Chapter 3.96, Verses 55–65

Yoga Vashishtha 3.96.55–65

(Mind, the central force behind all experience and the appearance of the World)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

यथैव पुरुषः स्नानदानादानादिकाः क्रियाः।

कुर्वंस्तत्कर्तृवैचित्र्यमेति तद्वदिदं मनः ॥ ५५॥

विचित्रकार्यवशतो नामभेदेन कर्तृता।

मनः संप्रोच्यते जीववासनाकर्मनामभिः ॥ ५६॥

चित्तमेवेदमखिलं सर्वेणैवानुभूयते।

अचित्तो हि नरो लोकं पश्यन्नपि न पश्यति ॥ ५७॥

श्रुत्वा स्पृष्ट्वा च दृष्ट्वा च भुक्त्वा घ्रात्वा शुभाशुभम्।

अन्तर्हर्षं विषादं च समनस्को हि विन्दति ॥ ५८॥

आलोक इव रूपाणामर्थानां कारणं मनः।

बध्यते बद्धचित्तो हि मुक्तचित्तो हि मुच्यते ॥ ५९॥

तज्जडानां परं विद्धि जडं येनोच्यते मनः।

न चावगच्छति जडं मनो यस्य हि चेतनम् ॥ ६०॥

न चेतनं न च जडं यदिदं प्रोत्थितं मनः।

विचित्रसुखदुःखेहं जगदभ्युदितं तदा ॥ ६१॥

एकरूपे हि मनसि संसारः प्रविलीयते।

उपाविलं कारणं तैर्भ्रान्त्या जगदुपस्थितम् ॥ ६२॥

अजडं हि मनो राम संसारस्य न कारणम्।

जडं चोपलधर्मापि संसारस्य न कारणम् ॥ ६३॥

न चेतनं न च जडं तस्माज्जगति राघव।

मनः कारणमर्थानां रूपाणामिव भासनम् ॥ ६४॥

चित्तादृतेऽन्यद्यद्यस्ति तदचित्तस्य किं जगत्।

सर्वस्य भूतजातस्य समग्रं प्रविलीयते ॥ ६५॥

Sage Vashishta said:

3.96.55–65

> Just as a person, while performing actions like bathing, giving gifts, and receiving things, comes to be known by different names according to those varied roles, in the same way this mind also becomes known by different names through the variety of its actions.

> Because of the many different kinds of work it does, the mind is called by various names such as the living Being (jiva), desire (vasana), and action (karma).

> This entire World is experienced only through the mind. A person without mind, even while looking at the World, does not truly see it.

> Only a person who has a mind feels inner joy or sorrow after hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, or smelling things that are good or bad.

> Just as light is the cause that makes forms visible, the mind is the cause that makes all objects known. One whose mind is bound remains bound; one whose mind is free becomes free.

> Know that those who call the mind inert (jada) are themselves the most inert. A mind that is truly Conscious never understands itself as inert.

> This mind that has arisen is neither purely Conscious nor purely inert. When it arises, the World full of varied pleasures and pains also appears.

> When the mind becomes one-pointed and pure, the world of birth and death dissolves. Because of impurity and confusion, the World appears through those restless movements of the mind.

> O Rama, a mind that is not inert is not the cause of the World of birth and death. An inert mind, even if it has the nature of a stone, is also not the cause of the World of birth and death.

> Therefore, O Raghava, in this World the mind is neither purely Conscious nor purely inert. The mind is the cause of all objects, just as light is the cause that reveals forms.

> If anything exists apart from the mind, what world remains for one who has no mind? For every living Being, the whole World dissolves when the mind dissolves.

Summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that the mind is the central force behind all experience and the appearance of the World. Just as a person receives different names according to the different actions he performs, the mind receives many names—living soul, desire, action, and others—because of the many roles it plays. Without the mind there is no real perception of the World; a person may look at things yet not truly see them if the mind is absent. All feelings of joy and sorrow arise only when the mind is present and active through the senses.

The mind is described as the light that reveals objects, just as ordinary light reveals forms and colours. Bondage and freedom depend entirely on the state of the mind: a bound mind keeps a person in bondage, while a free mind brings liberation. The mind is neither purely conscious nor purely inert; it stands in between and, when it arises with its restlessness, the world of pleasure and pain appears with it.

When the mind becomes pure, steady, and one-pointed, the entire cycle of birth and death dissolves. Impurity and confusion in the mind create the false appearance of the world. Neither Pure Consciousness alone nor dull matter alone can produce the world; it is the mind, standing between the two, that acts as the cause of all objects and experiences, just as light makes forms visible.

Finally, the verses declare that without the mind there is no World at all. For every living Being the whole Universe disappears the moment the mind itself disappears. Therefore, understanding, purifying, and ultimately transcending the mind is the key to freedom from the world of suffering and the cycle of birth and death.

Chapter 3.96, Verses 45–54

Yoga Vashishtha 3.96.45–54

(The many definitions of the mind)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

या एताः कथिताः संज्ञा मया राघव चेतसः।

एता एवान्यथा प्रोक्ता वादिभिः कल्पनाशतैः ॥ ४५॥

स्वभावाभिमतां बुद्धिमारोप्य मनसा कृताः।

मनोबुद्धीन्द्रियादीनां विचित्रा नामरीतयः ॥ ४६॥

मनो हि जडमन्यस्य भिन्नमन्यस्य जीवतः।

तथाहंकृतिरन्यस्य बुद्धिरन्यस्य वादिनः ॥ ४७॥

अहंकारमनोबुद्धिदृष्टयः सृष्टिकल्पनाः।

एकरूपतया प्रोक्ता या मया रघुनन्दन ॥ ४८॥

नैयायिकैरितरथा तादृशैः परिकल्पिताः।

अन्यथा कल्पिताः सांख्यैश्चार्वाकैरपि चान्यथा ॥ ४९॥

जैमिनीयैश्चार्हतैश्च बौद्धैर्वैशेषिकैस्तथा।

अन्यैरपि विचित्रैस्तैः पाञ्चरात्रादिभिस्तथा ॥ ५०॥

सर्वैरेव च गन्तव्यं तैः पदं पारमार्थिकम्।

विचित्रं देशकालोत्थैः पुरमेकमिवाध्वगैः ॥ ५१॥

अज्ञानात्परमार्थस्य विपरीतावबोधतः।

केवलं विवदन्त्येते विकल्पैरारुरुक्षवः ॥ ५२॥

स्वमार्गमभिशंसन्ति वादिनश्चित्रया दृशा।

विचित्रदेशकालोत्था मार्गं स्वं पथिका इव ॥ ५३॥

तैर्मिथ्या राघव प्रोक्ताः कर्ममानसचेतसाम्।

स्वविकल्पार्पितैरर्थैः स्वाः स्वा वैचित्र्ययुक्तयः ॥ ५४॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.96.45–54

> O Raghava, these designations of the mind that I have described are spoken of differently by various debaters through hundreds of imaginations.

> Having superimposed their preferred ideas of its nature, the mind itself creates these. There arise many different ways of naming the mind, intellect, senses and so on.

> For some the mind is inert; for others it is different and living. In the same way the ego is seen differently by some, and the intellect differently by other debaters.

> The views concerning ego, mind and intellect are imaginations about Creation. I have described them as being of one Nature, O delight of the Raghu line.

> The Naiyayikas imagine them in another way, and so do others of similar views; the Sankhyas conceive them differently, and the Charvakas also in yet another manner.

> So too the followers of Jaimini, the Arhats, the Buddhists, the Vaisheshikas, and various others such as the Pancharatras.

> Yet all of them must ultimately reach the same Supreme Reality, just as travellers from different places and times all head toward one city.

> Because of ignorance of the Highest Truth and through inverted understanding, they merely keep arguing with their differing views while wishing to rise higher.

> The debaters praise their own path according to their varied outlooks, just as travellers coming from different regions and times each speak of their own road.

> O Raghava, through their false statements about action, mind and Consciousness, each group sets forth its own strange reasonings by projecting meanings born of its own imaginations.

Summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that the many names and definitions given to mind, intellect, ego and the senses are not absolute. Different schools simply invent various labels according to their own preferences and mental constructions. What appears as separate categories is in truth one continuous Reality of Consciousness that has been divided by thought.

The text points out that philosophical systems such as Nyaya, Sankhya, Charvaka, Mimamsa, Jain, Buddhist, Vaisheshika and Pancharatra each describe these faculties differently. Their disagreements arise only from limited viewpoints and the tendency to superimpose personal ideas onto the same underlying experience.

Despite the variety of doctrines, every genuine seeker is moving toward the same ultimate goal—the direct Realization of the Supreme Truth. The different paths are compared to travellers who set out from many places and times yet all journey toward a single city. The destination remains one even when the routes look dissimilar.

Arguments and mutual contradictions among the schools stem from ignorance of that Supreme Reality and from inverted or partial understanding. People cling to their own formulations and praise their chosen method, much as travellers from different regions insist that their road is the correct one.

The verses therefore counsel the aspirant not to be confused by the multiplicity of theories. All such descriptions are mental constructions. What matters is to go beyond the names and concepts and to Realize the single, Undivided Truth that underlies every system.

Chapter 3.96, Verses 36–44

Yoga Vashishtha 3.96.36–44

(The Mind - continued)

श्रीराम उवाच।

मनः किं स्याज्जडं ब्रह्मंस्तथा वापि च चेतनम् ।

इत्येको मम तत्त्वज्ञ निश्चयोऽन्तर्न जायते ॥ ३६॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

मनो हि न जडं राम नापि चेतनतां गतम्।

म्लानाऽजडा तदा दृष्टिर्मन इत्येव कथ्यते ॥ ३७॥

मध्ये सदसतो रूपं प्रतिभूतं यदाविलम्।

जगतः कारणं नाम तदेतच्चित्तमुच्यते ॥ ३८॥

शाश्वतेनैकरूपेण निश्चयेन विना स्थितिः।

येन सा चित्तमित्युक्ता तस्माज्जातमिदं जगत् ॥ ३९॥

जडाजडदृशोर्मध्ये दोलारूपं स्वकल्पनम्।

यच्चितो म्लानरूपिण्यास्तदेतन्मन उच्यते ॥ ४०॥

चिन्निःस्पन्दो हि मलिनः कलङ्कविकलान्तरम्।

मन इत्युच्यते राम न जडं न च चिन्मयम् ॥ ४१॥

तस्येमानि विचित्राणि नामानि कलितान्यलम्।

अहंकारमनोबुद्धिजीवाद्यानीतराण्यपि ॥ ४२॥

यथा गच्छति शैलूषो रूपाण्यलं तथैव हि।

मनो नामान्यनेकानि धत्ते कर्मान्तरं व्रजत् ॥ ४३॥

चित्राधिकारवशतो विचित्रा विकृताभिधाः।

यथा याति नरः कर्मवशाद्याति तथा मनः ॥ ४४॥

Sriram asked:

3.96.36

> O Brahman, Knower of Truth, I cannot decide in my heart whether the mind is inert or Conscious.

Sage Vasistha said: 

3.96.37–44

> O Rama, the mind is neither completely inert nor fully Conscious. When Pure Awareness becomes dulled and clouded, that State is simply called the mind.

> When Consciousness appears as a mixed form between existence and non-existence and becomes the Cause of the World, it is called the Heart or mind.

> That which stays without firm, unchanging certainty is called the mind; from it this World arises.

> The mind is the swinging imagination of Consciousness that stands between the views of the inert and the non-inert, and has grown dull.

> O Rama, when Pure Consciousness becomes still, stained, and impure inside, it is called the mind—neither inert matter nor Pure Consciousness.

> This same principle has many names given to it: ego, mind, intellect, living soul, and others as well.

> Just as an actor takes many forms and names while performing different parts, so the mind takes many names as it moves from one action to another.

> Just as a man receives different titles according to the work he does under the force of his actions, so the mind receives varied and changing names according to its activities.

Summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that the mind is not a fixed thing that is either purely material or purely spiritual. It is Pure Consciousness that has become clouded, restless, and mixed. When Awareness loses its clear, steady nature and begins to swing between opposite ideas, it is given the name “mind.”

The mind stands in the middle ground between what is Real and what is unreal, between the inert and the Conscious. Because it lacks firm, unchanging certainty, it creates the appearance of the World. All the variety we see comes from this unsteady, imagining activity of Consciousness.

Pure Consciousness itself does not change, but when it becomes stained by desires, sensations, and inner impurity, it appears as the limited mind. In that condition it is neither solid matter nor pure spirit. It is a dull, restless form of awareness that keeps moving and creating experiences.

This same underlying principle is known by many different names—ego, intellect, and others—depending on the particular function it is performing at any moment. Just as an actor changes costume and name for each role, or a person is called by different titles according to the work he does, the mind receives many labels according to its changing activities.

The teaching points toward understanding that the World and the sense of individuality arise only from this fluctuating, named activity of the mind. When the clouding and restlessness cease, the Pure Consciousness that was always present remains, free of the many names and free of the World that the mind had projected.

Chapter 3.96, Verses 26–35

Yoga Vashishtha 3.96.26–35

(How Consciousness became limited)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

स्फुरत्यात्मविनाशाय विस्मारयति तत्पदम्।

मिथ्याविकल्पजालेन तन्मलं परिकल्प्यते ॥ २६॥

श्रुत्वा स्पृष्ट्वा च दृष्ट्वा च भुक्त्वा घ्रात्वा विमृश्य च।

इन्द्रमानन्दयत्येषा तेनेन्द्रियमिति स्मृतम् ॥ २७॥

सर्वस्य दृश्यजालस्य परमात्मन्यलक्षिते।

प्रकृतत्वेन भावानां लोके प्रकृतिरुच्यते ॥ २८॥

सदसत्तां नयत्याशु सत्तां वा सत्त्वमञ्जसा ।

सत्तासत्ताविकल्पोऽयं तेन मायेति कथ्यते ॥ २९॥

दर्शनश्रवणस्पर्शरसनघ्राणकर्मभिः।

क्रियेति कथ्यते लोके कार्यकारणतां गता ॥ ३०॥

चितेश्चेत्यानुपातिन्या गतायाः सकलङ्कताम्।

प्रस्फुरद्रूपधर्मिण्या एताः पर्यायवृत्तयः ॥ ३१॥

चित्ततामुपयाताया गतायाः प्रकृतं पदम्।

स्वैरेव संकल्पशतैर्भृशं रूढिमुपागताः ॥ ३२॥

चेतनीयकलङ्काङ्काज्जाड्यजालानुपातिनी।

संख्याविभागकलना स्ववैकल्याकुलेव चित् ॥ ३३॥

जीव इत्युच्यते लोके मन इत्यपि कथ्यते।

चित्तमित्युच्यते सैव बुद्धिरित्युच्यते तथा ॥ ३४॥

नानासंकल्पकलिलं पर्यायनिचयं बुधाः।

वदन्त्यस्याः कलङ्किन्याश्च्युतायाः परमात्मनः ॥ ३५॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.96.26–35

> It arises leading to the loss of the Self and makes one forget that Supreme State. Through a web of false ideas, that impurity is imagined.

> By hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, smelling and thinking, this faculty delights the individual. Therefore it is remembered as a sense organ.

> When the Supreme Self remains unseen, the natural arising of all visible things in the world is called nature.

> It quickly turns existence into non-existence or non-existence into existence. This shifting idea of Being and non-being is therefore called illusion.

> Through the acts of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling, action that has entered the relation of cause and effect is called action in the world.

> These are successive changes of Consciousness that has followed objects of thought, become impure, and whose nature is to keep flashing forth in form.

> Having reached the state of mind and left its original nature, it becomes firmly fixed through hundreds of its own imaginations.

> Consciousness, marked by the stain of what is to be known, following the net of dullness, calculating numbers and divisions, seems disturbed by its own incompleteness.

> In the World it is called the living soul; it is also called mind. That same is called thought-mind and likewise intellect.

> The wise say that this stained one, fallen from the Supreme Self, is a confused mass of many imaginations and a collection of changing States.

Summary of teachings:

These verses teach that Pure Consciousness, which is the True Self, appears to become limited when it begins to follow objects and ideas. False notions arise and cover the Pure State, creating a sense of impurity and separation. What we experience as the World and the individual is only this temporary covering.

The senses, nature, illusion and action are different names for the same movement of Consciousness when it turns outward. Seeing, hearing and the other senses simply please the limited self and keep the cycle going. Nature is the way things appear when the Supreme Self is not noticed. Illusion is the rapid change between “is” and “is not.” Action is the chain of cause and effect carried by the senses.

Once Consciousness takes the form of mind, it loses its original pure condition and becomes fixed by countless personal imaginations. It starts counting, dividing and judging, and feels incomplete. In ordinary speech this same limited Consciousness is called the living soul, the mind, the thought-mind or the intellect—different words for one underlying process.

The wise therefore describe the mind as a stained collection of changing thoughts that has slipped away from the Supreme Self. All these names and functions are only temporary appearances. When the false ideas stop, the Pure State is remembered again.

Understanding these teachings helps one see that the sense of a separate self and the busy world of experience are not Ultimate Realities. They are movements of Consciousness that can be recognised and released, returning Awareness to its original, Unchanging Freedom.

Chapter 3.96, Verses 16–25

Yoga Vashishtha 3.96.16–25

(The many mental functions)

श्रीराम उवाच।

परायाः संविदो ब्रह्मन्नेताः पर्यायवृत्तयः।

कल्प्यमानविचित्रार्थाः कथं रूढिमुपागताः ॥ १६॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

गतेव सकलङ्कत्वं कदाचित्कल्पनात्मकम्।

उन्मेषरूपिणी नाना तदैव हि मनःस्थिता ॥ १७॥

भावनामनुसंधानं यदा निश्चित्य संस्थिता।

तदैषा प्रोच्यते बुद्धिरियत्ताग्रहणक्षमा ॥ १८॥

यदा मिथ्याभिमानेन सत्तां कल्पयति स्वयम्।

अहंकाराभिमानेन प्रोच्यते भवबन्धनी ॥ १९॥

इदं त्यक्त्वेदमायाति बालवत्पेलवा यदा।

विचारं संपरित्यज्य तदा सा चित्तमुच्यते ॥ २०॥

यदा स्पन्दैकधर्मत्वात्कर्तुर्या शून्यशंसिनी।

आधावति स्पन्दफलं तदा कर्मेत्युदाहृता ॥ २१॥

काकतालीययोगेन त्यक्त्वैकघननिश्चयम्।

यदेहितं कल्पयति भावं तेनेह कल्पना ॥ २२॥

पूर्वदृष्टमदृष्टं वा प्राग्दृष्टमिति निश्चयैः।

यदैवेहां विधत्तेऽन्तस्तदा स्मृतिरुदाहृता ॥ २३॥

यदा पदार्थशक्तीनां संभुक्तानामिवाम्बरे।

वसत्यस्तमितान्येहा वासनेति तदोच्यते ॥ २४॥

अस्त्यात्मतत्त्वं विमलं द्वितीया दृष्टिरङ्किता।

जाता ह्यविद्यमानैव तदा विद्येति कथ्यते ॥ २५॥

Sriram asked:

3.96.16

> O Brahmin, how did these successive changes of the Supreme Consciousness, imagined with many different meanings, come to take firm, fixed forms?

Sage Vashishta answered: 

3.96.17–25

> Sometimes Pure Consciousness seems to take on the nature of imagination and become stained. At that very moment, appearing in many forms, it settles as the mind.

> When it firmly settles after carefully examining a thought or idea, it is called the intellect. This intellect can grasp clear limits and measures of things.

> When, through false pride, it invents its own existence as Real, then by the sense of “I” it is called the ego that binds one to the World.

> When, like a tender child, it leaves one thing and runs to another without any proper thinking, it is called the mind-stuff.

> When, by its very nature of movement alone and showing no solid doer, it runs after the fruit of that movement, it is called action or karma.

> When, by chance like a crow landing on a palm tree, it drops its single firm decision and invents a desired idea, that is called imagination.

> When inside itself, with the firm belief “this was seen before,” it makes an effort about something once seen or not now seen, it is called memory.

> When the powers of objects, as if already enjoyed, rest quietly within like in open space, and other desires have set, that is called latent tendency or vasana.

> The Pure Essence of the Self truly exists. A second, stained view that arises even though it is not real is then called Knowledge (or rather ignorance appearing as knowledge).

Summary of the teachings:

These verses explain that the many names we give to mental functions—mind, intellect, ego, thought, action, imagination, memory, tendency, and so on—are not separate real things. They are only different appearances or stages of one Pure Consciousness when it seems to forget its own Pure Nature and starts imagining.

The Pure Self is ever free and stainless. Yet by a kind of accidental self-forgetfulness it begins to move and imagine. That first movement is called the mind. When the same power looks carefully and decides limits, it is called intellect. When it claims “I exist separately,” it becomes the ego that ties us to repeated birth and suffering.

When the same power jumps restlessly from one object to another without deep thought, it is mind-stuff. When it simply moves toward results, it is called karma. When it invents pictures of what it wants, it is imagination. When it holds past pictures as real, it is memory. When subtle impressions of past experiences stay hidden, they are vasanas. Even the sense of “knowing” objects is only a second, unreal view covering the Pure Self.

The teaching is that none of these States is ultimately Real. They arise only when Pure Consciousness seems to become limited and active. By clear understanding that all these are only names of One Consciousness in different moods, the restless movements quiet down. Then the Pure, Stainless Self shines by itself, free from every name and form.

The practical point is simple: do not take the changing mental states as the True Self. See them as temporary waves on the Ocean of Consciousness. When this clear seeing becomes firm, the waves settle and the boundless Pure Awareness remains.

Chapter 3.96, Verses 1–15

Yoga Vashishtha 3.96.1–15

(The mind)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

मनो हि भावनामात्रं भावना स्पन्दधर्मिणी।

क्रिया तद्भावितारूपं फलं सर्वोऽनुधावति ॥ १॥

श्रीराम उवाच।

विस्तरेण मम ब्रह्मन् जडस्याप्यजडाकृतेः।

रूपमारूढसंकल्पं मनसो वक्तुमर्हसि ॥ २॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

अनन्तस्यात्मतत्त्वस्य सर्वशक्तेर्महात्मनः।

संकल्पशक्ति रचितं यद्रूपं तन्मनो विदुः ॥ ३॥

भावः सदसतोर्मध्ये नृणां चलति यश्चलः।

कलनोन्मुखतां यातस्तद्रूपं मनसो विदुः ॥ ४॥

नाहं वेदावभासात्मा कुर्वाणोऽस्मीति निश्चयः।

तस्मादेकान्तकलनस्तद्रूपं मनसो विदुः ॥ ५॥

कल्पनात्मिकया कर्मशक्त्या विरहितं मनः।

न संभवति लोकेऽस्मिन्गुणहीनो गुणी यथा ॥ ६॥

यथा वह्न्यौष्ण्ययोः सत्ता न संभवति भिन्नयोः।

तथैव कर्ममनसोस्तथात्ममनसोरपि ॥ ७॥

स्वेनैव चित्तरूपेण कर्मणा फलधर्मिणा।

संकल्पैकशरीरेण नानाविस्तरशालिना ॥ ८॥

इदं ततमनेकात्म मायामयमकारणम् ।

विश्वं विगतविन्यासं वासनाकल्पनाकुलम् ॥ ९॥

या येन वासना यत्र सतेवारोपिता यथा।

सा तेन फलसूस्तत्र तदेव प्राप्यते तथा ॥ १०॥

कर्म बीजं मनःस्पन्दः कथ्यतेऽथानुभूयते।

क्रियास्तु विविधास्तस्य शाखाश्चित्रफलास्तरोः ॥ ११ ॥

मनो यदनुसंधत्ते तत्कर्मेन्द्रियवृत्तयः।

सर्वाः संपादयन्त्येतास्तस्मात्कर्म मनः स्मृतम् ॥ १२॥

मनो बुद्धिरहंकारश्चित्तं कर्माथ कल्पना।

संसृतिर्वासना विद्या प्रयत्नः स्मृतिरेव च ॥ १३॥

मनो बुद्धिरहंकारश्चित्तं कर्माथ कल्पना।

संसृतिर्वासना विद्या प्रयत्नः स्मृतिरेव च ॥ १३॥

इन्द्रियं प्रकृतिर्माया क्रिया चेतीतरा अपि।

चित्राः शब्दोक्तयो ब्रह्मन्संसारभ्रमहेतवः ॥ १४॥

काकतालीययोगेन त्यक्तस्फारदृगाकृतेः।

चितेश्चेत्यानुपातिन्याः कृताः पर्यायवृत्तयः ॥ १५॥

Sage Vashishta said:

3.96.1

> The mind is nothing but imagination. Imagination has the nature of movement. Action takes the form shaped by that imagination, and everyone runs after the results.

Sriram asked:

3.96.2

> O Brahman, please explain to me in detail the nature of the mind, which though dull appears as if Conscious and is filled with strong resolve.

Sage Vashishta said:

3.96.3–8

> Know that the form created by the power of resolve of the Infinite, all-powerful Supreme Self is called the mind.

> That restless State which moves among people between the Real and the unreal, and turns toward calculation and thought, is known as the form of the mind.

> The firm idea “I am not the Self shown by the Vedas; I am the doer” – this exclusive thinking is known as the form of the mind.

> The mind without the imaginative power of action cannot exist in this world, just as a person with qualities cannot exist without those qualities.

> Just as fire and its heat cannot exist separately, so action and mind cannot be separate, nor can the Self and the mind.

> By its own Nature as mind, action bears fruits; it has resolve as its single body and spreads out in many forms.

3.96.9–15

> This Universe, spread out in many forms, is made of illusion, without Real Cause, without fixed order, and is full of latent desires and imaginings.

> Whatever latent desire is projected by someone in any place as if Real, that same desire yields its fruit there, and that alone is obtained.

> The seed of action is the movement of the mind; this is said and then experienced. Its many actions are like the branches of a tree that bear varied fruits.

> Whatever the mind thinks of, all the functions of the organs of action accomplish it. Therefore the mind itself is called action.

> Mind, intellect, ego, thought, action, imagination, the cycle of birth and death, latent desire, knowledge, effort, and memory – these are all the same.

> Sense organs, nature, illusion, action, and other such varied names, O Brahman, are the causes of the delusion of Worldly Existence.

> By pure chance, like a crow landing on a palm tree and a fruit falling, when Infinite Consciousness loses its wide vision and follows objects, these alternative names and functions are created.

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses teach that the mind is not a solid thing but pure imagination or feeling. This imagination is always moving, and from it arise all actions and their results. People chase the fruits of their actions because those fruits are shaped by the mind’s own ideas. The mind appears active and conscious even though it is essentially dull matter, because it is filled with strong resolve and thought.

The mind arises from the power of resolve of the Infinite Supreme Self. It is the restless movement of thought that swings between what is real and what is not real. The key error of the mind is the firm belief “I am the doer and not the Pure Self taught in the scriptures.” Without the power of imaginative action the mind cannot exist, just as fire cannot exist without heat. Action, mind, and the Self are inseparable.

The whole Universe is an expansion of this mind. It is made of illusion, has no real independent Cause, and is driven by latent desires and mental pictures. Whatever desire a person plants in the mind as if it were Real, that desire alone produces the matching result in that person’s experience. The movement of the mind is the seed of all action; the many kinds of deeds are only its branches that bear different fruits.

Whatever the mind decides, the organs of action carry out. Therefore the mind itself is action. Names such as mind, intellect, ego, thought, action, imagination, the cycle of rebirth, desire, knowledge, effort, memory, senses, nature, and illusion are only different words for the same mental process. All these names create the confusion of worldly life.

These many names and functions arise by pure accident when Pure Consciousness momentarily forgets its own nature and begins to follow objects. The teaching is that the world and all its activities are only the play of mind. By understanding this, one can stop identifying with the restless mind and rest in the True Self.

Chapter 3.95, Verses 28–38

Yoga Vashishtha 3.95.28–38

(These verses teach that the mind and action are inseparable from the very beginning)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

साधु राघव पृष्टोऽस्मि त्वया प्रश्नमिमं शुभम्।

शृणु वक्ष्यामि ते येन भृशं ज्ञानोदयो भवेत् ॥ २८॥

मानसोऽयं समुन्मेषः कलाकलनरूपतः।

एतत्तत्कर्मणां बीजं फलमस्यैव विद्यते ॥ २९॥

यदैव हि मनस्तत्त्वमुत्थितं ब्रह्मणः पदात्।

तदैव कर्म जन्तूनां जीवो देहतया स्थितः ॥ ३०॥

कुसुमाशययोर्भेदो न यथा भिन्नयोरिह।

तथैव कर्ममनसोर्भेदो नास्त्यविभिन्नयोः ॥ ३१॥

क्रियास्पन्दो जगत्यस्मिन्कर्मेति कथितो बुधैः।

पूर्वं तस्य मनो देहं कर्मातश्चित्तमेव हि ॥ ३२॥

न स शैलो न तद्व्योम न सोऽब्धिश्च न विष्टपम्।

अस्ति यत्र फलं नास्ति कृतानामात्मकर्मणाम् ॥ ३३॥

ऐहिकं प्राक्तनं वापि कर्म यद्रचितं स्फुरत्।

पौरुषोऽसौ परो यत्नो न कदाचन निष्फलः ॥ ३४॥

कृष्णतासंक्षये यद्वत्क्षीयते कज्जलं स्वयम्।

स्पन्दात्मकर्मविगमे तद्वत्प्रक्षीयते मनः ॥ ३५॥

कर्मनाशे मनोनाशो मनोनाशो ह्यकर्मता।

मुक्तस्यैव भवत्येव नामुक्तस्य कदाचन ॥ ३६॥

वह्न्यौष्णयोरिव सदा श्लिष्टयोश्चित्तकर्मणोः।

द्वयोरेकतराभावे द्वयमेव विलीयते ॥ ३७॥

चित्तं सदा स्पन्दविलासमेत्य स्पन्दैकरूपं ननु कर्मविद्धि।

कर्माथ चित्तं किल धर्मकर्मपदं गते राम परस्परेण ॥ ३८॥

Sage Vashishta replied:

3.95.28–38

> O good Rama, you have asked me this auspicious question well. Listen, I shall tell you that by which a great rise of Knowledge will take place.

> This arising of the mind is of the nature of conceptualization and calculation. This itself is the seed of actions, and its fruit also exists from this alone.

> The very moment the principle of mind arose from the State of Brahm, at that very time the actions of living Beings came about, and the individual soul became established in the form of a body.

> Just as there is no difference between a flower and its fragrance even when they are thought of as separate, in the same way there is no difference between action and mind, which are not separate from each other.

> The vibration of activity in this world is called action by the wise. First there is the mind as the body of that action, and from action arises the mind itself.

> There is no mountain, no sky, no ocean, and no heaven where the fruit of the actions performed by oneself does not exist.

> Whether belonging to this life or to a previous one, the action that has been created and is now appearing is the supreme human effort, and it is never without fruit.

> Just as lampblack disappears by itself when blackness is destroyed, in the same way the mind is destroyed when the vibrating action comes to an end.

> With the destruction of action comes the destruction of the mind, and with the destruction of the mind comes the absence of action. This happens only for the liberated one, and never for one who is not liberated.

> Just as fire and heat are always joined together, so are the mind and action. When either one of the two is absent, both dissolve away.

> Know the mind, which always takes on the play of vibration, to be of the form of vibration alone, and that is action. And O Rama, action and mind mutually enter into the state of their own nature and activity.

Summary of the teachings:

The moment the Principle of mind arises from Brahm, actions of living Beings and the individual soul in bodily form also appear together. The mind’s arising in the form of conceptualization is itself the seed of all actions, and the results of those actions also come from the same source. There is no real distinction between them, just as there is none between a flower and its fragrance.

Action is described as the vibration or movement that the wise call karma in the World. The mind is the prior form or body of that action, and the mind itself arises from action. Thus the two continually support and produce each other. No deliberate human effort, whether of the present life or of past lives, is ever without result. There is no place in the entire universe—mountain, sky, ocean, or heaven—where the fruits of one’s own actions do not exist and operate.

The mind continues only as long as vibrating action continues. When the vibrating activity of the mind ceases, the mind itself dissolves, just as lampblack disappears when its blackness is removed. Conversely, when action is destroyed the mind is destroyed, and when the mind is destroyed actionlessness follows. This complete ending of both occurs only for the liberated person and never for one who remains bound.

Mind and action are as inseparably united as fire and its heat. The absence of either one necessarily brings the disappearance of both. The mind is always of the nature of playful vibration, and that very vibration is action. Action and mind therefore pass into each other’s essential nature and activity, continually conditioning and reinforcing one another.

The overall teaching is that liberation consists in the simultaneous cessation of both mind and action. As long as the mind vibrates in the form of thoughts and desires, actions and their results continue to bind the individual. Only when this mutual dependence is completely ended does the State of Freedom arise, and that State belongs solely to the one who has become free.