Chapter 3.23, Verses 1–8

Yoga Vashishtha 3.23.1–8

(Deep meditation achieves mental stillness, transcending external Awareness, and Realizing the unreality of ego and world)

 

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

इति संकथनं कृत्वा तस्यां निशि वराङ्गने ।

सुप्ते परिजने नूनमथान्तःपुरमण्डपे ॥ १॥

दृढाखिलार्गलद्वारगवाक्षे दक्षचेतसि।

पुष्पप्रकरनिष्ठयूतमांसलामोदमन्थरे ॥ २ ॥

अम्लानमालावसनशवपार्श्वासनस्थिते ।

सकलामलपूर्णेन्दुवदनद्योतितास्पदे ॥ ३ ॥

समाथिस्थानकं गत्वा तस्थतुर्निश्चलाङ्गिके ।

रत्नस्तम्भादिवोत्कीर्णे चित्रे भित्ताविवार्पिते ॥ ४ ॥

सर्वास्तत्यजतुश्चिन्ताः संकोचं समुपागते ।

दिवसान्त इवाब्जिन्यौ प्रसृतामोदलेखिके ॥ ५ ॥

बभूवतुर्भृशं शान्ते शुद्धे स्पन्दविवर्जिते।

गिरौ शरदि निर्वात इव भ्रष्टाभ्रमालिके ॥ ६ ॥

निर्विकल्पसमाधानाज्जहतुर्बाह्यसंविदम् ।

यथा कल्पलते कान्ते पूर्वमृत्वन्तरे रसम् ॥ ७ ॥

अहं जगदिति भ्रान्तिदृश्यस्यादावनुद्भवः ।

यदा ताभ्यामवगतस्यवत्यन्ताभावनात्मकः ॥ ८ ॥

3.23.1

Maharishi Vashishta said:

After having that conversation with the beautiful woman on that night, when the attendants had fallen asleep, certainly in the pavilion of the inner apartments.

3.23.2

With firmly bolted doors and windows, with alert minds, in the dense fragrance of heaps of flowers and fleshy sandalwood paste.

3.23.3

Seated on the side of the bed with unfaded garlands and garments, in the place illuminated by her face shining like the spotless full moon.

3.23.4

They went to the place of meditation and remained with motionless bodies, like carved figures painted on a wall fixed on jeweled pillars.

3.23.5

They both abandoned all thoughts, having reached complete contraction, like lotuses at the end of the day with spreading fragrance lines.

3.23.6

They became extremely calm, pure, devoid of fluctuation, like a mountain in autumn without wind, free from the veil of clouds.

3.23.7

From non-conceptual samadhi, they abandoned external awareness, just as a lover previously abandoned the taste in another birth for the wish-fulfilling vine.

3.23.8

When the delusion of "I" and "the world" did not arise at the beginning of the seen, then for them who understood it, it became of the nature of complete non-existence.

Summary of the Teachings of These Verses:

These verses describe the profound meditative state entered by Queen Leela and Goddess Saraswati in the story of Leela from the Yoga Vasistha. After the household sleeps and the inner chambers are secured, they retreat to a fragrant, moonlit space symbolizing purity and clarity. Sitting motionless, they embody perfect stillness, like painted statues, highlighting the ideal conditions for deep samadhi—external quiet, inner alertness, and a beautiful yet detached environment.

The verses illustrate the 

process of entering deep meditation: abandoning all thoughts and mental fluctuations, achieving complete mental contraction and purity. Comparisons to lotuses closing at dusk and a cloudless autumn mountain emphasize natural calmness and freedom from agitation. 

This state is one of profound peace, where the mind becomes utterly tranquil and devoid of movement.

Through non-conceptual (nirvikalpa) samadhi, they transcend external Consciousness, losing Awareness of the outer world. The simile of forgetting a past pleasure suggests a deliberate release of worldly attachments. This teaches that true meditation involves going beyond sensory and conceptual engagement.

The final verse reveals the core insight: the delusion of "I" (ego) and "world" never truly arises for the enlightened. When this is fully Realized, the apparent Reality dissolves into absolute non-existence. This points to the non-dual truth of Advaita Vedanta—the world is illusory, and its non-arising leads to recognition of pure being.

Overall, these verses teach the path to liberation through deep meditation: creating conducive conditions, achieving mental stillness, transcending external awareness, and Realizing the unreality of ego and world. They exemplify how samadhi eradicates delusion, revealing the eternal, unchanging Self beyond all appearances.