Structure

Yoga Vasistha is divided into six parts: dis-passion, qualifications of the seeker, creation, existence, dissolution and liberation. It sums up the spiritual process in the seven Bhoomikas:

1. Śubhecchā (longing for the Truth):

The yogi (or sādhaka) rightly distinguishes between permanent and impermanent; cultivates dislike for worldly pleasures; acquires mastery over his physical and mental organism; and feels a deep yearning to be free from Saṃsāra.

2. Vicāraṇa (right inquiry):

The yogi has pondered over what he or she has read and heard, and has realized it in his or her life.

3. Tanumānasa (attenuation – or thinning out – of mental activities):

The mind abandons the many, and remains fixed on the One.

4. Sattvāpatti (attainment of sattva, ‘reality’):

The Yogi, at this stage, is called Brahmavid (‘knower of Brahman’). In the previous four stages, the yogi is subject to sañcita, Prābrabdha and Āgamī forms of karma. He or she has been practicing Samprajñāta Samādhi (contemplation), in which the consciousness of duality still exists.

5. Asaṃsakti (unaffected by anything):

The yogi (now called Brahmavidvara) performs his or her necessary duties, without a sense of involvement.

6. Parārthabhāvanī (sees Brahman everywhere):

External things do not appear to exist to the yogi (now called Brahmavidvarīyas), and tasks are performed only at the prompting of others. Sañcita and Āgamī karma are now destroyed; only a small amount of Prārabdha karma remains.

7. Turīya (perpetual samādhi):

The yogi is known as Brahmavidvariṣṭha and does not perform activities, either by his will or the promptings of others. The body drops off approximately three days after entering this stage.