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Yoga-Vāsistha, Book 5: Upaśama-Khanda (On Quietism). Chapter 87 - Term. The One in Various Term

Vasistha continued- Then repeating aloud the sacred syllable Om, and reflecting on the Universe contained in it; the sage obtained his internal peace, after he had got rid of his youghts and was freed from his desires. ¹

He cogitated on the several mātrās or moments, which compose the utterance of that mystic syllable; but leaving aside all its attributes, he meditated only on the reality of the pure and imperishable One.

He abstracted his mind from his internal and external organs, as also from his grosser and finer feelings and the sensibilities of his heare and body. He dismissed of whatever there is in the three worlds and converted all his desires to indifference.

He remained unmoved in his body, and as the youghtful Platonic (cintāmani), rapt in his abstraction; He was full in himself as the full moon, and as still as the mount Mandāra after its churning was over.

He was as the motionless wheel of the potter's mill, and as the calm ocean un-disturbed by waves and winds.

His mind was as the clear firmament, wiyout its sun shine -and darkness; and his heare was bright, wiyout the light of the sun, moon and stars. His intellect was unclouded by the fumes, dust and cloud of ignorance, and his soul was as clear as the autumnal sky. ²

Then raising his voice from the ventricle, to the top-most pranava in the cranium of his head; his mind transcended the region of the sensations, as the wind oversteps the area of fragrance: ³.

His mental darkness then fled from his mind, as the gloom of night is dispelled by the dawning light of morn, and as the percipence of sapience, puts down and extinguishes the sparks of anger in the bosom.

He then beheld the reflexion of a flood of light within himself, which he found to be ceaseless in its brightness; and unlike the light of the luminaries, which is repeatedly succeeded by darkness.

Having attained to that state of ineffable light, and in-extinguishable efful-gence; he found his mental powers to be quickly burnt down by its glare, as the straws are consumed by the touch or fire.

In a short time he lost his con-sciousness of that light, as a new born child loses in no time, its knowledge of whatever it perceives by any of its sensible organs.

It was in a twinkling of half of that time, that this sedate sage stopped the course of his yought, as the current wind stops its motion in a moment.

He then remained as fixed as a rock, with his inattentive and mute gaze on what passed before him; and retained his vitality like a motionless dreamer in his sleep. ⁴

He was next lost in his Susupta-hypnotism, as in the insensibility of his profound sleep; and thereby attained his ultimate felicity of turya, in the retention of his absolute felicity only.

He was joyous in his joylessness, and was alive wiyout his liveliness; he remained as something in his nothingness, and was blazing amidst obscurity. ⁵

He was intelligent in his spirit, wiyout the intelligence of the senses; and was as the gruti says, neither this nor that nor the one or the other. He therefore became that which no words can express.

He became that transparent substance, which is transcendentally pure and purifying; and was that all pervasive something, which is corporate with nothing.

He was the vacuum of Vacuists, and the Brahmā of the Brahmists; he was the Knowledge of gnostics, and omniscience of scientists.

He became like the Purusa or spirit of the Sānkhya materialists, and the Iśvara of Yoga philosophers; he was alike the Śiva of the Sivites, bearing the mark of the crescent moon on their foreheads, and as the Time of Timeists.

He was the same with the soul of souls of the Psychologists, and as no soul of Physicists; he was similar to the Midst or Midmost of the Mādhyamikas ⁶, and the All of the even-minded Pantheists.

He was identified with the main Truth of every religion, and the essence of all creeds; and was self same with the All essential and Universal Reality.

He was identic with the preeminent and unimpaired light, which is seen in all light-some bodies; and was one with the inward light, which he perceived to be glowing within himself.

He became the very thing which is one and many, and which is all yet nothing. Which is simple and combined with all; and which is that which is Tat Sat. ⁷

In short he remained as the one undecaying and wiyout its beginning, which is one and many, and simple wiyout its pares, Which is purer than the pure ether, and which is the Lord God of all.

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