The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, Vol. 2 (of 4), Part 2 (of 2)Valmiki
Religion
The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, Vol. 2 (of 4), Part 2 (of 2)
Valmiki
Hinduism -- Doctrines -- Early works to 1800; Religious life -- Hinduism -- Early works to 1800
17. Beware, O foolish man! to allow the carnal appetite to take
possession of thy breast, and lead thee to thy destruction, as the male
elephant is caught in the pit, by being beguiled by the artful _koomki_
to fall into it. (The female elephant is called _koomki_ in
elephant-catching).
18. Do not be misled by thy appetite of taste, to cram the bitter gall
for sweet; or bite the fatal bait that is laid, to hook the foolish
fish to its destruction.
19. Nor let thy fondness for bright and beautiful objects, bewitch thee
to thy ruin; as the appearance of a bright light or burning fire,
invites the silly moth to its consumption.
20. Let not thy ardour for sweet odor, tempt thee to thy ruin; nor
entice thee like the poor bees to the flavour of the liquor, exuding
from the frontal proboscis of the elephant, only to be crushed by its
trunk.
21. See how the deer, the bee, the moth, the elephant and the fish, are
each of them destroyed by their addiction to the gratification of a
single sense; and consider the great danger to which the foolish man,
is exposed by his desire of satisfying all his refractory senses and
organs.
22. O my heart! it is thou thyself, that dost stretch the snare of thy
desires for thy own entanglement; as the silk worm weaves its own cell
(cocoon) by its saliva, for its own imprisonment.
23. Be cleansed of all thy impure desires, and become as pure and clear
as the autumnal cloud (after it has poured out its water in the rains);
and when thou art fully purged and are buoyed up as a cloud, you are
then free from all bondage.
24. Knowing the course of the world, to be pregnant with the rise and
fall of mankind, and to be productive of the pangs of disease and death
at the end; you are still addicted to it for your destruction only.
25. But why do I thus upbraid or admonish my heart in vain; it is only
by reasoning with the mind that men are enabled to govern their hearts
(_i.e._ to repress all their feelings and passions).
26. But as long as gross ignorance continues to reign over the mind, so
long is the heart kept in its state of dulness; as the nether earth is
covered with mist and frost, as long as the upper skies are shrouded by
the raining clouds.
27. But no sooner is the mind cleared of its ignorance, than the heart
also becomes lighter (and cleared of its feeling); as the disappearance
of the rainy clouds disperses the frost covering the nether earth.
28. As the heart becomes lighter and purer by means of the mind’s act
of reasoning; so I ween its desires to grow weaker and thinner, like
the light and fleeting clouds of autumn.
29. Admonition to the unrighteous proves as fruitless, as the blowing
of winds against the falling rain. (_i.e._ Counsel to the wicked is as
vain, as a blast of wind to drive the pouring rain).
30. I shall therefore try to rid myself of this false and vacant
ignorance; as it is the admonition of the sástras, to get rid of
ignorance by all means.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account