LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 21:7 July 2021
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Valmiki’s Yoga Vasistha & Plato’s Republic: A Study

Dr. S. Sridevi

Abstract

The paper aims at studying the meaning in the ancient text Yoga Vasistha that suggests that a ruler should be objective and philosophical. Also, the discussions in the text take place in a dialectic model between various historical characters similar to the Platonic dialogues. The text can be located in a closed environment of a particular group of people reflecting their ideological search for pure knowledge and understanding of the world. Nevertheless, we notice the traces of the political and sociological thought processes of the age in which they lived. The text carries the symbol of human search for superior and objective wisdom in the process of evolution.

Keywords: Yoga Vasistha, Valmiki, Rama, Laghu Yoga Vasistha, Plato, Republic.

Introduction

Yoga Vasistha is written as a philosophical discourse with stories as illustrations that were told to Prince Rama by his guru Vasistha. Scholars claim that it is similar to “Kashmir Shaivism” and its main teaching is that “everything is consciousness, including the material world,” and that the world is as one sees it. It argues that the world is only a play of consciousness (Yoga Vasistha x).

The Yoga Vasistha is written in a dramatic dialogic form as a collection of philosophical discussions between Rama and Vasistha. These dialogues are supposedly narrated by Valmiki, the poet who wrote down the legendary story of Ramayana into an epic.

The narration begins like this: Sutiksna, a sage asks Agastya asks for an explanation on the concept of liberation; Agastya narrates to him the legend of Karunya, the son of Agniveshya; Karunya has certain doubts and his father who tells him the legend of a nymph called Suruci; a messenger of God Indra tells her about a sage, Aristanemi who refuses to accept Indra’s invitation to heaven; Indra advises Aritstanemi to take counsel from Valmiki regarding this; Valmiki tells him the dialogue between Rama and Vasistha as an illustration to explain his ideologies. (Yoga Vasistha 1) This is the background scenic setting for the future dialogues and dialectics to take place.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. S. Sridevi
Professor
Research Department of English
CTTE College for Women
Chennai 600011
sridevisaral@gmail.com
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