EXTERMINATION OF MISERIES

The Cosmic Self, or Brahmān, of infinite manifestations, according to Yoga-Vasistha (2.10.11), exists by itself; it passes through and supports the whole in the form of vacuity and understanding, and as light to all living beings. Nevertheless, the Samsāra,  or the world of birth and death, created by the creator becomes entangled in an incessant round of perpetual perceptual wheel of despair, miseries, birth and death. All the living beings are subjected to this cycle as they are ensnared to their own destiny. The term destiny, as stated in Yoga-Vasistha (2.9.2-2.9.4), highlights the advantageous or disadvantageous outcome resulting from the completed actions of effective endeavour. Yoga-Vasistha asserts that all the diverse goals individuals may have once harbored in their minds ultimately become their acts. In subsequent lives or generations of sentient creatures, we refer to the strong and unwavering determination of an action from a previous existence as destiny. Consequently, the activities of all sentient beings align with their inherent natures, and human actions correspond to their desires; desire is synonymous with the mind, which is identical to the human soul.

1. Outline

Sage Vasistha urges Sri Rama in Yoga-Vasistha to expend effort in subjugating the deceptive senses from chasing their goals. Carefully consider the implications of the preceding and following propositions, suppress your worldly concerns, and prepare yourself for equanimity, forbearance, and detachment in the pursuit of truth (Yoga-Vasistha 2.10.3-2.10.24). The exit To extricate oneself from the cycle of despair, suffering, birth, and death is to unveil the veil of ignorance via self-knowledge, culminating in self-realisation. The prerequisites for Self-knowledge, as per Yoga-Vasistha, include abstinence, generosity, truthfulness, and pilgrimage (Yoga-Vasistha 2.10.19). The Yoga-Vasistha asserts that ultimate happiness is achieved by the annihilation of the self via the knowledge of Brahmān, or the Cosmic Self, which allows one to transcend the cycle of Samsāra (birth and death).

2. Scriptures

The Sāṅkhyakārikā states that humanity endures a triad of suffering.There are three categories of miseries: - 1. ādhyātmika—intrinsic to the organism (physical and psychological). 2. ādhibhautika—resulting from external factors, specifically derived from the surrounding environment and the five major elements (pañca-mahābhūtas). 3. Ādhidaivika—resulting from supernatural forces (suffering arising from prārabdha). The suffering caused by the threefold sources of pain generates a drive to investigate methods for their cessation. It is incorrect to assert that the inquiry is redundant due to the existence of visible methods; rather, the visible means lack clarity and permanence about pain. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita (8.15) asserts that those who have reached Me, the eternal souls, are no longer susceptible to rebirth in this ephemeral and suffering-laden world, as they have achieved the utmost perfection. The Bhagavad Gita (14.20) asserts that by transcending the three forms of material nature linked to the body, one achieves liberation from birth, death, ageing, and suffering, ultimately attaining immortality. Sage Vasistha, in Yoga-Vasistha (Verse 2.9.2), counsels Sri Rama on the emptiness of fate, asserting that all is contingent upon one's self-effort, facilitated by self-awareness. O Raghava, it is just a man's activities that determine the outcomes of his deeds, independent of fate. Destiny is a purely fictitious concept that neither exists, nor exerts influence, nor elicits sensations. No one observes or acknowledges it. The Yoga-Vasistha (2.10.3-2.10.24) asserts that one should endeavor to subdue their deceptive senses from their pursuits.  Carefully consider the implications of the preceding and following propositions, suppress your worldly concerns, and prepare yourself for equanimity in the pursuit of truth.

3. Remarks

The state of unattachment, equanimity and consciousness of the Self enlightens a being to a state of salvation and profound freedom from all limiting adjuncts. It is Kaivalya, or Kevala, denoting loneliness, or aloneness, or complete independence. It represents the condition of complete emancipation from earthly miseries, afflictions, anguish, despondency, and ultimately from the cycles of birth and death. It is a condition of full awareness and liberation in which the practitioner recognises his authentic essence and perceives a sense of unity with Brahmān, Cosmic Self, or universal consciousness. It enhances the perceiver's capacity to recognise the Ātman, or Self and attain Self-knowledge. It signifies a deep understanding of one's essence as pure consciousness, surpassing the limits of the body-mind-intellect complex. It is a condition in which the practioner realises, "I possess no attachments." "I am Kevala Purusha," declares Swami Sivananda. Kaivalya denotes "absolute unity, solitude, complete detachment, and liberation". Swami Sivananda asserts that Kaivalya  is attained when the Gunas (tendencies, traits, and attributes), or modes of existence, become latent and devoid of motive. The power of consciousness is established in its intrinsic character. Kaivalya arises from the equivalence of purity between Purusha (Supreme Consciousness) and Sattva (mode of goodness). He asserts that Kaivalya is Nirguna, Parā Brahmān, and Ananta awareness, representing the ultimate goal of human existence. According to Yoga-Vasistha (2.11.22-2.11.34), stoicism is a state of unprecedented and astonishing apathy that arises spontaneously, solely from one's reason and clear mind. called real Stoicism by the wise. People in this state, Yoga-Vasistha contends, hold the highest regard for those who adopt a state of indifference after thoughtfully weighing the challenges of the world. It must be by one's repeated and judicious examination of the inward and outward illusions of this world that he should forcibly withdraw himself from them. Seeing this illusory state of the world, a man must shake off the delusion of his worldly-mindedness to a state of Self-consciousness.

-Asutosh Satpathy