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Yoga Vashishtha 3.44.1–14
(These verses form part of the famous Lila story in the Utpatti Prakarana, illustrating the illusory nature of the world and individual identities)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे राजमहिषी मत्तयौवना।
तद्विवेश गृहं लक्ष्मीरिव पङ्कजकोटरम् ॥ १ ॥
आलोलमाल्यवसना भिन्नहारलताकुला ।
अनुयाता वयस्याभिर्दासीभिर्भयविह्वला ॥ २॥
चन्द्राननावदाताङ्गी श्वासोत्कम्पिपयोधरा ।
तारकाकारदशना स्थिता द्यौरिव रूपिणी ॥ ३ ॥
अथ तस्या वयस्यैका राजानं तं व्यजिज्ञपत् ।
भूतसंग्रामसंरब्धममरेन्द्रमिवाप्सराः ॥ ४ ॥
देव देवी सहास्माभिः पलाय्यान्तःपुरान्तरात् ।
शरणं देवमायाता वातार्तेव लता द्रुमम् ॥ ५ ॥
राजन्दारा हृतास्तास्ते बलवद्भिरुदायुधैः ।
ऊर्मिजालैर्महाब्धीनां तीरद्रुमलता इव ॥ ६ ॥
अन्तःपुराधिपाः सर्वे पिष्टाः शत्रुभिरुद्धतैः ।
अशङ्किताभिपतितैर्वातैरिव वरद्रुमाः ॥ ७ ॥
दूरेणाशङ्कमायातैः परैर्नः पुरमाहृतम् ।
रात्रौ वर्षास्विवोद्धोषैः कमलानीव वारिभिः ॥ ८ ॥
धूमं वर्षद्भिरुन्नादैर्लेलिहानोग्रहेतिभिः।
वह्निभिर्नः पुरं प्राप्तं परयोधैश्च भूरिभिः ॥ ९ ॥
परिवारैर्विलासिन्यो देव्य आहृत्य मूर्धजैः ।
आक्रन्दन्त्यो बलान्नीताः कुरर्य इव धीवरैः ॥ १० ॥
इति नो येयमायाता शाखा प्रसरशालिनी ।
आपत्तामलमुद्धर्तुं देवस्यैवास्ति शक्तता ॥ ११ ॥
इत्याकर्ण्यावलोक्यासौ देव्यौ युद्धाय याम्यतः ।
क्षम्यतां मम भार्येयं युष्मत्पादाब्जषट्पदी ॥ १२ ॥
इत्युक्त्वा निर्ययौ राजा कोपारुणितलोचनः ।
मत्तेभनिर्भिन्नवनः कन्दरादिव केसरी ॥ १३ ॥
लीला लीलां ददर्शाथ स्वाकारसदृशाकृतिम् ।
प्रतिबिम्बमिवायातामादर्शे चारुदर्शनाम् ॥ १४ ॥
Maharishi Vashishta said:
3.44.1–5
> At that moment, the queen of the king, who was in the prime of her youthful beauty, entered the inner palace like Goddess Lakshmi entering the heart of a lotus.
> She had swaying garlands and disheveled clothes, her pearl necklace broken and scattered, and she was followed by her fearful friends and maidservants who were trembling with terror.
> Her face was as bright as the moon, her body fair, her breasts heaving with heavy breaths, her teeth shining like stars—she stood there like the sky personified in beautiful form.
> Then one of her companions approached the king and informed him, like an apsara approaching Indra in the midst of a fierce battle with demons.
> "O Lord, O King! The queen, along with us, has fled from the inner chambers in fear and has come to you for refuge, just as a creeper seeks shelter in a tree during a storm."
3.44.6–10
> "O King, your wives have been taken away by powerful armed enemies, like vines and trees on the shore being swept by huge ocean waves."
> "All the lords and protectors of the inner palace have been crushed by the arrogant enemies who attacked suddenly, like strong winds uprooting great trees without warning."
> "The enemies came from afar without any fear and captured our city, like lotuses being taken by water in the rainy season's floods at night."
> "Our city has been reached by the enemies with loud cries, showering smoke, roaring fiercely, licking with sharp weapons like flames, and with many warriors."
> "The beautiful ladies of the harem were dragged away by their hair by the enemies' attendants, crying out loudly, just as female ospreys are carried off by fishermen."
3.44.11–14
> "This is the branch-like queen who has come to you, full of spreading virtues—she alone has the power to remove this calamity, O God-like king."
> Hearing this and seeing the queen approaching for battle from the south, the king said, "Forgive me, this is my wife, a bee at your lotus-like feet."
> Saying this, the King came out with eyes red with anger, like a lion coming out of a cave, bursting through the forest like an enraged elephant.
> Then Lila saw a form similar to her own appearance, like a beautiful reflection appearing in a mirror.
Detailed Summary of the Teachings:
The dramatic scene of the queen fleeing danger and seeking refuge highlights how worldly attachments, beauty, power, and relationships are transient and dream-like. The sudden attack on the palace and the capture of women and city symbolize the unpredictable assaults of time, desire, and karma that destroy even the most secure and splendid lives, reminding us that nothing in the material realm is permanent or truly "ours."
The king's fierce reaction and readiness to fight represent the ego's instinctive response to protect its possessions and identity, driven by anger and attachment. Yet, this outburst is futile in the larger spiritual context, as the entire episode is a projection within Consciousness. The teaching underscores that fear, protection, and conflict arise only because we identify with the body, family, and kingdom as real, whereas they are mere appearances in the mind, like waves on the ocean of Pure Awareness.
The most profound teaching emerges in the final verse, where Lila (the enlightened queen from the parallel story) perceives her own likeness in the terrified queen of Viduratha. This mirror-like reflection reveals the non-dual truth: all forms, personalities, and experiences are projections of the one Self. What appears as "other" is actually the same Consciousness appearing in different forms, emphasizing Advaita (non-duality). The illusion of separateness—between self and other, victor and victim—dissolves when one sees the unity underlying multiplicity.
Overall, these verses teach detachment (vairagya) from worldly drama. The chaos of battle, loss, and fear serves as a metaphor for samsara (worldly existence), showing how the mind creates elaborate stories of gain and loss. True liberation comes from recognizing the dream-like quality of these events and turning inward to the Unchanging Witness, rather than fighting illusory battles.
In essence, the passage guides the seeker toward Self-Realization by demonstrating that the world is a Creation of Consciousness (chit), and individual suffering stems from misidentification with transient roles. By seeing one's own form in another, as Lila does, the aspirant transcends duality, attains equanimity, and Realizes the Self as the sole Reality beyond birth, death, victory, or defeat.
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