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Yoga Vashishtha 3.36.21–67
(These verses in the context of Queen Lila's story, list the kings and their countries or regions that came to join the assembly in support of King Padma aka Viduratha in some contexts, during a great war preparation)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
मध्यदेशादिसंख्याने प्राग्दिभ्योऽभ्यागतानिमान् ।
लीलानाथस्य पद्मस्य पक्षे जनपदाञ्छृणु ॥ २१ ॥
पूर्वस्यां कोसलाः काशिमागधा मिथिलोत्कलाः ।
मेखलाः कर्करा मुद्रास्तथा संग्रामशौण्डकाः ॥ २२ ॥
मुख्या हिमा रुद्रमुख्यास्ताम्रलिप्तास्तथैव च ।
प्राग्ज्योतिषा वाजिमुखा अम्बष्ठाः पुरुषादकाः ॥ २३ ॥
वर्णकोष्ठाः सविश्वोत्रा आममीनाशनास्तथा ।
व्याघ्रवक्राः किराताश्च सौवीरा एकपादकाः ॥ २४ ॥
माल्यवान्नाम शैलोऽत्र शिविराञ्जन एव च ।
वृषलध्वजपद्माद्यास्तथोदयकरोगिरिः ॥ २५ ॥ >>>
केडवस्ताः सिंहपुत्रास्तथा वामनतां गताः ।
सावाकच्चापलवहाः कामिरा दरदास्तथा ॥ ६५ ॥
अभिसासदजार्वाकाः पलोलकुविकौतुकाः ।
किरातायामुपाताश्च दीनाः स्वर्णमही ततः ॥ ६६ ॥
देवस्थलोपवनभूस्तदनूदितश्रीर्विश्वावसोस्तदनु मन्दिरमुत्तमं च ।
कैलासभूस्तदनु मञ्जुवनश्च शैलो विद्याधरामरविमानसमानभूमिः ॥ ६७॥
Maharishi Vashishta continued:
3.36.21–25
> Listen to the kings and peoples from eastern directions and other regions who came to the side of King Padma and King Lila's husband.
> From the east: Kosalas, Kasis, Magadhas, Mithilas, Utkalas, Mekhalas, Karkaras, Mudras, and also Sangrama-shaundakas.
> Mukhyas, Himas, Rudramukhyas, Tamraliptas, and similarly Pragjyotishas, Vajimukhas, Ambashthas, Purushadakas.
> Varnakoshtas along with Savishvotras, Amaminashanas, Vyaghra-vakras, Kiratas, Sauviras, and Ekapadakas.
> Here is the mountain Malyavan, also Shiviranjana, Vrishaladhwaja, Padma and others, and the mountain Udayakara.
> The list continuing through the middle verses with various tribes, peoples, and mountain regions like Kedavas who became like lion-sons and attained dwarf forms, Savakacchapalavahas, Kamiras, Daradas...
3.36.65–67
> Kedavas, those lion-sons, and those who attained dwarf stature; Savakacchapalavahas, Kamiras, Daradas.
> Abhisasadajarvakas, Palola-kuvikautukas, Kiratas who came from far, the poor ones, then Swarnamahi.
> Divine places, garden lands, then the glory spoken of, Vishvavasu's excellent temple next, then Kailasa land, then Manjuvana mountain, a place equal to the grounds of Vidyadharas and divine aerial chariots of Gods.
Detailed summary of the teachings:
These verses form part of the Lila episode in Yoga Vasishta, where Sage Vasishta describes a vast assembly of kings, warriors, and peoples from different directions of ancient Bharatavarsha and beyond who gathered around King Padma (the husband in Lila's world).
The long enumeration of names highlights the immense diversity of regions, tribes, and terrains—from eastern kingdoms like Kosala and Magadha to mountainous and frontier peoples like Kiratas and Daradas. This list is not mere geography; it symbolizes the infinite variety and multiplicity of the manifested world (samsara), showing how countless beings and forms appear within the dream-like creation of Consciousness.
The teaching underscores the illusory nature of the external world. Just as Queen Lila sees this grand gathering in her husband's realm through yogic vision granted by Saraswati, all these kings, mountains, and peoples exist only as projections in the mind. The detailed naming emphasizes that what seems solid and diverse—nations, warriors, landscapes—is nothing but temporary appearances in the infinite consciousness (chit), like images in a dream. Nothing is ultimately real or permanent outside the self.
A deeper lesson is about the power of perception and desire. King Padma's world expands to include all these allies because of his past karma, valor, and the mind's creative force. Lila's journey reveals that worlds arise and dissolve based on individual consciousness and sankalpa (willful resolve). The inclusion of both civilized kingdoms and wild tribes shows no hierarchy in illusion—all are equally transient modifications of the one reality.
These verses also point toward detachment (vairagya). By listing so many entities that come and serve the king only to later face war, death, and dissolution in the story, Vasishta illustrates the futility of worldly attachments, power, and alliances. True liberation comes from recognizing the non-dual self beyond these appearances, as Lila eventually does by transcending her limited identity.
Ultimately, the passage teaches the non-difference between the individual and the universal. The assembly of diverse peoples mirrors the countless thoughts and forms in the mind, all arising from and subsiding into pure awareness. Through this vision, the seeker understands that the entire cosmos—from Kailasa to distant tribes—is a play (lila) of Consciousness, leading to the Realization of one's True Boundless Nature.
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