Chapter 1.28, Verses 20–32

Yoga Vashishtha 1.28.20–32

(fleeting nature of all experience)

श्रीराम उवाच।

रचयन्रश्मिजालेन रात्र्यहानि पुनःपुनः।

अतिवाह्य रविः कालो विनाशावधिमीक्षते ॥ २० ॥

ब्रह्मा विष्णुश्च रुद्रश्च सर्वा वा भूतजातयः ।

नाशमेवानुधावन्ति सलिलानीव वाडवम् ॥ २१ ॥

द्यौः क्षमा वायुराकाशं पर्वताः सरितो दिशः ।

विनाशवाडवस्यैतत्सर्वं संशुष्कमिन्धनम् ॥ २२ ॥

धनानि बान्धवा भृत्या मित्राणि विभवाश्च ये ।

विनाशभयभीतस्य सर्वं नीरसतां गतम् ॥ २३ ॥

स्वदन्ते तावदेवैते भावा जगति धीमते ।

यावत्स्मृतिपथं याति न विनाशकुराक्षसः ॥ २४ ॥

क्षणमैश्वर्यमायाति क्षणमेति दरिद्रताम्।

क्षणं विगतरोगत्वं क्षणमागतरोगताम् ॥ २५ ॥

प्रतिक्षणविपर्यासदायिना निहतात्मना ।

जगद्भ्रमेण के नाम धीमन्तो हि न मोहिताः ॥ २६ ॥

तमःपङ्कसमालब्धं क्षणमाकाशमण्डलम् ।

क्षण कनकनिष्यन्दकोमलालोकसुन्दरम् ॥ २७ ॥

क्षणं जलदनीलाब्जमालावलितकोटरम्।

क्ष्रणमुड्डामररवं क्षणं मूकमिव स्थितम् ॥ २८ ॥

क्षणं ताराविरचितं क्षणमर्केण भूषितम् ।

क्षणमिन्दुकृताह्लादं क्षणं सर्वबहिष्कृतम् ॥ २९ ॥

आगमापायपरया क्षणसंस्थितिनाशया ।

न बिभेति हि संसारे धीरोऽपि क इवानया ॥ ३० ॥

आपदः क्षणमायान्ति क्षणमायान्ति संपदः ।

क्षणं जन्म क्षणं मृत्युर्मुने किमिव न क्षणम् ॥ ३१ ॥

प्रागासीदन्य एवेह जातस्त्वन्यो नरो दिनैः ।

सदैकरूपं भगवन्किंचिदस्ति न सुस्थिरम् ॥ ३२ ॥

Sriram said:

20. "The sun weaves day and night with the threads of its rays, again and again, while time advances ceaselessly toward inevitable destruction."

21. "Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, and all forms of beings pursue nothing but annihilation, like rivers rushing toward the ocean’s consuming fire."

22. "Heaven, earth, air, space, mountains, rivers, and directions — all are but dry fuel for the devouring wildfire of destruction."

23. "Wealth, relatives, servants, friends, and all possessions become tasteless and meaningless to one who fears the ever-present shadow of annihilation."

24. "These worldly phenomena only delight the wise person as long as the demon of destruction has not entered the path of their memory."

25. "In a moment one attains riches; in another, poverty. One moment there is health; the next, disease arises."

26. "Who among the wise, even when aware of constant reversal and loss, is not deluded by the illusory charm of the world?"

27. "The sky may appear, for a moment, as if soiled by the mud of darkness, and the next moment shine beautifully like golden nectar."

28. "In one moment it is covered with dark clouds and lotuses swirling in gusts; in another, it is silent as if mute, then thundering loudly again."

29. "In one moment adorned with stars, the next lit up by the sun, then delighted by the moon — and in the next moment, all these disappear."

30. "Who, even if wise and courageous, would not fear this world, whose existence is perishable every moment, born of constant arising and dissolving?"

31. "Calamities arrive in a moment, and prosperity arrives in a moment. Birth and death themselves are momentary — O Sage, what in this world is not momentary?"

32. "One man lived here a few days ago; now another is born. O Lord, what in this world ever remains the same or firm?"

Summary of Teachings:

These verses from the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha express a deep meditation on impermanence and the transient nature of all phenomena. Time is depicted as an unstoppable current, relentlessly carrying everything toward destruction. Even the celestial entities — Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra — along with the vast cosmos, are not exempt from dissolution. The elements, the directions, and the grandest structures of Nature are described as fuel for the fire of annihilation. This presents the world not as a static creation but as a dynamic play of appearance and disappearance.

The text also shifts to the human sphere, portraying the futility of attachment to wealth, relationships, and social position. These things may bring temporary joy but lose their flavor in the face of the inevitable end. To the wise, even pleasant experiences are fragile and moment-bound, holding no lasting sweetness once the awareness of impermanence sets in. The "demon of destruction" — death, change, and time — eventually stalks every memory and moment, rendering all worldly delight unstable.

A powerful portrayal of fleeting conditions follows. Wealth, health, suffering, joy — they arrive and vanish within moments, without warning. The wise may understand this intellectually, but the illusion (maya) of the world still entraps even those of discernment. The world is an ever-shifting illusion, changing appearance moment by moment: sunny then stormy, bright then dark, silent then thunderous — a constant dance of opposites with no firm anchor.

Even the sky, symbol of vastness and space, is shown to change rapidly — clothed in darkness, light, thunder, stars, sun, and moon — each moment erasing the last. This cosmic theatre highlights the ultimate teaching: that there is nothing stable in the world. Life itself — from birth to death — is but a sequence of brief flashes. What exists today is gone tomorrow. What appears stable is an illusion, quickly swept away by time.

Thus, the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha urges the seeker to awaken to the truth of impermanence. In recognizing the fleeting nature of all experience — pleasure and pain, gain and loss — the Wise are invited to turn inward toward the eternal, unchanging Self. The verses are not pessimistic but point beyond sorrow, encouraging liberation through detachment, discrimination, and deep introspection.