The Concise Yoga Vāsiṣṭha a clear, provocative summary of one of the leading texts of Hinduism. Swami Venkatesananda continues the long tradition of elaborating on and clarifying the teachings of the sage Vāsiṣṭha. It captures the verve of the original text while eliminating needless repetition. For the specialist, this book makes available a handy guide to the original Sanskrit without sacrificing philosophical depth. To the comparative religionist, it provides an occasion for understanding how Hinduism has been able to accommodate seemingly opposite schools of thought without giving way to the platitudes which mar many syncretic movements.

This is Swami Venkatesananda's longer Yoga Vasiṣṭha. His two volume book is here offered between two covers. Its purpose is to provide a means to eliminate psychological conditioning and to attain liberation. Containing the instructions of the sage Vasiṣṭha to Lord Rama, this scripture is full of intricately woven tales, the kind a great teacher might tell to hold the interest of a student.

Abridged text of Yogavāsiṣṭharāmāyaṇa, an epic on Hindu philosophy with miniature paintings depicting the stories.

The Supreme Yoga (2 Vols) by Swami Venkatesananda Published by Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi (www.mlbd.co.in, [email protected]) About the Book The Yoga Vasistha is a unique work of Indian philosophy and is highly respected for its practical mysticism. These teachings of Sage Vasistha imparted to Lord Rama, contain the true understanding about the creation of the world. The supreme Yoga with Romanised text is a translation into English of this complete work and is accompanied by brief expositions by Swami Venkatesananda. This book brings this storehouse of wisdom to our world and makes the philosophy comprehensible to scholars and common people alike. It is this philosophy of a comprehensive spirituality, rational and practical, that man in the modern age needs to rescue himself from his stagnation of worldliness and put him on the high road of creative living and fulfilment. Soak into the message of each verse and discover the numerous ways in which this truth is revealed to help open your mind. We have a firm hope that this well-known, towering teaching will provide to everyone the requisite inspiration and solace.

Classical verse work expounding early Vedantic approach in Hindu philosophy.

A popular text on Advaita Vedānta, Purāṇic in form and philosophical in content.--Preface.

Vasishtha teaches the young boy Rama, the future king of Ayodhya, through stories. Here is the story where Vasishtha explains Yogic Flying. In this true story from the ancient past, King Shikhidhvaja and Queen Chudala are a perfect couple, deeply in love, enjoying the comforts and diversions of royal life together. As they get older and realize that life is fleeting, they turn to meditation. Queen Chudala has great success and gains enlightenment, a state of complete inner and outer fulfillment. But she is unable to convince her husband of the worth of her accomplishment. So she learns Yogic Flying in order to be able to demonstrate her mastery of natural law to her husband. At this point, Rama wants to know what this Yogic Flying is. Vasishtha launches into a 220 verse exposition of the mechanics of Yogic Flying, its stages of development, and its purpose: This is the most comprehensive description of Yogic Flying available in the Vedic Literature. Vasishtha devotes one chapter to explaining the theory and practice of Yogic Flying, and then three chapters on the three stages of Yogic Flying. The first stage is lifting off the ground in short hops; the second stage is marked when the flyer remains in the air, floating; and the third stage is demonstrated by the ability to fly anywhere at will. Special attention is given to the liftoff. The moment of liftoff demonstrates supreme mind-body coordination and gives a glimpse into the world of mastery of total natural law. Even the rank beginners in the practice of Yogic Flying, lifting off the ground in short hops, can have a dramatic influence on the collective consciousness of the whole society, Vasishtha says.In the context of explaining Yogic Flying, Vasishtha teaches Rama the whole story of health and disease. The cause of all disease, Vasishtha explains, is restricted awareness, the inability to grasp the total picture of reality. The cure for this mistake of the intellect, the cure for this ignorant perception of reality according to Vasishtha, is the experience of the total potential of natural law at the moment of liftoff in Yogic Flying. Thus Yogic Flying according to the Yoga Vasishtha is the supreme technology for creating perfect health. These chapters, called Yogasara in the literature, contain the essence of the knowledge of Yoga. This is the core teaching of Yoga in the Yoga Vasishtha.