The senses of an unreasonable man are always running astray to the wrong and never turning to the right way. The eyes of a blind man lead him to fall into a pit. Who is that great man that has crossed the great ocean of the world, whose exemplary conduct exempts one from misery? O you good men who are present here and learned in divine knowledge, teach me so that I may obtain the fullness of my heart and may not come to grief and sorrow anymore. Rama, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Lord of the ‘Three Worlds’ is humbly praying to the two great sages of his time learned in divine knowledge to teach him the method to clean the impurities of his mind so that he does not have to face grief and sorrow anymore.

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Yoga Vashishtha of Valmiki
Book I, Chapter 30
Self-Disparagement
Book I, Chapter 30
Self-Disparagement
Rama speaking:
1Seeing the world swallowed up in the abyss of
hundreds of rising dangers and difficulties, my
mind is immersed in a mire of anxieties.
2My mind wanders everywhere and I am struck
with fear at everything. My limbs shake with fear
like the leaves of a withered tree.
3My mind is bewildered by impatience for its lack
of true contentment, just as a young woman alone in
a desert is afraid without her strong handed husband.
4The thoughts of my mind are entangled in my
desire for worldly enjoyments, like stags caught in
a pit covered with grass.
5The senses of an unreasonable man are always
running astray to the wrong and never turning to
the right way. The eyes of a blind man lead him to
fall into a pit.
6Human thoughts are linked to the animal soul
like consorts to their lords. They can neither sit idly
nor ramble at liberty, but must remain as wives under
the control of their husbands.

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Yoga Vashishtha of Valmiki
Book I, Chapter 30
Self-Disparagement
7My patience is almost worn out, like that of a vine
under winter frost. It is decayed and neither lives
nor perishes at once.
8Our minds are partly settled on worldly things
and partly fixed on their Giver. This divided state
of the mind is called its half-waking condition.
9My mind is in a state of suspense, being unable
to ascertain the real nature of my soul. I am like
one in the dark who sees a tree stump in the
distance and is deceived to think it a human
figure.
10Our minds are naturally fickle and wandering
all about the earth. They cannot forsake their
restlessness, as the vital airs cannot exist without
being in motion.
11Tell me, O sage, what state of life is dignified
above others, is not associated with troubles, is
unqualified by the conditions of humanity, is
apart from errors, and in which grief is unknown?
12How have Janaka and other good men,
conspicuous for their ceremonious acts and
distinguished for their good conduct, acquired
their excellence?

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Yoga Vashishtha of Valmiki
Book I, Chapter 30
Self-Disparagement
13O source of my honour, how can a man be cleansed
who has smeared the dirt of worldliness all over his
body?
14Tell me what is the knowledge by which the serpents
of worldliness can be freed from their worldly
crookedness and become straight in their conduct?
15Tell me how the foulness of my heart, soiled by errors
and tainted with evils, like a lake disturbed by
elephants and polluted with dirt, can regain its clarity?
16How is it possible for someone engaged in worldly
affairs to be untainted with its blemishes and remain as
pure and intact as a drop of water on a lotus leaf?
17How can one attain excellence by dealing with others
as with himself, and regarding others’ property to be
like straw, and remaining aloof from love?
18Who is that great man that has crossed the great
ocean of the world, whose exemplary conduct
exempts one from misery?
19What is the best of things that ought to be pursued,
and what fruit is worth obtaining? Which is the best
course of life in this inconsistent world?
20Tell me how I can have knowledge of past and
future events of the world, and the nature of the
unsteady works of its Creator.

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Yoga Vashishtha of Valmiki
Book I, Chapter 30
Self-Disparagement
21Do so, that my mind which is like the moon in
the sky of my heart may be cleared of its
impurities.
22Tell me what is most delectable to the mind, and
what is the most abominable, and how this fickle
and inconstant mind may become fixed like a
rock.
23Tell me what is that holy charm that can remove
this choleric pain of worldliness attended with
numberless troubles?
24Tell me how I can entertain the blossoms of the
tree of heavenly happiness within my heart that
sheds the coolness of full moonbeams.
25O you good men who are present here and
learned in divine knowledge, teach me so that I
may obtain the fullness of my heart and may not
come to grief and sorrow anymore.
26My mind is devoid of that tranquillity which
results chiefly from holy happiness. My mind is
perplexed with endless doubts that disturb my
peace like dogs molest smaller animals in the
desert.
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Yoga Vashishtha of Valmiki
Book I, Chapter 30
Self-Disparagement
Recap
Rama’s observations herein above are a lesson for all
seekers of Truth. “The senses of an unreasonable
man are always running astray to the wrong and
never turning to the right way. The eyes of a blind
man lead him to fall into a pit.”
“Who is that great man that has crossed the great
ocean of the world, whose exemplary conduct
exempts one from misery?”
“O you good men who are present here and
learned in divine knowledge, teach me so that I
may obtain the fullness of my heart and may not
come to grief and sorrow anymore.”
Read-Pause-Reflect carefully on the observations
of Rama, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, on
belittling himself.
The Lord of the ‘Three Worlds’ is humbly praying
to the two great sages of his time learned in divine
knowledge to teach him the method to clean the
impurities of his mind so that he does not have to
face grief and sorrow anymore.
*******

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Yoga Vashishtha of Valmiki
Book I, Chapter 30
Self-Disparagement
Meaning
[Disparagement: A communication that belittles
somebody or something; the act of speaking
contemptuously of; to reduce in esteem or rank.
Abyss: A bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or
apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void
extending below (often used figuratively); hell or the
infernal regions conceived of as a bottomless pit.
Mire: (n) A soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks
underfoot; deep soft mud in water or slush; a difficulty
or embarrassment that is hard to extricate yourself
from. (v) Entrap; cause to get stuck as if in a mire; be
unable to move further.
Abominable: Unequivocally detestable; exceptionally
bad or displeasing.
Choleric: Extremely irritable; easily moved to anger;
quickly aroused to anger; characterized by anger.]
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