The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, Vol 4 (of 4), Part 1 (of 2)Valmiki
Religion
The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, Vol 4 (of 4), Part 1 (of 2)
Valmiki
Hinduism -- Doctrines -- Early works to 1800; Religious life -- Hinduism -- Early works to 1800
28. I have enjoyed all these enjoyments of my senses for a full thousand
years, and still I find nothing either in this earth or in heaven, which
is able to yield full satisfaction to my mind.
29. I have reigned for a longtime over a realm, and enjoyed the company
of the courtezans in my court, I have vanquished the forces of my
enemies in battle, but I know not great gain I have gained thereby. (All
is vanity of vanities only).
30. Those (demons) that were invulnerable in warfare, and usurped to the
dominion of the three worlds, even those invincible giants, have been
reduced to ashes in a short time.
31. I think that to be the best gain, which being once gained by us,
there remains nothing else to be desired or gained herein; I must now
therefore, remain in quest of that precious gain, however it may be
attended with pain.
32. What difference is there between those, who have enjoyed the most
delightful pleasures, and others that have never enjoyed them at all;
nobody has ever seen the heads of the former kind crowned with kalpa
laurels, nor the latter with diminished heads.
33. I have been long led by my organs of sense, to the enjoyment of
beautiful objects in the wilderness of the world, and have been quite
deceived by them like a child by cheat. (All enticements are deceitful
at the end).
34. I have come too late and to-day only to know, that the objects of my
senses are my greatest enemies; and this I have known after being
repeatedly deceived by my organs of sense.
35. I see the deceitful organs of sense like so many sly huntsmen, have
laid their snares about the wild forest of this world, only to entrap
all unwary people in them, as they do the silly stags or beasts of prey
by enticements.
36. There are but very few men in this world, who are not found to be
envenomed by the deadly poison of their serpent-like organs of sense.
37. The forest of the world is full with the furious elephants of
enjoyments, and surrounded by the snare of our desire, wherein our
greediness is roving rampant with sword in hand, and our passions are
stirring like keen spearmen, and rending our hearts and souls every
moments.
38. Our bodies are become as a field of battle, where the commanding
charioteer of our egoism hath spread the net of duplicity, by employing
our efforts as horsemen, and setting our desires as boisterous rioters.
39. The organs of sense are set as flag-bearers, at the extremities of
the battle-field of our bodies; and they are reckoned as the best
soldiers, who are able by their prowess to overtake these staff-bearers
in the field.
40. It may be possible for us, to pierce the frontal bone even of the
furious Airávata elephant of Indra in war; but it is too hard for any
body, to repress the aberrant senses within their proper bounds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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