Chapter 3.22, Verses 10–20

Yoga Vashishtha 3.22.10–20

(Just as events in dreams or imaginations are unreal, birth and death are mere appearances in the projected world of the mind)

 

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

आतिवाहिकतां यातं बुद्धं चित्तान्तरैर्मनः ।

सर्गजन्मान्तरगतैः सिद्धैर्मिलति नेतरत् ॥ १० ॥

यदा तेऽयमहंभावः स्वभ्यासाच्छान्तिमेष्यति ।

तदोदेष्यति ते स्फारादृश्यान्ता बोधता स्वयम् ॥ ११ ॥

आतिवाहिकताज्ञानं स्थितिमेष्यति शाश्वतीम् ।

यदा तदा ह्यसंकल्पाँल्लोकान्द्रक्ष्यसि पावनान् ॥ १२ ॥

वासनातानवे तस्मात्कुरु यत्नमनिन्दिते।

तस्मिन्प्रौढिमुपायाते जीवन्मुक्ता भविष्यसि ॥ १३ ॥

यावन्न पूरितस्त्वेष शीतलो बोधचन्द्रमाः ।

तावद्देहमवस्थाप्य लोकान्तरमवेक्ष्यताम् ॥ १४ ॥

मांसदेहो मांसदेहेनैव संश्लेषमेष्यति।

नतु चित्तशरीरेण व्यवहारेषु कर्मसु ॥ १५ ॥

यथानुभव मे वैतद्यथास्थितमुदाहृतम् ।

आबालसिद्धसंसिद्धं न नाम वरशापवत् ॥ १६ ॥

अवबोधघनाभ्यासाद्देहस्यास्यैव जायते।

संसारवासनाकार्श्ये नूनं चित्तशरीरता ॥ १७ ॥

उदेष्यन्ती च सैवात्र केनचिन्नोपलक्ष्यते।

केवलं तु जनैर्देहो म्रियमाणोऽवलोक्यते ॥ १८ ॥

देहस्त्वयं न म्रियते न च जीवति किंच ते ।

के किल स्वप्नसंकल्पभ्रान्तौ मरणजीविते ॥ १९ ॥

जीवितं मरणं चैव संकल्पपुरुषे यथा।

असत्यमेव भात्येव तस्मिन्पुत्रि शरीरके ॥ २० ॥

3.22.10–13

The Goddess continued:

The mind that has become the intermediate carrier (subtle body) meets with accomplished beings from previous creations in other minds, not otherwise.

When this sense of "I" and "mine" calms down through constant practice, then a vast awareness of the inner reality will arise in you naturally.

When the knowledge of the intermediate carrier becomes firmly established forever, then you will see pure worlds free from imaginations.

Therefore, O blameless one, make effort to reduce the web of desires. When that effort reaches maturity, you will become liberated while living.

3.22.14–16

Until this cool moon of enlightenment is fully risen, keep this physical body and behold other worlds.

The gross physical body will unite only with another gross body, not with the subtle mind-body in worldly actions and duties.

Experience this exactly as I have described it to you. It is achieved from childhood by accomplished ones, not like a boon or curse.

3.22.17–18

From intense practice of Deep Awareness, the subtle mind-body arises from this very physical body when the desires for worldly existence become thin.

That subtle body arises here but is not noticed by anyone. People only see the physical body dying.

3.22.19–20

This body neither truly dies nor lives for you. Who dies or lives in the illusions of dream and imagination?

Life and death appear unreal in the imagined person, just as in a dream, O daughter, in this body.

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses, spoken by Goddess Saraswati to Queen Leela, explain the nature of the subtle body (called "ativahika" or intermediate carrier), how a Realized soul transitions after the physical body's death, and the path to liberation while living (jivanmukti).

The first set of verses (10-13) describes how the mind, transformed into a subtle body, connects with enlightened Beings from past Creations. Through steady practice, the ego ("I" and "mine") dissolves, leading to expansive Self-Awareness. This Knowledge stabilizes eternally, allowing one to perceive pure, desire-free realms. The key advice is to diligently weaken desires, which leads to becoming a jivanmukta—a liberated soul still in the body.

The next verses (14-16) guide maintaining the physical body temporarily until full enlightenment blooms, like waiting for the moon to rise. The gross body interacts only with the gross world, not the subtle one in daily affairs. This transition is a natural outcome of lifelong spiritual practice, not something magical like a boon or curse.

Verses 17-18 emphasize that intense Awareness practice thins worldly desires, giving rise to the subtle mind-body from the physical one. This subtle form goes unnoticed by others, who only observe the physical death.

Finally, verses 19-20 reveal the illusory nature of death and life for the body. Just as events in dreams or imaginations are unreal, birth and death are mere appearances in the projected world of the mind. True understanding sees beyond these illusions.

Overall, these teachings stress that liberation comes from reducing desires and cultivating Awareness, Realizing the body and world as dream-like, and transitioning consciously via the subtle body.