YOGA VASISTHA

Ram Gita – The Crest jewel of Vedanta

- Dr. Arun Madhavan

Ram sought clarity from the Sage as to what is waking state and what is dreaming state. Vasistha affirmed that both are the same in nature. The ideational universe experienced by a jiva is a dream in itself! Waking is a dream of a long duration. Thus, it appears as real. Whereas a dream has a short duration; hence it appears unreal. When atma gyan is attained, such illusions vanish.

Vasistha was ‘prescient’ when he disclosed to Ram: “In course of time Lord Vishnu will assume birth in the body of Krishna in the house of Vasudeva. When the great war of Mahabharata ensues, due to attachment arising from ignorance, Arjuna becomes a coward, drops down his arms, and refuses to fight. At that time, Sri Krishna urges Arjuna, “Why have you assumed the idea of being a man and getting involved in attachments. Such a weakness is not your dharma. You are the atma tattva that is indestructible, all-pervasive, and ever pure. “Oh Arjuna, I am the entire universe, I am the directions, I am space and time. Fix your mind on the Big ‘I’, adore me, and venerate me.

Be egoless. When you have attained wisdom, you will realise my supreme state. You must surrender to my manifest form. Meditate on that and merge into Me. In reality, there is nothing but me. He, who recognises this, understands right. But he, who is engaged in the pleasures of the senses, cannot merge in the atma.

Birth and death are illusory ideations, unreal, like a dream. Ideation is ignorance and due to this, there are concepts of Heaven and Hell. In reality, there is neither Hell nor Heaven. When the vasanas, subtle impressions of the past, are destroyed, the immortal state of Liberation is attained. Abandonment of