Posted on: 20 Apr 2023
[Ms. Thrylokya asked: Paadanamaskaaram Swami, I heard that there is a book called ‘Yoga Vaasishtham’ which is the preaching of Sage Vasishtha to God Rama regarding spiritual knowledge. God Rama is the incarnation of God Vishnu. Does Rama require the preaching of spiritual knowledge by Sage Vashishtha?]
Swami replied: This question has some divine background. Once God Vishnu went to the divine court of sages of Brahma Loka (the abode of God Brahma). Then, all stood except Sage Sanatkumara, who was immersed in monism with God. Then, God Vishnu cursed the sage to be born as Shri Subrahmanya and to be involved in the fight of demons. Then, Sage Sanatkumara gave curse to God Vishnu in return to be born as a human being with full ignorance. Due to this curse, God Vishnu incarnated as God Rama with full ignorance like a perfect human being. Due to this, Sage Vashishtha got the opportunity to preach Rama the spiritual knowledge in 32,000 Sanskrit verses called ‘Yoga Vashishtham’. This cursing was a divine drama acted so that the earth will get the opportunity of knowing spiritual knowledge through this book. This means that God Vishnu acted as ignorant to allow Sage Vashishtha to preach this spiritual knowledge to the world through Him. Here, the important point to be noted is that God Rama was the human incarnation of God covered with ignorance. Every human incarnation covers itself with ignorance so that it can enjoy in the world like an ordinary human being to get full and real entertainment.
It is already known that as per the Veda, God created this creation for the sake of full and real entertainment. If the incarnation is with full self-awareness, it cannot enjoy the creation as real entertainment. However, the self-awareness hides in the soul of the human incarnation like the fire covered by ash and can flare up whenever the incarnation wishes so. However, the receiver of preaching is not an ordinary human being, which is ignorance itself and hence, Sage Vashishtha did not preach to Rama as God Krishna preached to Arjuna, who was a real human being. The preaching of Sage Vashishtha to God Rama is full Advaita philosophy (Monism of Shankara), and hence, Sage Vashishtha preached Rama that He is God covered by ignorance. Such preaching was not done by Krishna to Arjuna. The preaching of Sage Vashishtha was such pure Monism so that some scholars feel that this book was written by some strong Advaita philosopher in the name of Sage Vashishtha. Hence, Advaita philosophers relish this book very much. In the Bhagavad Gita, God Krishna never told Arjuna that Arjuna is God. Everywhere, God Krishna told Arjuna to surrender totally to God Krishna Himself (Manmanā bhava Madbhakto…, Madyājī Māṃ namaskuru…, Matkarma paramo bhava… etc.). Just to encourage Arjuna, God Krishna told that He (God Krishna) is Arjuna among Pandavas (Pāṇḍavānāṃ dhanañjayaḥ…). However, you shall not forget that God Vishnu and Sage Sanatkumara played the divine drama with mutual pre-agreement and pre-arrangement.