delusion. All my much longed-for, virtuous actions are entirely gnawed away by my desires like a fiddle string by a rat. Being without a mind of Atma Jnana, I am enmeshed by them, like a bird caught in a trap and droop thereby. The fire of desires has scalded me quite. In my present state, I do not think that even a bath in ambrosia will cool me. Like the sable darkness on the New Moon day, they make the most undaunted of persons to quail with fear, daze the eye of good intelligence and create tremors even in the hearts of the wise of sweet patience. This old harlot of desires of the nature of the ominous owl, ever follows persons in the hope of inciting them to earn wealth but in vain. Like a dancing woman who, though enfeebled by age, dances in vain without true joy, all my desires (play in me in a similar manner and) afflict me. They will try to encompass things beyond their reach ; but even if such things are within their grasp, they will pass over and again long for happiness (in other things'. Like monkeys, they roam about without any fixed seat. Like bees that rejoice, flying from one flower to another in agarden, they traverse in a moment, PAtala, Akasa and all the eight quarters of the world. It is these ever-wax ing desires that brino- on the pains of re-birth, the heaviest of all pains. The Devas (celestials) extol disinclination of the mind (towards desires) as the greatest panacea for the remedy of the disease of desires which afflict even those living in palatial mansions guarded by forts. It is desires that make the deep inner man manifest itself externally, like radiant damsels wearing golden bracelets or diseases or the rays of the sun which make the lotus bud blossom forth (and appear externally). These desires of the mind which are like a dia mond point or a sharp-poinetd sword or like the sparks of iron emitted out of fire will, in one moment, reduce to nothing those men great as Mahameru or the handsome wise men or the courageous or warriors or any others." VAIRA'GGYA-PRAKARANA. 13 "This body which is composed of the cool intestines, muscles, &c., and is subject to changes, being at one time fat and at another time lean, shines in this mundane existence simply to undergo pains. What more palpably fruitless, painsgiving and degraded thing could be conceived of than this body which oscillates with pains or pleasures through the increase or decrease of the experiences of objects ? Of what avail is this body — whether eternal or otnerwise, liable to pains and pleasures — which house is tenanted by Ahankara, the householder having the ten mischievous cows of Indryas (or the organs), the servant of Manas (mind) producing San- kalpa, and his partner of desires with the portals of the mouth wherein are adorned the festoons of many teeth and the monkey of the tongue ? If this body which is the medi um of the enjoyment of wealth, kingdom, actions, &c., exist always, then no doubt it is one that should be longed after ; but all these will vanish with the advent of Yama (Death) at his appointed time. What beauty is there to be enjoyed in this body which is composed of blood and flesh, has the tendency to rot, is the same for the rich as well as the poor and, being without discrimination, is subject to growth and decay. Only he who relies with certainty upon a lightning flash or an autumnal cloud or a vast Gandharva (illusory) city will cling to this body as true." Infancy. — "Whatever (person) you are born as in this ocean of Samsara (Mundane existence) rolling with many waves of diversified actions in a restless and fluctuating state, the period of infancy is ever the cause of intense pains. This period is ever attended by unavoidable dangers, weaknesses, inability to convey ideas, ignorance, desires and instability of thought. And in this body it is that the mind functions and outvies, in its fluctuation, the ocean waves or a damsel's eyes or the flames of fire or a lightning flash. It (the infant) feeds itself on offal like a roving dog and rejoices or weeps at trifles. Sometimes it eats the dust and invites the moon in the sky to come near it. Will all this ignorance constitute bliss? This mischievous period of infancy which creates terror in the hearts of one's master, parents, relatives, elders and others is the source of perpetual fear and a nest replete with many stains. The bawd of non-discrimination will find a 14 YOGA-VA'SISHTA. safe asylum in it. During this period none enjoys happiness." Youth. — " Having crossed this period beset with many dangers, one reaches the period of youth liable to another kind of pains and then reels and droops under the heavyblows dealt by the devil called Manmatha (the god of love) who lives (latent) in the hollows of his mind. His noble intelligence though broadened in its views through a study of all depart ments of knowledge, though illumined in mind through the service of the guru and though purified through good Karmas will yet be defiled then like a muddy stream. The gigantic car of )routh grows more and more in this forest of body and then the deer of mind falls giddily into the pit of sensual ob jects in it. The pains increase so long as there are the plea sures of youth to be enjoyed. Similarly too, the desires increase mightily till the youth is over and work manifold mischief. He only is a man who has acquired the power to easily attain (while young) salvation, overcoming all the obstacles of youth. Such a person is it that is fit to be wor shipped by all, is truly wise and is one that has known his true state. Is there to be found in this universe, the period of youth (in the lives of any) fraught with such inestimable qualities as grace, humility, &c. and fit to be the safe asylum (of persons) ? We may as well look for a spacious forest in the sky above." Lust. — " What happiness is there to be derived from the string-tossed puppets of female bodies composed of joints, muscles, bones and flesh ? Oh, there will arise very fine desires no doubt, for women having soft tendrils of hair, if we once dissect (or analyse), with our minds, their eyes and other parts of the body into their components of skin, flesh and blood as well' as tears, &c. The breasts of females adorned with pearl- garlands and other ornaments, like unto the waters of the Gan ges with its long waves flowing down from the great Meru heights are preyed upon (or enjoyed) by bipeds like packs of dogs, licking balls of cooked rice strewn in the crematoriums in the suburbs of a town. Which person is there in this world who will not be burnt like straw when exposed to the flames of females proceeding from Agni (fire), the sin and having darkness in the shape of sable locks and scalding men with their eyes ? The cool body of females (which one enjoys) VAIRA'GGYA-PRAKARANA, 15 serves as the dry fuel with which to burn him in hell. Dames with dark eyes are so many traps set by K3ma (god of de sire) to ensnare the ignorant minds of men. They resemble also the bait of flesh strung in the angling noose of excru ciating torments in order to lure the fish of men in the pool of re-births replete with the mud of the dire mind. Oh, I will never long for the pleasures of women who are like caskets locking up within them infinite miseries and having, within them the gems of the endless desires, hatred, &c. If we be gin to 'analyse this body into flesh, blood, bones, muscles, &c., then all our desires towards females, said to shine with the moon's resplendence, will become inimical to us in a short time. Only he who has a spouse (and tastes the conjugal pleasures) lusts after such an enjoyment ; otherwise how can he feel the pleasures of conjugal life ? If the lust of women which is the source of all enjoyments ceases, then all the worldly bondage which has its substratum in the mind will cease. With the cessation of the (conception of this) uni verse which exists only in name, there dawns the eternal Ely sian bliss.