Types of Yoga

Vashishta Yoga

Yoga Vashishta is the earliest scripture about yoga. It is purported to have been imparted by the vedic sage, Vashishta to his royal disciple Lord Rama, the hero of Ramayana. In this scripture, sage Vashishta gives spiritual instructions to Lord Rama. Vashishta, the wisest of the sages in his remarkable work called Vashishta Ramayana or Yoga Vashishta explains to Lord Rama about the illusory nature of the world and shows him the path of the supreme spirit.

Sage Vashishta explains the doctrine of Vedanta in the form of stories and illustrations to his pupil, Rama. Through the narratives, the sage shows the best means to attain wisdom and happiness.

Yoga Vashishta consists of 32,000 slokas. The text is in the form of questions and answers between the pupil, Rama and the teacher, sage Vashishta. The questions raised by Lord Rama, that fill the text, pertains to the problems of human existence, life and death, suffering, and the way to happiness. The sage clarifies these in the form of stories that contain deep metaphysical truths. The whole treatise is in the form of poetry.

Vashishta declares that the scripture benefits those who have become detached to material existence and long for the realization of truth.

It is divided into six sections

1. Dispassion
2. Aspiration
3. Origin
4. Existence
5. Quiescence
6. Liberation

Each section is a revelation of the profound truths of Vedanta, explained in an easy- to-understand manner.