Posts
Yoga Vashishtha 3.43.1–20
(These verses form part of a dramatic narrative where Goddess Sarasvati instructs a King about death, rebirth, and the illusory nature of worldly power)
श्रीसरस्वत्युवाच ।
अस्मिन् रणवरे राजन्मर्तव्यं भवताधुना।
प्राप्तव्यं प्राक्तनं राज्यं सर्वं प्रत्यक्षमेव ते ॥ १ ॥
कुमार्या मन्त्रिणा चैव त्वया च प्राक्तनं पुरम् ।
आगन्तव्यं शवीभूतं प्राप्तव्यं तच्छरीरकम् ॥ २ ॥
आवां यावो यथायातं वातरूपेण च त्वया ।
आगन्तव्यः स देशस्तु कुमार्या मन्त्रिणापि च ॥ ३ ॥
अन्यैव गतिरश्वस्य गतिरन्या खरोष्ट्रयोः ।
मदस्विन्नकपोलस्य गतिरन्यैव दन्तिनः ॥ ४ ॥
प्रस्तुतेति कथा यावन्मिथो मधुरभाषिणोः ।
तावत्प्रविश्य संभ्रान्त उवाचोर्ध्वस्थितो नरः ॥ ५ ॥
देव सायकचक्रासिगदापीरघवृष्टिमत् ।
महत्परबलं प्राप्तमेकार्णव इवोद्धतः ॥ ६ ॥
कल्पकालानिलोद्धूतकुलाचलशिलोपमम् ।
गदाशक्तिभुशुण्डीनां वृष्टिं मुञ्चति तुष्टिमत् ॥ ७ ॥
नगरे नगसंकाशे लग्नोऽग्निर्व्याप्तदिक्तटः ।
दहंश्चटचटास्फोटैः पातयत्युत्तमां पुरीम् ॥ ८ ॥
कल्पाम्बुदघटातुल्या व्योम्नि धूममहाद्रयः ।
बलात्प्रोड्डयनं कर्तुं प्रवृत्ता गरुडा इव ॥ ९ ॥
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
ससंभ्रमं वदत्येवं पुरुषे परुषारवः ।
उदभूत्पूरयन्नाशा बहिः कोलाहलो महान् ॥ १० ॥
बलादाकर्णकृष्टानां धनुषां शरवर्षिणाम् ।
बृंहतामतिमत्तानां कुञ्जराणां तरस्विनाम् ॥ ११ ॥ >>>
तरदुल्मुकखण्डोग्रतारातरलिताम्बरम् ।
अन्योन्यदेशसद्मौघप्रज्वलज्ज्वलनाचलम् ॥ १९ ॥
हतसैन्यपुरापातं द्रुताङ्गाराभ्रकोटरैः।
कर्कशाक्रन्दनिर्दग्धलोकपूगोग्रगर्जितम् ॥ २० ॥
Goddess Saraswati said:
3.43.1–4
> O King, in this great battle, you must now die. You will attain your former kingdom, and everything will become clearly visible to you.
> You, the girl, and the minister must go to your former city. There you will find the body turned into a corpse, and you must obtain that body.
> We two will go as we came, in the form of wind. You too must reach that place, along with the girl and the minister.
> The movement of a horse is one thing, that of a donkey or camel is different, and the gait of an elephant with sweat dripping from its cheeks is entirely another.
3.43.5–9
> While this sweet conversation between the two was going on, suddenly a man entered in great agitation and spoke while standing above.
> O Lord, a great enemy army has arrived, filled with arrows, wheels, swords, maces, and rain of weapons, roaring like a turbulent ocean.
> It hurls showers of maces, spears, and clubs like rocks uprooted by the wind of the end of the world, and it releases them with great force.
> Fire has caught in the city that looks like a mountain, spreading to all directions, burning with crackling sounds and destroying the excellent city.
> In the sky, clouds of smoke rise like great mountains from the pots of the end-time clouds, and they fly upward forcefully like Garudas.
Maharishi Vasishta said:
3.43.10–11
> While the man was speaking in panic, a loud, harsh noise arose, filling all directions with great uproar.
> From the bows drawn to the ears, showers of arrows came; from the trumpeting, highly excited elephants rushing swiftly...
3.43.12–18
> These excluded verses continue the description of the intense battle chaos. They vividly portray the terrifying scene of war: blazing torches flying, skies lit up with flickering lights, mutual destruction of homes and regions by raging fires, fallen armies and cities, burning embers in the air like clouds, harsh cries of the dying, and fierce roars from crowds being scorched—creating an atmosphere of total devastation and horror on the battlefield.
3.43.19–20
> The sky is trembling and shining with fast-moving pieces of burning wood; mountains of fire burn from the floods of houses in each other's regions.
> The fallen armies and cities pour down; swift coals and smoke fill the hollows; harsh cries burn the people, with fierce roars from crowds.
Detailed summary of the teachings:
The core teaching is that physical death is not an end but a transition. The king's impending death in battle is presented as a necessary step to reclaim his "former kingdom," symbolizing the soul's return to its true, eternal state beyond the body. The world and its possessions appear real only through perception, but they are transient and dream-like.
The instructions to travel in wind form (subtle, non-physical) highlight the non-material essence of the Self. The body is merely a corpse to be obtained or discarded, teaching detachment from the physical form. Different gaits of animals illustrate how paths and methods in life vary according to one's nature and karma, yet all lead to the same impermanence.
The sudden interruption by the messenger and the vivid description of the invading army and burning city emphasize the suddenness and violence of change in samsara (worldly existence). No kingdom, city, or power lasts; destruction comes inevitably, like a storm. This serves to awaken dispassion (vairagya) by showing the fragility of material achievements and the futility of attachment to them.
The roaring chaos, fires, smoke, and cries depict the hellish suffering inherent in worldly conflicts and desires. It is a metaphor for the mind's turmoil when caught in illusion. The teaching urges recognition that such scenes are projections of the mind, not Ultimate Reality, encouraging seekers to look beyond sensory chaos to the Unchanging Self.
Overall, these verses teach non-dual wisdom: the world is like a battlefield of appearances, full of birth, death, and destruction, but the wise understand it as unreal. True victory lies not in winning kingdoms but in Realizing one's Eternal Nature, transcending the cycle of bodies and battles through Knowledge. This aligns with the central message of liberation through insight into the illusory nature of the Universe.
No comments:
Post a Comment