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Yoga Vashishtha 3.35.15–28
(These verses from describe a fierce and chaotic battlefield during a great war, using vivid poetic metaphors to portray the destruction, movement, and terror of combat)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
तरत्तरङ्गविहगः पतत्करिघटातटः।
त्रस्तभीरुमृगानीकस्कूर्जद्धुरुघुरारवः ॥ १५ ॥
सरच्छरालीशलभशतभङ्गुरसैनिकः।
तरत्तरङ्गशरभः शरभारवनावनिः ॥ १६ ॥
चलद्द्विरेफनिर्ह्रादो रसत्तूर्यगुहागुरुः ।
चिरात्स सैन्यजलदो लुठद्भटमृगाधिपः ॥ १७ ॥
प्रसरद्धूलिजलदो विगलत्सैन्यसानुमान्।
पतद्रथवराढ्याङ्गः प्रतपत्खङ्गमण्डलः ॥ १८ ॥
प्रोत्पतत्पदपुष्पौघः पताकाच्छत्रवारिदः।
वहद्रक्तनदीपूरपतत्साराववारणः ॥ १९॥
सोऽभूत्समरकल्पान्तो जगत्कवलनाकुलः ।
पर्यस्तसध्वजच्छत्रपताकारथपत्तनः ॥ २० ॥
पतद्विमलहेत्यौघभूरिभास्वरभास्करः ।
कठिनप्राणसंतापतापिताखिलमानसः ॥ २१ ॥
कोदण्डपुष्करावर्तशरधारानिरन्तरः ।
वहत्खंगशिलालेखाविद्युद्वलयिताम्बरः ॥ २२ ॥
उच्छिन्नरक्तजलधिपतितेभकुलाचलः ।
नभोविकीर्णनिपतद्युत्तारकणतारकः ॥ २३ ॥
चक्रकुल्याम्बुदावर्तपूर्णव्योमशिराम्बुदः ।
अस्त्रकल्पाग्निनिर्दग्धसैन्यलोकान्तरक्रमः ॥ २४ ॥
हेतिवर्षाशनिच्छन्नभूतलामलभूधरः ।
गजराजगिरिव्रातपातपिष्टजनव्रजः ॥ २५ ॥
शरधाराघनानीकमेघच्छन्नमहीनभाः ।
महानीकार्णवक्षोभसंघट्टघटिताद्रवः ॥ २६ ॥
व्याप्त उग्रानिलोद्भूतैर्जलव्यालैरिवाचलः ।
अन्योन्यदलनव्यग्रैः शस्त्रोत्पात इवोत्थितैः ॥ २७ ॥
शूलासिचक्रशरशक्तिगदाभुशुण्डीप्रासादयो विदलनेन मिथो ध्वनन्तः।
दीप्ता अधुर्दशदिशः शतशो भ्रमन्तः कल्पान्तवातपरिवृत्तपदार्थलीलाम् ॥ २८ ॥
Maharishi Vashishta continued:
3.35.15–21
> The battlefield had fast-moving waves like flocks of birds flying, falling groups of elephants like collapsing mountains, and frightened deer herds making loud trumpeting noises.
> It featured autumnal arrows breaking like swarms of locusts, swift waves like deer in flight, and arrows falling heavily like rain in forests.
> There was the humming sound of moving bees, the deep roar echoing from cave-like spaces, a long-lasting cloud of army like water, and rolling warrior-lions.
> It spread clouds of dust, had mountains of armies collapsing, falling excellent chariots with parts, and shining circles of heated swords.
> It had rising floods of fallen flower-like feet, clouds of flags, umbrellas, and banners, carrying rivers of blood, and falling elephant-lords with sounds.
> That war became like the end of a cosmic cycle, swallowing the world in chaos, with overturned flags, umbrellas, banners, chariots, and cities.
> It had showers of pure weapons shining like many bright suns, tormenting all minds with severe pain of life-forces.
3.35.22–28
> It was filled with continuous streams of arrows from bow-lotuses in whirlpools, carrying sword-lines like lightning encircling the sky.
> It had oceans of blood risen and fallen elephant clans like mountains, stars of light scattered in the sky falling as shooting stars.
> It was a sky full of whirlpools of weapon-wheels like clouds, burning armies in the fire of weapon-doomsday, crossing worlds.
> The earth-mountains were covered by showers of weapons like thunderbolts, crushing crowds of people under falling elephant-kings like mountains.
> The sky and earth were hidden by clouds of arrow-showers and army, stirred by great ocean-like army clashes producing floods.
> The mountains stood covered by fierce winds raising water-snakes, rising like weapon-upheavals in mutual destruction.
> Spears, swords, wheels, arrows, shaktis, maces, clubs, and other weapons split each other with noise, shining and whirling in hundreds of directions, enacting the play of objects revolving in doomsday winds.
Summary of the teachings:
These verses paint an extremely intense and terrifying picture of a massive battlefield, comparing the war to the dissolution (pralaya or kalpa-anta) at the end of a cosmic cycle. Sage Vasishta uses elaborate poetic imagery—drawing from nature like oceans, clouds, mountains, animals, rain, lightning, and cosmic destruction—to show how violence and conflict turn the world into chaos. The description is not just literal but symbolic, highlighting how the mind perceives the world as full of turmoil when caught in duality, desire, and action.
The core teaching is that the entire spectacle of war, with its bloodshed, falling warriors, weapons clashing, and cosmic-scale devastation, is illusory (mithya) like a dream or mirage. Just as the battlefield appears real and horrifying to the participants and observers, the world of names and forms appears real to the ignorant mind. Vasishta emphasizes that such scenes of destruction arise from the vibrations of Consciousness (chit-spanda), but they have no Ultimate Reality in the Absolute Brahm.
By likening the battle to the end of a kalpa, the verses remind the seeker that all manifested phenomena—creation, preservation, and destruction—are transient and cyclic. Nothing in the phenomenal world lasts; empires, armies, and even the mightiest warriors fall like dust. This serves to instill vairagya
(dispassion), showing that attachment to worldly power, victory, or survival leads only to suffering and repeated cycles of birth and death.
The over-the-top, almost apocalyptic imagery teaches that the ego-driven actions of beings create apparent multiplicity and conflict, but in truth, everything is the play (lila) of One Consciousness.
The clashing weapons, flowing blood, and roaring sounds are like waves on the ocean—temporary movements without changing the underlying reality. This encourages turning inward to Realize the Unchanging Self beyond the drama of samsara.
Ultimately, these verses prepare Rama (and the reader) for deeper inquiry into the nature of Reality. By showing the futility and horror of war in such poetic detail, Vasishta directs attention away from external battles toward the internal war against ignorance. True victory lies not in conquering armies but in transcending the illusion of the world through Knowledge (jnana), leading to Eternal Peace.
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