About the Book
Prof. Tiwari's book carries special weight not just because it's a re-presentation of an old classic in a jargon that will appeal to the new generation, but also because it's a re-authentication of the immortal thesis by a critically investigative scientific mind. - Swami Govind Dev Giriji Maharaj, 'Dharmashree' What is reality? Why are we here? Can we trust our thoughts and what our senses present to us? Young minds are bewildered by a 24/7 blast of propaganda and agenda in electronic media and the rise of self-proclaimed enlightenment. With Al offering answers to our queries and prompting what we should write next, we risk becoming a consumption machine living for the profits of global corporations. Yoga Vasishtha, written by Rishi Valmiki, who composed the original Ramayana, was spoken to teenager Rama by Vasishtha Muni in the presence of his father Raja Dasharatha and the visitor Rishi Vishwamitra. Using brilliant examples and fascinating tales, this book presents human life as a part of a tremendous cosmic phenomenon and the mind as the medium that connects it all. Written thousands of years before the scientific thought articulated in Europe, Yoga Vasishtha decodes the mystery of the mind. It is not merely software loaded in the hardware of the brain, as we have been led to believe, but a dynamic force capable of creating and experiencing a vast range of phenomena. Additionally, it serves as a portal to access cosmic consciousness and helps bring the best into our lives. Written in simple English with all Sanskrit terms indexed for authenticity, this book is essential reading for every youth. If you read this book, it will never leave you the same.
About the Author
ARUN TIWARI was born at Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, in 1955. He did his Masters in Mechanical Engineering from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology and joined the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) at Hyderabad as a Missile Scientist in 1982, reporting to Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Under Dr. Kalam's tutelage, he developed India's first Titanium air bottle used in the 'Trishul' and 'Akash' missiles and designed airframes for both the missiles, developed India's first Coronary Stent, known as the 'Kalam-Raju Stent', with cardiologist Dr. B. Soma Raju, set up the first link of Pan-Africa e-Network that now connects universities and hospitals across the African continent with their Indian counterparts, and finally became Dr. Kalam's co-author and spiritual pupil. Wings of Fire, the autobiography of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, published in 1999 and Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji, both co-authored with Dr. Kalam, are considered modern classics. They have been translated into multiple Indian languages and have been read by millions of readers. Beginning with "Gita Rahasya" in 2017, and subsequently exploring Ramcharitmanas, Kabir, Anugita and Uddhava Gita he has, in his seventies, committed to translating and presenting ancient Indian literature in a contemporary language and style.
Preface
I was born into a Brahmin family in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. My family followed the Sanatan Dharma tradition. Our ancestors passed down miniature idols to us for worship, including Shaligram, collectively referred to as Thakurji. They were given baths and worshipped in the morning and again with a brief prayer in the evening. We would not go out to do any vital work without offering prayers first and would give thanks after our return. Our lineage is called Gaur, implying that our ancestors were from East Bengal and were invited by king Janmejaya, great-grandson of Arjuna, to perform a Yajna to avenge the death of his father Parikshit by the Snake king Takshaka. The king gave the Brahmins lands, and they stayed back, marrying local girls. So, goddess Durga is our family deity. My gotra is Kaushik, so we belong to the lineage of Rishi Vishvamitra.
Foreword
The ultimate goal of all human endeavours is eternal happiness. Many of these efforts may be based on misconceptions and are therefore doomed to fail, but the exploration leaves no stone unturned. It is in such explorations that the ancient Indian seers made a Copernican turn, which located the source of this eternal happiness within the Self. That is how the pithy Vedantic mantra "आत्मानं विद्धि।" came to rule the whole oceanic Indian philosophical literature, which is, so to say, a footnote to it. But amidst this ocean, Yogavasishtha stand out like a lighthouse. Though originally designed by Sage Valmiki to reorient a young Shri Rama out of his misconceived depression, it is, like the Bhagavad Gita, a road map to re-route frustrated and depressed souls treading the path of negativity and to put them back on the track of true liberation through mindful activity. The 'yoga' that Sage Valmiki proposes as the cure of all human maladies includes all the aspects of yoga, Hatha and Raja, but transcends beyond. In simple terms, it is a course for the preparation of our minds to remain untouched by the miseries of the world.
Introduction
In an age when the complexity of existence often overwhelms the simplicity of our inner being, "Decoding the Mind: A New Look at Yoga Vasishtha" is a profound exploration of the intricacies of consciousness and the perennial quest for self-discovery. Prof. Arun Tiwari invites readers on an enlightening journey through the timeless wisdom of Yoga Vasishtha. This revered text delves into the nature of reality, the mind, and the essence of being. Yoga Vasishtha is traditionally considered one of the key scriptures in Advaita Vedanta. It emphasises the non-duality of the self and the universe. The text is a dialogue between teenage Rama and their family priest, Maharishi Vasishtha. It delves into the nature of the mind, discussing how thoughts and consciousness shape our experiences and how our "self-centred" desires are the root cause of suffering. We weave our lives around situations through our actions, driven by these desires, much like a spider's web, and die entangled in it, only to be born again in preset conditions. The text describes how to escape this mental prison by navigating various states of consciousness and moving on a journey towards higher states of awareness, ultimately culminating in realising oneness with the universe. This is a prison with no lock on the door; all that is needed is a "will to liberate oneself." This book is structured into five compelling parts, which guide the reader from a foundational understanding of the mind's role in our physical reality of being 'caught in a prison' to the transformative practices necessary to gain freedom. The hallmark of this book is its spiritual awareness. It does not talk about God and devotion but the knowledge of our reality as an integral part of all that exists, the understanding of the mind, which stores all actions past and present as impressions, and how to use the mind to escape it.
Vedas (1266)
Upanishads (527)
Puranas (642)
Ramayana (785)
Mahabharata (390)
Dharmasastras (176)
Goddess (548)
Bhakti (252)
Saints (1905)
Gods (1325)
Shiva (420)
Journal (181)
Fiction (72)
Vedanta (399)
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