SELF-EFFORT – BASIS OF SELF-REALISATION: EXTRACTS FROM YOGA VASISTHA

[Guest guest]

prof laxmi narain (prof_narain)

 

Source and courtesy: Sri Ramana Kendram, Hyderabad

This article was published in Sri Ramana Jyothi,

monthly magazine of the Kendram.

 

Silence is not only the absence of sound but also the stillness of

the mind. – Anonymous

 

SELF-EFFORT – BASIS OF SELF-REALISATION: EXTRACTS FROM YOGA VASISTHA

 

The great sage Vasistha tells Rama: In this world whatever is gained

is gained only by self-effort; where failure is encountered it is

seen that there has been slackness in the effort. This is obvious.

What is fate is fictitious. Self-effort, O Rama, is that mental,

verbal and physical action which is in accordance with the

instructions of a holy person well versed in the scriptures. It is

only by such effort that lndra became king of heaven, that Brahma

became the creator, and the other deities earned their places.

 

Self-effort is of two categories: that of past births and that of

this birth. The latter effectively counters the former. Fate is none

other than self-effort of a past incarnation. There is constant

conflict between these two in this incarnation; and that which is

more powerful triumphs.

 

There is no power greater than right action in the present. Hence,

one should take recourse to self-effort, grinding one's teeth, and

one should overcome evil by good, and fate by present effort.

 

The lazy man is worse than a donkey. One should never lead to

laziness but strive to attain liberation, seeing that life is ebbing

away every moment. One should not revel in the filth known as sense

pleasures as a worm revels in pus.

 

One who says: " Fate is directing me to do this " is brainless, and the

goddess of fortune abandons him. Hence, by self-effort acquire wisdom

and then realize that this self-effort is not without its own end, in

the direct realisation of the truth. If this dreadful source of evil

named laziness is not found on earth, who will ever be illiterate and

poor? It is because laziness is found on earth that people live the

life of animals, miserable and poverty-stricken.

 

As the effort so is the fruit, O Rama: this is the meaning of self-

effort, and it is also known as fate (divine). When afflicted by

suffering people cry `Alas what tragedy' or `Alas, look at my fate',

both of which mean the same thing. What is called fate or divine is

nothing other than the action or self-effort of the past. The present

is infinitely more potent than the past. They indeed are fools who

are satisfied with the fruits of their past effort (which they regard

as divine will) and do not engage in self-effort now.

 

Sometimes it happens that a farmer's efforts are made fruitless by a

hailstorm; surely, the hailstorm's own power was greater than the

farmer's effort and the farmer should put forth greater effort now.

He should not grieve over the inevitable loss. If such grief is

justified, why should he not weep daily over inevitability of death.

The wise men should of course know what is capable of attainment by

self-effort and what is not. It is ignorance however to attribute all

this to an outside agency and to say that God sends me to heaven or

to hell or that an outside agency makes me do this or that – such an

ignorant person should be shunned.

 

O Rama, self-effort is based on the knowledge of scriptures,

instructions of the preceptor and one's own effort. Fate (or divine

dispensation) does not enter here. Hence, he who desires salvation

should divert the impure mind to pure endeavour by persistent effort –

this is the very essence of all scriptures.