Posts
Yoga Vashishtha 3.10.1–3.10.10
(Universe exists in Brahm in a State that transcends the dualities of emptiness and non-emptiness)
श्रीराम उवाच ।
महाप्रलयसंपत्तौ यदेतदवशिष्यते ।
भवत्येतदनाकारं नाम नास्त्यत्र संशयः ॥ १ ॥
न शून्यं कथमेतत्स्यान्न प्रकाशः कथं भवेत् ।
कथं वा न तमोरूपं कथं वा नैव भास्वरम् ॥ २ ॥
कथं वा नैव चिद्रूपं जीवो वा न कथं भवेत् ।
कथं न बुद्धितत्त्वं स्यात्कथं वा न मनो भवेत् ॥ ३ ॥
कथं वा नैव किंचित्स्यात्कथं वा सर्वमित्यपि ।
अनयैव वचोभङ्ग्या मम मोह इवोदितः ॥ ४ ॥
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
विषमोऽयमतिप्रश्नो भवता समुदाहृतः।
भेत्तास्म्यहं त्वयत्नेन नैशं तम इवांशुमान् ॥ ५ ॥
महाकल्पान्तसंपत्तौ यत्तत्सदवशिष्यते।
तद्राम न यथा शून्यं तदिदं श्रृणु कथ्यते ॥ ६ ॥
अनुत्कीर्णा यथा स्तम्भे संस्थिता शालभञ्जिका ।
तथा विश्वं स्थितं तत्र तेन शून्यं न तत्पदम् ॥ ७ ॥
अयमित्थं महाभोगो जगदाख्योऽवभासते ।
सत्यो भवत्वसत्यो वा यत्र तत्र त्वशून्यता ॥ ८ ॥
यथा न पुत्रिकाशून्यः स्तम्भोऽनुत्कीर्णपुत्रिकः ।
तथा भातं जगद्ब्रह्म तेन शून्य न तत्पदम् ॥ ९ ॥
सौम्याम्भसि यथा वीचिर्न चास्ति नच नास्ति च ।
तथा जगद्ब्रह्मणीदं शून्याशून्यपदं गतम् ॥ १० ॥
Sriram said:
3.10.1: At the time of the great dissolution, when everything is resolved, what remains is without form, and there is no doubt about this absence of name or form.
3.10.2: How can it be said to be empty, and how can it not be radiant? How can it be of the nature of darkness, or how can it not be luminous?
3.10.3: How can it not be of the nature of Consciousness, or how can it not be a living soul? How can it not be of the nature of intellect, or how can it not be the mind?
3.10.4: How can it be nothing at all, or how can it be everything? By this very perplexity of words, a kind of delusion seems to arise in me.
Maharishi Vashishta replied:
3.10.5: This is a difficult and profound question you have raised. I shall dispel it effortlessly, like the Sun dispelling the darkness of night.
3.10.6: O Rama, what remains at the end of the great cosmic cycle is not as empty as you might think. Listen, I will explain this to you.
3.10.7: Just as a figure of a nymph remains latent within an uncarved pillar, so too does the Universe reside within that Reality, and thus that State is not truly empty.
3.10.8: This great phenomenon called the world appears in that Reality, whether it be true or untrue. In that State, there is no emptiness.
3.10.9: Just as a pillar with an uncarved figure of a nymph is not devoid of the nymph, so too does the Universe shine forth in Brahm, and thus that State is not empty.
3.10.10: Just as a wave in the calm ocean neither fully exists nor fully does not exist, so too does this Universe in Brahm exist in a State that transcends both emptiness and non-emptiness.
Summary of the Teachings:
In these verses from the Yoga Vasishta, a profound dialogue unfolds between Shri Rama and Sage Vasishta, addressing the Nature of Reality at the time of the great dissolution (mahapralaya), when the manifested Universe is said to dissolve. In the first four verses (3.10.1– 3.10.4), Rama expresses his confusion and curiosity about the State of Existence after the dissolution. He questions how the Ultimate Reality can be described—whether it is empty or radiant, dark or luminous, conscious or not, and whether it encompasses everything or nothing. His series of paradoxical questions reflects a deep philosophical inquiry into the Nature of Reality, revealing his struggle to reconcile the apparent contradictions in understanding the Ultimate State. This reflects the human mind’s tendency to grapple with concepts that transcend ordinary perception, highlighting the limitations of language and thought in capturing the Essence of the Absolute.
In response, Sage Vasishta, beginning in verse 3.10.5, acknowledges the complexity of Rama’s question, likening it to a profound darkness that he will dispel like the Sun. This sets the stage for Vasishta’s teaching, which seeks to clarify the Nature of the Ultimate Reality. In verse 3.10.6, he begins by asserting that what remains after the great dissolution is not mere emptiness, as one might assume. This challenges the notion of a Void or Nothingness, suggesting that the Ultimate Reality is far more nuanced than a simplistic absence of form or substance. Vasishta’s response is grounded in the Advaita Vedanta perspective, which posits that the Ultimate Reality, Brahm, is beyond dualistic categories like Existence and non-existence.
To illustrate this, Vasishta employs the metaphor of a nymph latent within an uncarved pillar in verses 3.10.7 and 3.10.9. Just as the figure of the nymph exists potentially within the pillar, even though it has not been carved out, the Universe exists within Brahm in a latent, unmanifest form. This analogy underscores that the Ultimate Reality is not empty but contains the potentiality of the entire Cosmos. The world, whether perceived as Real or unreal, is an expression of Brahm, and thus the State after dissolution is not a Void but a fullness that encompasses all possibilities. This teaching emphasizes the non-dual nature of Reality, where the distinction between the manifest and unmanifest dissolves in the Unity of Brahm.
In verse 3.10.8, Vasishta further elaborates that the world, as a grand phenomenon, appears within this Reality, and its apparent Reality or unreality does not negate the non-empty Nature of the Ultimate State.
This suggests that the Universe, whether experienced as Real in the waking state or as illusory from the perspective of Absolute Truth, is not separate from Brahm. The absence of emptiness implies that Brahm is the substratum of all appearances, unchanging and Eternal, even when the manifested world dissolves. This aligns with the Advaitic view that the world is a superimposition on Brahm, like a dream that appears Real but is ultimately rooted in the dreamer’s Consciousness.
Finally, in verse 3.10.10, Vasishta uses the analogy of a wave in a calm ocean to describe the universe’s relationship with Brahm. The wave neither fully exists as a separate entity nor is entirely non-existent, as it is inseparable from the ocean. Similarly, the Universe exists in Brahm in a State that transcends the dualities of emptiness and non-emptiness. This teaching encapsulates the essence of non-duality, where the Universe is neither wholly Real nor wholly unreal but exists as an expression of Brahm’s Infinite potential. Vasishta’s response resolves Rama’s confusion by pointing to a reality that transcends intellectual categories, encouraging a direct Realization of Brahm as the unchanging Essence behind all phenomena. These verses collectively guide the seeker toward understanding the non-dual Nature of Existence, where all distinctions ultimately merge into the Singular Reality of Brahm.
No comments:
Post a Comment