Yoga Vashishtha 1.27.33–41
(Illusion (māyā) of worldly existence and the deeply contemplative nature of Reality)
श्रीराम उवाच ।
सर्वत्र पाषाणमया महीध्रा मृदा मही दारुभिरेव वृक्षाः ।
मांसैर्जनाः पौरुषबद्धभावा नापूर्वमस्तीह विकारहीनम् ॥ ३३ ॥
आलोक्यते चेतनयाऽनुविद्धा पयोनुबद्धोऽस्तनयो नभः स्थाः ।
पृथग्विभागेन पदार्थलक्ष्म्या एतज्जगन्नेतरदस्ति किंचित् ॥ ३४ ॥
चमत्कृतिश्चेह मनस्विलोकचेतश्चमत्कारकरी नराणाम्।
स्वप्नेऽपि साधो विषयं कदाचित्केषांचिदभ्येति न चित्ररूपा ॥ ३५ ॥
अद्यापि यातेऽपि च कल्पनाया आकाशवल्लीफलवन्महत्त्वे ।
उदेति नो लोभलवाहतानामुदारवृत्तान्तमयी कथैव ॥ ३६ ॥
आदातुमिच्छन्पदमुत्तमानां स्वचेतसैवापहतोऽद्य लोकः ।
पतत्यशङ्कं पशुरद्रिकूटादानीलवल्लीफलवाञ्छयैव ॥ ३७ ॥
अवान्तरन्यस्तनिरर्थकांशच्छायालता पत्रफलप्रसूनाः ।
शरीर एव क्षतसंपदश्च श्वभ्रद्रुमा अद्यतना नराश्च ॥ ३८ ॥
क्वचिज्जना मार्दवसुन्दरेषु क्वचित्कठोरेषु च संचरन्ति ।
देशान्तरालेषु निरन्तरेषु वनान्तखण्डेष्विव कृष्णसाराः ॥ ३९ ॥
धातुर्नवानि दिवसं प्रति भीषणानि रम्याणि वा विलुलितान्ततमाकुलानि।
कार्याणि कष्टफलपाकहतोदयानि विस्मापयन्ति न शवस्य मनांसि केषाम् ॥ ४० ॥
जनः कामासक्तो विविधकुकलाचेष्टनपरः स तु स्वप्नेऽप्यस्मिञ्जगति सुलभो नाद्य सुजनः ।
क्रिया दुःखासङ्गाऽविधुरविधुरा नूनमखिला न जाने नेतव्या कथमिव दशा जीवितमयी ॥ ४१ ॥
Sriram said:
33. "Mountains are nothing but formations of stone, the earth is merely a mass of clay, trees are composed of wood, and humans are made of flesh bound by egoic will—there is nothing new or Real transformation in this world."
34. "All that appears is suffused with Consciousness, and suspended in the ocean of space like milk in water; what seems to exist is only distinguished through the mind’s attribution of forms and categories—this world is but a projection, nothing else exists outside of it."
35. "The sense of wonder arises from the imaginative minds of people—it is the mind that paints beauty and meaning; even in dreams, objects do not arise for some souls attached neither to form nor pleasure—this shows that things have no intrinsic charm."
36. "Even now, despite all the elaborate constructs of imagination, no real desire arises in those who have let go of longing—like someone hearing an epic tale yet unmoved by its grandeur, those detached remain unaffected."
37. "Seeking greatness, people grasp at lofty ideals but are defeated by their own minds—they fall like beasts from mountaintops, lured by the fruits of the sky-vines of delusion."
38. "These men, adorned with hollow ornaments of status and burdened with meaningless possessions, are like trees growing in deep crevices—having leaves, fruits, and flowers, yet broken in spirit, they resemble nothing more than ghosts of life."
39. "Some people dwell among gentle hearts and peaceful regions; others roam among the harsh and cruel—as deer wander between calm forests and dangerous thickets, so do humans move across the lands, ever exposed to contrast."
40. "Each day, new and terrifying or alluring activities emerge—disordered and dark, they confuse and disturb, but even these marvels fail to stir the minds of the lifeless, whose awareness is dead to wonder."
41. "People are entangled in desire and vile, erratic pursuits—such noble beings are rare in this world, even in dreams. All action brings pain or confusion, and I do not know how such a bewildered existence could ever be rightly lived."
Summary of Teachings:
These verses reflect the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha’s uncompromising insight into the illusion (māyā) of worldly existence and the deeply contemplative nature of Reality.
Through vivid metaphors, it dismantles the seeming solidity of the physical world, asserting that what we take as Real —mountains, earth, trees, even the human form—is only a play of inert matter animated by Consciousness. Nothing truly transforms or changes; all phenomena are transient and mental in essence.
The mind is the key actor in the drama of perception—it infuses meaning and beauty into what is otherwise inert. Wonder itself is not in the object but in the mind that beholds it. Thus, Reality as experienced is a projection shaped by mental constructs.
Detachment from this projection reveals the emptiness behind desire and imagination, rendering the most elaborate tales and worldly accomplishments ineffective in stirring the truly dispassionate.
Those driven by ambition and fantasy fall prey to delusion. The analogy of creatures falling from mountaintops in pursuit of sky-fruits powerfully symbolizes the fate of those grasping at ideals born of imagination, rather than grounded Wisdom. The contrast between outer appearance (wealth, beauty, action) and inner emptiness (suffering, fragmentation, hollowness) is emphasized to show the futility of blind worldly pursuit.
People move through life exposed to shifting circumstances—some live among softness and beauty, others among harshness and cruelty—just as deer wander various terrains. The transience and unpredictability of life amplify the need for inner stability and detachment, rather than reactive engagement.
Ultimately, the rarest quality in the world is true nobility—a soul detached from desire and illusion. The majority are entangled in suffering born of ignorance and craving. Actions and experiences, even when lofty, often result in sorrow or confusion. This existential bewilderment leads to the profound question of how life, as it is ordinarily lived, can truly be considered meaningful. The teaching pushes the seeker to look beyond the constructed world and seek the unchanging, non-dual essence within.
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