Chapter 3.24, Verses 46–55

Yoga Vashishtha 3.24.46–55

(The world is like a dream-sky: endlessly creative, contrasting, and empty at its core)

 

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

वैमानिकनिपातेन वहिलेखाङ्कितं क्वचित् ।

क्वचित्केतुशतोत्पातमिथःसंघट्टपट्टितम् ॥ ४६ ॥

क्वचिच्छुभग्रहगणप्रगृहीताग्र्यमण्डलम् ।

क्वचिद्रात्रितमोव्याप्तं क्वचिद्दिवसभास्वरम् ॥ ४७ ॥

क्वचिदुद्गर्जदम्भोदं क्वचिन्मूकामलाम्बुदम् ।

वातावकीर्णशुक्लाभ्रखण्डपुष्पोत्तरं क्वचित् ॥ ४८ ॥

क्वचिदत्यन्तनिःशून्यमवदातमनन्तरम् ।

आनन्दमृदुशान्ताच्छं ज्ञस्येव हृदयं ततम् ॥ ४ ॥

शुक्रवाहनभेकौघैः क्वचिद्गलकृतारवम्।

शून्यतावारिवलितं क्षेत्रमाकाशवासिनाम् ॥ ५० ॥

मयूरहेमचूडादिपक्षिभिः क्वचिदावृतम्।

विद्याधरीणां देवीनां वाहनैर्विहितास्पदैः ॥ ५१ ॥

क्वचिदभ्रान्तरोन्नृत्यद्गुहमायूरमण्डलम् ।

क्वचिदग्निशुकैः श्यामं शाद्वलानामिव स्थलम् ॥ ५२ ॥

क्वचित्प्रेतेशमहिषमहिम्ना वामनाम्बुदम् ।

क्वचिदश्वैस्तृणग्रामशङ्काग्रस्तासिताम्बुदम् ॥ ५३ ॥

क्वचिद्देवपुरव्याप्तं क्वचिद्दैत्यपुरान्वितम् ।

अन्योन्याप्राप्यनगरं नगरन्ध्रकरानिलम् ॥ ५४ ॥

क्वचित्कुलाचलाकारनृत्यद्भैरवभासुरम् ।

क्वचित्सपक्षशैलेन्द्रसमनृत्यद्विनायकम् ॥ ५५ ॥

Maharishi Vashishta continued:

3.24.46  

Somewhere marked with fiery streaks from the fall of aerial vehicles, somewhere battered by the clash of hundreds of comets against each other.

3.24.47  

Somewhere grasped by auspicious planets in its bright orb, somewhere covered in night darkness, somewhere shining with daylight brightness.

3.24.48  

Somewhere thundering with clouds, somewhere with silent clear clouds, somewhere adorned with white cloud fragments scattered by wind, like flowers.

3.24.49  

Somewhere extremely empty, pure, endless, spread out like the soft, peaceful, clear heart of a Knower.

3.24.50  

Somewhere filled with noise from flocks of frogs carried by Venus, a region of sky-dwellers enveloped in emptiness.

3.24.51  

Somewhere covered with birds like peacocks with golden crests, serving as mounts for celestial nymphs and goddesses.

3.24.52  

Somewhere with circles of peacocks dancing in the space between clouds, somewhere dark with fiery peacocks, like a ground with green grass.

3.24.53  

Somewhere a cloud darkened by the majesty of Shiva's buffalo, somewhere a black cloud seemingly grazed by horses mistaking grass villages.

3.24.54  

Somewhere filled with Divine cities, somewhere with demon cities, winds from city pores that cannot reach each other's cities.

3.24.55  

Somewhere brilliantly terrifying with dancing mountain-like forms, somewhere with Ganapati dancing alongside winged mountain lords.

Summary of Teachings: 

These verses describe the vast, varied, and wondrous appearances in the Infinite Space perceived in a State of deep Spiritual Realization. The sky is portrayed as a dynamic canvas filled with celestial phenomena, mythical beings, and contrasting elements—light and darkness, sound and silence, activity and emptiness. This vivid imagery illustrates the boundless diversity arising within Pure Consciousness, emphasizing that all such perceptions are manifestations of the mind.

The teachings highlight the illusory yet enchanting nature of the world. Just as the sky appears filled with comets, clouds, planets, birds, and cities of gods and demons, the universe is a projection of the infinite mind. These diverse forms—auspicious and inauspicious, beautiful and terrifying—coexist without inherent conflict, pointing to the non-dual reality underlying all appearances.

A key insight is the comparison to the heart of a Wise Knower (jnani): amidst all this variety, there exists a region of Absolute Emptiness, Purity, Peace, and Bliss. This represents the unchanging, Infinite Self, untouched by the play of phenomena, soft and serene like True Knowledge.

The presence of celestial beings—nymphs, goddesses, peacocks, frogs, buffalo of Shiva, and Ganapati—symbolizes how the mind populates empty space with imagined forms, including divine and demonic realms that never truly interact or reach one another, underscoring separation as mere illusion.

Ultimately, these verses teach that the world is like a dream-sky: endlessly creative, contrasting, and empty at its core. Recognizing this leads to liberation, as one rests in the peaceful, Infinite Heart of Pure Consciousness, beyond all dualities and manifestations.