Self-Effort – the Yoga Vasistha

The book “The Supreme Yoga” is the teaching of the sage Vasistha imparted to Sri Rama. It contains true understanding about the creation of the world i.e. the world is nothing but the play of consciousness. the Yoga Vasistha is the greatest help to the spiritual awakening and direct experience of Truth. Vasistha demands direct observation of the mind, its motion, its notions, its reasoning, the assumed cause and the projected result. The book is a translation into English by Swami Venkatesananda of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh India. The article is primarily based on it.
 
In this world whatever is gained is gained only by self-effort; where failure is encountered it is seen that there has been slackness in the effort. Self-effort is that mental, verbal and physical action which is accordance with the instructions of a holy person well versed in the scriptures. It is only by such effort that Indra became the king of heaven, that Brahma became the creator, and the other deities earned their places.
The ​fruit of the endeavours will be commensurate with the intensity of my self-effort and neither fate nor a god can ordain it otherwise. Indeed, such self-effort alone is responsible for whatever man gets here; when he is sunk in unhappiness to console him people suggest that it is his fate. Hence, renounce fatalism and apply yourself to self-effort.
Every Jiva earns its own state by its own deeds. Every zealous effort is always crowned with fruition. Hence, do not abandon right effort. Weigh the worthiness of the end result. You will surely discover that self-knowledge alone is capable of utterly destroying all pain and pleasure.
Self-Effort & Fate -
Self-effort is of two categories: that of past births and that of this birth. The latter effectively counteracts the former. Fate is none other than the self-effort of the past incarnation. There is constant conflict between these two in this incarnation; and that which is more powerful triumphs.
The lazy man is worse than a donkey. One should never yield to laziness but strive to attain liberation, seeing that life is ebbing away every moment. One should not revel in the filth known as sense-pleasure as worm revels in pus.
As is the effort so being fruit. What is called fate or divine will is nothing other than the action or self-effort of the past. The present is infinitely more potent than the past. They indeed are fools who are satisfied with the fruits of their past effort and engage themselves in self-effort now.
Righteous Self-Effort -
One should free oneself from likes and dislikes and engage oneself in righteous self-effort and reach the supreme truth, knowing that self-effort alone is another name for divine will. That alone is self-effort which springs from right understanding that manifests in one’s heart which has been exposed to the teachings of the scriptures and the conduct of holy ones. One should, with a body free from illness and mind free from diseases, pursue self-knowledge so that he is not born again here.
Self-effort is based on these three – knowledge of scriptures, instructions of the preceptor and one’s own effort. Fate (or divine dispensation) does not enter here. Hence, he who desires salvation should divert the impure mind to pure endeavour by persistent effort – this is the very essence of scriptures.
Self-Effort & Past Incarnation -
The tendencies brought forward from the past incarnations are of two kinds – pure and impure. The pure ones lead you towards liberation, and the impure ones invite trouble. You are not impelled to action by anything other than yourself. Hence you are free to strengthen the pure latent tendencies in preference to the impure ones.
With a pure heart and a receptive mind and without the veil of doubt and the restlessness of the mind, listen to the exposition of the nature and means of liberation.

Self-Control –
He that is good and auspicious flows from self-control. All evils are dispelled by self-control. No gain, no pleasure in this world or in heaven is comparable to the delight of self-control. The delight one experiences in the presence of the self-controlled is incomparable. Everyone spontaneously trusts him. None (not even demons and goblins) hate him. He who even while hearing, touching, seeing, smelling and tasting what is regarded as pleasant and unpleasant, is neither elated nor depressed – he is self-controlled. He who looks upon all beings with equal vision, having brought under control the sensations of pleasure and pain, is self-controlled. He who, though living amongst all is unaffected by them, neither feels elated nor hates, is self-controlled led.