page_title: Vasishtha
section_title: Texts
hierarchical_section_title: Vasishtha / Texts
caption_attribution_description: తెలుగు: Chitra Ramayana (Illustrated Ramayana) is a simplified story of the great Indian epic in Kannada. The type is bold and beautiful. The thick pages have become brittle and need careful handling. Printed by B. Miller, Superintendent, British India, Press, Mazgaon, Bombay. It was published by, Shrimat Balasaheb Pandit Pant Pratinidhi, chief of Aundh, at Aundh, Satara district. The Kannada version is by Ramachandra Madhwa Mahishi The date shown is 1916. It is all the more important because the book contains illustrations painted by the publisher also called Bhavan Rao Shrinivas Rao, the ruler of the state of Aundh himself.
context_page_description: Vasishtha is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis. He is one of the Saptarishis of India. Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of Rigveda. Vashishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigvedic verse 10.167.4, other Rigvedic mandalas and in many Vedic texts. His ideas have been influential and he was called as the first sage of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy by Adi Shankara.
  Yoga Vashishtha, Vashishtha Samhita, as well as some versions of the Agni Purana and Vishnu Purana are attributed to him. He is the subject of many legends, such as him being in possession of the divine cow Kamadhenu and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners. He is famous in Hindu legends for his legendary conflicts with sage Vishvamitra. In Ramayana, he was the family priest of Raghu dynasty and teacher of Lord Rama and his brothers.
context_section_description: Vasishtha is a revered sage in the Hindu traditions, and like other revered sages, numerous treatises composed in ancient and medieval era are reverentially named after him. Some treatises named after him or attributed to him include:
  Vashishtha samhita is a medieval era Yoga text. There is an Agama as well with the same title.
  Vashishtha dharmasutra, an ancient text, and one of the few Dharma-related treatises which has survived into the modern era. This Dharmasūtra (300–100 BCE) forms an independent text and other parts of the Kalpasūtra, that is Shrauta- and Grihya-sutras are missing. It contains 1,038 sutras.
  Yoga Vashishtha is a syncretic medieval era text that presents Vedanta and Yoga philosophies. It is written in the form of a dialogue between Vashishtha and prince Rama of Ramayana fame, about the nature of life, human suffering, choices as the nature of life, free will, human creative power and spiritual liberation. Yoga Vashishtha teachings are structured as stories and fables, with a philosophical foundation similar to those found in Advaita Vedanta. The text is also notable for its discussion of Yoga. According to Christopher Chapple – a professor of Indic studies specializing in Yoga and Indian religions, the Yoga Vashishtha philosophy can be summarized as, "Human effort can be used for self-betterment and that there is no such thing as an external fate imposed by the gods".
  Agni Purana is attributed to Vashishtha.
  Vishnu Purana is attributed to Vashishtha along with Rishi Pulatsya. He has also contributed to many Vedic hymns and is seen as the arranger of Vedas during Dwapara Yuga.
caption: Vashishtha curses Kaikeyi
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