Yoga Vashistha (Vasistha) is probably the first and most definitive text to offer a practical and holistic approach to Yoga that goes beyond the usual exercises and breathing techniques. The original Ramayana was written by a Vedic sage named Valmiki. It describes a long intellectual conversation between Rama, who was the crown prince of Ayodhya at the time, and Rishi Vashistha, who was his Rajaguru (Royal Mentor). At the start of this conversation, Rama is a disillusioned person who, after travelling all over his kingdom, sees the suffering, misery, and pain of his people and decides to give up everything and live as an ascetic. At the end of his talk with Vashistha, the young prince develops a wise mind, and Valmiki says that he goes on to become Maryada Purushottam, the best man. All of the other Vedic texts, like Vyasa’s Mahabharata, Bhartrihari’s Neeti and Vairagya Shataka, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Arthashastra, including Arthasutras, all have basic Yoga teachings. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that this work laid the groundwork for bigger Vedic traditions, like Astanga Yoga, which is the yoga of exercises and pranayama. In this recorded Webinar, U. Mahesh Prabhu talks about the long-lost, little-known, and evergreen teachings of Vashistha, which can help people find peace of mind despite all the chaos and uncertainty in the world right now.
