Chapter 3.114, Verses 58–69

Yoga Vashishtha 3.114.58–69

(The entire visible World of sky, Space, Ocean, Earth and rivers is nothing but avidyā for one who does not Know the Truth)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

खाद्व्यब्ध्युर्वीनदी सेयं याऽविद्याऽज्ञस्य राघव।

नाविद्या ज्ञस्य तद्ब्रह्म स्वमहिम्ना व्यवस्थितम् ॥ ५८॥

रज्जुसर्पविकल्पौ द्वावक्षेनैवोपकल्पितौ।

ज्ञेन त्वेकैव निर्णीता ब्रह्मदृष्टिरकृत्रिमा ॥ ५९॥

मा भवाज्ञो भव प्राज्ञो जहि संसारवासनाम्।

अनात्मन्यात्मभावेन किमज्ञ इव रोदिषि ॥ ६०॥

कस्तवायं जडो मूको देहो भवति राघव।

यदर्थं सुखदुःखाभ्यामवशः परिभूयसे ॥ ६१॥

यथा हि काष्ठजतुनोर्यथा बदरकुण्डयोः।

श्लिष्टयोरपि नैकत्वं देहदेहवतोस्तथा ॥ ६२॥

भस्त्रादाहे यथा दाहो न भस्त्रान्तरवर्तिनः।

पवनस्य तथा देहनाशे नात्मा न नश्यति ॥ ६३॥

दुःखितोऽहं सुखाढ्योऽहमिति भ्रान्ति रघूद्वह।

मृगतृष्णोपमां बुद्ध्वा त्यज सत्यं समाश्रय ॥ ६४॥

अहो नु चित्रं यत्सत्यं ब्रह्म तद्विस्मृतं नृणाम्।

यदसत्यमविद्याख्यं तन्नूनं स्मृतिमागतम् ॥ ६५॥

प्रसरं त्वमविद्याया मा प्रयच्छ रघूद्वह।

अनयोपहिते चित्ते दुष्पारेह कदर्थना ॥ ६६॥

मिथ्यैवानर्थकारिण्या मनोमननपीनया।

अनया दुःखदायिन्या महामोहफलान्तया ॥ ६७॥

चन्द्रबिम्बे सुधार्द्रेऽपि कृत्वा रौरवकल्पनम्।

नारकं दाहसंशोषदुःखं समनुभूयते ॥ ६८॥

जलकल्लोलकह्लारपुष्पसीकरवीचिषु।

सरस्सु मृगतृष्णाढ्यं मरुत्वं परिदृश्यते ॥ ६९॥

Maharishi Vashishta continued:

3.114.58–63

> This sky, Space, Ocean, Earth and river that you see, O Rāghava, is only avidyā for the ignorant. For the Knower there is no avidyā; it is Brahm standing in its own glory.

> The two notions of rope and snake are both invented by the eye alone. The Knower, however, decides that only one is Real—the natural vision of Brahm.

> Do not remain ignorant; become wise and abandon the latent desire for saṃsāra. Why do you weep like an ignorant person by taking the non-Self as the Self?

> What is this dull, mute body of yours, O Rāghava, for whose sake you are overpowered and made helpless by pleasure and pain?

> Just as wood and lac, or a jujube fruit and its seed-cup, though stuck together, are never one, so the body and the embodied Self are never one.

> Just as the burning of a bellows does not burn the air that stays inside it, so when the body is destroyed the Self is not destroyed.

3.114.64–69

> “I am miserable, I am full of happiness”—this is only a delusion, O descendant of Raghu. Knowing it to be like a mirage, abandon it and take refuge in the Truth.

> How strange that the True Brahm has been forgotten by people, while the false thing called avidyā has certainly come into their memory!

> Do not give room to avidyā, O descendant of Raghu. When the mind is occupied by it, endless misery follows.

> This false, harmful, swollen-by-mental-thinking, pain-giving power ends in the fruit of great delusion.

> Even on the cool, nectar-like disc of the moon one invents the idea of the terrible Raurava hell and then experiences the suffering of burning and drying that belongs to hell.

> In the waves, water-lilies, flowers, spray and ripples of lakes one sees the mirage-like quality of a desert.

Detailed summary of the teachings:

These verses declare that the entire visible World of sky, Space, Ocean, Earth and rivers is nothing but avidyā for one who does not Know the Truth. For the Knower the same appearance is simply Brahm resting in its own natural greatness; avidyā itself does not exist for him. The classic example of rope and snake is recalled: both ideas arise only through the organ of sight, yet the wise person settles that only one reality is present—the direct, uncontrived vision of Brahm.

A clear command is given: stop remaining ignorant, become a Knower, and cast away the deep-seated desire that keeps saṃsāra going. The root of sorrow is the mistaken identification of the non-Self with the Self. The body is described as dull and mute; it is absurd that a person allows himself to be tossed about by pleasure and pain for the sake of such an inert object. Body and Self are never identical, just as wood and lac or a fruit and its cup remain two even when stuck together. When the body perishes the Self remains untouched, exactly as the air inside a bellows is not burned when the bellows itself is burned.

The feelings “I am unhappy” and “I am happy” are pure delusion, comparable to a mirage. Once this is understood, the delusion must be dropped and the real must be clung to. The greatest wonder is pointed out: people have forgotten the True Brahm and have firmly remembered the false appearance called avidyā. Therefore no space should be given to avidyā in the mind; once it occupies the mind, suffering without end follows. This avidyā is false, harmful, swollen by continuous thinking, and its final fruit is the great delusion that produces endless pain.

Even the cool, nectar-filled moon can be imagined as the fiery Raurava hell, and the imagined burning is then actually felt. In the same way, the playful waves, lotuses, spray and ripples of a lake are seen as a waterless desert mirage. The teaching is that all suffering arises from mental superimposition alone; when the superimposition is withdrawn, only the Undivided Reality of Brahm remains.

Chapter 3.114, Verses 49–57

Yoga Vashishtha 3.114.49–57

(The entire visible World never truly existed, either at the beginning or now)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

यदादावेव नास्तीदं तदद्यापि न विद्यते।

यदिदं भाति तद्ब्रह्म शान्तमेकमनिन्दितम् ॥ ४९॥

मननीयमतो नान्यत्कदा कस्य कथं कुतः।

निर्विकारमनाद्यन्तमास्यतामपयन्त्रणम् ॥ ५०॥

परं पौरुषमाश्रित्य यत्नात्परमया धिया।

भोगाशाभावनां चित्तात्समूलामलमुद्धरेत् ॥ ५१॥

यदुदेति परो मोहो जरामरणकारणम्।

आशापाशशतोल्लासिवासना तद्विजृम्भते ॥ ५२॥

मम पुत्रा मम धनमयं सोऽहमिदं मम।

इतीयमिन्द्रजालेन वासनैव विवल्गति ॥ ५३॥

शून्ये एव शरीरेऽस्मिन्विलोलो जलवातवत्।

अनन्यया वासनया त्वहंभावाहिरर्पितः ॥ ५४॥

परमार्थेन तत्त्वज्ञ ममाहमिदमित्यलम्।

नदिश्रेण्योआत्मतत्त्वादृते सत्यं न कदाचन किंचन ॥ ५५॥

खाद्रिद्यूर्वीनदिश्रेण्यो दृष्टिसृष्ट्या पुनः पुनः।

सैवान्येव विचित्रेयमविद्या परिवर्तते ॥ ५६॥

उदेत्यज्ञानमात्रेण नश्यति ज्ञानमात्रतः।

सन्मात्रे परिविच्छेद्या रज्ज्वामिव भुजंगधीः ॥ ५७॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.114.49–57

> What was not present at the very beginning is not present even now. What appears here is only Brahm — Peaceful, One, and free from all blame.

> Therefore nothing else is to be thought of—neither when, nor whose, nor how, nor from where. Remain free of all restraint in that which is without change, without beginning and without end.

> Taking firm hold of the highest human effort and employing the finest intelligence, one must completely uproot from the mind the feeling of desire for enjoyment, together with all its roots.

> The great delusion that arises as the cause of old age and death expands through the many bonds of hope; that expansion is nothing but latent desire (vāsanā).

> “These are my sons, this is my wealth, I am this, this is mine”—through this magical display latent desire alone keeps dancing.

> In this empty body that moves restlessly like water and wind, the sense of “I” has been imposed from outside by that same exclusive latent desire.

> O Knower of the Truth, in the Highest Reality enough of “mine,” “I” and “this.” Apart from the Reality of the Self, nothing whatsoever is ever True.

> Sky, mountains, Earth and chains of rivers are created again and again by the mere act of seeing. This same avidyā, though appearing different and wonderful, simply keeps revolving.

> It arises through mere ignorance and is destroyed through mere Knowledge. In Pure Existence itself it must be completely cut off, just as the idea of a snake is cut off when the rope is known.

Detailed summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that the entire visible world never truly existed, either at the beginning or now. Whatever appears is only the One Peaceful, faultless Brahm. Because nothing other than Brahm has ever been Real, the mind has no need to inquire into time, ownership, manner or origin of anything. The only proper stance is to rest unforced and free of all mental restraint in that changeless reality which has neither beginning nor end.

The practical means given is resolute human effort guided by the clearest intelligence. One must dig out from the mind, roots and all, the feeling of longing for sense enjoyment. This longing is not a minor habit; it is the very power that produces the supreme delusion responsible for the whole cycle of birth, aging and death. Hope multiplies itself into countless binding cords, and that multiplication is nothing but latent desire (vāsanā).

Latent desire alone creates the magical show of personal ownership and identity: “my children, my wealth, I am this body, this is mine.” The body itself is empty and restless, moving like wind-driven water; the sense of “I” has been projected onto it from outside by this exclusive vāsanā. In the light of Ultimate Truth, therefore, all such notions of “mine,” “I” and “this” are to be abandoned as insufficient and false. Nothing other than the Reality of the Self has ever possessed the slightest truth.

The same avidyā, by the mere power of seeing, repeatedly projects the whole variety of sky, mountains, earth and rivers. Though it appears ever new and marvelous, it is only the same ignorance turning round and round. Because it is produced solely by ignorance, it is destroyed solely by Knowledge. Once Pure Existence is recognized, the false appearance must be cut off completely, exactly as the notion of a snake vanishes the moment the rope is clearly known.

Thus the teaching moves from the absolute non-existence of the World, through the necessity of uprooting desire, to the final recognition that ignorance alone creates and Knowledge alone dissolves the entire illusory display, leaving only the Undivided Self.

Chapter 3.114, Verses 41–48

Yoga Vashishtha 3.114.41–48

(Ignorance is controlled not by force but by simply stopping the mind from creating imaginative thoughts about it)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

असंकल्पो ह्यविद्याया निग्रहः कथितो बुधैः।

यथा गगनपद्मिन्याः स भाति सुकरः स्वयम् ॥ ४१॥

भ्रमस्य जागतस्यास्य जातस्याकाशवर्णवत्।

अपुनःस्मरणं मन्ये साधो विस्मरणं वरम् ॥ ४२॥

नष्टोऽहमिति संकल्पाद्यथा दुःखेन नश्यति।

प्रबुद्धोऽस्मीतिसंकल्पाज्जनो ह्येति यथा सुखम् ॥ ४३॥

तथा संमूढसंकल्पान्मूढतामेति वै मनः।

प्रबोधोदारसंकल्पात्प्रबोधायानुधावति ॥ ४४॥

क्षणात्संस्मरणादेषा ह्यविद्योदेति शाश्वती।

यस्माद्विस्मरणादन्तः परिणश्यति नश्वरी ॥ ४५॥

भावनी सर्वभावानां सर्वभूतविमोहिनी।

भारिणी स्वात्मनो नाशे स्वात्मवृद्धौ विनाशिनी ॥ ४६॥

मनो यदनुसंधत्ते तत्सर्वेन्द्रियवृत्तयः।

क्षणात्संपादयन्त्येता राजाज्ञामिव मन्त्रिणः ॥ ४७॥

तस्मान्मनोनुसंधानं भावेषु न करोति यः।

अन्तश्चेतनयत्नेन स शान्तिमधिगच्छति ॥ ४८॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.114.41–48

> The wise have said that the restraint of ignorance is simply the absence of imaginative resolve. Just as restraining a lotus growing in the sky appears easy by itself.

> Of this Worldly delusion that has arisen like the colour of the sky, O good one, I consider the better path to be forgetting it completely so that it is not remembered again.

> Just as a person perishes in sorrow from the resolve “I am destroyed,” and attains happiness from the resolve “I am awakened,”

> so the mind falls into delusion through a deluded resolve, and runs toward awakening through a noble resolve of awakening.

> From a single moment of remembrance this ignorance, which seems eternal, arises; from forgetfulness within, it is destroyed as something perishable.

> Ignorance is the imaginer of all Beings and the deluder of every creature. She sustains herself by destroying the True Self and is destroyed when the True Self grows.

> Whatever the mind continuously contemplates, all the activities of the senses instantly accomplish it, just as ministers carry out the command of a King.

> Therefore, one who does not allow the mind to keep contemplating objects, through the effort of inner awareness, attains peace.

Summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that ignorance is controlled not by force but by simply stopping the mind from creating imaginative thoughts about it. Just as a lotus in the sky needs no real effort to be restrained because it does not exist, ignorance also loses power when the mind refuses to give it further attention or belief.

The world-delusion is compared to the colour of the sky—something that appears real but has no substance. The best remedy is complete forgetting. Once the mind stops recalling and reinforcing the sense of limitation, the delusion fades of its own accord.

Thought itself is shown to be powerful. A single strong resolve of “I am finished” can fill a person with sorrow, while the resolve “I am awake” brings happiness. In the same way, deluded thinking deepens bondage, and clear thinking of awakening leads the mind steadily toward freedom.

Ignorance seems permanent only because it is repeatedly remembered. A moment of attention gives it life; deliberate inner forgetfulness ends it. Ignorance feeds on the denial of the true Self and dies when the true Self is recognised and strengthened.

Finally, the mind is the master of the senses. Whatever it dwells upon, the senses immediately set out to fulfil. Therefore lasting peace comes only when a person, through conscious inner effort, stops the mind from continuously chasing objects and ideas. When that restless pursuit ends, natural Stillness arises.

Chapter 3.114, Verses 31–40

Yoga Vashishtha 3.114.31–40

(The True Self is completely distinct from the physical body)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

नाहं मांसं न चास्थीनि देहादन्यः परो ह्यहम्।

इति निश्चयवानन्तः क्षीणाविद्य इहोच्यते ॥ ३१॥

प्रोत्तुङ्गसुरशैलाग्रवैदूर्य शिखरप्रभा।

अथवार्कांशुदुर्भेदा तिमिरश्रीः स्थितोपरि ॥ ३२॥

कल्प्यते हि यथा व्योम्नः कालिमेति स्वभावतः।

पुंसा धरणिसंस्थेन स्वसंकल्पनयेद्धया ॥ ३३॥

कल्पितैवमविद्येयमनात्मन्यात्मभावना।

पुरुषेणाप्रबुद्धेन न प्रबुद्धेन राघव ॥ ३४॥

श्रीराम उवाच।

मेरुनीलमणिच्छाया नेयं नापि तमःप्रभा।

तदेतत्किंकृतं ब्रह्मन्नीलत्वं नभसो वद ॥ ३५॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

न नाम नीलता व्योम्नः शून्यस्य गुणवत्स्थिता।

अन्यरत्नप्रभाभावान्न वाप्येषा च मैरवी ॥ ३६॥

तेजोमयत्वादण्डस्य स्फारत्वादिव तेजसः।

प्राकाश्यादण्डपारस्य तमसो नात्र संभवः ॥ ३७॥

केवलं शून्यतैवैषा बह्वी सुभग लक्ष्यते।

वयस्येवानुरूपा या अविद्याया असन्मयी ॥ ३८॥

स्वदृष्टिक्षयसंपत्तावक्ष्णोरेवोदितं तमः।

वस्तुस्वभावात्तद्व्योम्नः कार्ष्ण्यमित्यवलोक्यते ॥ ३९॥

एतद्बुद्ध्वा यथा व्योम्नि दृश्यमानोऽपि कालिमा।

न कालिमेति बुद्धिः स्यादविद्यातिमिरं तथा ॥ ४०॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.114.31–34

> I am not flesh and I am not bones. I am something other than the body—I am the Supreme Self. The one who holds this firm conviction within, whose ignorance has been destroyed, is said to be liberated here.

> It is like the radiance shining from the peak of a lofty mountain of the gods made of cat’s-eye gem, or like a mass of darkness that the rays of the sun cannot pierce, standing above.

> Just as a person standing on the earth imagines blackness in the empty sky through his own nature, by the power of his own imagination and resolve,

> in the same way this ignorance is merely imagined as the sense of “I” in what is not the Self by an unawakened person, O Raghava—not by one who is awakened.

Sriram said: 

3.114.35

> This is not the blue shadow of the sapphire of Mount Meru, nor is it the glow of darkness. Then what is this blueness of the sky made of, O Brahman? Please tell me.

Sage Vasistha replied: 

3.114.36–40

> There is in truth no blueness existing as a quality in the empty sky. It does not come from the radiance of other gems, nor is it the shadow of Meru.

> Because the cosmic egg (the Universe) is made of light, because light itself is expansive, and because brightness exists beyond the egg, darkness has no place here at all.

> It is only emptiness itself that appears vast and beautiful—exactly like the unreal nature of ignorance, O friend.

> When one’s own power of seeing is destroyed, darkness arises in the eyes themselves. From the nature of the object, the blackness of the sky is perceived that way.

> Once this is understood, just as the blackness that appears in the sky is not truly blackness, so should one understand the darkness of ignorance.

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses teach that the True Self is completely distinct from the physical body. The body is only flesh and bone, while the Real “I” is the Supreme Consciousness beyond form. One who firmly knows this and whose ignorance has ended is already free, even while living in the World.

The apparent darkness or blueness of the sky is used as a clear example. What looks like a real quality of the sky is only an appearance created by the mind. In the same way, the sense of being a limited individual is only an imagined covering over pure awareness.

Ignorance does not exist as a real substance. It is projected by the unawakened mind onto the Pure Self, just as blackness is projected onto empty space. The awakened person no longer creates or believes this projection.

Rama’s question about the sky’s colour shows the natural human tendency to treat appearances as real. Vasistha’s reply removes every possible external explanation and points only to emptiness itself appearing as something solid and coloured.

The final teaching is practical: once the mind sees that the sky’s darkness is unreal, it can apply the same insight to the darkness of ignorance. Both are only seeming, not actual. Realising this ends the power of ignorance and reveals the ever-present light of the Self.

Chapter 3.114, Verses 22–30

Yoga Vashishtha 3.114.22–30

(Root of all bondage is the mind’s firm conceptual conviction about itself and the World)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

पौरुषोद्योगसिद्धेन भोगाशा रूपतां गता।

असंकल्पनमात्रेण साविद्या प्रविलीयते ॥ २२॥

नाहं ब्रह्मेति संकल्पात्सुदृढाद्बध्यते मनः।

सर्वं ब्रह्मेति संकल्पात्सुदृढान्मुच्यते मनः ॥ २३॥

संकल्पः परमो बन्धस्त्वसंकल्पो विमुक्तता।

संकल्पं संविजित्यान्तर्यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥ २४॥

दृढा न याम्बरेऽत्रास्ति नलिनी हेमपङ्कजा।

लोलवैदूर्यमधुपा सुगन्धितदिगन्तरा ॥ २५॥

उद्दण्डैः प्रकटाभोगैर्मृणालभुजमण्डलैः।

विहसन्ती प्रकाशस्य शशिनो रश्मिमण्डलम् ॥ २६॥

विकल्पजालिकेवेत्थमसत्येवापि सत्समा।

मनःस्वार्थविलासार्थं यथा बालेन कल्प्यते ॥ २७॥

तथैवेयमविद्येह भवबन्धनबन्धनी।

चपला न सुखायैव बालेन कलिता दृढा ॥ २८॥

कृशोऽतिदुःखी बद्धोऽहं हस्तपादादिमानहम्।

इति भावानुरूपेण व्यवहारेण बध्यते ॥ २9 ॥

नाहं दुःखी न मे देहो बन्धः कस्यात्मनः स्थितः।

इति भावानुरूपेण व्यवहारेण मुच्यते ॥ ३०॥

Sage Vasistha said: 

3.114.22–30

> The craving for enjoyments, which has taken shape through the success of personal effort, dissolves completely by the mere absence of mental conception. That ignorance vanishes through non-conceptualization alone.

> The mind remains firmly bound by the strong conviction “I am not Brahm” The mind is liberated by the strong conviction “Everything is Brahm”

> Conceptual thought is the highest bondage; non-conceptual Awareness is liberation. Having fully conquered conceptual thought within yourself, act thereafter as you wish.

> There does not exist in the sky any firm lotus growing from golden mud, with restless bees of cat’s-eye gems and fragrance spreading in every direction.

> With raised stalks and fully expanded petals, and with circles of soft fibrous arms, it appears to laugh at the radiant disc of the moon’s rays.

> Just like a web of pure imagination that, though unreal, seems Real, it is created by a child solely for the mind’s own playful enjoyment.

> In exactly the same way, this ignorance here binds a person in the fetters of Worldly existence. It is unstable, brings no Real happiness, and is firmly imagined by a childlike mind.

> “I am thin, extremely miserable, bound, and possessed of hands, feet and so on”—by living and acting in accordance with such notions, a person remains bound.

> “I am not miserable, I have no body, and for which Self does any bondage exist?”—by living and acting in accordance with such notions, a person is set free.

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

These verses teach that the root of all bondage is the mind’s firm conceptual conviction about itself and the World. Desire for pleasure arises only through personal effort and mental projection; the same desire disappears the moment the mind stops generating supporting thoughts. Liberation is therefore not a distant achievement but the simple cessation of limiting ideas.

The decisive power of resolve is emphasized next. Holding the thought “I am not the Absolute” keeps the mind trapped, while holding the opposite conviction “All is the Absolute” dissolves the sense of separation. Conceptual thinking itself is declared the supreme chain; freedom is nothing other than the absence of that thinking. Once the inner habit of conceptualization is mastered, outer action may continue freely without creating new bondage.

An elaborate image of an impossible golden lotus floating in the sky is then introduced. The lotus, complete with jeweled bees and soft fibrous arms that seem to mock the moon, is beautiful yet entirely unreal. It exists only because a child invents it for amusement. In the same way, the entire fabric of worldly ignorance is a mental construction that appears solid and binding only because the mind continually affirms it.

Ignorance therefore has no independent substance. It is fickle, incapable of giving lasting happiness, and sustained solely by childish imagination. The practical implication is clear: the sense of being a limited, suffering body is itself only a notion. When a person lives and behaves according to the idea “I am weak, bound, and embodied,” that very behavior reinforces the prison.

Conversely, when the same person lives according to the clear understanding “I am not the sufferer, the body is not mine, and the Self was never bound,” the chains fall away. Freedom is not produced by external change; it arises the moment the mind stops validating the old story and begins to act from the truth of its own unbound nature.

Chapter 3.114, Verses 11–21

Yoga Vashishtha 3.114.11–21

(The Highest non-dual understanding of the Self)

श्रीराम उवाच।

यावत्किंचिदिदं दृश्यं साविद्या क्षीयते च सा।

आत्मभावनया ब्रह्मन्नात्मासौ कीदृशः स्मृतः ॥ ११॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

चेत्यानुपातरहितं सामान्येन च सर्वगम्।

यच्चित्तत्त्वमनाख्येयं स आत्मा परमेश्वरः ॥ १२॥

आब्रह्म स्तम्बपर्यन्तं तृणादि यदिदं जगत्।

तत्सर्वं सर्वदात्मैव नाविद्या विद्यतेऽनघ ॥ १३॥

सर्वं च खल्विदं ब्रह्म नित्यं चिद्धनमक्षतम्।

कल्पनान्या मनोनाम्नी विद्यते नहि काचन ॥ १४॥

न जायते न म्रियते किंचिदत्र जगत्त्रये।

न च भावविकाराणां सत्ता क्वचन विद्यते ॥ १५॥

केवलं केवलाभासं सर्वसामान्यमक्षतम्।

चेत्यानुपातरहितं चिन्मात्रमिह विद्यते ॥ १६॥

तस्मिन्नित्ये तते शुद्धे चिन्मात्रे निरुपद्रवे।

शान्ते समसमाभोगे निर्विकारोदितात्मनि ॥ १७॥

यैषा स्वभावातिगतं स्वयं संकल्प्य धावति।

चिच्चैत्यं स्वयमाम्लाना सा म्लाना तन्मनः स्मृतम् ॥ १८॥

एतस्मात्सर्वगाद्देवात्सर्वशक्तेर्महात्मनः।

विभागकलनाशक्तिर्लहरीवोत्थिताम्भसः ॥ १९॥

एकस्मिन्वितते शान्ते या न किंचन विद्यते।

संकल्पमात्रेण गता सा सिद्धिं परमात्मनि ॥ २०॥

अतः संकल्पसिद्धेयं संकल्पेनैव नश्यति।

येनैव जाता तेनैव वह्निज्वालेव वायुना ॥ २१॥

Sriram asked: 

3.114.11

> O Brahman, as long as this visible World exists and as long as that ignorance continues, of what nature is that Self which is contemplated through the sense of the Self?

Sage Vasistha said: 

3.114.12–17

> That principle of Consciousness which is free from any contact with the Knowable, which is all-pervading in a general way, and which cannot be named — that is the Self, the Supreme Lord.

> From Brahma down to a blade of grass, whatever this World is — all of it is always the Self alone. There is no ignorance, O sinless one.

> Indeed, all this is Brahm — Eternal, dense with Consciousness, and undamaged. There is no other imagination that goes by the name of mind.

> Nothing is born and nothing dies anywhere in these three Worlds. Nor does any existence of modifications of being exist anywhere.

> Only the pure appearance that is common to all, undamaged, free from contact with the Knowable, Pure Consciousness alone exists here.

> In that Eternal, expansive, Pure Consciousness which is free from disturbance, peaceful, of equal and complete enjoyment, and which has arisen as the Self free from modifications —

3.114.18–21

> That which, going beyond its own nature, itself forms a resolve and runs; Consciousness itself becoming the object of Consciousness, itself remaining unfaded — that faded one is known as the mind.

> From this all-pervading God, the all-powerful great Self, the power of imagining division rises like a wave rising from water.

> In that one expansive and peaceful Reality in which nothing exists, that which has gone forth by mere resolve attains fulfilment in the Supreme Self.

> Therefore this which is established by resolve is destroyed by resolve alone — by that very thing by which it was born, just as a flame of fire is extinguished by the wind.

Detailed summary of the teachings:

These verses present the highest non-dual understanding of the Self. Rama asks what the nature of the Self is while the visible world and ignorance still appear to exist. Vasistha replies that the True Self is Pure Consciousness itself — free from any contact with objects, all-pervading, and beyond every name or description. It is not a limited entity but the Supreme Lord.

The teaching then dissolves the entire appearance of the World. Everything from the Highest Creator down to the smallest blade of grass is nothing but the Self at all times. Ignorance has no real existence. The whole Universe is Eternal Brahm, solid Consciousness, completely undamaged. What people call “mind” is only an imagined notion; no such separate thing truly exists.

Nothing is ever born and nothing ever dies in the three worlds. Modifications of existence have no real standing. What alone remains is pure, undamaged Consciousness — the common ground of all appearance, free from every object.

Within this Pure, Eternal, peaceful, and Unchanging Consciousness, a power of imagination arises. Consciousness itself, while remaining unfaded, forms a resolve, runs after it, and appears as the “mind.” This power of imagining division is like a wave rising from the ocean of the all-powerful Self. The wave has no separate substance; it is only the Self appearing to move.

Because the entire appearance of diversity is established only by resolve (sankalpa), it is also destroyed only by resolve. Just as a flame is born of wind and is extinguished by wind, the imagined World arises from the Self’s own power of thought and is dissolved by the same power when it turns back upon itself. Thus the verses lead the seeker to rest in the pure, undivided Consciousness in which no second thing has ever truly existed.

Chapter 3.114, Verses 1–10

Yoga Vashishtha 3.114.1–10

(Nature of the dense darkness of ignorance that grips every person)

श्रीराम उवाच।

अविद्याविभवप्रोत्थं निविडं पुरुषस्य हि।

महदान्ध्यमिदं ब्रह्मन्कथं नाम विनश्यति ॥ १॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

यथा तुषारकणिका भास्करालोकनात्क्षणात्।

नश्यत्येवमविद्येयं राघवात्मावलोकनात् ॥ २॥

तावत्संसारभृगुषु स्वात्मना सह देहिनम्।

आन्दोलयति नीरन्ध्रदुःखकण्टकशालिषु ॥ ३॥

अविद्या यावदस्यास्तु नोत्पन्ना क्षयकारिणी।

स्वयमात्मावलोकेच्छा मोहसंक्षयदायिनी ॥ ४॥

अस्याः परं प्रपश्यन्त्याः स्वात्मनाशः प्रजायते।

आतपानुभवार्थिन्याश्छायाया इव राघव ॥ ५॥

दृष्टे सर्वगते बोधे स्वयमेव विलीयते।

सर्वाशाभ्युदितेच्छाया द्वादशार्कगणे यथा ॥ ६॥

इच्छामात्रमविद्येह तन्नाशो मोक्ष उच्यते।

स चासंकल्पमात्रेण सिद्धो भवति राघव ॥ ७॥

मनागपि मनोव्योम्नि वासनारजनीक्षये।

कालिमा तनुतामेति चिदादित्यमहोदयात् ॥ ८॥

यथोदिते दिनकरे क्वापि याति तमस्विनी।

तथा विवेकेऽभ्युदिते क्वाप्यविद्या विलीयते ॥ ९॥

दृढवासनया बन्धो घनतामेति चेतसः।

बलाद्वेतालसंकल्पः संध्याकाले यथा शिशोः ॥ १०॥

Sriram asked: 

3.114.1

> O Brahman, this dense and great darkness that has arisen from the power of ignorance in a person—how exactly does it come to an end?

Sage Vasistha said: 

3.114.2–6

> Just as a tiny particle of frost vanishes in an instant when the sun’s light falls on it, so this ignorance disappears the moment one looks upon the Self, O Raghava.

> Until then it keeps tossing the embodied Being, together with his own sense of self, among the steep cliffs of Worldly existence that are thickly covered with unbroken thorns of sorrow.

> As long as the wish to look upon one’s own Self—the wish that itself destroys delusion—has not arisen, ignorance continues.

> When ignorance begins to look upon the Supreme, its own destruction takes place, just as a shadow that seeks the experience of sunlight is itself destroyed, O Raghava.

> Once the all-pervading Awareness is seen, ignorance melts away by itself, just as every hope-filled desire vanishes when the host of twelve suns rises.

3.114.7–10

> Ignorance in this world is nothing but desire; the ending of that desire is called liberation. And that liberation is accomplished simply by the absence of imagination, O Raghava.

> Even a slight thinning of the night of latent tendencies in the sky of the mind causes the darkness to grow thin when the great Sun of Pure Consciousness rises.

> Just as night disappears somewhere the moment the Sun rises, so ignorance dissolves and vanishes the moment right discrimination arises.

> Firm latent tendencies make the bondage of the mind dense and heavy, just as the forced imagination of a ghost takes hold of a child at twilight.

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

These verses open with Rama’s direct question about the nature of the dense darkness of ignorance that grips every person. Vasistha answers by showing that this darkness is not a permanent substance; it is as fragile as frost before the Sun. The mere clear seeing of one’s own Self is enough to make it vanish instantly. Until that seeing occurs, however, the same ignorance continues to hurl the embodied being into the painful cliffs of samsara, where every step is covered with the thorns of unbroken sorrow.

The decisive turning point is the arising of the desire to look at the Self. As long as that desire has not appeared, ignorance remains. The moment it does appear, ignorance is already on the path to its own end. Vasistha compares this to a shadow that tries to experience sunlight: the very attempt dissolves the shadow. In the same way, when the all-pervading Awareness is recognised, ignorance melts of its own accord, just as every hope and longing dissolves when the twelve suns of intense light rise.

Liberation is therefore defined simply as the ending of desire, and desire is declared to be the whole of ignorance. That ending does not require elaborate effort; it is accomplished by the mere absence of mental imagination or projection. Even a slight weakening of the night of latent tendencies (vasanas) in the mind allows the Sun of Pure Consciousness to thin the remaining darkness. When discrimination truly rises, ignorance has nowhere to stay and disappears completely, exactly as night disappears when the Sun appears.

Finally, the verses warn that strong, fixed latent tendencies make the mind’s bondage dense and hard to shake, just as a child’s fearful imagination of a ghost becomes overwhelming at twilight. The teaching therefore points both to the power of right seeing and to the need to weaken the vasanas that keep the darkness thick. Once the Self is seen and the imagination ceases, the entire structure of ignorance collapses by itself.