Yoga Vashishtha 1.18.53 – 62
(Ignorance about the body)
श्रीराम उवाच।
नाहं देहस्य नो देहो मम नायमहं तथा।
इति विश्रान्तचित्ता ये ते मुने पुरुषोत्तमाः ॥ ५३ ॥
मानावमानबहुला बहुलाभमनोरमाः ।
शरीरमात्रबद्धास्थं घ्नन्ति दोषदृशो नरम् ॥ ५४ ॥
शरीरश्वभ्रशायिन्या पिशाच्या पेशलाङ्गया ।
अहंकारचमत्कृत्या छलेन छलिता वयम् ॥ ५५ ॥
प्रज्ञा वराका सर्वैव कायबद्धास्थयानया ।
मिथ्याज्ञानकुराक्षस्या छलिता कष्टमेकिका ॥ ५६ ॥
न किंचिदपि दृश्येऽस्मिन्सत्यं तेन हतात्मना ।
चित्रं दग्धशरीरेण जनता विप्रलभ्यते ॥ ५७ ॥
दिनैः कतिपयैरेव निर्झराम्बुकणो यथा।
पतत्ययमयत्नेन जरठः कायपल्लवः ॥ ५८ ॥
कायोऽयमचिरापायो बुद्बुदोऽम्बुनिधाविव ।
व्यर्थं कार्यपरावर्ते परिस्फुरति निष्फलः ॥ ५९ ॥
मिथ्याज्ञानविकारेऽस्मिन्स्वप्नसंभ्रमपत्तने ।
काये स्फुटतरापाये क्षणमास्था न मे द्विज ॥ ६० ॥
तडित्सु शरदभ्रेषु गन्धर्वनगरेषु च ।
स्थैर्यं येन विनिर्णीतं स विश्वसितु विग्रहे ॥ ६१ ॥
सततभङ्गुरकार्यपरम्परा विजयिजातजयं हठवृत्तिषु ।
प्रबलदोषमिदं तु कलेवरं तृणमिवाहमपोह्य सुखं स्थितः ॥ ६२॥
Sriram said:
53. "O Sage, those whose minds are resting in the understanding that "I am not the body, nor is the body mine, nor am I this," are truly the Highest of men."
54. "Those whose vision is obscured by defects are trapped by the body, which is full of honor and dishonor, abundant desires, and countless distractions."
55. "We have been deceived by the trickery of ego, just like lying with a frail ghostly body, frail yet appearing alluring."
56. "All discernment has become pitiable, confined within this bodily attachment, deluded by the sprouts of false knowledge, and stands alone in its suffering."
57. "In this world of appearances, there is nothing true; therefore, the soul is defeated. It is astonishing how people are deceived, even after the body is burnt away."
58. "Within just a few days, like a droplet of water falling from a waterfall, this tender body, weakened by age, falls away without any effort."
59. "This body, like a bubble in the ocean, is destined to perish quickly; it flutters pointlessly, engaged in fruitless activities."
60. "O twice-born one, in this castle of confusion built from the distortions of false knowledge, there is no moment of real security for me in this transient body."
61. "He who has determined firmness within flashing autumn clouds or within the illusion of celestial cities, he alone may place trust in the body."
62. "I have cast away this body, riddled with powerful defects and caught in the restless flow of ever-fragmenting activities, just as one would discard a blade of grass, and thus I abide in Bliss."
Overall Summary:
These verses present a deep reflection by Śrī Rāma on the illusory nature of bodily existence and the tragic ignorance that binds individuals to it. The truly wise are those who realize they are not the body, nor is the body theirs. This discrimination frees them from the ups and downs of worldly experiences such as honor, dishonor, and desire.
The body is likened to a ghostly deception, an enticing but fragile form used by the ego to perpetuate delusion.
Awareness, trapped within this bodily identification, becomes pitiable and solitary, constantly tossed about by false knowledge and suffering deeply because of it.
The world itself is revealed as devoid of any true substance; life deceives even after death, with the body ultimately burnt to ashes. Just as droplets fall inevitably from waterfalls, the body ages and falls apart effortlessly with time, showing its inherent helplessness and impermanence.
In this dream-like distortion created by ignorance, any belief in the stability of the body is foolish. Trusting the body's endurance is as absurd as believing in the solidity of lightning flashes or the illusory cities of celestial beings in the clouds.
Finally, Rāma asserts that he has discarded attachment to the body, recognizing it as a worthless bundle of defects and distractions. Freed from this burden, he stands rooted in bliss, unaffected by the endless activities and anxieties of bodily existence.
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