yv rama lament

  yog vasisht   rama''s lament

With my return from the pilgrimage, all my desires for this delusion of the universe have ceased.

 There is not even an iota of bliss in this world. 

Destruction (death) exists only for birth, and birth is for death again. Therefore all are illusory in this world. 

All worldly things are generative of pains only,fraught with all dangers, unrelated to one another,related to one another only through the Sankalpa of the mind, obdurate like an iron rod, and fruitful of great (material) wealth. Therefore of what avail are the enjoyments of objects and kingdoms? 

 If we set about enquiring, whence came the „I" or the body we have, we find that all those which are foreign to Atman, are nothing but unreal. All things being unreal, when I began to further enquire as to which generates which,among these things, I ceased to have any love for them, like a traveller, who, when he is convinced of the undulatory mirage in a desert not being water, never after craves for it. 

In trying to find out the path which will relieve me from the pains of the unconquerable sensual objects, I am burning within like an old tree which is consumed within,through the heat generated by itself through its old age. This unbearable dire delusion of mine is like a stone sticking in my gullets. Being afraid lest my relatives should condemn me for this grief of mine,(I tried in all manner of ways and yet) I am not able to get out of it though I cried aloud.

Wealth - "Like  family with children, etc., that will not make happy him who is beset with the highest of dangers, wealth which only makes hosts of thoughts to whirl in the brains of men will not confer bliss. Just as a king allies himself with any person who owns his supremacy, no matter whether that person be noble-minded or base, so wealth which is attained by any person who flies to it for refuge tends, however serviceable it may be,to the condemnation of the spiritually wise, and hence is base. 

Who is there in this world whose mind does not thaw like ice at the sight of wealth or whirl in the maelstrom of wealth which embitters the happiness arising from the quintessence of the sweet discourse of the spiritually wise through the venom of love, hatred,etc., created in such worldly men by the manifold evil effects of wealth. Like a ruby that gets blurred with a coating of dust, all persons whether they are beneficial to their relatives or not, whether they are intelligent or poor or warlike succumb to this desire and are degraded.

 It is rare to find blameless opulent men, word-keeping warriors or kings who look equally upon all their subjects. This wealth which the mind covets and is very ephemeral in its nature is utterly useless like a flower- bud in a creeper growing in a well and encircled by a serpent.

Life - "Then Prana (Life) which is like a drop of rain water dripping from the end of a leaf turned over-head, flits out of the body, like an idiot atunseasonable times. It is only by being bitten bythe serpent of the ever-waxing (desires of the fivesenses that persons without true Jnana begin todroop in their minds and thus shorten their lives. Ido not rejoice in this life of mine which darts like aflash of lightning in the cloud of delusion,regarding this my limited body as real. It is

possible to cleave the all-pervading Akasa orrestrain the stormy winds or still the waves thatever and anon arise on the surface of the water hutto disappear; but by no means is it possible to resistthis desire of life which should not be consideredas permanent. 

This life is ephemeral like autumnalclouds or a ghee-less lamp or ocean waves; thoughappearing as real, it has not the least of quiescence,is steeped in boundless ignorance and is devoid ofthe true end of human life; if we enquire into its

fruits, we find pains only are generated like untothe pangs of delivery. That is the noblest life inwhich persons, after attaining the highest Atmicwisdom replete with bliss and free from all*pains,spend their lives in ceaseless Atmic enquiry,

without wasting their time like such base things astrees, beasts or birds. The lives of those who havefreed themselves from rebirths are the true onesand the noblest; but others lives are like those ofold asses. In the case of persons without

discrimination, learning is a burden to them; in thecase of persons without quiescence (of mind), theirmind is a burden to them; but in the case ofpersons having passion and other stains, AtmanJnana is a burden to them. In the case of persons

who have not enjoyed the bliss in their own Self,the beautiful body, life, Manas, Buddhi, Ahankara,actions, etc., are intolerable burdens to them likethose of a carrier. 

Life after associating itself withthis body departs out of it even while young, likethe wise who shun the association with the wicked.There is nothing as baneful as this life which isperishable in its nature and fleeting in the bestowalof pleasures.

Ahankara - „I am much terrified by the enemy of theillusory and harmful Ahankara(I-am-ness oregoism) which is generated through delusion andpermeates me all throughout. It is only throughAhankara that all the mental cares, dangers and theever-increasing actions of life arise. There is noenemy greater than he. Having associated with thisenemy of mine for a long time, I am now in anagitated state of mind I do not taste food withwater. Why need I speak about (other) enjoyments?

All our daily ceremonies, yajnas (sacrifices), theenjoyables and others associated, as they are, withAhankara are merely unreal. Therefore the realsecret lies only in the renunciation of thisAhankara. So long as this Ahankara be-clouds us,so long will the flowers of desires bloom andincrease in us. Though I have given up all Karmas

(actions) in order to free myself from Ahankara, yetmy pains have not ceased, not having cognized myown Self. May you, Oh Rishi, be pleased to blessme in order that I may liberate myself from thiscursed Ahankara which is the source of all dangersin this world, is evanescent, has its seat in themind, and is idiotic in its nature and without duediscrimination and intelligence."

Manas - „Then my Manas (mind) is tossed about inobjects of love and hatred, etc., like a light feather