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yajvan
09 May 2007, 02:22 PM
Hari Om
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Namaste vimala ( vi or without + mala or stain, blemish,or defect …that is you, the SELF, is without defect)

This is a continuation of http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=11962&postcount=1 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=11962&postcount=1) - that is, understanding the significance of the rishi's name.

This is of Vasistha. Vasistha was a seer and contributed to the cognition of the Rig Veda. His name is interesting. Any one wishing to add depth and breath to this post is welcomed.

Vasistha - there are some delightful roots to this name Vas + istha. WE find Vas as covering and expanding. As in cloth vastram. Yet we also have vas ( as in Vastu) to live or dwell, as in vastu.
Also this Vas, as I understand it is related to Vis - that is to enter or pervade as in Visnu ( all pervading).

This istha is the root of Ishta - and its root , is or ish, is to rule. We find this in Isvara, the Divine Form, or the saguna Brahman one sadhu or baktha recognizes for upasana.

So we can combine some of this information of covering + clothing+ pervading+ ruling for Vasistha, and one gets one who vails himself best; the richest ( that is from ruler ish, or king, master); one who wears the riches of best cloth. All this , in a subtle way is connect to speech or vac.
Where can we get some help on this? If we turn to the Chandogya Upanishad 5.1.2 it assists with the implications of vasistham or that of riches and speech. It says -
Yo hav vai vasistham veda, vasistho ha svanam bhavati vag vava vasisihsah - or - He who knows the best riches for sure, becomes the richest amonst his kinfolk. Speech indeed is the best of all riches.

It is, He who has words for wealth does not have to aspire for any other kind of wealth. That is Vasisita muni's wealth - grounded in his speech. His speech is grounded in his wisdom. And the wisdom of what? That of Brahman. So, Vasishta has his riches covered in his wealth of Brahman.

If one cares to read of this wealth, his Yoga Vasistha is a great itihasa ( iti+ha+asa or "so it was").
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=8833&postcount=1 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=8833&postcount=1)


pranams,