Anecdotes from the Yogavasihistha

On coming to know that King Arishtanemi was engaged in severe austerities on Mount Gandhmadana; Indra, the kind of gods, ordered an angel, “Take a celestial car equipped with various musical instruments and bearing the celestial damsels, a band each of gandharvas, siddhas and kinnaras together with a troup of soldiers well equipped with percussions, etc. aboard to the Mount Gandhamadana, which is adorned, with various kinds of trees. Then bring King Arishtanemi aboard the celestial car to the city of Amaravati to let him enjoy the pleasures of paradise.”

The angel took the car, well equipped in every respect, to the said mountain. On reaching there, the angel went to the king’s hermitage and delivered to him the orders of Indra. On hearing the words of the angel, the doubt-stricken king said,” O angel! Tell me the merits and demerits of heaven, whereupon I shall do as I like.”

The angel said, “O King! One enjoys superior fruits in heaven according to the degree of one’s individual merits. Higher virtue leads one to higher planes of heaven. By mediocre virtue one is entitled to a middle plane, and virtue of an inferior order leads a person to a .lower plane to heaven. This is but the inviolable law.

“Sire! These who do not have the privilege of living in the higher planes of heaven cannot tolerate the excellence of their superiors. There is jealously, rivalry, hatred, etc. among the equals; and the inhabitants of higher heavens become snobbish seeing the inferior happiness of the inhabitants of the lower heavens. In this way, the inhabitants of heaven pass their time experiencing the superior, mediocre and inferior happiness till they exhaust their stuck of merits; whereupon, they again take birth in this world of mortals.

Sire! These verily are the merits and demerits of heaven.”

On hearing the merits and demerits of heaven, the supremely discriminative Arishtanemi said, “O Angel! I don’t desire such heavenly pleasures. Be you pleased, O delegate of the gods, to return with your celestial car to Indra, the king of gods, I bow to thee.”

Back in heaven, the angel narrated the whole incident to Indra. On listening to King Arishtanemi’s detachment to heaven, Indra was struck with great wonder.

An immensely pleased Indra then spoke in a sweet voice, “O angel! Go to that place again and take that dispassionate king to the hermitage of the enlightened sage. Valmikiji for the attainment of Self-knowledge and convey my message to the sage requesting him to enlighten this dispassionate and humble king, who is indifferent to the pleasures of heaven, on the knowledge of the Ultimate Truth. On listening to the instructions on Self-knowledge, the king, who is afflicted with the miseries of samsara, will gradually come to attain emancipation.”

The angel presented the king before Sage Valmikiji and conveyed Indra’s message to him. The king in turn enquired of the sage about the means of salvation. Then welcoming the king, Valmikiji asked him about the welfare of this nation and progeny as well about his wealth, austerities, etc.

The king said, “O great seer! You are versed in all the limbs of Dharma and are the knower of all that is knowable. I am blessed with your darshana and therein lies all my well being. O Lord! At present I am inquisitive and distressed by the miseries of samsara. Do enlighten me on the Ultimate Truth so that I may be liberated from the miseries of worldly bondage.”

Sage Valmikiji said, “O King! In reply to the queries you have put before me regarding the means of liberation, I will relate to you the ‘Maharamayana’ called the ‘Yogavasishtha’ consisting of 32,000 verses. It is a treatise having the Undivided Reality as its subject matter, hearing and assimilating which, you will be liberated while living.”
- (A bridge compilation from the first chapter of the ‘Vairagya Prakarana’ of the ‘Sri Yogavasistha Maharamayana.”)

This Ramayana, which presents the enlightening dialogue between Lord Rama and Sage Vasistha, is an unparalleled means to liberation and is supremely elevating as well.
(The holy scripture has been published in four volumes by the Ashram in Hindi).