Yoga Vashishtha 1.21.11–22
(Seductive and destructive nature of desire)
श्रीराम उवाच।
केशकज्जलधारिण्यो दुःस्पर्शा लोचनप्रियाः ।
दुष्कृताग्निशिखा नार्यो दहन्ति तृणवन्नरम् ॥ ११ ॥
ज्वलतामतिदूरेऽपि सरसा अपि नीरसाः।
स्त्रियो हि नरकाग्नीनामिन्धनं चारु दारुणम् ॥ १२ ॥
विकीर्णाकारकबरी तरत्तारकलोचना।
पुर्णेन्दुबिम्बवदना कुसुमोत्करहासिनी ॥ १३ ॥
लीलाविलोलपुरुषा कार्यसंहारकारिणी।
परं विमोहनं बुद्धेः कामिनी दीर्घयामिनी ॥ १४ ॥
पुष्पाभिराममधुरा करपल्लवशालिनी।
भ्रमराक्षिविलासाढ्या स्तनस्तबकधारिणी ॥ १५ ॥
पुष्पकेसरगौराङ्गी नरमारणतत्परा ।
ददात्युन्मत्तवैवश्यं कान्ता विषलता यथा ॥ १६ ॥
सत्कार्योच्छ्वासमात्रेण भुजङ्गदलनोत्कया ।
कान्तयोद्ध्रियते जन्तुः करभ्येवोरगो बिलात् ॥ १७ ॥
कामनाम्ना किरातेन विकीर्णा मुग्धचेतसाम् ।
नार्यो नरविहंगानामङ्गबन्धनवागुराः ॥ १८ ॥
ललनाविपुलालाने मनोमत्तमतंगजः।
रतिशृङ्खलया ब्रह्मन्बद्धस्तिष्ठति मूकवत् ॥ १९ ॥
जन्मपल्वलमत्स्यानां चित्तकर्दमचारिणाम् ।
पुंसां दुर्वासनारज्जुर्नारी बडिशपिण्डिका ॥ २० ॥
मन्दुरं च तुरङ्गाणामालानमिव दन्तिनाम् ।
पुंसां मन्त्र इवाहीनां बन्धनं वामलोचना ॥ २१ ॥
नानारसवती चित्रा भोगभूमिरियं मुने।
स्त्रियमाश्रित्य संयाता परामिह हि संस्थितिम् ॥ २२ ॥
Sriram said:
Verse 11: "Women, with hair dark as collyrium and bodies difficult to touch, are pleasing to the eyes but, like flames of misdeeds, they burn men as dry grass."
Verse 12: "Though distant and appearing delightful, women are ultimately insipid. They are charmingly fierce fuel for the fires of hell."
Verse 13: "With disheveled locks, starlike eyes, faces like full moons, and smiles like blossoming garlands, they enchant the senses."
Verse 14: "Engaging playfully with men and disrupting their righteous efforts, the seductive woman deludes even the intelligent and drags them into long nights of delusion."
Verse 15: "Soft as flowers and graceful with lotus-like hands, endowed with bewitching beauty, she entrances with the charm of illusion."
Verse 16: "With a body fair as the pollen of flowers, she is bent on destroying men, like a poisonous creeper that causes madness and ruin."
Verse 17: "With just a sigh from her lips, like a serpent seizing prey from its hole, a woman captures a man by her touch, intoxicating and deadly."
Verse 18: "Named Desire, like a hunter, women trap innocent, naive minds. They are nets and nooses for men, who are like birds easily snared."
Verse 19: "The mind, like an intoxicated elephant, is tied down by women using the chain of passion, making even the wise act as if mute and powerless."
Verse 20: "A woman is like a baited hook, luring the fish of the mind swimming in the muddy waters of desire. For men, she is the noose of evil tendencies."
Verse 21: "For men, she is like a tether for horses, a chain for elephants, and for the weak-minded, like a misleading incantation—binding them completely."
Verse 22: "O Sage, this dazzling and diverse realm of sensory enjoyment, filled with many tastes, is the platform of pleasure that, when embraced through women, leads men to utter ruin."
Summary of the Teachings:
These verses express a strong cautionary message about sensual attachment, particularly emphasizing the seductive and destructive nature of desire symbolized by women. The text uses vivid metaphors—fire, poison, snares, and chains—to portray the illusory attraction of physical beauty and how it ensnares the minds of men, often leading to their downfall.
The woman, in these verses, is not condemned as an individual but is portrayed as a symbol of kāma (desire), which obstructs the path to spiritual awakening.
This desire is described as deceptively sweet—appealing at first glance, but ultimately a force that derails one’s pursuit of Truth and Realization. Even the wise can be deluded, suggesting the deep-rooted power of māyā (illusion) in human life.
A central message is that worldly pleasures, when unexamined, entangle the soul in bondage. The allure of sensory gratification, personified by the feminine form, binds the intellect and inhibits spiritual growth. The verses warn the seeker to be vigilant, not by rejecting women per se, but by seeing through the illusion that sensual pleasure brings lasting happiness.
Furthermore, these verses align with the broader teachings of Yoga Vāsiṣṭha: vairāgya (dispassion) is essential for Realization. Just as the fish is caught by bait, the mind is caught by desire. Therefore, the seeker must transcend surface charm and turn inward, breaking free from the illusion of beauty and pleasure.
Lastly, this section underscores the necessity of discernment (viveka) in the spiritual path. Attachment to sense objects leads to cycles of suffering, while wisdom leads to release. These teachings are not anti-woman but deeply symbolic, urging the aspirant to rise above entanglements and Realize the Self beyond illusion.
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