Sri Rama concludes with the most elaborate description on the problems of the world—related to sorrow, disease, birth, death and restlessness of the mind. The court of Dasaratha was a great satsang where gods, rishis and other divine beings gathered to hear Rama and they showered flowers on the boy, who was yet to turn sixteen.
Valmiki describes an auspicious scene from the two concluding chapters of the Vairagya Prakarana in Yoga Vasistha. The whole universe, stars, clouds, mountains, rivers, forests, birds, beasts, bees, butterflies and insects expressed their joy in the lamentation of the young prince, seeking to withdraw from the world of names and forms in a quest for finding the truth of existence.
He is the one who has chewed upon the experiences of the world completely and discovered that there is no life-giving essence in it whatsoever can come to such an understanding as Rama did. We continue our life interacting with gross matter, people and situations believing that there is joy or energy that can be gained from it.
Valmiki Maharishi says that the adepts and accomplished beings of the time were overwhelmed with joy to hear the conclusion of Rama who said: If I do not attain that peace that is constant, consistent and not interrupted by different experiences in the world, I will drop all what I am doing right now and be one who absolutely entertains no identity of one’s own self.
I do not desire anything in this world. My only desire now is to give up this body, O sage. Since it is not an appropriate action to do, I just prefer to sit alone as if I am seated in a picture.
In the next part of Yoga Vasistha titled the Mumukshu Vyavahara Prakarana or the means a seeker of freedom must adopt, Sage Vishwamitra says that there is nothing that Rama cannot know through a subtle intellect. When Rama asked him how was it possible to have a completely rested state of mind, he narrated the story of Shuka Maharshi who asked his father sage Vedavyasa about how the mind has got caught in this constant turmoil of movement and change, and what is the way by which it can be controlled. Vyasa said, “I do not have an answer to your question. There is a king called Janaka and you can meet him to know about it.”
When he went to meet the king, he was quiet for seven days. Then when he got an opportunity to meet the king in his inner quarters, he reiterated his question. Enjoyments and pleasures are a long period of disease and no experience of completeness will ever spring out of continuous trip of pleasure-seeking. You, O son of Vyasa, have already attained what you have to attain. Hence all that you need to give up is only the delusion that you do not know what should be known.
Having heard these words, Shuka went to the peak of mount Meru to contemplate on the self in a thought-free state of mind.
(www.sharanyachaitanya.blogspot.in)
