THE YOGA VASISHTA (Abridged Version) by K.N.SUBRAMANIAN

                                                              

THE YOGA VASISHTA by K.N. SUBRAMANIAN is an abridged version of Abhinanda Pandit's LAGHU YOGA VASISHTA, with a brief synopsis to second half of NIRVANA PRAKARANAM.

Philosophy and that too, SELF REALIZATION is not an easy subject to study. SELF REALIZATION is a task of seeing the one beyond mind and which we try to do through mind. It requires immense amount of struggle, enquiry, deep thinking, logical analysis, ability to interpret everything from positive angle and above all, urge to know self. 

This book has an introduction to YOGA VASISHTAM , which is sufficient to know something about it. Then the book begins with, Sage Viswamitra asking Dasaratha to send Lord Rama along with him to kill rakshasas. After prolonged arguments, Dasaratha agrees to send. To everybody's dismay, Rama is found to have lost interest in all the worldly affairs and pleasures. Sage Vasishta, approaches him and asks him, why he is detached from everything? Rama answers with putting forth all his doubts regarding world, philosophy, self-realization, etc. Sage Vasishta answers them through various intricately woven stories, each embedded with the essence of Advaita philosophy. 

Stories are so breath taking, mind blowing, thought provoking and above all, priceless. When I read them and began thinking about them, I was awestruck at the various superb concepts which we come across in physics like parallel universes, relativity of time and space, evolution of earth etc. I simply couldn't think how they envisaged all those things without any experiments or technology. The explanations to various stories, which at first reading seem to be very confusing, is also wonderful.  Various stories are highly captivating and thought provoking. Also this books requires a careful and patient reading as chances of misinterpreting many stories, is there.

Overall, this book (Transalation by K L Subramanian) is worth reading once but after reading it, I felt an urge to read original work. No doubt its a very good treatise on Advaita doctrine.