The below list gives an overview of the contents and stories in the '' Yoga Vasistha'', as it appears in

Swami Venkatesananda Venkatesananda Saraswati (or Swami Venkatesananda) 29 December 1921 in Tanjore, South India–2 December 1982 in Johannesburg, South Africa), known previously as Parthasarathy, was a disciple of Sivananda Saraswati. He received his spiritual trai ...

's translation. The same stories are included in the ''

Moksopaya The ''Mokṣopāya'' or ''Mokṣopāyaśāstra'' is a Sanskrit philosophical text on salvation for non-ascetics (''mokṣa-upāya'': 'means to liberation'), written on the Pradyumna hill in Śrīnagar in the 10th century AD. It has the form of a ...

'', on which the ''Yoga Vasistha'' was based, as well. In the beginning of the book Vasistha states that the stories have a "definite purpose and a limited intention. They are not to be taken literally, nor is their significance to be stretched beyond the intention."Swami Venkatesananda, 1984, pp. 36.

Section One: On Dispassion

Section Two: On the Behavior of a Seeker

*The Story of

Śuka Shuka ( sa, शुक , also Shukadeva ) is a rishi (sage) in Hinduism. He is the son of the sage Vyasa and the main narrator of the scripture ''Bhagavata Purana''. Most of the ''Bhagavata Purana'' consists of Shuka reciting the story to the ...

*Self Effort

Section Three: On Creation

Meister des Jog-Vashisht-Manuskripts 001

*The Story of

Lila Lila or LILA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lila'' (album), debut album by American country music singer Lila McCann * ''Lila'' (movie), a 1968 sexploitation film * The Meaning of Lila, a comic strip written by John Forgetta and L. A. ...

*The Story of Karkati *The Story of the Sons of Indu *The Story of Ahalya *The Story of the Great Forest *The Story of the Three Non-Existent Princes *The Story of Lavana

Section Four: On Existence

*The Story of Sukra *The Story of Dama, Vyala and Kata *The Story of Bhima, Bhasa and Drdha *The Story of Dasura *Kaca’s Story

Section Five: On Dissolution

*The Story of King

Janaka Janaka is a character who appears in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is an ancient Hindu king of Videha, which was located in the Mithila region. His name at birth was Sīradhvaja, and he had a brother named Kushadhvaja. His father's name was Hras ...

*The Story of Punya and Pavana *The Story of Bali *The Story of Prahlada *The Story of Gadhi *The Story of Uddalaka *The Story of Suraghu *The Story of Bhasa and Vilasa *The Story of Vitahavya

Section Six: On Liberation

*Discourse on

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...

*The Story of Bhusunda *Description of the Lord *Deva Puja *The Story of the Wood-apple *The Story of the Rock *The Story of Arjuna *The Story of the Hundred Rudra *The Story of the Vampire *The Story of Bhagiratha *The Story of Sikhidvaja and Cudala *The Story of the

Philosopher’s Stone The philosopher's stone or more properly philosophers' stone (Arabic: حجر الفلاسفة, , la, lapis philosophorum), is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold (, from the Greek , "gold", ...

*The Story of the Foolish Elephant *The Story of Kaca *the Story of the Deluded Man *The Story of Vipascit *The Story of the Hunter and the Sage *The World Within the Rock *The Story of the Sage from Outer Space *The Story of Bhrngisa *The Story of lksvaku *The Story of the Hunter and the Deer *The Seven States of

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

References

*{{cite book , title=The Concise Yoga Vāsiṣṭha , publisher=State University of New York Press , location=Albany , first=Swami , last=Venkatesananda , authorlink=Swami Venkatesananda , year=1984 , isbn=0-87395-955-8 , oclc=11044869 , pages=430 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1FFdOj2dv8cC Hindu texts Sanskrit texts Yoga Vasistha