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
10. As the sovereign ruler of the seven continents, holds his sway over
them, without ever going out of his city; so the soul passes to them
all, by remaining in the precincts of its body: and so does every man
see his imaginary castle, in the sphere of his own house.
11. When the whole universe owes its origin to the imagination of its
omniscient originator--the self born Brahma; what can it be otherwise,
than an intangible vacuum and quite calm and quiet in itself. (The
moving bodies are the fixed figures of the divine mind, and appear to
be turning round like the pictures in a panorama or the objects in a
scenograph).
12. Now hear me tell you of the unknown and invisible results of the
acts piety, such as charity, obsequeous rites, religious austerities
and the mutterings of holy mantras, which accrue to the departed ghosts
of bodily beings in the next world.
13. The souls marked with traces of pious acts in them, come to view
them vividly as their actual works, and painted in as lively colours as
their dreams, by fabrications of their lively intellects.
14. The carnal mind distrusting the reality of these impressions of
consciousness, and disregarding the internal operation of the inward
intellect; becomes restless for its sensuous enjoyment and exercise of
the outward organs of action, until by abatement of this fervour, it is
restored to its inward peace and tranquility.
15. It is the theme of early poets which tells us, that the impressions
of the acts of piety and charity which are imprinted in the intellect,
are reflected over the passive soul in the next world, when the
conscious soul continues to keep the gratification of those acts.
16. Thus the rewards of charity and uncharitableness, are equally felt
in the gratification and dissatisfaction of the soul in this world
also, where everything is by our feeling of it.
17. Thus have answered fully to whatever you have asked of me; and now
know from all this, that the sensible world is an intangible dream, and
an air drawn spectacle of the mind.
18. The prince rejoined:--But please to tell me sir, how could the
intellect alone and itself before the production of the body; and how
can a light subsist without its receptacle of a lamp or lantern.
19. Vasishtha replied:--The sense in which you use the world body, is
quite unknown to the spiritualist, who discard the material meaning of
the term, as they reject the idea of the dancing of stones in air. (The
learned know the spiritual body only).
20. The meaning of the word body, is the same as that of Brahma (who is
all in all); and there is no difference in the meaning of the two, as
there is none between the words fluid and liquid.
21. The body is a visionary appearance, and the great body of Brahma,
is likened unto the figure of a phantom in vision, which represents
the forms of all things as in dream in the stupendous fabric of the
universe. [Brahma is more likely the phantasmagoria that shows all
forms in it. Gloss].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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