Sacred Texts
Yoga Vāsiṣṭha cover

॥ श्री ॥vedantaFor reading

Yoga Vāsiṣṭha, Sarga 2.18

Traditional (ascribed to Vālmīki)

Prakaraṇas
6
Sargas
175
Published
73
Verses
2878
Level
intermediate

Mumukṣu-vyavahāra Prakaraṇa · Sarga 18

The Merits of the Work

What this work gives, the chief fruit, the lesser and the incidental.

In this chapter

Sarga 18 · Verse 1

वसिष्ठ उवाच । अस्यां वाचितमात्रायां प्रबोधः संप्रवर्तते । बीजादिव सतो व्युप्तादवश्यंभावि सत्फलम् ॥ १ ॥

vasiṣṭha uvāca | asyāṁ vācitamātrāyāṁ prabōdhaḥ saṁpravartatē | bījādiva satō vyuptādavaśyaṁbhāvi satphalam || 1 ||

  • Another reading: वा चित्तमात्रायां (vā cittamātrāyāṁ) for वाचितमात्रायां

Translation

Vasiṣṭha said: When this work is merely read, awakening comes about, as a good fruit is sure to come from a good seed that has been sown.

Word by word

vasiṣṭha
Vasiṣṭha
uvāca
said
asyāṁ
this
vācita
read
mātrāyāṁ
when merely
prabōdhaḥ
awakening
saṁpravartatē
comes about
bījād
from a seed
iva
as
satō
(sataḥ) good
vyuptād
that has been sown
avaśyaṁbhāvi
is sure to come
sat
a good
phalam
fruit

Meaning

The last sarga described the six parts; this one describes what the work does and how it should be taken. The commentary says Vasiṣṭha, describing the merits of the whole, now gives its main fruit: as a good seed sown at the right time in a ploughed and fertile field surely bears good fruit, so knowledge comes from taking this collection to heart. The seed does its work once it is in the ground. The teaching does its work once it is received.