The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, vol. 3 part 2

ValmikiProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.0
Word count
1.3M words
Chapters
129

Tags

English Originals Religion Yoga PhilosophyHumanistic CareLife PhilosophyPath of PracticeIntellectual EnlightenmentAcademic StudyTraditional AestheticsIndian EpicCross-Cultural ViewMusical Rhythm

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki, vol. 3 (of 4) part 2 (of 2) by ValmikiAuthor: Valmiki,Language: English, Class: PK: Language and Literatures: Indo-Iranian literatures, Release Date: Aug 8, 2014

Editor's review

This book is the second part of volume 3 of the four-volume Yoga-Vasishtha, released by Project Gutenberg as an English ebook. The text belongs to the vast classical tradition of Indian philosophical narrative; it unfolds in dialogue form, blending philosophical reflection, allegorical stories, and spiritual guidance, and discusses themes such as the self, consciousness, liberation, and illusion. As a public-domain ebook, it preserves the language style and period traces of the original translation and is suitable for researchers and serious readers to read closely volume by volume. Its value lies not in light reading but in providing a searchable primary text that can be repeatedly cross-referenced: readers may use it as material for the study of Indian philosophy or for comparing different translations and commentarial traditions. It is typically used for desk study, course preparation, and long-term personal practice, and should be used together with introductions or annotations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read an introductory work first to understand the relationships among characters and core concepts before entering the main text.
  2. Take notes chapter by chapter and mark recurring terms for easy cross-reference.
  3. Read alongside other volumes of the same work to avoid understanding parts in isolation from the whole structure.
  4. Look up allusions or terms in the annotations first; when uncertain, keep the question in mind and continue reading.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66
  67. 67
  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70
  71. 71
  72. 72
  73. 73
  74. 74
  75. 75
  76. 76
  77. 77
  78. 78
  79. 79
  80. 80
  81. 81
  82. 82
  83. 83
  84. 84
  85. 85
  86. 86
  87. 87
  88. 88
  89. 89
  90. 90
  91. 91
  92. 92
  93. 93
  94. 94
  95. 95
  96. 96
  97. 97
  98. 98
  99. 99
  100. 100
  101. 101
  102. 102
  103. 103
  104. 104
  105. 105
  106. 106
  107. 107
  108. 108
  109. 109
  110. 110
  111. 111
  112. 112
  113. 113
  114. 114
  115. 115
  116. 116
  117. 117
  118. 118
  119. 119
  120. 120
  121. 121
  122. 122
  123. 123
  124. 124
  125. 125
  126. 126
  127. 127
  128. 128
  129. 129

FAQ

What level of English is needed for this book? The original translation is archaic in language and long in sentence structure, with dense philosophical terminology. A steady ability to read long English texts is recommended, along with a willingness to read slowly with the aid of dictionaries and annotations. If English is difficult, read relevant Chinese research works first as a foundation.
Can I read it directly without a foundation in Indian philosophy? You can browse it, but understanding will be limited. The dialogues and allegories rest on a specific conceptual system, and without background readers may mistake philosophical passages for mere stories. It is advisable to learn the basic framework of Yoga and Advaita first, then return for close reading.
How is the electronic edition best used? It is suitable for searching, excerpting, and comparative reading. Open it on a computer or tablet and use note-taking software to mark terms and passages; reading it straight through at once is not recommended—studying it section by section by theme or chapter is more effective.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Valmiki Author

Valmiki is the traditional author of the Indian epic the Ramayana, though public information about his life is very limited: his dates, nationality, and education are not reliably recorded. Works attributed to him circulate widely, and six are held in this collection. Besides an English verse translation of the Ramayana and a two-volume French edition, they include the third volume, part two, of The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki. Works of Hindu literary compilation are also attributed to him, containing such pieces as The Book of Good Counsels and Nala and Damayanti, as well as Morte de Yaginadatta. These works largely take epic narrative and religious philosophy as their subjects, written in a solemn style steeped in ancient Indian literature, and they have had a profound influence on later Indian literature and religious culture.