Yoga Vashishtha 1.21.23–36
(Futility of attachment)
श्रीराम उवाच।
सर्वेषां दोषरत्नानां सुसमुद्गिकयाऽनया ।
दुःखशृङ्खलया नित्यमलमस्तु मम स्त्रिया ॥ २३ ॥
किं स्तनेन किमक्ष्णा वा किं नितम्बेन किं भुवा ।
मांसमात्रैकसारेण करोम्यहमवस्तुना ॥ २४ ॥
इतो मांसमितो रक्तमितोऽस्थीनीति वासरैः ।
ब्रह्मन्कतिपयैरेव याति स्त्री विशरारुताम् ॥ २५ ॥
यास्तात पुरुषैः स्थूलैर्ललिता मनुजैः प्रियाः ।
ता मुने प्रविभक्ताङ्ग्यः स्वपन्ति पितृभूमिषु ॥ २६ ॥
यस्मिन्घनतरस्नेहं मुखे पत्राङ्कुराः स्त्रियः ।
कान्तेन रचिता ब्रह्मन्पीयते तेन जङ्गले ॥ २७ ॥
केशाः श्मशानवृक्षेषु यान्ति चामरलेखिकाम् ।
अस्थीन्युडुवदाभान्ति दिनैरवनिमण्डले ॥ २८ ॥
पिबन्ति पांसवो रक्तं क्रव्यादाश्चाप्यनेकशः ।
चर्माणि च शिवा भुङ्क्ते खं यान्ति प्राणवायवः ॥ २९ ॥
इत्येषा ललनाङ्गानामचिरेणैव भाविनी।
स्थितिर्मया वः कथिता किं भ्रान्तिमनुधावथ ॥ ३० ॥
भूतपञ्चकसंघट्टसंस्थानं ललनाभिधम् ।
रसादभिपतत्वेतत्कथं नाम धियान्वितः ॥ ३१ ॥
शाखाप्रतानगहना कट्वम्लफलमालिनी ।
सुतालोत्तालतामेति चिन्ता कान्तानुसारिणी ॥ ३२ ॥
कान्दिग्भूततया चेतो घनगर्धान्धमाकुलम् ।
परं मोहमुपादत्ते यूथभ्रष्टमृगो यथा ॥ ३३ ॥
शोच्यतां परमां याति तरुणस्तरुणीपरः।
निबद्धः करिणीलोलो विन्ध्यखाते यथा गजः ॥ ३४ ॥
यस्य स्त्री तस्य भोगेच्छा निःस्त्रीकस्य क्व भोगभूः ।
स्त्रियं त्यक्त्वा जगत्त्यक्तं जगत्त्यक्त्वा सुखी भवेत् ॥ ३५ ॥
आपातमात्ररमणेषु सुदुस्तरेषु भोगेषु नाहमलिपक्षतिचञ्चलेषु ।
ब्रह्मन्रमे मरणरोगजरादिभीत्या शाम्याम्यहं परमुपैमि पदं प्रयत्नात् ॥ ३६ ॥
Sriram said:
23. "O Sage, may I be forever rid of woman—she who is the well-fitted casket containing all the jewels of faults, bound tightly with the chain of sorrow."
24. "What use is there in her breasts, her eyes, her hips, or her body? All these are nothing more than lumps of flesh. Why should I crave this unsubstantial thing?"
25. "With each passing day, this woman, composed of flesh, blood, and bones, moves inevitably toward the stench of decay, O Brahman."
26. "Those women who were once dear to coarse and lustful men now lie with decomposed limbs in the land of the ancestors."
27. "O Sage, the very lips once lovingly adorned by a passionate man become food for wild creatures in desolate places."
28. "Her hair becomes fluttering strands on funeral pyres, her bones glow like stars as they scatter upon the earth within days."
29. "Dust drinks her blood, scavengers feast upon her flesh in many ways, the skin is consumed by jackals, and the vital airs vanish into the sky."
30. "I have now described to you the impending condition of a woman’s body. Why do you chase after such delusion?"
31. "This so-called “woman” is merely a formation made from the combination of the five elements. How can a person of intelligence develop attachment to such a mortal mass?"
32. "Like a tree with spreading branches full of bitter and sour fruits, so too is desire for a beloved—dense with distressful thoughts."
33. "The mind, becoming blind and maddened like a lone deer that has lost its herd, falls into deep delusion through the attraction to women."
34. "The young man who becomes devoted to a young woman is deeply to be pitied—like an elephant trapped in a deep chasm, swayed by the lure of the female."
35. "He who has a woman has a craving for pleasure. But what pleasure remains for one who has renounced her? Abandoning woman is equivalent to abandoning the world; and one who abandons the world becomes truly happy."
36. "I do not find delight in fleeting pleasures that exist only momentarily and are hard to obtain—pleasures which belong to the unstable domain of the senses. O Sage, I delight instead in the fear of death, disease, and old age. Through this, I gradually find Peace and strive for the Supreme State."
Summary of the Teachings:
These verses express a deep dispassion (vairāgya) toward sensual and worldly pleasures, specifically targeting the infatuation with women as symbolic of sensory indulgence.
The speaker, Śrī Rāma, speaks from a place of intense renunciation, disillusioned by the impermanence and inherent suffering tied to physical attraction and desire. He portrays the female form—often idolized in worldly life—as ultimately no different from flesh, blood, and decay, urging the sage and listener to recognize this transient reality.
The meditation on mortality is stark and direct. Śrī Rāma details the inevitable decomposition of the body, once considered beautiful, to emphasize the futility of attachment. He argues that time strips away the illusion of form and renders all bodies equally perishable. This powerful imagery is meant to shock the mind out of attachment and awaken a deeper inquiry into the eternal truth.
Philosophically, he underscores the non-substantiality of physical identity. The woman is described not as a person but as a configuration of the five gross elements—earth, water, fire, air, and space. Therefore, desiring her is no different than becoming attached to mud or smoke. Such identification with the body is a form of ignorance, and one who sees clearly will not fall into it.
The verses also illustrate how infatuation leads to suffering. Śrī Rāma compares the lover to a blind deer lost from its herd or an elephant trapped in a pit. The implication is that the deluded mind, when captured by desire, becomes incapacitated and suffers inevitable downfall. These analogies are aimed at cultivating discernment and detachment.
Finally, Śrī Rāma makes a clear shift from transient pleasure to enduring peace. Instead of pursuing momentary joys, he finds solace in contemplating the dangers of worldly life—disease, aging, and death—which become impetuses for spiritual striving. His goal is the attainment of the Supreme State (parama pada), which lies beyond pleasure and pain, beyond attraction and aversion—an Eternal Stillness untouched by the world.
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