Chapter 3.40, Verses 55–64

Yoga Vashishtha 3.40.55–64

(These verses emphasize the infinite and transient nature of manifested beings and worlds within the vast expanse of consciousness. Innumerable creators, Gods, and perceivers of Cosmic structures arise, exist briefly, and dissolve, like fleeting visions)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

कोटयो ब्रह्मरुद्रेन्द्रमरुद्विष्णुविवस्वताम् ।

गिर्यब्धिमण्डलद्वीपलोकान्तरदृशां गताः ॥ ५५ ॥

याता यास्यन्ति यान्त्येता दृष्टयो नष्टरूपिणीः ।

या ब्रह्मण्युपबृंहाढ्यास्ताः के गणयितुं क्षमाः ॥ ५६ ॥

एवं कुड्यमयं विश्वं नास्त्येव मननादृते।

मनने चलमेवान्तस्तदिदानीं विचारय ॥ ५७ ॥

यदेव तच्चिदाकाशं तदेव मननं स्मृतम्।

यदेव च चिदाकाशं तदेव परमं पदम् ॥ ५८ ॥

यदेवाम्बु स आवर्तो नत्वस्यावर्त वस्तु सन् ।

द्रष्टैवास्ते दृश्यमिव दृश्यं नत्वस्ति वस्तु सत् ॥ ५९ ॥

चिद्व्योम्नो भूतनभसि कचनं यन्मणेरिव।

तज्जगद्भाविनानासत्तत्त्वं श्वभ्रमिवाम्बरे ॥ ६० ॥

मद्बुद्धार्थो जगच्छब्दो विद्यते परमामृतम् ।

त्वद्बुद्धारर्थस्तु नास्त्येव त्वमहंशब्दकादपि ॥ ६१ ॥

तस्माल्लीलासरस्वत्यावाकाशवपुषौ स्थिते ।

सर्वगे परमात्माच्छे सर्वत्राप्रतिघेऽनघे ॥ ६२ ॥

यत्र यत्र सदा व्योम्नि यथाकामं यथेप्सितम् ।

उदयं कुरुतस्तेन तद्गेहेऽस्ति गतिस्तयोः ॥ ६३ ॥

सर्वत्र संभवति चिद्गगनं तदत्र सद्वेदनं कलनमामननं विसारि ।

तच्चातिवाहिकमिहाहुरकुड्यमेव देहं कथं क इव तं वद किं रुणद्धि ॥ ६४ ॥

Maharishi Vasishta said:

3.40.55–60

> Countless Brahmas, Rudras, Indras, Maruts, Vishnus, suns, and beings who perceive mountains, oceans, continents, islands, and other worlds have come and gone. 

> These perceptions come, go, and pass away, losing their forms. Those that are nourished and expanded in Brahman—who can count them? 

> Thus, this world, which seems solid like a wall, does not exist at all except through thought. It moves only in thought within. Reflect on this now. 

> What is called Pure Consciousness-Space is itself known as thought. And that very Consciousness-Space is the Supreme State. 

> Just as water is real but the whirlpool in it is not a separate real thing, the seer alone exists, appearing as if seeing an object; but the seen object has no real existence. 

> The appearance of the world in the Space of Consciousness, like a shine in a gem, or like the notion of many things in empty sky, is the unreal imagination of future existence. 

3.40.61–64

> The word "world" exists only in my understanding as supreme nectar (bliss); but in your understanding, it does not exist at all—not even from words like "I" and "you." 

> Therefore, Lila and Sarasvati, having bodies of space, exist in the supreme Self, which is all-pervading, clear, unobstructed everywhere, and sinless.

> Wherever in Space they always arise as they wish and desire, there is their abode and movement.

> Consciousness-sky is everywhere possible; here it is True Knowledge, imagination, and pervasive thought. It is called the subtle body here, without walls. How or who blocks it—what can stop it? 

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

No one can enumerate these endless appearances because they are mere modifications or expansions within the one unchanging Brahm. The teaching points to the illusory brevity of individual existences against the backdrop of Eternal Reality, urging recognition that multiplicity is not Ultimate.

The world appears solid and objective, yet it has no independent existence apart from mental activity or thought (manana). Without thought, there is no world—everything perceived as external is internal vibration of the mind. Vasishta instructs direct inquiry into this: the Universe is "wall-like" only due to habitual thinking, and true insight reveals its non-substantiality. This forms a core Advaitic principle that phenomena depend entirely on Consciousness for their seeming Reality.

Consciousness (cid-akasha) is equated with thought and also with the Highest State (paramam padam). There is no distinction between Pure Awareness, the process of conceptualization, and Ultimate Reality. The verse uses the analogy of water and its temporary whirlpool to illustrate that the perceiver (drashta) alone is real, while the perceived (drishya) lacks independent substance. The world is like an unreal appearance projected onto consciousness, without any true "thingness."

The world exists only as a notion in individual minds—beautiful and blissful in one perspective (as supreme nectar), yet utterly nonexistent in enlightened understanding, including even basic dualistic notions like "I" and "you." This highlights how reality shifts with Realization: ignorance gives rise to perceived multiplicity and solidity, while Knowledge dissolves it completely into non-dual Awareness.

Finally, enlightened beings like Lila and Sarasvati, embodied as Pure Space, abide freely in the all-pervading, pure, and flawless Supreme Self. 

Consciousness can manifest anywhere as desired, without obstruction, as it is inherently subtle, wall-less, and limitless. Nothing can hinder it, as it is the very substratum of all experience. The teaching culminates in the freedom of the Self, where knowledge, imagination, and subtle existence expand boundlessly, affirming liberation as unrestricted Being.

Chapter 3.40, Verses 45–54

Yoga Vashishtha 3.40.45–54

(These verses explain how the individual soul -jiva- creates and experiences its own personal world at the moment of death or in the process of birth and rebirth)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

यत्रैव म्रियते जन्तुः पश्यत्याशु तदेव सः।

तत्रैव भुवनाभोगमिममित्थमिव स्थितम् ॥ ४५ ॥

व्योमैवानुभवत्यच्छमहं जगदिति भ्रमम्।

व्योमरूपं व्योमरूपी जीवो जात इवात्मवान् ॥ ४६ ॥

सुरपत्तनशैलार्कतारानिकरसुन्दरम् ।

जरामरणवैक्लव्यव्याधिसंकटकोटरम् ॥ ४७ ॥

स्वभावाभावसंरम्भस्थूलसूक्ष्मचराचरम् ।

साव्ध्यद्व्युर्वीनदीशाहोरात्रिकल्पक्षणक्षयम् ॥ ४८ ॥

अहं जातोऽमुना पित्रा किलात्रेत्याप्तनिश्चयम् ।

इयं माता धनमिदं ममेत्युदितवासनम् ॥ ४९ ॥

सुकृतं दुष्कृतं चेदं ममेति कृतकल्पनम्।

बालोऽभूवमहं त्वद्य युवेति विलसद्धृदि ॥ ५० ॥

प्रत्येकमेवमुदितः संसारवनखण्डकः।

ताराकुसुमितो नीलमेघचञ्चलपल्लवः ॥ ५१ ॥

चरन्नरमृगानीकः सुरासुरविहंगमः ।

आलोककौसुमरजाः श्यामागहनकुञ्जकः ॥ ५२ ॥

अब्धिपुष्करिणीपूर्णो मेर्वाद्यचललोष्टकः ।

चित्तपुष्करबीजान्तर्निलीनानुभवाङ्कुरः ॥ ५३ ॥

यत्रैष म्रियते जीवस्तत्रैवं पश्यति क्षणात् ।

प्रत्येकमुदितेष्वेवं जगत्खण्डेषु भूरिशः ॥ ५४ ॥

Maharishi Vashishta said:

3.40.45–50

> Wherever a living Being dies, he quickly sees that very place as his world spread out before him in this manner.

> The clear space (void) itself experiences the delusion "I am the world." The soul, having the form of Space and being of the nature of Space, appears as if born with ego-sense.

> It appears beautiful with cities of gods, mountains, suns, clusters of stars; yet it is hollow with the miseries of old age, death, distress, and diseases.

> It is made of natural absence and presence, gross and subtle, moving and unmoving; it includes mountains, earth, rivers, days and nights, eons, moments, and their destruction.

> With the firm conviction "I was born here through this father," and the latent impression "This is my mother, this wealth is mine."

> Imagining "These good and bad deeds are mine," and in the heart thinking "I was a child before, now I am young."

3.40.51–54

> In this way, each one individually rises as a fragment of the world-forest — flowered with stars, having fickle leaves of dark clouds.

> Moving with herds of men and animals, with birds of gods and demons; sprinkled with rays of light like flowers, thick with dark groves.

> Full of oceans and lakes, with lumps of mountains like Meru; the sprout of experience hidden inside the lotus seed of the mind.

> Wherever this soul dies, in that very instant it sees this; thus in many such individually arisen world-fragments, it happens repeatedly.

Detailed summary of the teachings:

The teaching emphasizes that death is not an end but an instant transition where the dying being immediately perceives a new or continued world based on its own mind and vasanas (latent impressions). The world is not objective or shared in the same way for everyone; instead, each soul projects its Reality from Pure Space-like Consciousness, showing the illusory and subjective nature of existence.

The core idea is that the entire Universe appears within the Infinite, Formless Space (vyoma) of Consciousness. The soul, being non-different from this empty Space, mistakenly identifies itself as a limited entity and imagines a vast, beautiful yet painful world full of celestial cities, mountains, stars, gods, demons, aging, diseases, time cycles, and natural elements. This projection arises from delusion (bhrama), where the clear void experiences itself as "I am the world," highlighting non-duality — there is no real creation apart from mind.

The verses describe how egoistic notions solidify this illusion: beliefs like "I was born to this father in this place," "This is my mother," "This is my wealth," "These are my good and bad actions," and the sense of time passing from childhood to youth. These vasanas and convictions bind the soul to repeated cycles of samsara, making the world seem solid and personal, even though it is merely a mental construct without true substance.

Using poetic metaphors, Sage Vasishta portrays each individual's world as a separate "fragment" of a vast forest-like samsara: starry flowers, cloudy leaves, moving creatures, light rays like blossoms, dense dark groves, oceans, mountains, all sprouting from the tiny seed of chitta (mind). This illustrates the multiplicity of worlds within Consciousness — countless private Universes arising and vanishing, each unique to the perceiver, yet all rooted in the same underlying Reality.

Ultimately, the teaching points to liberation through understanding this process. Since the soul sees its world instantly upon "death" in any fragment, and this repeats across many such worlds, true freedom comes from recognizing the dream-like, mind-born nature of all experience. By transcending identification with the body, ego, and vasanas, one Realizes the Pure, Unchanging Space of Awareness beyond birth and death, dissolving the illusion of separate worlds and individual suffering.

Chapter 3.40, Verses 28–44

Yoga Vashishtha 3.40.28–44

(These verses explore the nature of the mind as the root cause of the perceived world and individual existence)

श्रीराम उवाच ।

किं चित्तमेतद्भवति किंवा भवति नौ कथम् ।

कथमेव न सद्रूपं नान्यद्भवति वीक्षणात् ॥ २८ ॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

प्रत्येकमेव यच्चित्तं तदेवंरूपशक्तिकम् ।

पृथक्प्रत्येकमुदितः प्रतिचित्तं जगद्भ्रमः ॥ २९ ॥

क्षणकल्पजगत्संघा समुद्यन्ति गलन्ति च ।

निमेषात्कस्यचित्कल्पात्कस्यचिच्च क्रमं श्रृणु ॥ ३० ॥

मरणादिमयी मूर्च्छा प्रत्येकेनानुभूयते ।

यैषा तां विद्धि सुमते महाप्रलययामिनीम् ॥ ३१ ॥

तदन्ते तनुते सर्गं सर्व एव पृथक्पृथक् ।

सहजस्वप्नसंकल्पान्संभ्रमाचलनृत्यवत् ॥ ३२ ॥

महाप्रलयरात्र्यन्ते चिरादात्ममनोवपुः ।

यथेदं तनुते तद्वत्प्रत्येकं मृत्यनन्तरम् ॥ ३३ ॥

श्रीराम उवाच ।

मृतेरनन्तरं सर्गो यथा स्मृत्यानुभूयते।

चिरात्तथानुभवति नातो विश्वमकारणम् ॥ ३४ ॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

महति प्रलये राम सर्वे हरिहरादयः ।

विदेहमुक्ततां यान्ति स्मृतेः क इव संभव ॥ ३५ ॥

अस्मदादिः प्रबुद्धात्मा किलावश्यं विमुच्यते ।

कथं भवन्तु नो मुक्ता विदेहाः पद्मजातयः ॥ ३६ ॥

अन्ये त्वमिव ये जीवास्तेषां मरणजन्मसु ।

स्मृतिः कारणतामेति मोक्षाभाववशादिह ॥ ३७ ॥

भवत्यद्रिर्धराधारो बद्धपीठो नभः शिराः।

जीवो हि मृतिमूर्च्छान्ते यदन्तः प्रोन्मिषन्निव ।

अनुन्मिषित एवास्ते तत्प्रधानमुदाहृतम् ॥ ३८ ॥

तद्व्योमप्रकृतिः प्रोक्ता तदव्यक्तं जडाजडम् ।

संस्मृतेरस्मृतेश्चैव क्रम एष भवोदये ॥ ३९ ॥

बोधोन्मुखत्वे हि महत्तत्प्रबुद्धं यदा भवेत् ।

तदा तन्मात्रदिक्कालक्रिया भूताद्युदेति खात् ॥ ४० ॥

तदेवोच्छूनमाबुद्धं भवतीन्द्रियपञ्चकम्।

तदेव बुध्यते देहः स एषोऽस्यातिवाहिकः ॥ ४१ ॥

चिरकालप्रत्ययतः कल्पनापरिपीवरः।

आधिभौतिकताबोधमाधत्ते चैष बालवत् ॥ ४२ ॥

ततो दिक्कालकलनास्तदाधारतया स्थिताः ।

उद्यन्त्यनुदिता एव वायोः स्पन्दक्रिया इव ॥ ४३ ॥

वृद्धिमित्थमयं यातो मुधैव भुवनभ्रमः ।

स्वप्नाङ्गनासङ्गसमस्त्वनुभूतोऽप्यसन्मयः ॥ ४४ ॥

Sriram asked:

3.40.28

> What is this mind? How does it come into being, or how does it not? How is it that, upon seeing, it is not truly real, and nothing else appears?

Maharishi Vashishta answered: 

3.40.29–33

> Each individual mind has the power to take such forms. From each mind arising separately, the illusion of the world appears distinctly for each one.

> Groups of worlds lasting a moment or a kalpa arise and dissolve. Listen to the sequence: in a moment for someone, it is a kalpa for another.

> Each one experiences a fainting-like state involving death and so on. Know that this, O wise one, is the great dissolution night.

> After that, each one separately expands creation, like natural dream-thoughts, due to delusion, dancing like unsteady motion.

> Just as at the end of the great dissolution night, after a long time, the body of the Self-mind manifests this world, so too each one does after death.

Sriram asked:

3.40.34

> After death, Creation is experienced as if by memory. In the same way, after a long time, one experiences it; the world is not without cause.

Maharishi Vashishta answered:

3.40.35–38

> In the great dissolution, O Rama, all including Hari, Hara, etc., attain bodiless liberation. How can there be memory?

> People like us, whose Self is awakened, certainly attain liberation. How can Brahma and others, who are liberated without body, not be free?

> For others like you who are living beings, memory becomes the cause in deaths and births here, due to the absence of liberation.

> The mountain becomes the support of the earth, the bound seat has sky as head. The jiva, at the end of death-faint, as if opening inwardly, yet remains unopened; that is called the chief.

3.40.39–44

> That is called space-nature, the unmanifest, both inert and non-inert. This is the sequence from memory and non-memory in the rise of existence.

> When it turns towards awakening in the great, then that awakened one gives rise from Space to the subtle elements, direction, time, action, elements, etc.

> That very thing, swollen and awakened, becomes the five senses. That itself knows the body; this is its ativahika (transmigrating subtle body).

> Due to long-held conviction, fattened by imagination, it assumes the sense of physical materiality like a child.

> Then direction, time, and actions stand as its support. They arise as if unarisen, like the vibrations of wind.

> In this way, this world-delusion has grown vainly. Though experienced like the embrace of a dream-woman, it is unreal.

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

Rama questions how the mind arises, why it appears real yet is not truly so upon examination, and how perception creates the illusion of an external reality. Vasishta explains that each mind independently projects its own world-illusion, arising separately for every Being. This highlights the subjective nature of Reality: the Universe is not one objective creation but countless personal dreams emerging from individual Consciousnesses. Worlds can seem momentary or eternal depending on the perceiver's scale of time, emphasizing relativity in experience.

The process of cosmic cycles (creation and dissolution) mirrors individual death and rebirth. Each Being experiences a "great dissolution" in the faint of death, where the world vanishes temporarily. After this "night," the mind recreates its world through innate, dream-like sankalpa (willful imagination), much like spontaneous thoughts in sleep. This recreation happens swiftly after death, driven by latent impressions, showing continuity through memory and vasanas rather than an external cause.

Rama notes that post-death Creation feels like recalling memories over time, implying the world lacks independent Reality. Vasishta clarifies that in true Cosmic dissolution, even gods attain videhamukti (liberation without body), leaving no room for memory or rebirth. Awakened souls (like Realized Beings) escape this cycle permanently. Ordinary jivas, bound by ignorance, retain memory across lives, causing repeated birth and death due to non-liberation.

The subtle body (ativahika or linga sharira) is described as the core: at death's faint, the jiva remains inwardly "unopened" yet potent, like unmanifest potential. This is the unmanifest prakriti or Space-like Essence—neither fully inert nor conscious—arising from memory or its absence. When inclined toward awakening, it manifests time, space, elements, senses, and the gross body from "Space" (void Consciousness). Long-held beliefs thicken this subtle form into a sense of physicality, child-like in its naive assumption of materiality.

Ultimately, the world-delusion grows meaninglessly through imagination and conviction. 

Though vividly experienced—like intimate union in a dream—it remains unreal (asat). The teaching underscores Advaita non-duality: all appearance is mind-born illusion, sustained by ignorance and dissolved in Self-knowledge. Liberation comes from recognizing the mind's projective power, transcending memory-driven cycles, and Realizing the unchanging Self beyond birth, death, and worlds.

Chapter 3.40, Verses 16–27

Yoga Vashishtha 3.40.16–27

(These verses explain the True Nature of the individual Self or jiva as a Pure Creation of the mind)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

यः पुनः स्वप्नसंकल्पपुरुषः प्रतिमाकृतिः ।

आकाशमात्रकाकारः स कथं केन रोध्यते ॥ १६ ॥

चित्तमात्रं शरीरं तु सर्वस्यैव हि सर्वतः।

विद्यते वेदनाच्चैतत्क्वचिदेतीव हृद्गतात् ॥ १७ ॥

यथाभिमतमेवास्य भवत्यस्तमयोदयम्।

आदिसर्गे स्वभावोत्थं पश्चाद्द्वैतैक्यकारणम् ॥ १८ ॥

चित्ताकाशं चिदाकाशमाकाशं च तृतीयकम् ।

विद्ध्येतत्त्रयमेकं त्वमविनाभावनावशात् ॥ १९ ॥

एतच्चित्तशरीरत्वं विद्धि सर्वगतोदयम्।

यथासंवेदनेच्छत्वाद्यथासंवेदनोदयम् ॥ २० ॥

वसति त्रसरेण्वन्तर्ध्रियते गगनोदरे ।

लीयतेऽङ्कुरकोशेषु रसीभवति पल्लवे ॥ २१ ॥

उल्लसत्यम्बुवीचित्वे प्रनृत्यति शिलोदरे । 

प्रवर्षत्यम्बुदो भूत्वा शिलीभूयावतिष्ठते ॥ २२ ॥

यथेच्छमम्बरे याति जठरेऽपि च भूभृताम् ।

अनन्तराकाशवपुर्धत्तेऽथ परमाणुताम् ॥ २३ ॥

देहस्यान्तर्बहिरपि दधद्वनतनूरुहम् ॥ २४ ॥

भवत्याकाशमाधत्ते कोटीः पद्मजसद्मनाम् ।

अनन्याः स्वात्मनोऽम्भोधिरावर्तरचना इव ॥ २५ ॥

अनुद्विग्नप्रबोधोऽसौ सर्गादौ चित्तदेहकः ।

आकाशत्मा महान्भूत्वा वेत्ति प्रकृततां ततः ॥ २६ ॥

असत्यमेव वारित्वं बुद्ध्योदेतीव तत्तथा ।

वन्ध्यापुत्रोऽयमस्तीति यथा स्वप्ने भ्रमो नरः ॥ २७ ॥

Maharishi Vashishta continued:

3.40.16–19

> The being created by dream-like imagination and will, which is merely an image or reflection and exists only as the form of space itself—how can it be stopped or restrained by anything?

> The mind alone is the body for everyone, everywhere. This is known from experience, as it seems to arise from the heart or inner feeling.

> Whatever is desired or conceived by it becomes its rise and fall. In the beginning of creation, it arises from its own nature, and later it becomes the cause of duality and unity.

> Know that the Space of the mind (chittakasha), the Space of Consciousness (chidakasha), and the third Space (physical ether) are all one, due to their inseparable connection.

3.40.20–27

> Understand this mind-body to be all-pervading in its arising. It rises and exists according to its own perception and desire.

> It dwells within the smallest particle, is hidden in the vast sky, dissolves into sprouts, and becomes sap in leaves.

> It shines as waves in water, dances within stones, becomes a cloud and rains, then turns solid as rock and stays.

> As it wishes, it moves in space, enters the bellies of mountains, assumes the form of Infinite Space, and then takes the form of the smallest atom.

> It holds the body both inside and outside, bearing hair and all forms.

> It creates countless lotus-like worlds of Brahm within Space, like countless whirlpools in the ocean that are not different from the ocean itself.

> In the beginning of creation, this mind-body, undisturbed in its awakening, becomes great as Space and then knows its own Natural State.

> Just as the idea of water arises falsely in the mind and seems real, or as a man in a dream believes a barren woman's son exists—this is how it appears.

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

These verses explain the True Nature of the individual Self or jiva as a Pure Creation of the mind (chitta). It is not a solid, independent entity but a dream-like projection born from imagination and will, appearing as a person or form yet essentially formless Space. Nothing can obstruct or bind it because it has no real substance—its apparent existence depends entirely on thought and perception.

The mind itself is the subtle body that pervades everything. It is not limited to physical form but is the core of all experience, arising from Inner Consciousness or feeling. Whatever the mind conceives or desires instantly becomes its reality, including birth, death, duality, and unity. This shows creation is not an external event but an internal projection rooted in the mind's own nature from the very start.

Sage Vasishta unifies three levels of "Space": the mental Space (where thoughts arise), the Space of Pure Consciousness (the Aware Essence), and physical ether. 

They are not separate but one indivisible reality, inseparable due to their mutual dependence. This teaches non-duality—everything perceived as multiple is actually the same underlying Essence.

The mind-body is omnipresent and takes any form according to its own will and perception. 

It manifests as tiny particles or vast skies, as fluid waves or solid rocks, as rain clouds or immovable stone. It moves freely in Space, enters mountains, shrinks to an atom, or expands infinitely. This illustrates the mind's limitless power to appear as the entire Universe while remaining untouched.

Ultimately, the mind's creations are illusory, like false notions in a dream (e.g., water in a mirage or a barren woman's son). In the dawn of Creation, the mind awakens without disturbance, expands as vast Space, and Realizes its True Nature. The teaching emphasizes that the world and ego are unreal projections of Consciousness, and liberation comes from recognizing this dream-like quality, leading to freedom from false bondage.

Chapter 3.40, Verses 1–15

Yoga Vashishtha 3.40.1–15

(These verses describe a scene where the Goddess Lila enters a king's house subtly through small openings while he sleeps, illustrating how non-physical entities move freely)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

एवं निशाचराचारचिरघोरे रणाङ्गणे ।

अहनीव जनाचारे स्थिते यामावरेहिते ॥ १ ॥

हस्तहार्यतमःपिण्डस्फुटकुड्ये निशागृहे।

लाभोच्छदोच्चलचते भूतसङ्घे प्रवल्गति ॥ २ ॥

निःशब्दे ध्वान्तसंचारे निद्रारुद्धककुब्गणे ।

लीलापतिरुदारात्मा किंचित्खिन्नमना इव ॥ ३ ॥

प्रातःकार्यं विचार्याशु मन्त्रिभिर्मन्त्रकोविदैः ।

दीर्घचन्द्रसमाकारे शयने हिमशीतले ॥ ४ ॥

चन्द्रोदरनिभे चारुगृहे शिशिरकोटरे।

निद्रां मुहूर्तमगमन्मुद्रितेक्षणपुष्करः ॥ ५॥

अथ ते ललने व्योम तत्परित्यज्य तद्गृहम् ।

रन्ध्रैर्विविशतुर्वातलेखेऽब्जमुकुलं यथा ॥ ६ ॥

श्रीराम उवाच ।

कियन्मात्रमिदं स्थूलं शरीरं वाग्विदांवर।

रन्ध्रेण तन्तुतनुना कथमाश्वाविशत्प्रभो ॥ ७ ॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

आधिभौतिकदेहोऽहमिति यस्य मतिभ्रमः ।

तस्यासावणुरन्ध्रेण गन्तुं शक्नोति नानघ ॥ ८ ॥

रोधितोऽहमनेनेति न माम्यत्रेति यस्य धीः ।

अनुभूतानुभवती भवतीत्यनुभूयते ॥ ९ ॥

येनानुभूतं पूर्वार्धं गच्छामीति स तत्क्रियः ।

कथं भवति पश्चार्धं गमनोन्मुखचेतनः ॥ १० ॥

नहि वार्यूर्ध्वमायाति नाधो गच्छति पावकः ।

या यथैव प्रवृत्ता चित्सा तथैव प्रतिष्ठिता ॥ ११ ॥

छायायामुपविष्टस्य कुतस्तापानुभूतयः।

यस्य संवेदनेऽन्योऽर्थः केनचिन्नानुभूयते ॥ १२ ॥

यथा संवित्तथा चित्तं सा तथावस्थितिं गता ।

परमेण प्रयत्नेन नीयतेऽन्यदशां पुनः ॥ १३ ॥

सर्पैकप्रत्ययो रज्ज्वामसर्पप्रत्यये बलात् ।

निवर्ततेऽन्यथा त्वेष तिष्ठत्येव यथास्थितः ॥ १४ ॥

यथा संवित्तथा चित्तं यथा चित्तं तथेहितम् ।

बालं प्रत्यपि संसिद्धमेतत्को नानुभूतवान् ॥ १५ ॥

Maharishi Vashishta said:

3.40.1–6

> In this way, on the battlefield that had long been terrible due to the actions of night-roaming demons, when the night watches had passed and people were resting as if in daily routine.

> In the dark house of night, where darkness could be grabbed by hand like lumps on cracked walls, groups of spirits were jumping around wildly with excitement for gains.

> In complete silence, with darkness moving about and sleep closing all directions, Lila's Lord (the Supreme soul), noble by nature, seemed a little tired in mind.

> After quickly thinking about morning duties with wise ministers skilled in counsel, on a long moon-like cool bed.

> In a beautiful house resembling the moon's belly, in a cool cave-like room, he slept for a moment with closed lotus-like eyes.

> Then those two Goddesses (Lila's forms), leaving the sky, entered that house through openings, just as wind enters a lotus bud.

Sriram asked: 

3.40.7

> O best among speakers, how could this gross body, even if small, enter through such a thin opening, O Lord?

Maharishi Vashishta replied:

3.40.7–15

> For one who thinks "I am this physical body," that body cannot go through even a tiny hole, O sinless one.

> When the mind thinks "I am blocked by this" or "I cannot go here," experience follows that belief and becomes Real.

> What was experienced before as "I am going" leads to action; how can the later part happen when Consciousness is directed toward movement?

> Water does not rise upward, fire does not go downward; Consciousness stays established exactly as it has proceeded.

> How can heat be felt by one sitting in shade? When in perception another meaning is not experienced by anything.

> As is the understanding, so is the mind; it has reached that State. With supreme effort, it is led again to another condition.

> When the notion of a snake arises strongly on a rope, but the notion of no-snake arises, the belief in snake is forcibly removed; otherwise it remains as it is.

> As is the understanding, so is the mind; as is the mind, so are the actions. This is proven even to a child—who has not experienced it?

Detailed summary of the teachings:

Rama questions how a gross body can pass through tiny holes, prompting Vasishta to explain that the limitation comes from mistaken identification with the physical body. The teaching highlights that the body is not the true Self; the idea of being confined to it creates the illusion of restriction.

The core idea is that Reality depends on perception and belief (samvitti or understanding). Whatever the mind firmly holds as true becomes experienced as real. If one believes "I am this body and cannot pass through a small space," then movement is blocked. But Pure Consciousness has no such limits—it moves as it wills, unbound by material barriers.

Vasishta uses examples from nature (water flows down, fire rises up) to show that things follow their inherent nature. Consciousness, once set in a certain direction or belief, continues in that pattern unless changed by effort. The mind stays fixed in its established state, and only supreme effort or right understanding can shift it to a Higher Realization.

The rope-snake analogy reinforces this: illusion arises from wrong perception, and correct knowledge removes it instantly. If the mind sees a snake in a rope, fear and reaction follow; but Realizing it is just a rope ends the delusion. Similarly, the world and bodily limitations are projections of the mind—change the understanding, and the experience transforms.

Finally, the verses emphasize that this principle is self-evident even in everyday life, as seen in children or simple experiences. Mind and actions follow understanding exactly. True freedom comes from recognizing Consciousness as limitless, beyond the gross body, leading to liberation from false identifications and illusions of bondage.

Chapter 3.39, Verses 1–30

Yoga Vashishtha 3.39.1–30

(These verses paint a dramatic picture of sunset on a vast battlefield after a fierce war. The sun sets like a wounded hero, and twilight transforms the scene into one of eerie beauty mixed with horror)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

अथ वीर इवारक्तः कालेनास्तमितो रविः ।

अस्त्रतेजःपरिम्लानप्रतापोऽब्धौ समुज्झितः ॥ १ ॥

रणरक्तरुचिर्व्योमदर्पणप्रतिबिम्बिता ।

जहौ सूर्यशिरश्छेदे संध्यालेखोदभूत्क्षणम् ॥ २ ॥

भूपातालनभोदिग्भ्यः प्रलयब्धिजलौघवत् ।

समाजग्मुस्तनत्ताला वेताला वलया इव ॥ ३ ॥

मृष्टध्वान्तासिवलिते दिननागेन्द्रमस्तके ।

संध्यारागारुणं कीर्णं तारानिकरमौक्तिकम् ॥ ४ ॥

निःसत्त्वेषु तमोन्धेषु रसनारसशालिषु ।

संकोचमाययुः पद्मामृतानां हृदयेष्विव ॥ ५ ॥

मीलत्पक्षाः क्षणात्सुप्ताः कृच्छ्रप्रोच्छ्रितकन्धराः ।

कुलायेषु खगा आसञ्छवाङ्गेष्विव हेतयः ॥ ६ ॥

आसन्नचन्द्रसुभगा लोकाः कुसुमपङ्क्तयः ।

उल्लसद्धृदया जाता वीरपक्षेष्विव श्रियः ॥ ७ ॥

रक्तवारिमयी सायमङ्गगुप्तशिलीमुखा ।

संकुचद्वक्त्रपद्माभूद्रणभूमिरिवाब्जिनी ॥ ८ ॥

उपर्यभूद्व्योमसरस्ताराकुमुदमण्डितम् ।

अधस्त्वभूद्वारिसरः स्फुरत्कुमुदतारकम् ॥ ९ ॥ >>>

प्रसृतान्त्रमहातन्त्रीप्रायसंपन्नवादनम् ।

पिशाचवासनोत्क्रान्तपिशाचीभूतमानवम् ॥ २४ ॥

रूपिकालोकनापूर्वत्रासार्धमृतसद्भटम् ।

क्वचिद्वेतालरक्षोभिरपरीपूर्णमद्रकम् ॥ २५ ॥

स्वरूपिकास्कन्धपतच्छवत्रस्तनिशाचरम् ।

नभःसंघट्टितापूर्वभूतपेटकसंकटम् ॥ २६ ॥

अतिप्रयत्नापहृतम्रियमाणनरामिषम् ।

स्वभक्ष्यापेक्षपक्षेषु विक्षिप्तशवराशिवत् ॥ २७ ॥

शिवामुखानलशिखाखण्डोत्थमितिरक्तगैः ।

समुड्डीननवाशोकपुष्पगुच्छमिवाभितः ॥ २८ ॥

कबन्धकन्धराबन्धव्यग्रवेतालबालकम् ।

यक्षरक्षःपिशाचादिकचदाकाशगोल्मुकम् ॥ २९ ॥

आकाशभूधरनिकुञ्जगुहान्तरालपिण्डोपमण्डिततमोम्बुदपीठपूरम् ।

व्यालोलभूतरभसाकुलकल्पवातव्याधूतलोककरकाण्डकपेटकल्पम् ॥ ३०॥

Maharishi Vashishta said:

3.39.1–9

> Then the sun, like a brave warrior stained with blood, set in the west. His fiery splendor faded, and he sank into the ocean.

> The evening sky reflected the battlefield's blood-red glow like a mirror. In that moment, the sun's head seemed cut off, creating a brief reddish streak like twilight writing.

> From the directions of earth, underworld, sky, and all sides, like floods of the ocean of dissolution, Vetala spirits and ghosts gathered with loud cries, encircling like rings.

> On the head of the day-elephant (sun) wrapped in darkness like a sword, the twilight's red color spread, scattered with clusters of stars like pearls.

> In the darkness without light, in beings without strength, the lotus-like hearts of beings contracted, like the hearts of lotus flowers in darkness.

> Birds, with wings closing instantly, fell asleep in their nests with raised necks in difficulty, like arrows stuck in corpses.

> The worlds became beautiful like moonlit lotuses, with blossoming hearts, like prosperity shining on the wings of heroes.

> The evening battlefield, soaked in red water with hidden arrows, became like a lotus pond with shrinking faces.

> Above, the sky became a lake adorned with star-lotuses; below, the water became a lake sparkling with lily-stars.

3.39.10–23

> These verses continue the vivid poetic description of the eerie, terrifying, and ghostly atmosphere after sunset on the battlefield, filled with demons, spirits, goblins, and supernatural beings roaming freely in the darkness, creating a scene of horror and chaos typical of post-battle nights in ancient epics.

3.39.24–30

> It was filled with sounds like the stretched strings of great instruments, with humans possessed by demon-like desires and turned into ghosts.

> Warriors half-dead from fear at unseen forms, sometimes fully overcome by Vetala and Rakshasa demons.

> Night creatures terrified by falling corpses from their own kind, the sky crowded with unprecedented clusters of ghosts and beings.

> With great effort snatching the flesh of dying men, like heaps of corpses thrown aside on the wings of their own devourers.

> Flames from the mouths of Shiva-like beings rose with red sparks, flying around like bunches of fresh Ashoka flowers.

> Young Vetala children busy in the caves of headless torsos, with Yakshas, Rakshasas, and Pishachas shining like monkeys in the sky.

> The darkness filled the spaces between mountain caves in the sky, like thick clouds; shaken by fierce winds of spirits, it resembled a vast cosmic shell tossed about.

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

This imagery symbolizes the transient nature of life and the world—day (activity, light, victory) ends, giving way to night (darkness, death, chaos). In Yoga Vasishta's philosophy, such descriptions remind us that the phenomenal world is impermanent and illusory (maya), like a dream or mirage that appears vivid but dissolves.

The gathering of ghosts, demons, Vetala, and supernatural beings in the darkness highlights how the mind projects fears and attachments in moments of transition or loss. The battlefield represents the constant struggle of ego and desires in samsara (cycle of birth and death). When the "sun" of awareness sets (due to ignorance), lower tendencies and vasanas (mental impressions) rise unchecked, creating terror and confusion.

The poetic contrast between upper sky-lake with star-lotuses and lower water-lake with lily-stars shows the unity of macrocosm and microcosm—everything is a reflection of Consciousness. This teaches non-duality (advaita): what seems divided (heaven/earth, light/dark) is one in essence. The contraction of lotuses in darkness symbolizes how purity and knowledge shrink in ignorance, urging seekers to awaken inner light.

The chaotic night filled with spirits devouring corpses and flying flames underscores the grotesque results of attachment to the body and senses. Corpses represent discarded forms after death; demons symbolize unchecked desires that feed on life's energy. This warns against identifying with the perishable body and encourages detachment (vairagya) to transcend fear of death.

Overall, these verses serve as a meditation on impermanence, the horror of ignorance, and the need for Self-Realization. Vasishta uses this terrifying yet poetic scene to illustrate that the world is a projection of the mind. True Peace comes from Realizing the Self (Atman) beyond birth, death, and phenomena—leading to liberation (moksha) where no darkness or fear remains.

Chapter 3.38, Verses 41–58

Yoga Vashishtha 3.38.41–58

(The verses portray the scene as a terrifying, blood-soaked landscape resembling the end of the world or the mouth of death)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

मर्मच्छेदशराघातव्यथाविदितदुष्कृति ।

कबन्धबन्धप्रारब्धवेतालवदनाक्रमम् ॥ ४१ ॥

उह्यमानध्वजच्छत्रचारुचामरपङ्कजम् ।

किरत्संध्यारुणं दिक्षु तेजस्कं रक्तपङ्कजम् ॥ ४२ ॥

रथचक्रधरावर्तं रक्तार्णवमिवाष्टमम् ।

पताकाफेनपुञ्जाढ्यं चारुचामरबुद्बुदम् ॥ ४३ ॥

विपर्यस्तरथं भूमिपङ्कमग्नपुरोपमम् ।

उत्पातवातनिर्धूतद्रुमं वनमिवाततम् ॥ ४४ ॥

कल्पदग्धजगत्प्रख्यं मुनिपीतार्णवोपमम् ।

अतिवृष्टिहतं देशमिव प्रोज्झितमानवम् ॥ ४५ ॥

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रक्तनिःस्वनभाङ्कारफेत्कारार्धमृतारवम् ।

शिलामुखललद्रक्तधाराधूतरजःखगम् ॥ ५४ ॥

सुतालोत्तालवेतालतालताण्डवसंकटम् ।

पर्यस्तरथदार्वन्तरर्धान्तरितसद्भटम् ॥ ५५ ॥

अन्तस्थसज्जीवभटस्पन्दिस्पन्दनभीतिदम् ।

रक्तकर्दमपूर्णास्यकिंचिज्जीवकृपाच्छवम् ॥ ५६ ॥

किंचिज्जीवनरोद्ग्रीवदुःखदृष्टश्ववायसम् ।

एकामिषोत्कक्रव्यादयुद्धकोलाहलाकुलम् ।

एकामिषार्थयुद्धेहामृतक्रव्यादसंकुलम् ॥ ५७ ॥

विवृत्तासंख्याश्वद्विरदपुरुषाधीश्वररथप्रकृत्तोष्ट्रग्रीवाप्रसृतरुधिरोद्गारसुसरित् ।

रणोद्यानं मृत्योस्तदभवदशुष्कायुधलतं सशैलं कल्पान्ते जगदिव विपर्यस्तमखिलम् ॥ ५८ ॥

Maharishi Vashishta continued:

3.38.41–45

> The battlefield appeared like a demon (vetala) that had pierced the vital points with arrows, causing pain to the wicked, and like a headless torso (kabanda) that had begun its destined actions. It was carried along with beautiful flags, umbrellas, charming chowries (fly-whisks), and lotuses. It scattered the red glow of twilight in all directions, shining with splendor and like a red lotus. It resembled the eighth ocean of blood with whirlpools from chariot wheels, full of foam-like banners and bubbles from lovely chowries.

3.38.46–53

> The field was filled with the half-dead cries, groans, screams, and sounds of agony mixed with the clashing of weapons and the fluttering of vultures disturbed by streams of blood from stone-like faces. It was crowded with the wild dance of ghosts and goblins in rhythmic steps, with broken chariots and scattered remains of warriors half-hidden between wooden fragments. Inside, the trembling bodies of dying soldiers caused fear, their mouths filled with blood-mud and showing slight signs of lingering life and compassion in death. Some showed necks strained in pain, eyes staring at crows and dogs in misery. It was chaotic with battles among carnivorous beasts fighting over single pieces of flesh, and crowded with predators battling for the meat of the dead in a frenzy of slaughter.

3.38.54–58

> The place echoed with blood-curdling noises, half-screams of the dying, and birds shaken by flowing blood from rock-like mouths. It was dense with the frantic dance of ghosts and demons in loud rhythms. Half-burnt chariots and scattered warriors filled the gaps, terrifying with the faint movements of life within dying bodies. Mouths full of red mud showed a little life and pitiful remains. Some men with strained necks in pain gazed at scavenging birds and dogs. It was full of uproar from carnivores fighting over one piece of meat, and crowded with flesh-eating creatures battling for corpses. Countless horses, elephants, men, lords, and chariots lay cut down, with blood gushing from severed camel-like necks in streams. This war-garden of death had become dry-weapon creepers, with mountains, like the entire inverted world at the end of a cosmic cycle.

Detailed summary of the teachings:

These verses vividly describe a devastated battlefield after a massive war, using extreme imagery of blood, death, severed bodies, scavenging birds, and demonic forces to show the horrifying results of violence and attachment to power. The scene is compared to the destruction at the end of a world cycle (kalpanta), emphasizing how human conflicts mirror cosmic dissolution. The teaching here is that worldly pursuits like ambition, conquest, and ego-driven battles lead only to ruin, pain, and meaningless suffering, reminding us that the material world is transient and full of horror when viewed without wisdom.

The poet-sage uses this graphic picture to illustrate the impermanence (anitya) of the body and life. Heads roll, bodies are torn, blood flows like rivers, and even mighty warriors become food for crows and beasts. Nothing lasts—flags, chariots, umbrellas, and chowries that once symbolized glory now float in gore. This teaches detachment (vairagya) from physical forms and sensory pleasures, as everything ends in decay and feeds the cycle of nature.

A deeper lesson is the illusory nature of the world (maya). The battlefield looks like an inverted universe or the mouth of death, but it is just a play of forms in Consciousness. The verses show how the mind projects grand wars and victories, yet they collapse into chaos. True Knowledge reveals that all this is like a dream or mirage—real only to the ignorant who cling to it.

The description warns against the fruits of adharma (unrighteousness) and unchecked desire. The "wicked" feel the pain of arrow-wounds, and the proud fall headless. It points to karma: actions driven by anger, greed, or pride create destruction for oneself and others. Peace comes not from winning battles but from transcending the ego that starts them.

Ultimately, these verses urge turning inward for liberation (moksha). By seeing the horror of samsara (worldly existence) as clearly as this battlefield, one develops disgust for transient things and seeks the eternal Self (Atman). The wise sage uses such terrifying images not to scare but to awaken dispassion, leading to Realization that the True Reality is beyond birth, death, and all dualities — Pure, Unchanging Consciousness.