योऽयमञ्जनशैलाभो निविष्टो हेमविष्टरे । पार्श्वे तव पितुर्व्यासो भगवान् भास्करद्युतिः ॥ ७ ॥
yō’yamañjanaśailābhō niviṣṭō hēmaviṣṭarē | pārśvē tava piturvyāsō bhagavān bhāskaradyutiḥ || 7 ||
Translation
Vyāsa, the blessed one, who sits on the golden seat beside your father, dark as a mountain of collyrium and bright as the sun,
Word by word
- yō
- (yaḥ) who
- ayam
- this
- añjana
- of collyrium
- śaila
- a mountain
- ābhō
- (ābhaḥ) dark as
- niviṣṭō
- (niviṣṭaḥ) sits
- hēma
- golden
- viṣṭarē
- on the seat
- pārśvē
- beside
- tava
- your
- pitur
- (pituḥ) father
- vyāsō
- (vyāsaḥ) Vyāsa
- bhagavān
- the blessed one
- bhāskara
- the sun
- dyutiḥ
- bright as
Meaning
Vyāsa is present in the hall. He sits on a golden seat (hema-viṣṭara) next to King Daśaratha, dark like a mountain of collyrium (añjana) and shining like the sun. The two images belong together: Vyāsa was dark of skin (he is Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana, "the dark one born on an island"), and radiant with knowledge. Pointing to him makes the story present. The father of the hero sits in the room. It reminds the reader that the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha is told as a conversation among people who were there; its teaching is offered as something lived, not invented.