The text known as Yoga Vasistha is traditionally organized into six major sections, or prakaraṇas, each marking a distinct phase in the unfolding of spiritual understanding. It begins with the **Vairāgya Prakaraṇa**, the section on dispassion, where Rama’s profound disillusionment with worldly life is laid bare and the transient nature of existence is contemplated in depth. This existential weariness is not portrayed as despair, but as the fertile ground from which genuine inquiry into truth arises. Dispassion here functions as a doorway, turning the mind away from fleeting pleasures toward a more enduring reality.

From this foundation, the text moves into the **Mumukṣu (or Mumukṣu-vyavahāra) Prakaraṇa**, the section on the seeker and the conduct of one who longs for liberation. Here the inner posture of the aspirant is examined: the intensity of the desire for freedom, the qualities required, and the way a sincere seeker relates to the world while pursuing the highest aim. This portion shows that liberation is not a casual curiosity but a consuming aspiration that shapes character, behavior, and priorities. The seeker is thus refined, prepared to receive subtler teachings about consciousness and reality.

The third and fourth sections, **Utpatti Prakaraṇa** and **Sthiti Prakaraṇa**, turn attention to the apparent universe itself—its arising and its continued existence. In the section on creation, the origin of the cosmos is explored through philosophical reflection and narrative, emphasizing how the universe and mind seem to emerge within consciousness and how reality can appear illusory. The section on sustenance then considers how this manifested world appears to be maintained, bringing in themes such as karma, self-effort, and the ongoing play of phenomena. Together, these books trace how a seemingly solid world is projected, structured, and sustained within awareness.

The final movement of the work unfolds through **Upaśama Prakaraṇa** and **Nirvāṇa Prakaraṇa**, which address dissolution, peace, and ultimate liberation. Upaśama focuses on the pacification of mental conditioning and the quieting of projections, describing how both individual and cosmic dissolution are understood in the light of inner stillness. Nirvāṇa Prakaraṇa, often treated as the most extensive portion and sometimes divided into earlier and later parts, presents the consummation of the path: the state of liberation, the nature of the realized being, and complete freedom from bondage and suffering. Across these last sections, the text traces a movement from the calming of the mind to the recognition of non-dual consciousness, bringing the seeker from inquiry to abiding realization.