The Vision and the Way of Vasistha

This compilation in Sanskrit originally formed an appendix to the thesis, The Philosophy of Vasistha as presented in Yogavasistha, submitted to the Banaras Hindu University in 1928 by B.L. Atreya for the degree of Doctor of letters. The author has written several books on the philosophy of Yogavasistha and other subjects connected with this magnificent work which swami Rama Tirtha considered as the most wonderful book ever written under the sun, which nobody on earth can read without Realising God Consciousness. In Vedantic traditions, Yogavasistha is regarded as the ultimate book expounding the Truth from the Siddhavastha, or the state of a yogin who has realized the Absolute Reality by personal experience.

This compilation, consisting of nearly 2500verses, was first published in 1936 by the Government Press, Allahabad as the 64th Volume in the series Sarasvati Bhavana texts and has not been reprinted thereafter. In the words of the author, it is meant for those who may wish to make themselves acquainted with the philosophy of Yogavasistha in its original, sweet and beautiful language, the charm of which eludes translation, but have not the time and intention or patience to go through the voluminous work of thirty two thousand Stanzas. The author has stated that no aspect of the philosophy or the practice recommended for experiencing the Reality and no important verse expounding the same have been omitted in this compilation.

It is a challenging job to translate such an exalted work into a language which lacks the proper words to convey exactly the sense and spirit of Vedantic and yogic terminology, but, fortunately, the 20th century has produced many literary and spiritual giants who have built up a suitable terminology for expressing Vedantic and yogic concepts in English, though the shades of meaning attached to such terms may not exactly and fully convey the connotations of the corresponding Sanskrit words. But the context in which such words are used invariably help in binging out the exact sense.

The Translator has liberally mad use of the excellent Sanskrit commentary on the Yogavasistha by Anandabodhendrasarasvati, for deciphering many complex verses, especially those dealing with esoteric and recondite subjects. But, the overpowering urge of the translator throughout was the faithful rendering of the sense and spirit of the original, simultaneously giving the reader a taste of the power and beauty of the original.