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Yoga Vashishtha 3.10.23–33
(Nature of Brahm)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
मरीचेऽन्तर्यथा तैक्ष्ण्यमृते भोक्तुर्न लक्ष्यते ।
चिन्मात्रत्वं चिदाकाशे तथा चेत्यकलां विना ॥ २३ ॥
तस्माच्चिदप्यचिद्रूपं चेत्यरिक्तं तदात्मनि ।
जगत्ता तादृगेवेयं तावन्मात्रात्मतावशात् ॥ २४ ॥
रूपालोकमनस्कारास्तन्मया एव नेतरत्।
यथास्थितमतो विश्वं सुषुप्तं तुर्यमेव वा ॥ २५ ॥
तेन योगी सुषुप्तात्मा व्यवहार्यपि शान्तधीः ।
आस्ते ब्रह्म निराभासं सर्वाभाससमुद्गकः ॥ २६ ॥
आकारिणि यथा सौम्ये स्थितास्तोये महोर्मयः ।
अनाकृतौ तथा विश्वं स्थितं तत्सदृशं परे ॥ २७ ॥
पूर्णात्पूर्णं प्रसरति यत्तत्पूर्णं निराकृति ।
ब्रह्मणो विश्वमाभातं तद्धि स्वार्थं विचक्षितम् ॥ २८ ॥
पूर्णात्पूर्णं प्रसरति संस्थितं पूर्णमेव तत्।
अतो विश्वमनुत्पन्नं यच्चोत्पन्नं तदेव तत् ॥ २९ ॥
चेत्यासंभवतस्तस्मिन्यदेका जगदर्थता।
आस्वादका संभवतो मरीचे कैव तीक्ष्णता ॥ ३० ॥
सत्येवेयमसत्यैव चित्तचेत्यादिता परे ।
तद्भावात्प्रतिबिम्बस्य प्रतिबिम्बार्हता कुतः ॥ ३१ ॥
परमाणोरपि परं तदणीयो ह्यणीयसः।
शुद्धं सूक्ष्मं परं शान्तं तदाकाशोदरादपि ॥ ३२ ॥
दिक्कालाद्यनवच्छिन्नरूपत्वादतिविस्तृतम् ।
तदनाद्यन्तमाभासं भासनीयविवर्जितम् ॥ ३३ ॥
Maharishi Vashishta said:
3.10.23: Just as the sharpness inherent in the marīci (mirage-water) is not perceived apart from an enjoyer or experiencer, so too the Pure Consciousness-Nature (cinmātratva) in the expanse of Consciousness (cidākāśa) is not manifest without the imagined object (cetyakalā).
3.10.24: Therefore, even Consciousness (cit) assumes the form of non-consciousness (acit) when devoid of the imagined object; in its own nature, it is that very worldness (jagattā)—such is this [world] precisely to that extent, due to the power of its mere self-nature (ātmātā).
3.10.25: Form, light, and mental modifications are nothing but That (the Self) alone, not anything else; therefore, the Universe as it exists is either deep sleep (suṣupta) or the fourth state (turīya).
3.10.26: Thus, the yogi, with a Self absorbed in deep sleep yet engaging in worldly activities with a Tranquil mind, abides in Brahm—which is without appearances yet the Source from which all appearances arise.
3.10.27: Just as great waves abide in water that has form, O gentle one, so too the Universe abides in the formless (anākṛti) Absolute, resembling it exactly.
3.10.28: From the full arises the full; that which arises is the full without form. The Universe appears from Brahm, and Brahm itself is discerned for its own sake.
3.10.29: From the full arises the full; it remains the full alone. Therefore, the universe is un-originated, and whatever appears originated is That itself.
3.10.30: Since the imagined object (cetya) cannot possibly exist in That, how can there be even a single world-reality there? Just as in the marīci, where tasters or enjoyers arise, what sharpness is there?
3.10.31: This [world] is real yet unreal in the Supreme; it is the distinction of mind and its objects. Due to the existence of That, how can there be reflectivity in a reflection?
3.10.32: Beyond even the atom is That which is subtler than the subtlest; it is pure, subtle, supreme, peaceful, and subtler even than the interior of Space.
3.10.33: Because it is unbounded by directions, time, or other limitations, it is exceedingly vast; it is without beginning or end, self-luminous, and devoid of anything to be illuminated.
Summary of the Teachings:
These verses expound the non-dual nature of Consciousness (cit) and the illusory appearance of the world (jagat), using the metaphor of the marīci (mirage) to illustrate how qualities like sharpness or Reality are projected only through an experiencer or imagined object (cetya). Without such imputation, Pure Consciousness remains unmanifest and undifferentiated, devoid of any inherent world-ness. The world arises not as a separate entity but as Consciousness itself assuming the guise of non-consciousness (acit) due to its own inherent power (ātmātā), emphasizing that all perceptions of form, light, and mental activity are Brahm alone. This leads to the conclusion that the Universe, in its apparent existence, is equivalent to states of deep sleep (suṣupta) or the transcendent fourth (turīya), where no objective duality persists.
The Yogi's Realization is central: even while active in the world (vyavahāra), the enlightened one maintains a mind absorbed in the Peace of Deep Sleep, abiding in Brahm as the substratum that generates all appearances without itself being tainted by them.
Analogies like waves in form-possessing water versus the Universe in the Formless Absolute reinforce that the world perfectly mirrors the unchanging Brahm, arising from it without diminution. The fullness (pūrṇa) of Brahm is unchanging—whatever emanates remains the full, rendering the universe essentially unoriginated (anutpanna); any perceived origination is merely Brahm itself, underscoring the Advaitic principle that multiplicity is a false superimposition.
Absence of the imagined object (cetya) in the Absolute negates any independent world-reality, akin to the mirage lacking true sharpness without a perceiver.
The apparent reality and unreality of the world stem from mental distinctions (citta-cetya), but in the Supreme, no reflection can reflect another, dissolving all duality. This points to the impossibility of true separateness, as the world’s “existence” is borrowed from Brahm’s self-nature. Brahm transcends all measurable subtlety, surpassing atoms and even the Void of Space (ākāśa), being Pure, Serene, and Supreme. Its unboundedness by Space, Time, or any conditioning renders it infinitely vast yet intimately subtle.
Finally, Brahm is beginningless, endless, self-effulgent, and free from any external object needing illumination, existing as pure luminosity without dependence. These teachings collectively affirm that Realization lies in recognizing the world as non-different from Brahm, dissolving all notions of creation, sustenance, or destruction into the eternal, formless fullness.
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