Yoga Vashishtha 1.16.14-27
(The restless mind)
संततामर्षधूमेन चिन्ताज्वालाकुलेन च ।
वह्निनेव तृणं शुष्कं मुने दग्धोऽस्मि चेतसा ॥ १४ ॥
क्रूरेण जडतां यातस्तृष्णाभार्यानुगामिना।
शवं कौलेयकेनेव ब्रह्मन्मुक्तोऽस्मि चेतसा ॥ १५ ॥
तरङ्गतरलास्फालवृत्तिना जडरूपिणा ।
तटवृक्ष इवौघेन ब्रह्मन्नीतोऽस्मि चेतसा ॥ १६ ॥
अवान्तरनिपाताय शून्ये वा भ्रमणाय च।
तृणं चण्डानिलेनेव दूरे नीतोऽस्मि चेतसा ॥ १७ ॥
संसारजलधेरस्मान्नित्यमुत्तरणोन्मुखः ।
सेतुनेव पयःपूरो रोधितोऽस्मि कुचेतसा ॥ १८ ॥
पातालाद्गच्छता पृथ्वीं पृथ्व्याः पातालगामिना ।
कूपकाष्ठं कुदाम्नेव वेष्टितोऽस्मि कुचेतसा ॥ १९ ॥
मिथ्यैव स्फाररूपेण विचाराद्विशरारुणा।
बालो वेतालकेनेव गृहीतोऽस्मि कुचेतसा ॥ २० ॥
वह्नेरुष्णतरः शैलादपि कष्टतरक्रमः।
वज्रादपि दृढो ब्रह्मन्दुर्निग्रहमनोग्रहः ॥ २१ ॥
चेतः पतति कार्येषु विहगः स्वामिषेष्विव।
क्षणेन विरतिं याति बालः क्रीडनकादिव ॥ २२ ॥
जडप्रकृतिरालोलो विततावर्तवृत्तिमान्।
मनोऽब्धिरहितव्यालो दूरं नयति तात माम् ॥ २३ ॥
अप्यब्धिपानान्महतः सुमेरून्मूलनादपि ।
अपि वह्न्यशनात्साधो विषमश्चित्तनिग्रहः ॥ २४ ॥
चित्तं कारणमर्थानां तस्मिन्सति जगत्त्रयम् ।
तस्मिन्क्षीणे जगत्क्षीणं तच्चिकित्स्यं प्रयत्नतः ॥ २५ ॥
चित्तादिमानि सुखदुःखशतानि नूनमभ्यागतान्यगवरादिव काननानि।
तस्मिन्विवेकवशतस्तनुतां प्रयाते मन्ये मुने निपुणमेव गलन्ति तानि ॥ २६ ॥
सकलगुणजयाशा यत्र बद्धा महद्भिस्तमरिमिह विजेतुं चित्तमभ्युत्थितोऽहम् ।
विगतरतितयान्तर्नाभिनन्दामि लक्ष्मीं जडमलिनविलासां मेघलेखामिवेन्दुः ॥ २७ ॥
14 "My mind, constantly burning with the smoke of anger and the flames of anxiety, has scorched me like dry grass consumed by a raging fire, O Sage."
15 "Driven by cruel desires, my intellect has become dull. Chasing after the deceptive wife called craving, I have been reduced to a lifeless corpse, like one possessed by a ghost."
16 "With thoughts agitated like crashing waves, my dull mind drags me like a riverside tree being uprooted and swept away by a flood."
17 "My mind carries me into ruin or into emptiness, like dry grass blown far away by a fierce wind."
18 "Standing at the shore of the ocean of worldly existence, always striving to cross over, I have been restrained by my impure mind like a rising flood held back by a broken bridge."
19 "Like a bucket tied to a rope descending from the heavens into the netherworld, I have been tightly bound by my corrupt mind, drawing me downward."
20 "My deluded mind, shaped by false reasoning and shallow thinking, has seized me like a goblin snatching a helpless child."
21 "More scorching than fire, more arduous than climbing a mountain, harder than diamond—O Sage—such is the difficulty of subduing the restless mind."
22 "Like a bird hopping between morsels of food, the mind flits between activities, only to abandon them in the next moment like a child quickly tiring of his toys."
23 "With a dull and restless nature, spinning in ever-changing eddies, my mind—like a serpent without a hood—leads me far astray."
24 "More dreadful than drinking the ocean, uprooting Mount Meru, or swallowing fire is the task of restraining the mind, O noble one."
25 "The mind is the cause of all experiences. With the mind, the three worlds arise. When the mind dissolves, the worlds dissolve. Therefore, the mind must be treated with utmost care."
26 "Countless joys and sorrows arise only from the mind—like dense forests growing from a single root. When, through discernment, the mind is reduced, I believe all these vanish completely, O Sage."
27 "Aspiring to conquer the mind, the root of all attachments and the seat of all qualities, I rise up like a warrior. I no longer rejoice in the pleasures of wealth, which are nothing but the dull, dirty flashes of desire—like moonlight smeared by clouds."
Summary of the Teachings (Verses 14–27):
These verses reflect a deep and powerful lamentation about the restless and destructive nature of the uncontrolled mind. They also reveal the first sparks of determination arising within the seeker to master this unruly force.
Key insights and teachings:
1. The Mind as the Source of Suffering:
The uncontrolled mind, agitated by anger, craving, and false reasoning, leads the individual into suffering, confusion, and delusion. The analogies used—of fire, wind, flood, ghosts—highlight the mind’s power to destroy peace and stability.
2. The Mind’s Restlessness and Instability:
The mind is portrayed as fickle, childish, and turbulent—unable to remain focused or grounded. It constantly shifts attention and desires, disrupting any effort at inner stillness or clarity.
3. Subduing the Mind is the Greatest Challenge:
The text emphasizes that restraining the mind is harder than any physical or mythical feat—more difficult than drinking the ocean or uprooting Mount Meru. This metaphor elevates mental mastery as the supreme spiritual task.
4. The Mind Creates the World:
A core non-dual teaching surfaces here: the mind is the creator of the three worlds (waking, dreaming, deep sleep or the subjective worlds of experience). When the mind ceases, the world ceases. Therefore, liberation is directly linked to mind-dissolution.
5. Discernment (Viveka) as the Path:
The verses affirm that with discernment—discriminative wisdom—the mind can be reduced, and with its reduction, the dualities of pleasure and pain also fade away. This highlights the role of viveka as the sword to cut through illusion.
6. The Rising Will to Conquer the Mind:
The final verse reveals the inner resolve of the seeker. No longer interested in external wealth or worldly pleasures, the aspirant aspires to conquer the mind itself, recognizing it as the root of all bondage and suffering.
7. Renunciation of Outer Pleasures:
The seeker rejects the charms of material wealth, recognizing them as fleeting and impure, like moonlight obscured by clouds. This reflects a shift toward vairāgya—dispassion, a critical virtue on the yogic path.
These verses from Yoga Vāsiṣṭha offer a dramatic and poetic exploration of the human psyche’s inner battlefield, exposing the power of the mind both to bind and to liberate. They culminate in the Inner awakening of the seeker who realizes that true victory lies in conquering the mind—not the world.
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