Reading section 20

3. (_a_) The Tripartite circle. With the Inscribed Triangle Euclid (IV. 2). A symbol of the Holy Trinity (_Trimúrti_ on the three sides). And the Triangular female emblem of God-mother in the midst. And Indicating the Materialistic Trinitarianism of Hindus. ॐ वृत्तान्तर्गत त्रिभुजं । अव्यक्तशक्ति वा प्रकृत्यात्मकत्रिमूर्त्तिरूपं । त्रैतं मतं ।

4. The Four Quadrants of the circle of _Om_ or a square. Emblematical of the Tetrad of the Divinity. And the co-ordinate Quadruples of Things. And signifying the Quaternity of certain creeds. ॐकारवृत्तपादाः । अउमविन्दुयुक्ताः । विश्वादितुरीय ब्रह्म । वा स​प्र​कृतित्रिमूर्त्तिरूपं ।

5. The Pentagon Inscribed in the circle. Denoting the Pentad. The Angular Points A. B. C. D. & E. Meeting at the Centre O (Euclid IV. 11). Indicative of the Quintuple Hypostases of the Deity. The Quintessence and the Five fold co-ordinates of Elementary bodies. ॐ वृत्तस्य पञ्चभुजं । अउमविन्दुनादयुक्तं । पञ्चकोश पञ्चप्राण पञ्चभूतमयं ।

6. The Hexagon in the Circle. Significant of the Hexad. The Angular Points A.B.C.D.E.F. Meeting at the centre (Euclid IV. 15). Denotative of the sextuple Evolutions of the Monad O. And Indicative of the Six Internal and External Organs of sense. वृत्तस्य षड्भुजं । ॐ नमो षोढ़ारूपं । अउम॰ ৺नमषडिन्द्रिय षड्रस षडङ्गादिस्वरूपं ।

7. The Heptagon. Inscribed in the circle O. Indicates the Heptad. The Angular Points A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Meeting at the centre O. According to the Process of Lílávatí mentioned below. Indicates the septuple Hypostases of Divine Essence, _viz_; The Five External senses, mind and intellect. (Anquetil). And the seven fold co-ordinate bodies in creation, _viz_; the seven Worlds, seven Planets, seven Continents and Oceans. ॐवृत्तस्य सप्तभुजं । अउम॰ ৺ नमःयुक्तं । प्रज्ञादि आत्मारूपं । सप्तभुवनमयविराजरूपं । सप्त ग्रह सप्त द्वीप सप्त समुद्रञ्च ।

8. The Octagon (A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H). Inscribed in the circle O. By Bisection of the Quadrants (in Figure 4). Indicative of the Octad or Octuple states of Spirit and Body. _viz_, the five Vital airs or the five external or five Internal senses with the Mind, Intellect and consciousness (Chittam). All forms of the Spirit. And the eight material forms of Earth &c., treated of in the Ashta Múrti. ॐ वृत्तस्याष्टभुजं । ॐ नमोयुक्तं अउओम॰ ৺ नमः । अष्ट बुद्धीन्द्रिय तथा ईश्वराष्टमूर्तिरूपं ।

9. The Nonagon A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I. Inscribed in the circle O. By Trisection of the three sections of a Tripartite circle. Symbolical of a _nonad_ or nine fold nature of the Deity. And the nine doors or organs of Animal bodies. ॐ वृत्तस्य नव भुजं । त्रिभुजस्यत्रिभक्तभुजत्रयं । ओन्नमो शान्ति युक्तं । अउओम॰ ৺ नमः शान्ति । आत्मनः नवधारूपाणि । तथाजीवदेहस्य नवद्वारानिच । आत्मनः नव रूपाणि यथा— अ-जाग्रत् बैश्वानरः । उ-स्वप्नजतैजनः । म-सुसुप्त प्रज्ञा । ओ-तुरीयपरात्पर व्र​ह्म । ৺ नाद समष्टि सूत्रात्मा । ॰ विन्दुव्यष्टि हिरण्य गर्भः । नमः स्थूलविश्वः । शक्ति विश्वरूपः । शान्तिविराजरूपं । स​र्ब्ब​मोङ्कारस्य नव रेखभिः दर्शितं । यथा ॐ

10. The Decagon in a Circle. Emblematical of the Decad. The Decagon A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J. By Bisection of the Pentagon. Significant of the Five Internal and five External Senses. And the Ten Directions of space. All filled by Divine Spirit. ॐवृत्तस्य दशभुजं । वृत्तस्य पञ्च भुजंद्विर्बिभक्तं । दशदिग्व्यापि ईश्वरात्माज्ञापकं । ॐन्नमः शक्तिःयुक्तं । यथा अ, उ, ओ, म, ৺, ॰, नमः, शान्तिः, । वा अ, उ, ओ, म, ৺, ॰, नमः शान्तिः, शान्तिः, शान्तिः ।

These figures might be multiplied _ad infinitum_, as there is no limit of created things and the attributes of the Creator; but as neither Infinity nor Immensity is comprehensible by the limited understanding of man, the Yogi takes some definite ideas and determinate objects for his meditation, as he is directed by the Natural Religion of mankind.

NOTE TO FIGURE 7.

Solution of the Problem of inscribing a heptagon in a circle, or dividing the circle into seven equal parts. According to Súryadása’s commentary on Lílávatí. वृत्तान्तर्गत सप्तभुजाङ्कनं सूर्य्य​दासमतं ।

“For the heptagon समवाहुक सप्तभुजः describe a circle, and an equilateral heptagon in it, then a line being drawn between the भुजाग्ररेखा extremities of any two sides—at pleasure, and three lines from the centre of the circle वृत्तान्तर्गत केन्द्रं to the angles indicated by those extremities भुजाग्रचिन्हित कोणं, an unequal quadrilateral विषम चतुर्भुजं is formed. The greater sides and the least diagonal क्षुद्रतरकर्णं thereof are equal to the semi-diameter व्यसार्द्धतुल्यं”. The value of the greater diagonal, which is assumed arbitrarily, is the chord of the arc चाप​स्य पूर्णज्या encompassing the two sides. Its arrow शरः being deduced in the manner before directed, is the side of a small rectangular triangle एकजात्य त्रिभुजं ।

Thus the greater diagonal बृहत्तरकर्णं, being arbitrarily assumed to be 93,804, is the chord sought इष्टज्याः; its arrow found in the manner directed is 22,579; this is the side, and half the base or chord जीवारूप भूम्यर्द्ध​ कोटि is the upright 46,902; their squares are 509711241 and 21997604; the square root of the sum of which is the side वर्गमूलं of the heptagon or 52,055 योगमूलं ।

These numbers are given from the copy of Súryadása’s commentary on the Lílávatí in the library of the As. Society. There are two obvious errors in them, probably of the copyist लिपिकर प्रमादः; _viz._ 22,579 should be 22.581, and 21997604 should be 2199797604.

NOTE TO FIG. 9.

To inscribe a nonagon in a circle, वृत्तान्तर्गत नवभुजं i. e., to divide it into nine parts. “A circle being described as before, inscribe a triangle वृत्तान्तर्गत त्रिभुजं in it. Thus the circle is divided into three parts. Three equal chords समान पूर्णज्या being drawn in each of these portions, a nonagon is thus inscribed in it वृत्तस्य नव भुजक्षेत्रं; and three oblongs वृत्तस्य चतुर्भुज क्षेत्रं are formed within the same; of which the base is equal to the side of the (inscribed) triangle भूमिवृत्तस्य त्रिभुजभुजतुल्यं । Then two perpendiculars लम्बपातद्वयं being drawn in the oblong, it is divided into three portions, the first and last of which are triangles परपूर्ब्बांश त्रिभुजं; and the intermediate one is a tetragon. मध्यांश चतुर्भुजं । The base in each of them is a third part of the side of the inscribed triangle त्रिभुजवाहोस्त्रितीयांशः(?). It is the upright (of a rectangular triangle) जात्यत्रिभुजकोटि; the perpendicular is its side; and the square root of the sum of their squares भुजकोटिवर्गयोगमूलं is the hypotenuse कर्णः, and is the side of the nonagon नवभुजं.

“To find the perpendicular लम्बं, put an assumed chord कल्पितज्या equal to half the chord पूर्णज्यार्द्धं of the (inscribed) tetragon; find its arrow in the manner aforesaid, and subtract that from the arrow of the chord तत्रिभुजस्यशर of the (inscribed) triangle, the remainder is the perpendicular. लम्बपरिमाणं । Thus the perpendicular लम्बं comes out 21,989: it is the side of a rectangular triangle. The third part of the inscribed एकजात्य त्रिभुजं triangle is 34,641: it is the upright. कोटि । The square root of the sum of their squares वर्गयोग मूलं is 41,031: and is the side of the inscribed nonagon.” वृत्तस्य​नवभुजं ।

[Illustration: THE OM TAT SAT.]

YOGA VÁSISHTHA.

BOOK I.

ON MORAL APATHY

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

SECTION I.

DIVINE ADORATION

_Hail The Eternal._

Om, salutation to the self-same Reality, from whom all beings proceed, by whom they are manifest, upon whom they depend, and in whom they become extinct (in the end).

2. He is the knower, the knowledge and all that is to be known. He is the seer, the (act of) seeing, and all that is to be seen. He is the actor, the cause and the effect: therefore salutation to Him (who is all) knowledge himself.

3. Salutation to Him (who is) supreme bliss itself, from whom flow the dews of delight (as water springs from a fountain) both in heaven and earth, and who is the life of all.

SECTION II.

NARRATIVE OF SUTÍKSHNA.

4. One Sutíkshna, a Bráhmana, whose mind was full of doubts, went to the hermitage of Agasti and asked the sage respectfully:—

5. Oh great sage! that art informed in all the ways and truths of virtue, and knowest with certainty all the Sástras, I am in a great doubt (about something) which I pray you will kindly remove.

6. Tell me whether a man’s acts or his knowledge or both of these, is in your opinion, the cause of his emancipation.

7. Agasti replied:—

As the flight of birds in the air is effected by means of both their wings, so the highest state of emancipation is attained through the instrumentality of both knowledge and acts.

8. It is neither our acts nor knowledge alone that produces emancipation, but both together are known as the means of it.

SECTION III.

ANECDOTE OF KÁRUNYA.

9. I will recite to you an instance on this subject from the old traditions, relating a Bráhman named Kárunya, who was learned in the Vedas in days of yore.

10. He was the son of Agnivesya and accomplished in the Vedas and all their branches, and after finishing his studies at the preceptor’s, returned to his own abode.

11. He remained a sceptic at home, holding his taciturnity and inertness to acts: when his father Agnivesya saw his son so slack in his duties, he upbraided him thus for his good.

12-13. Agnivesya said:—

Why my son do you not discharge your duties, tell me how can you succeed (in anything) if you remain inactive, and tell me also the reason of your cessation from acts.

14. Kárunya replied:—

The offering of daily oblations, and performance of morning and evening devotions during life, are inculcated in the Veda and law as the _active_ duties (of men).

15. But it is neither by acts or riches, nor by means of progeny, that one obtains his liberation, it is solely by self-denial that Stoics taste the ambrosia (of emancipation).

16. Tell me my father! which of these two ordinances is to be observed by me? Doubtful of this I have become indifferent to acts.

17. Agasti said:—

Hear me my son, that Kárunya after saying so held his silence; when his father seeing him thus, rejoined his speech.

18. Agnivesya said:—

Hear me relate a narrative (to you) my son, and you having fully considered its purport in your mind, may do as you may choose (best for you).

SECTION IV.

STORY OF SURUCHI.

19. There was a damsel named Suruchi, the best of the _Apsará_ nymphs, who was seated on the mountain peak of Himálaya, beset by peacocks around.

20. Here Kinnaras inflamed by love sported with their mates, and the fall of heavenly streams (Gangá and Yamuná), served to expurgate the gravest sins (of men).

21. She beheld a messenger of Indra making his way through the sky; and then this most fortunate and best of _Apsarás_, addressed him thus:

22. Suruchi said:—

O thou herald of gods, tell me kindly whence thou comest and whither art thou destined at present.

SECTION V.