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(Redirected from Vasishta)
'Vashisht' (Sanskrit: वसिष्ठ), in Hindu mythology was chief of the seven venerated sages (or Saptarishi) and the Rajaguru of the Suryavamsha or Solar Dynasty. He was the manasaputra of Brahma. He had in his possession the divine cow Kamadhenu, and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners.
'Arundhati' is the name of the wife of Vashisht. The star Mizar of the stellar constellation ''Ursa Major'' is thought of as Vashisht and the small one beside it, Alcor, as Arundhati.
Vashisht is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the Rigveda.
Vashisht and his family are glorified in RV 7.33, extolling their role in the Battle of the Ten Kings, making him the only mortal besides Bhavayavya to have a Rigvedic hymn dedicated to him. Another immortal treatise dedicated by him to the humanity is "Vashisht Samhita" - a book on Vedic system of electional astrology (Muhurtha/ Muhurt)- based on which theory & principles of electional astrology have emanated & followed through millenniums & which have withstood test of the time.
Vashisht is featured in many tales and folklore, a few of which are briefly described below.
This tale tells of how Vashisht possessed a cow named Kamadhenu who could produce enough food for a whole army of troops instantly. The king Vishwamitra, who visited Vashisht's hermitage, was very impressed with the cow and tried to take it away from Vashisht by force, but Vashisht's spiritual power acquired through penance was too great for him. After being unable to conquer Vashisht, Vishwamitra decided to acquire power himself through penance. He gained much power and many divine weapons from Lord Shiva. And once again he attempted to conquer Vashisht. But even the divine weapons he acquired could not defeat the power of Vashisht's ''Brahmadanda'' (punishment). Vishwamitra finally decided to become a Brahmarishi himself, and he renounced all his possessions and luxury and led the life of a simple forest ascetic.
King Dileepa was a king of the Raghuvamsha dynasty. He had a wife named Sudakshina, but they had no children. For this reason, Dileepa visited the sage Vashisht in his ashram, and asked him for his advice. Vashisht replied that they should serve the cow Nandini, child of Kamadhenu, and perhaps if Nandini was happy with their service, she would grant them with a child. So, according to Vashisht, Dileepa served Nandini every day, and attended to her every need for twenty-one days. On the twenty-first day, a lion attacks Nandini. Dileepa immediately draws his bow and tries to shoot the lion. But he finds that his arm is paralysed and cannot move. He reasons that the lion must have some sort of divine power. As if to confirm this, the lion started to speak to him. It said that Dileepa had no chance of saving the cow because the cow was the lion's chosen meal. The lion tells Dileepa to return to Vashisht's ashram. Dileepa replies by asking if the lion would let Nandini go if he offered himself in Nandini's place. The lion agreed and Dileepa sacrificed his life for the cow. But then the lion mysteriously disappeared. Nandini explained that the lion was just an illusion to test Dileepa. Because Dileepa was truly selfless, Nandini granted him with a son.
Yoga Vashisht is an ancient scripture narrated by sage Vashisht to Rama. A unique and an extremely profound discourse, that provides innumerable insights and secrets to the inner world of consciousness. This extremely huge scripture covers all the topics that relate to the spiritual study of a seeker.
This scripture is a must read for anyone trying to understand the concepts of consciousness, creation of the world, the multiple universes in this world, our perception of world, dissolution of the world and the liberation of this soul.
Yoga Vashisht propounds that everything from the blade of grass to the universes is all but consciousness alone. There is naught else but consciousness. It expounds the non-dual approach to this creation.
Just as the blue sky is an optical illusion this entire world and the creation is but such an optical illusion. When the illusion ends in the mind, the world and its miseries too end. The self is the seer of all, the self is the perceiver of all and the self is the experiencer of all. And that self is only one. There is no two, there is no subject, seer and the object. It is all one.
Another oft repeated verse in the text is that of Kakathaliya (coincidence). The story of how a crow alights on a coconut tree and that very moment the ripe coconut falls on the ground. The two events are apparently related, yet the crow never intended the coconut to fall nor did the coconut fall only because the crow sat on the tree. Yet, one event led to the other in a subtle way.
This entire creation is such a coincidence and yet there is absolutely no coincidence in this creation. Everything is connected, meaning no coincidence.
Rama, the eldest son of Dasaratha, after completing a piligrimage of holy places returns to the palace. After his return, he is constantly found wandering lost in thought and completely disenchanted with the worldly life and the pleasures of the kingdom. This surprises and concerns his father King Dasaratha.
One day, in his court arrives the great sage Visvamitra. Visvamitra requests Dasaratha to send Rama with him while he conducts his yagna. He wants Rama to fight the demons who would disrupt the yagna.
Dasaratha refuses to send Rama on the context that Rama is still a child who does not know the ways of battle. At this stage, before Visvamitra could get angry, Sage Vashisht interferes and pleads with Dasaratha to not refuse the request of Visvamitra and invite curses on himself.
When Dasaratha expresses his other concern about Rama's sudden change in behaviour, Vashisht asks for Rama to be brought before him.
Rama is then brought to the palace and Dasaratha asks him what is bothering him. Rama then explains his disenchantment with worldly things and expresses sadness at the miserable life as a worldly man.
The ensuing answer to Rama's questions forms the entire scripture that is Yoga Vashisht.
A copper item representing a human head styled in the manner described for the Rigvedic Vashisht has been dated to around 3700 B.C. in three western universities using among other tests carbon 14 tests, spectrographic analysis, X-ray dispersal analysis and metallography (Hicks and Anderson. Analysis of an Indo-European Vedic Aryan Head - 4500-2500 B.C., in Journal of IE studies 18:425-446. Fall 1990.). This could suggest that some Rigvedic customs were already known at a very early time, though the possibility remains that the bronze head could have been recast from an earlier item. Unfortunately the head was not found in an archaeological context. (It was rescued from being melted down in Delhi.)
★ Brahmarishi
★ Vishwamitra
★ Bharadwaja
★ Ramayana
★ Mythological Tales - Vashishta
★ Raguvamsha
Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda - Vasistha's Yoga published by the State University of New York (SUNY)
'Vashisht' (Sanskrit: वसिष्ठ), in Hindu mythology was chief of the seven venerated sages (or Saptarishi) and the Rajaguru of the Suryavamsha or Solar Dynasty. He was the manasaputra of Brahma. He had in his possession the divine cow Kamadhenu, and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners.
'Arundhati' is the name of the wife of Vashisht. The star Mizar of the stellar constellation ''Ursa Major'' is thought of as Vashisht and the small one beside it, Alcor, as Arundhati.
Vashisht is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the Rigveda.
Vashisht and his family are glorified in RV 7.33, extolling their role in the Battle of the Ten Kings, making him the only mortal besides Bhavayavya to have a Rigvedic hymn dedicated to him. Another immortal treatise dedicated by him to the humanity is "Vashisht Samhita" - a book on Vedic system of electional astrology (Muhurtha/ Muhurt)- based on which theory & principles of electional astrology have emanated & followed through millenniums & which have withstood test of the time.
| Contents |
| Tales featuring Vashisht |
| The tale of Vishwamitra |
| The tale of King Dileepa |
| Yoga Vashisht |
| Story of Yoga Vashisht |
| Vashisht head |
| See also |
| Sources |
| Commentaries on Yoga Vasistha |
Tales featuring Vashisht
Vashisht is featured in many tales and folklore, a few of which are briefly described below.
The tale of Vishwamitra
This tale tells of how Vashisht possessed a cow named Kamadhenu who could produce enough food for a whole army of troops instantly. The king Vishwamitra, who visited Vashisht's hermitage, was very impressed with the cow and tried to take it away from Vashisht by force, but Vashisht's spiritual power acquired through penance was too great for him. After being unable to conquer Vashisht, Vishwamitra decided to acquire power himself through penance. He gained much power and many divine weapons from Lord Shiva. And once again he attempted to conquer Vashisht. But even the divine weapons he acquired could not defeat the power of Vashisht's ''Brahmadanda'' (punishment). Vishwamitra finally decided to become a Brahmarishi himself, and he renounced all his possessions and luxury and led the life of a simple forest ascetic.
The tale of King Dileepa
King Dileepa was a king of the Raghuvamsha dynasty. He had a wife named Sudakshina, but they had no children. For this reason, Dileepa visited the sage Vashisht in his ashram, and asked him for his advice. Vashisht replied that they should serve the cow Nandini, child of Kamadhenu, and perhaps if Nandini was happy with their service, she would grant them with a child. So, according to Vashisht, Dileepa served Nandini every day, and attended to her every need for twenty-one days. On the twenty-first day, a lion attacks Nandini. Dileepa immediately draws his bow and tries to shoot the lion. But he finds that his arm is paralysed and cannot move. He reasons that the lion must have some sort of divine power. As if to confirm this, the lion started to speak to him. It said that Dileepa had no chance of saving the cow because the cow was the lion's chosen meal. The lion tells Dileepa to return to Vashisht's ashram. Dileepa replies by asking if the lion would let Nandini go if he offered himself in Nandini's place. The lion agreed and Dileepa sacrificed his life for the cow. But then the lion mysteriously disappeared. Nandini explained that the lion was just an illusion to test Dileepa. Because Dileepa was truly selfless, Nandini granted him with a son.
Yoga Vashisht
Yoga Vashisht is an ancient scripture narrated by sage Vashisht to Rama. A unique and an extremely profound discourse, that provides innumerable insights and secrets to the inner world of consciousness. This extremely huge scripture covers all the topics that relate to the spiritual study of a seeker.
This scripture is a must read for anyone trying to understand the concepts of consciousness, creation of the world, the multiple universes in this world, our perception of world, dissolution of the world and the liberation of this soul.
Yoga Vashisht propounds that everything from the blade of grass to the universes is all but consciousness alone. There is naught else but consciousness. It expounds the non-dual approach to this creation.
Just as the blue sky is an optical illusion this entire world and the creation is but such an optical illusion. When the illusion ends in the mind, the world and its miseries too end. The self is the seer of all, the self is the perceiver of all and the self is the experiencer of all. And that self is only one. There is no two, there is no subject, seer and the object. It is all one.
Another oft repeated verse in the text is that of Kakathaliya (coincidence). The story of how a crow alights on a coconut tree and that very moment the ripe coconut falls on the ground. The two events are apparently related, yet the crow never intended the coconut to fall nor did the coconut fall only because the crow sat on the tree. Yet, one event led to the other in a subtle way.
This entire creation is such a coincidence and yet there is absolutely no coincidence in this creation. Everything is connected, meaning no coincidence.
Story of Yoga Vashisht
Rama, the eldest son of Dasaratha, after completing a piligrimage of holy places returns to the palace. After his return, he is constantly found wandering lost in thought and completely disenchanted with the worldly life and the pleasures of the kingdom. This surprises and concerns his father King Dasaratha.
One day, in his court arrives the great sage Visvamitra. Visvamitra requests Dasaratha to send Rama with him while he conducts his yagna. He wants Rama to fight the demons who would disrupt the yagna.
Dasaratha refuses to send Rama on the context that Rama is still a child who does not know the ways of battle. At this stage, before Visvamitra could get angry, Sage Vashisht interferes and pleads with Dasaratha to not refuse the request of Visvamitra and invite curses on himself.
When Dasaratha expresses his other concern about Rama's sudden change in behaviour, Vashisht asks for Rama to be brought before him.
Rama is then brought to the palace and Dasaratha asks him what is bothering him. Rama then explains his disenchantment with worldly things and expresses sadness at the miserable life as a worldly man.
The ensuing answer to Rama's questions forms the entire scripture that is Yoga Vashisht.
Vashisht head
A copper item representing a human head styled in the manner described for the Rigvedic Vashisht has been dated to around 3700 B.C. in three western universities using among other tests carbon 14 tests, spectrographic analysis, X-ray dispersal analysis and metallography (Hicks and Anderson. Analysis of an Indo-European Vedic Aryan Head - 4500-2500 B.C., in Journal of IE studies 18:425-446. Fall 1990.). This could suggest that some Rigvedic customs were already known at a very early time, though the possibility remains that the bronze head could have been recast from an earlier item. Unfortunately the head was not found in an archaeological context. (It was rescued from being melted down in Delhi.)
See also
★ Brahmarishi
★ Vishwamitra
★ Bharadwaja
★ Ramayana
Sources
★ Mythological Tales - Vashishta
★ Raguvamsha
Commentaries on Yoga Vasistha
Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda - Vasistha's Yoga published by the State University of New York (SUNY)
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