Yoga Vasishtha - book 2, sarga 2 (ongoing translation of Sanskrit original)
Previous parts can be seen here
Sarga 2. Words of Vishvamitra
1. Vishvamitra said:
This story of the purification of the son of Vyasa from the dirt of doubts is useful for you too, O Rama!
2. O best of the wise! Rama understood everything which needs to be understood completely. He is not attracted by enjoyments, which for him are like diseases.
3. The sign of a mind which knows that what is worth knowing is distaste to many pleasures of the world.
4. The desire of enjoyment leads to a strong chain, born of unreality, and the calming of such desires destroys this bondage to the world.
5. O Rama, abandoning these desires and conditionings is called moksha, or liberation, by the wise; and the increasing of these desires and conditionings is known as bondage.
6. The desire to know the truth of oneself is common for people, but, O muni, dispassion toward enjoyments is hard to reach because of suffering.
7. A knower of the truth. which should be known, is the wise one, and enjoyments cannot overpower such a wise one.
8. He is not attracted to fame and he is not pleased by worldly enjoyments; he is called jivanmukta, the liberated in this life.
9. Till the truth is known, a person cannot become dispassionate to the objects of enjoyment - like a plant cannot grow in a dry desert.
10. Rama, the best of the Raghu family, understood that which is to be known, and worldly enjoyments, attractive to others, do not touch him.
11. Rama’s understanding is correct, and, by hearing the confirmation from the wise Vasishtha, his mind will come to peace and wisdom.
12. The intellect of Rama longs for the complete repose in the totality of existence - resembling the vast peace of the autumn sky.
13. Let the wise Bhagavan Vasishtha logically explain the truth to Rama, the greatest of Raghu, for his peace of the mind.
14. The wise Vasishtha was always the guru of the whole Raghu family, he is all knowing and all seeing, and in his pure wisdom - he knows of all three times (past, present and future).
15-16. O wise Bhagavan Vasishtha, do you remember how, long ago, lotus-born Brahma taught us the wisdom on the top of the muni Nishadha mountain, under the tall pine trees, to stop rivalry between us and for the welfare of all great thinkers.
17. By the proper understanding of it, O brahmin, the worldly conditionings and desires disappear - like darkness disappears at the light of the sun.
18. O brahmin, explain to Rama that great wisdom so he can attain the final repose.
19. Rama is free from stain and worries, and resembles a pure mirror- ready to effortlessly reflect.
20. This knowledge and wisdom of the scriptures, O sadhu, is praiseworthy, virtuous, and blissful, but only if taught to a fit dispassionate student.
21. But the teaching, given to an unfit student with passions, goes to waste - like milk becomes impure if poured into a dog-hide bag.
22. But if it is addressed to the ones free from passion, aversion, fear, and anger, who are pure and sinless like you, it bring peace to the mind.
23. These words of Vishvamitra, son of Gadhi, were praised by all other munis, starting from Vyasa and Narada, by exclaiming “Well said!”
24. After that, the great lustrous sage Vasishta, seated by the king’s side, spoke.
25. Vasishtha said:
For certain, O wise one, I will abide by your request without hesitation, for there is no good in not obeying the requests of such good people.
26. I will soon dispel the darkness in the minds of the prince Rama and others, like a lamp dispels the darkness of night.
27. I remember the whole lesson on the destruction of worldly delusions, given in past by the lotus-born Brahma on Nishadha mountain.
28. Valmiki said:
So spoke the great wise Vasishtha, the radiant teacher, to the whole assembly about destroying their ignorance and achieving the highest non-dual state.
Such is the second sarga named “Words of Vishvamitra” of Book Two: “The Way of the Seeker” of the Maha-Ramayana of Shri Valmiki, leading to liberation, written down by Valmiki.
Sarga 2. Words of Vishvamitra
1. Vishvamitra said:
This story of the purification of the son of Vyasa from the dirt of doubts is useful for you too, O Rama!
2. O best of the wise! Rama understood everything which needs to be understood completely. He is not attracted by enjoyments, which for him are like diseases.
3. The sign of a mind which knows that what is worth knowing is distaste to many pleasures of the world.
4. The desire of enjoyment leads to a strong chain, born of unreality, and the calming of such desires destroys this bondage to the world.
5. O Rama, abandoning these desires and conditionings is called moksha, or liberation, by the wise; and the increasing of these desires and conditionings is known as bondage.
6. The desire to know the truth of oneself is common for people, but, O muni, dispassion toward enjoyments is hard to reach because of suffering.
7. A knower of the truth. which should be known, is the wise one, and enjoyments cannot overpower such a wise one.
8. He is not attracted to fame and he is not pleased by worldly enjoyments; he is called jivanmukta, the liberated in this life.
9. Till the truth is known, a person cannot become dispassionate to the objects of enjoyment - like a plant cannot grow in a dry desert.
10. Rama, the best of the Raghu family, understood that which is to be known, and worldly enjoyments, attractive to others, do not touch him.
11. Rama’s understanding is correct, and, by hearing the confirmation from the wise Vasishtha, his mind will come to peace and wisdom.
12. The intellect of Rama longs for the complete repose in the totality of existence - resembling the vast peace of the autumn sky.
13. Let the wise Bhagavan Vasishtha logically explain the truth to Rama, the greatest of Raghu, for his peace of the mind.
14. The wise Vasishtha was always the guru of the whole Raghu family, he is all knowing and all seeing, and in his pure wisdom - he knows of all three times (past, present and future).
15-16. O wise Bhagavan Vasishtha, do you remember how, long ago, lotus-born Brahma taught us the wisdom on the top of the muni Nishadha mountain, under the tall pine trees, to stop rivalry between us and for the welfare of all great thinkers.
17. By the proper understanding of it, O brahmin, the worldly conditionings and desires disappear - like darkness disappears at the light of the sun.
18. O brahmin, explain to Rama that great wisdom so he can attain the final repose.
19. Rama is free from stain and worries, and resembles a pure mirror- ready to effortlessly reflect.
20. This knowledge and wisdom of the scriptures, O sadhu, is praiseworthy, virtuous, and blissful, but only if taught to a fit dispassionate student.
21. But the teaching, given to an unfit student with passions, goes to waste - like milk becomes impure if poured into a dog-hide bag.
22. But if it is addressed to the ones free from passion, aversion, fear, and anger, who are pure and sinless like you, it bring peace to the mind.
23. These words of Vishvamitra, son of Gadhi, were praised by all other munis, starting from Vyasa and Narada, by exclaiming “Well said!”
24. After that, the great lustrous sage Vasishta, seated by the king’s side, spoke.
25. Vasishtha said:
For certain, O wise one, I will abide by your request without hesitation, for there is no good in not obeying the requests of such good people.
26. I will soon dispel the darkness in the minds of the prince Rama and others, like a lamp dispels the darkness of night.
27. I remember the whole lesson on the destruction of worldly delusions, given in past by the lotus-born Brahma on Nishadha mountain.
28. Valmiki said:
So spoke the great wise Vasishtha, the radiant teacher, to the whole assembly about destroying their ignorance and achieving the highest non-dual state.
Such is the second sarga named “Words of Vishvamitra” of Book Two: “The Way of the Seeker” of the Maha-Ramayana of Shri Valmiki, leading to liberation, written down by Valmiki.