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Yoga Vashishtha 3.27.13–25
(All these worlds, births, deaths, and experiences are contained within the "Space" of Consciousness itself, like mustard seeds in a jar or scents carried by wind between forests)
लीलोवाच ।
इहैव मन्दिराकाशे पतिर्विप्रो ममाभवत्।
इहैव स मृतो भूत्वा संपन्नो वसुधाधिपः ॥ १३ ॥
इहैव तस्य संसारे तस्मिन्भूमण्डलान्तरे।
राजधानीपुरे तस्मिन्पुरन्ध्र्यस्मि व्यवस्थिता ॥ १४ ॥
इहैवान्तःपुरे तस्मिन्स मृतो मम भूपतिः।
इहैवान्तःपुराकाशे तस्मिन्नेव पुरे नृपः ॥ १५ ॥
संपन्नो वसुधापीठे नानाजनपदेश्वरः ।
सर्वार्जवजवीभाव इहैवैवं व्यवस्थितः ॥ १६ ॥
अस्मिन्नेव गृहाकाशे सर्वा ब्रह्माण्डभूमयः ।
स्थिताः समुद्गके मन्ये यथान्तः सर्षपोत्कराः ॥ १७ ॥
सदाऽदूरमहं मन्ये तद्भर्तुर्मम मण्डलम्।
क्वचित्पार्श्वे स्थितमिह यथा पश्यामि तत्कुरु ॥ १८ ॥
श्रीदेव्युवाच ।
भूतलारुन्धतिसुते भर्तारस्तव संप्रति।
त्रयो नामाथवाभूवन्बहवः शतसंमताः ॥ १९ ॥
नेदीयसां त्रयाणां तु द्विजस्ते भस्मतां गतः ।
राजा माल्यान्तरगतः संस्थितोऽन्तःपुरे शवः ॥ २० ॥
संसारमण्डले ह्यस्मिंस्तृतीयो वसुधाधिपः ।
महासंसारजलधिं पतितो भ्रममागतः ॥ २१ ॥
भोगकल्लोलकलनाविकलो मलचेतनः।
जाड्यजर्जरचिद्वृत्तिः संसाराम्भोधिकच्छपः ॥ २२ ॥
चित्राणि राजकार्याणि कुर्वन्नप्याकुलान्यपि ।
सुप्तः स्थितो जडतया न जागर्ति भवभ्रमे ॥ २३ ॥
ईश्वरोऽहमहं भोगी सिद्धोऽहं बलवान्सुखी ।
इत्यनर्थमहारज्वा वलितो वशतां गतः ॥ २४ ॥
तत्कस्य वद भर्तुस्त्वां समीपं वरवर्णिनि ।
वात्या वनान्तरं गन्धलेखामिव वनान्नये ॥ २५ ॥
Queen Lila said:
3.27.13
Right here in this very temple-like Space of Consciousness, my husband was a Brahmin.
Here itself he died and became the lord of the earth.
3.27.14
Right here in that worldly existence of his, in that region of the earth, in that capital city, I remained as his chief queen.
3.27.15
Right here in that inner palace, my king husband died. Right here in the space of that inner palace in that very city, the king...
3.27.16 ...became the ruler over the earth's surface, Lord of many countries and people. All this straightforward and swift sequence of events is established right here in this way.
3.27.17
In this very house-Space, all the worlds and regions of the Universe exist, I think, like a collection of mustard seeds inside a small box.
3.27.18
I always feel that my husband's world is not far away at all. It is somewhere nearby in this Space—show me that as I see it.
Goddess Saraswati said:
3.27.19
O daughter of the earthly Arundhati, right now your husbands are three, or perhaps many, even hundreds, as accepted.
3.27.20
Of these three closest ones, the Brahmin has already turned to ashes. The king has gone to the realm of garlands (died) and remains as a corpse in the inner palace.
3.27.21
In this circle of worldly existence, the third one is the Lord of the earth. He has fallen into the great ocean of samsara and is caught in delusion.
3.27.22
Enjoying the waves of pleasures but lacking true Awareness, impure in mind,
his Consciousness is weakened by dullness—like a tortoise in the ocean of worldly existence.
3.27.23
Though performing various royal duties, even the complicated ones, he remains asleep in dullness and does not awaken from the delusion of worldly life.
3.27.24
"I am God, I am the enjoyer, I am accomplished, I am strong, I am happy"— entangled in this great rope of wrong notions, he has come under their control.
3.27.25
So tell me, O beautiful one, to which husband should I take you near? Just as the wind carries the scent-line from one forest to another.
Summary of the teachings in these verses:
These verses form a key part of the Lila episode in the Yoga Vasistha, illustrating the illusory and simultaneous nature of multiple lives and worlds within Pure Consciousness. Lila describes how her husband appeared in different forms (a Brahmin, then a king, and so on) all within the same "Space" of her mind or Awareness. This emphasizes that what we perceive as separate lifetimes, places, and events are not truly distant or sequential but coexist in the Infinite, Indivisible Field of Consciousness — like countless Universes packed into a tiny point. The teaching challenges the ordinary notion of linear time and separate identities, showing that everything arises and dissolves right here in the present moment of Awareness.
The Goddess Sarasvati responds by revealing that Lila's "husband" exists in multiple overlapping realities at once—three primary ones in close proximity, with others extending far beyond. This highlights the mind's power to project innumerable worlds and selves through desire, memory, and vasanas (latent impressions). The Brahmin form has already perished, the royal form lies as a corpse, and the current earthly king is still alive but deeply deluded. The teaching points out that these are not different people but the same Consciousness taking different shapes due to ignorance, reinforcing non-duality: there is only one Self appearing as many.
The description of the third husband (the current king) as fallen into the "great ocean of samsara" and trapped in delusion portrays the typical human condition. He chases pleasures, performs duties, yet remains spiritually asleep—his intelligence dulled, his mind impure, and his sense of self bound by false identifications like "I am powerful, happy, divine." This serves as a critique of ego-driven life, where outward activity masks inner stagnation. The tortoise metaphor suggests slow, unconscious drifting in the vast waters of birth and death, unable to rise above illusion.
The core teaching is that all these worlds, births, deaths, and experiences are contained within the "Space" of Consciousness itself, like mustard seeds in a jar or scents carried by wind between forests. No journey across Space or Time is truly needed because nothing is separate or far away—everything is already present in the here and now of Pure Awareness. Lila's request to be taken to her husband and the Goddess's question about which one underscore that liberation comes from recognizing this non-separation rather than chasing external unions or realities.
Ultimately, these verses guide the seeker toward detachment from personal stories and identities. By showing how one Being appears as many husbands across "worlds" that are all internal to Consciousness, the text urges Realization of the Self beyond birth, death, and multiplicity. True closeness to the "Beloved" (or to Reality) is not physical or temporal but through awakening from delusion, dropping false notions, and abiding in the Unchanging Awareness where all appearances arise and subside.
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