“Contentment is the highest wealth.”
The verse: Yoga Vasistha 2.16.19
The quote above is our paraphrase. This is the verse as it reads in the Vihari-Lala Mitra translation (1891–99):
“Contentment is reckoned as the best gain, good company the right course, reasoning the true knowledge, and quietism the highest bliss (of man).”
About the text: Yoga Vasistha
The Yoga Vasistha is a long Sanskrit philosophical work, traditionally attributed to Valmiki, in which the sage Vasistha teaches Prince Rama through stories and dialogue. Its six books teach liberation through self-effort and insight. Scholars date it anywhere from about the 6th to the 14th century, and it probably grew over time.
More from the Yoga Vasistha
- “True detachment is mental renunciation, not physical withdrawal.”
- “Maya weaves the web of illusion that entangles the ignorant.”
- “Transcending the mind, one rests in bliss.”
- “When you know yourself, you have known everything.”
- “In liberation, the ego dissolves completely.”
- “Enquiry into the Self dispels all ignorance.”