The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, Vol. 4 (of 4), Part 2 (of 2)Valmiki
Religion
The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, Vol. 4 (of 4), Part 2 (of 2)
Valmiki
Hinduism -- Doctrines -- Early works to 1800; Religious life -- Hinduism -- Early works to 1800
39. It does not befit any body to say that, the transcendence and
tranquility of God, supports the material and moving world upon it; nor
that a corporeal body (the corpus mundi), is an imperishable thing (as
the divine spirit).
40. Our perception of the world having a form, is no proof of its
reality; because there is no truth whatever in the many curious forms,
that present themselves before us in our dreams. (This is a refutation
of the Buddhists’ reliableness in perception).
41. It is an unprecedented dream, that presents us the sight of the
world, of which we had no innate or preconceived idea in us; while our
usual dreams are commonly known, to be the reproduced representations,
of our former impressions and perceptions, and the results of our past
remembrances of things &c.
42. It is not a day dream as some would have it to be, because the
night dreams disappear in the day time; but how does a dreamer of his
own funeral at night, come to see himself alive upon his waking in the
day? (This continuous sight of the world day by day, is not comparable
to a transient dream by day or night, but a permanent one in the
person of the Great God himself).
43. Others again maintain that, no bodiless things can appear in our
dream, since we dream of certain bodies only; but this tenet has no
truth in it, since we often dream of, as well as see the apparitions of
bodiless ghosts both by day and night.
44. Therefore the world is not as false as a dream, but an impression
settled like a dream in our very conscious soul; it is the formless
deity, that manifests itself in the various forms of this world, to our
understandings.
45. As our intellect remains alone and in itself, in the forms and
other things, appearing as dreams unto us in our sleep; so doth Brahma
remain solely in himself in the form of the world we see: for God being
wholly free and apart from all, can not have any accompaniment with him.
46. There is nothing that is either coexistent or inexistent in him
(that is what can be either affirmed or denied of him); because we have
no concept or conception of him ourselves, nor do we <have> any notion
or idea we are to form of him.
47. What is this nameless thing, that we can not know in our
understanding; it is known in our consciousness (_i.e._ we are
conscious of it), but it is in _esse_ or _non-esse_, we know nothing of
(this world).
48. It is an inexistence appearing as existent, as also an existence
seeming to be unexistent; all things are quite manifest in it at all
times and in all forms (but how and whence they are is quite unknown).
49. It is the development of Brahma in Brahma, as the sky is evolved in
vacuity; for nothing can be found to fill the vacuum of Brahma, except
Brahma himself (or his own essence).
50. There I, my seeing and my sight of the world, is all mere fallacy;
it is the calm and quiet extension of the Divine intellect only, that
fills the infinite vacuity of his own spirit, and naught beside.
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