The Path to Liberation: Renouncing Craving and Attaining the Brahmic State

Day 158

The Path to Liberation: Renouncing Craving and Attaining the Brahmic State

Vasistha continues his discourse on achieving liberation, emphasizing the importance of renouncing craving.

Pavana's Awakening and Liberation

Punya's wise words awakened Pavana from his grief. Both brothers became enlightened beings, living freely yet flawlessly until attaining final liberation.

Craving as the Root of Sorrow

Vasistha emphasizes that craving is the root of all sorrow. True wisdom lies in completely renouncing desires, not indulging them. He uses the metaphor of fire – the more it's fueled, the fiercer it burns. Similarly, thinking multiplies by thinking, and only by stopping thought processes can one find peace.

The Chariot of Non-Thinking

Vasistha advises Rama to ascend the "chariot of non-thinking." With a compassionate and boundless vision, one can see the world suffering due to craving.

The Brahmic State

Vasistha describes the Brahmic state – pure, free from craving and illness. Attaining this state liberates even a fool from delusion. Those who have wisdom and awareness as their companions are not misled.

Craving and the Three Worlds

Nothing in the three worlds (material, astral, and causal) is truly valuable. The mind free from craving can possess anything it desires. Those cured of craving are not subject to the cycle of birth and death. True fulfillment comes from dispassion, not desires.

Detachment and Liberation

For those without attachment or craving, the three worlds become insignificant, and a world cycle feels like a moment. The coolness of a sage's mind surpasses the coolness of anything in the physical world.

The Mind Free from Craving

Vasistha compares the mind free from craving to a tree with all its branches (desires) cut down. It returns to its natural state. Denying refuge to desires and hopes brings liberation. When the mind is free from thought movements driven by craving, it becomes "no-mind" – the state of liberation.

Vrtti and the End of Craving

Vasistha explains that "vrtti" (thought movements) arise from hopes and cravings. When these are abandoned, the vrttis cease to exist. Removing the root cause (craving) eliminates the effect (vrttis). Therefore, for peace of mind, one must eliminate the root cause – craving.