Yoga Vashishtha 1.30.10–19
(Restless nature of the mind and its constant wandering through desires and experiences)
श्रीराम उवाच।
चेतश्चञ्चलमाभोगि भुवनान्तर्विहारि च।
न संभ्रमं जहातीदं स्वविमानमिवामराः ॥ १० ॥
अतोऽतुच्छमनायासमनुपाधि गतभ्रमम्।
किं तत्स्थितिपदं साधो यत्र शोको न विद्यते ॥ ११ ॥
सर्वारम्भसमारूढाः सुजना जनकादयः ।
व्यवहारपरा एव कथमुत्तमतां गताः ॥ १२ ॥
लग्नेनापि किलाङ्गेषु बहुधा बहुमानद ।
कथं संसारपङ्केन पुमानिह न लिप्यते ॥ १३ ॥
कां दृष्टिं समुपाश्रित्य भवन्तो वीतकल्मषाः ।
महान्तो विचरन्तीह जीवन्मुक्ता महाशयाः ॥ १४ ॥
लोभयन्तो भयायैव विषयाभोगभोगिनः।
भङ्गुराकारविभवाः कथमायान्ति भव्यताम् ॥ १५ ॥
मोहमातङ्गमृदिता कलङ्ककलितान्तरा ।
परं प्रसादमायाति शेमुषीसरसी कथम् ॥ १६ ॥
संसार एव निवहे जनो व्यवहरन्नपि ।
न बन्धं कथमाप्नोति पद्मपत्रे पयो यथा ॥ १७ ॥
आत्मवत्तृणवच्चेदं सकलं कलयञ्जनः ।
कथमुत्तमतामेति मनोमन्मथमस्पृशन् ॥ १८ ॥
कं महापुरुषं पारमुपायातं महोदधेः ।
आचारेणानुसंस्मृत्य जनो याति न दुःखिताम् ॥ १९ ॥
Sriram said:
Verse 10: "O Sage, the mind is ever restless, wandering freely across worlds, indulging in endless experiences. Yet, like the celestial beings who do not abandon their aerial chariots, it clings to its turbulence."
Verse 11: "Therefore, tell me, what is that Supreme State —free of triviality, effortlessness, devoid of delusion and all adjuncts—where sorrow cannot exist?"
Verse 12: "Great souls like King Janaka engaged fully in worldly duties and responsibilities. How did they attain the Highest State while remaining so involved?"
Verse 13: "Even when one's limbs are engaged in manifold worldly acts and held in esteem by others, how does a person remain unsullied by the mire of samsāra?"
Verse 14: "By relying on what kind of Inner Vision or discernment do great sages —liberated while still alive—move about in this world, free from impurities?"
Verse 15: "Sensory enjoyments tempt and threaten with fear, yet they are unstable and perishable. How then can one who indulges in them ever attain spiritual greatness?"
Verse 16: "The intellect, sullied by the stain of delusion and crushed by the elephant of ignorance—how does it ever become serene and luminous?"
Verse 17: "How can one live and act fully in the world, amidst all its concerns, and still avoid bondage—just as water does not cling to a lotus leaf?"
Verse 18: "How does one attain the Highest Spiritual State —regarding all things as the Self or as insignificant as grass—while remaining untouched by the mind’s passions?"
Verse 19: "By recalling the conduct and example of a Realized Being who has crossed the vast ocean of existence, how does a person avoid sorrow and suffering?"
Summary of the Teachings:
These verses reflect a series of questions posed by Śrī Rāma to Sage Vasiṣṭha, rooted in deep philosophical inquiry. Rāma observes the restless nature of the mind and its constant wandering through desires and experiences. Despite this unrest, he yearns to understand the nature of a state of peace and liberation—a condition that is utterly free from sorrow, delusion, effort, and dependency. The essential question is: what is that state of being where no grief touches the heart?
He raises the paradox of the great sages and kings like Janaka, who were fully immersed in worldly duties and yet attained spiritual perfection. Rāma wants to know how such people could remain untouched by the mire of worldly attachment while actively engaging in life. This highlights a central theme of Yoga Vāsiṣṭha—that liberation is not necessarily about renouncing external life but about renouncing inner delusion and bondage.
Rāma then turns his focus to the inner faculties: the intellect (śemuṣī), discernment, and vision. He is curious about how they transform from being clouded and deluded to attaining Purity and Serenity. He asks how the soul, surrounded by unstable pleasures and dangers, can rise to greatness without being entangled in fear or desire. This reinforces the text's core concern with inner detachment rather than external renunciation.
The analogy of the lotus leaf and water is central here: just as water touches but does not stick to the lotus leaf, so too can one live in the world and remain unbound. The ideal is not to escape life, but to live it with a Consciousness so refined and unattached that nothing clings. This aligns with the doctrine of jīvanmukti—liberation while living—which Yoga Vāsiṣṭha promotes as its Highest Goal.
Finally, Rāma seeks practical guidance by turning to the role of exemplars— Realized Beings who have reached the shore of the vast ocean of Existence. He wonders how remembering their conduct and walking in their footsteps can help others transcend sorrow. This shows the importance of the Guru, of Spiritual Remembrance, and of modeling one’s life on the Wise. It reinforces the idea that Spiritual Realization is attainable not by escaping life, but by transforming our vision within it.
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