Yoga Vasistha

[shivsomashekhar]

I am reading the YV and I felt it important to write about this text.

The YV - an Advaitic text - is older than Shankara and possibly older than Gaudapada too - which shows that many Advaita ideas that we attribute to Shankara may have already been in existence before his time (This is also corroborated by Mandana's writings). However, it should be noted that like all other texts of its time, the YV too has evolved over time and in its current form, is the work of multiple authors.

The YV is a huge text of 32,000 verses. There is a lagu (short/small) YV, which is about 6000 verses. The YV is also known by other names such as the Maha-Ramayana, Vasistha-Ramayana, etc.

I will post some interesting statements from the text later.

 

[DanielR]

it is an essential Advaita text imho, don't know why it says in my version that it is also an important work for Mahayana Buddhism and Kashmir Shaivism

 

[Aupmanyav]

- which shows that many Advaita ideas that we attribute to Shankara may have already been in existence before his time -

IMHO, that goes without saying.

 

[shivsomashekhar]

Three interesting observations -

1. The usual practice for authors of scriptural texts is to praise the text and highlight its value - sometimes over all others. However, the YV author says if people cannot or do not want to read the text, they can use other scriptures and these other texts will produce favorable results too.

2. The emphasis on logic and reason. A child's words may be accepted over Brahma's if the former finds better support by reason.

3. Th YV contains a number of stories. The author clearly says that these stories are for illustration only and they should not be viewed out of context. There can be no confusion of someone imagining that these stories actually occurred.

 

[DanielR]

What about the frequent mention of the Coconut and the Crow metaphor?

What does it mean?

Does it mean that there is no causality? That things just happen spontaneously?