The Laghu-Yoga-Vasistha is an abridgement by Abhinanda of the well-known Yoga-vasistha, containing the essentials of Advaitavedanta, illustrated by allegorical stories. K. Narayanaswami Aiyer’s free translation, first printed in 1896 and reprinted once again, makes the wisdom contained in the text accessible to the lay public. The origin of I-consciousness, its growth and quiescence, the nature of maya and the way to overcome it, the states of Jnana and ajnana, and freedom from vasana-s, pure and impure, are among the topics on which it throws light. ‘Jnana alone is the true God and the flowers, etc. with which God has to be worshipped are equal vision for all, contentment of mind, and spiritual wisdom’, declares the sage. This is a work for true aspirants who are in the world, but seek not to be of it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR K. Narayanaswami Aiyer
K. Narayanaswamy Aiyer, son of Krishnaswami Aiyer, was born at Kazhukanimattam Village, Tanjavur District, South India, in the year 1854. he was the second of four brother, three of whom occupied fairly comfortable positions in life. One of them was the late K. Veeraswami Aiyer, a prominent Vakil of Tiruvarur in the early twenties of this century, and another, an engineer of the Public Works Department of the Government. Educated at his village school at Kazhukanimattam and, late, at the Kumbakonam Town High School and at the Kumbakonam Government Arts College, he was a first grade pleader at Kumbakonam and made a reasonably prosperous living there. He had a son and two daughters. He joined The theosophical Society during the presidentship of Col. H. S. Olcott and travelled very widely all over India including far places like Kabul and Srinagar at a time when communications were poorly developed (1905-18), spreading the message of the Theosophical Society. His task was also to help in weaning away Indians from the Christian missionary influence and from an imitative way of life patterned on the West. His rare persuasiveness and lucidity of expression brought good results. His personal life as a real Samnyasin carried profound conviction everywhere. His scholarship in Sanskrit and English and his deep Knowledge of his own and western religions earned for him a great measure of contemporary veneration. He died in "December 1918 at Pudukkottai on one of his lecture tours. An assiduous writer, his articles regularly appeared in The Theosophist, then published from London. Hw wrote six major books: Hindu God Universal, Thirty Minor Upanisad-s , Thirty-two vidya-s, Purana-s in the Light of Modern Science, Yoga: Lower and Higher and a translation of Laghu Yoga Vasistha. A minor work which attracted attention particularly among Western scientists was Prof. Bergson and Hindu Vedanta Which appeared in a pamphlet form. Though K. Narayanaswamy Aiyer passed away some fifty-five years ago, the demand for some of his works has persisted. The Adyar Library and Research Centre has reprinted two of his works: The Laghuyoga-vasistha and Thirty-two Vidya-s, half a century after his demise.
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