Chapter 3.21, Verses 49–57

Yoga Vashishtha 3.21.49–57

(This subtle body arises from Pure Consciousness but feels gross due to prolonged mental habits and conditioning)

 

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

संकल्पव्योमवृक्षस्ते यथा सन्नपि खात्मकः ।

न कुड्यात्मा न कुड्येन रोध्यते नापि कुड्यहा ॥ ४९ ॥

शुद्धैकसत्त्वनिर्माणं चिद्रूपस्यैव तत्किल।

प्रतिभानमतस्तस्मात्परस्म्वाद्भिद्यते मनाक् ॥ ५० ॥

सोऽयमेतादृशो देहो नैनं संत्यज्य याम्यहम् ।

अनेनैव तमाप्नोमि देशं गन्धमिवानिलः ॥ ५१ ॥

यथा जलं जलेनाग्निरग्निना वायुनानिलः ।

मिलत्येवमतो देहो देहैरन्यैर्मनोमयैः ॥ ५२ ॥

नहि पार्थिवतासंविदेत्य पार्थिवसंविदा।

एकत्वं कल्पनाशैलशैलयोः क्वाहतिर्मिथः ॥ ५३ ॥

आतिवाहिक एवायं त्वादृशैश्चित्तदेहकः ।

आधिभौतिकताबुद्ध्या गृहीतश्चिरभावनात् ॥ ५४ ॥

यथा स्वप्ने यथा दीर्घकालध्याने यथा भ्रमे ।

यथा च सति संकल्पे यथा गन्धर्वपत्तने ॥ ५५ ॥

वासनातानवं नूनं यदा ते स्थितिमेष्यति ।

तदातिवाहिको भावः पुनरेष्यति देहके ॥ ५६ ॥

लीलोवाच ।

आतिवाहिकदेहत्वप्रत्यये घनतां गते ।

तामवाप्नोत्ययं देहो दशामाहो विनश्यति ॥ ५७ ॥

3.21.49

The Goddess said:

Your tree of imagination in the sky of mind is like that—existing yet appearing as the sky itself. It is not the wall-like body, nor is it confined by the wall, nor does it destroy the wall.

3.21.50

It is indeed a manifestation created from Pure Existence alone, in the form of Consciousness. It is an appearance, and therefore it slightly differs from the Supreme.

3.21.51

This is such a body. I do not leave it and go elsewhere. With this very body, I reach that place, just like wind carries a scent.

3.21.52

Just as water mixes with water, fire with fire, and air with air, similarly this body merges with other mental bodies.

3.21.53

The Consciousness of being earthly does not unite with another earthly Consciousness. Where is the mutual hatred between two imagined mountains?

3.21.54

This is indeed the subtle carrier body, of the nature of mind like yours. It has been grasped as a physical body due to long habitual thinking.

3.21.55

Just as in a dream, just as in long deep meditation, just as in illusion, just as in strong imagination, just as in a fairy city.

3.21.56

Surely when your subtle desires become very thin and settled, then this subtle carrier state will again take on a bodily form.

3.21.57

Leela said:

When the conviction of having a subtle carrier body becomes firm and solid, does this body attain that state or does it perish?

Summary of the Teachings:

In these verses, the Goddess (Saraswati) explains to Leela the illusory and mental nature of the body, emphasizing that what appears as a solid physical form is actually a subtle, mind-created construct similar to objects in dreams or imaginations. She uses the metaphor of an imaginary tree in the sky to illustrate how the body exists as a projection yet has no real confining substance, being purely Consciousness.

She further clarifies that this body is not abandoned upon death; instead, the subtle mental body (known as ativahika or carrier body) continues and travels to new realms or merges with other similar mental forms, much like elements blending with their own kind. There is no true union or conflict between separate material entities because they lack independent reality.

The Goddess describes this subtle body as arising from Pure Consciousness but perceived as gross due to prolonged mental habits and conditioning. She compares its illusory nature to experiences in dreams, deep contemplation, delusions, vivid imaginations, or mythical cities that seem real but are not.

These phenomena persist as long as subtle desires (vasanas) remain active. Only when desires thin out and stabilize does the subtle state manifest again in a new form, highlighting the cycle driven by the mind.

Finally, Leela questions whether firmly realizing the body as a subtle carrier leads to transformation into that subtle state or to its dissolution, underscoring the teaching that true understanding dissolves the illusion of gross physicality, pointing toward liberation through recognition of the mind's creative power.