Chapter 3.18, Verses 9–18

Yoga Vashishtha 3.18.9–18

(In Truth, everything is the non-dual Brahm appearing as multiplicity)

लीलोवाच ।

अनुकम्प्यस्य नो देवि भजन्त्युद्वेगमुत्तमाः ।

त्वयेव किल सर्गादौ स्थापिता स्थितिरुत्तमा ॥ ९ ॥

तदिदं यत्पुरः प्रह्वा पृच्छामि परमेश्वरि ।

तद्ब्रूहि त्वत्कृतो नूनं सफलो मेऽस्त्वनुग्रहः ॥ १० ॥

अस्यादर्शो जगन्नाम्नः खादप्यधिकनिर्मलः ।

यस्य योजनकोटीनां कोटयोऽवयवो मनाक् ॥ ११ ॥

निःसंधितवचोज्योतिर्घनो मृदुसुशीतलः।

अचेत्यचिदिति ख्यातो नाम्ना निर्भित्तिरग्रतः ॥ १२ ॥

दिक्कालकलनाकाशप्रकाशनियतिक्रमाः ।

यत्रेमे प्रतिबिम्बन्ति परां परिणतिं गताः ॥ १३ ॥

त्रिजगत्प्रतिबिम्बश्रीर्बहिरन्तश्च संस्थिता ।

तत्र वै कृत्रिमा का स्यात्कासौ वा स्यादकृत्रिमा ॥ १४ ॥

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

अकृत्रिमत्वं सर्गस्य कीदृशं वद सुन्दरि।

कीदृशं कृत्रिमत्वं स्याद्यथावत्कथयेति मे ॥ १५ ॥

लीलोवाच ।

यथाहमिह तिष्ठामि त्वं च देवि स्थिताम्बिके ।

असावकृत्रिमः सर्ग इति देवेशि वेद्म्यहम् ॥ १६ ॥

यत्राधुना स भर्ता मे स्थितः सर्गः स कृत्रिमः ।

अहं मन्ये यतः शून्यो देशकालाद्यपूरकः ॥ १७ ॥

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

कृत्रिमोऽकृत्रिमात्सर्गान्न कदाचन जायते ।

नहि कारणतः कार्यमुदेत्यसदृशं क्वचित् ॥ १८ ॥

Queen Lila said:

3.18.9  

O Goddess, the highest beings never feel worry or agitation for those who are worthy of compassion. In the beginning of creation, You yourself established this Supreme State of Peace.

3.18.10  

Therefore, O Supreme Goddess, whatever I am humbly asking in Your presence, please tell me that, so that Your Grace upon me may become truly fruitful.

3.18.11  

There is a mirror called “the Universe” which is far purer than any ordinary mirror; even billions of billions of miles make only the tiniest part of it.

3.18.12  

In front of us is a radiant light without any joint or seam, dense yet soft and extremely cool; it is known as the unimaginable Pure Consciousness, the Nameless Absolute.

3.18.13  

Space, Time, divisions, Void, Light, and natural laws – all these appear as reflections in it and reach their Supreme State.

3.18.14  

The glory of the three worlds is reflected both outside and inside it. Tell me, in that mirror, which creation is artificial and which one is non-artificial?

The Goddess said: 

3.18.15  

Beautiful one, tell me clearly what you mean by the Creation being non-artificial, and what you mean by it being artificial.

Lila said: 

3.18.16  

O Goddess of gods, the way I am standing here and You, O Ambika, are present here – that Creation I know to be non-artificial.

3.18.17  

But the creation in which my husband is now living, I consider that one artificial, because it is empty and merely fills Space, Time, and other such things.

The Goddess said: 

3.18.18  

An artificial Creation never arises from a non-artificial one. An effect never appears dissimilar from its cause, ever.

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses form a profound dialogue between Goddess Saraswati (appearing as the Divine Goddess) and Queen Lila, who is in a state of awakened Consciousness. Lila is trying to understand the nature of the world she experiences after her husband’s death and revival through yogic vision. She uses the metaphor of a spotless cosmic mirror (Pure Consciousness) in which the entire universe appears as a reflection.

Lila distinguishes two kinds of “Creation:” the one in which she and the Goddess are presently standing (the direct, immediate, unchanging Reality) she calls non-artificial (akṛtrima), and the world in which her husband now lives (the ordinary world of Time, Space, and objects) she calls artificial (kṛtrima), meaning it is a mere appearance, empty of independent Reality.

The Goddess immediately corrects this dualistic view with a classic Advaita principle: an effect can never be different in nature from its cause. Since the Ultimate Cause is the non-dual, unchanging, Pure Consciousness (akṛtrima), whatever appears as the world cannot be truly artificial or separate from it. A Real cause can only produce something of the same nature as itself.

Thus, the teaching is that there is no true division between “Real” and “unreal” Creation. 

The world is neither independently Real (like a separate artificial object) nor utterly non-existent; it is the shining of the One Consciousness alone. What seems artificial is only apparently so to the mind bound by ignorance; in Truth, everything is the non-dual Brahm appearing as multiplicity.

The verses gently dissolve the distinction Lila was making and point to the non-dual truth: the same Consciousness that is experienced here and now as “I” and “You” is the very substance of the husband, the palace, and all the three worlds. Nothing ever arises outside of or different from That.