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Yoga Vashishtha 3.48.1–14
(These verses paint a vivid picture of a fierce battle to show how even a small action can grow into something enormous)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
प्राप्य राजा पुरः प्राप्तं सिन्धुमुद्धुरकन्धरम् ।
मध्याह्नतपनान्तेन कोपेन विततोऽभवत् ॥ १ ॥
धनुरास्फालयामास चिरारावितदिङ्मुखम् ।
कल्पान्तपवनास्फोट इव मेरुगिरेस्तटम् ॥ २ ॥
विससर्जोर्जितो राजा प्रलयार्कः करानिव ।
तूणीररजनीबद्धाः शिलीमुखपरम्पराः ॥ ३ ॥
एक एव विनिर्याति गुणात्तस्य शिलीमुखः ।
सहस्रं भवति व्योम्नि गच्छन्पतति लक्षशः ॥ ४ ॥
सिन्धोरपि तथैवासीच्छक्तिर्लाघवमेव च ।
वरेण वरदस्यैवं विष्णोर्धानुष्कता तयोः ॥ ५ ॥
मुसला नाम ते बाणा मुसलाकृतयोऽम्बरम् ।
छादयामासुरुन्नादाः कल्पान्ताशनयो यथा ॥ ६ ॥
रेजुः कनकनाराचराजयो व्योम्नि सस्वनाः ।
रसन्त्यः कल्पवातार्ताः पतन्त्य इव तारकाः ॥ ७ ॥
विदूरथाच्छरासारा अजस्रमभिनिर्ययुः ।
अब्धेरिव पयःपूराः सूर्यादिव मरीचयः ॥ ८ ॥
प्रचण्डपवनोद्धूतात्पुष्पाणीव महातरोः ।
अयःपिण्डादिवोत्तप्तात्ताडितात्कणपङ्कयः ॥ ९ ॥
धारा वर्षमुच इव सीकरा इव निर्झरात्।
तत्पुराग्निमहादाहात्स्फुलिङ्गा इव भासुराः ॥ १० ॥
तयोश्चटचटास्फोटं शृण्वत्कोदण्डयोर्द्वयोः ।
बलद्वयमभूत्प्रेक्षामूकं शान्त इवाम्बुधिः ॥ ११ ॥
वहन्ति स्म शरापूरा गङ्गापूरा इवाम्बरे ।
सिन्धोरभिमुखं युद्धे घर्घरारावरंहसः ॥ १२ ॥
कचत्कनकनाराचशरवर्षा अनारतम्।
वहच्छवशवाशब्द निर्ययुर्धनुरम्बुदात् ॥ १३ ॥
बाणमन्दाकिनीपूरं व्रजन्तं सिन्धुपूरणे ।
वातायनात्तमालोक्य लीला तत्पुरवासिनी ॥ १४ ॥
Maharishi Vasistha said:
3.48.1–6
> The king reached before the proud Sindhu king with his neck held high. At the end of the midday sun's heat, he swelled with great anger.
> He twanged his bow loudly so that all directions echoed for a long time. It was like the wind of world-ending explosion hitting the slope of Mount Meru.
> The mighty king released streams of arrows tied in his dark quiver, just like the rays of the sun at the time of world dissolution.
> Only one arrow comes out from his bowstring, but in the sky it turns into a thousand, and as it flies it falls in lakhs.
> The Sindhu king too had the same power and quickness. By the boon given by Vishnu the boon-granter, both had such great skill in archery.
> Those pestle-shaped arrows called musala covered the sky with loud noise, like thunderbolts at the end of the world.
3.48.7–14
> The golden arrows shone and hummed in the sky, like stars falling while tormented by the winds of cosmic dissolution.
> Endless streams of arrows poured out from Viduratha, like floods of water from the ocean or rays coming from the sun.
> Like flowers shaken from a huge tree by a fierce wind, or like sparks flying from a hot iron ball when struck.
> Like rain showers from clouds, like spray from a waterfall, or like bright sparks from the huge fire burning that city.
> Hearing the loud clashing of both bows, the two armies became silent watchers, still and quiet like a calm ocean.
> The floods of arrows flowed in the sky like the Ganga river, rushing towards Sindhu with roaring speed in the battle.
> The continuous shower of golden arrows, making shava-shava sounds, poured out from the bow like clouds.
> The lady living in that city playfully watched from the window and saw the river-like flood of arrows going to fill the Sindhu river.
Summary of the teachings:
The king's anger and the release of arrows teach that the mind can create huge events from one single thought. In the Yoga Vasistha, this battle scene reminds us that the world we see is like a dream created by Consciousness. Nothing is solid; everything expands from the one mind, just as one arrow becomes thousands.
The way one arrow multiplies into lakhs in the sky explains the illusion of maya. It teaches that the whole universe appears from a single reality but looks like many separate things. The comparisons to the end of the world show that creation and destruction are two sides of the same play. We learn not to fear or get excited by big events because they are temporary and part of the cosmic drama.
When the armies fall silent while watching the bows clash, it points to the power of true seeing. Instead of fighting blindly, one should observe quietly like the calm ocean. This teaches inner peace and humility. Even the strongest forces stop when faced with higher energy, showing that real strength lies in stillness and understanding rather than action.
The arrows flowing like rivers and the queen's happy face highlight how people get caught in the drama of life. She feels joy thinking her husband will win, but this shows attachment to winning in an unreal world. The verses gently teach that all hopes and fears are part of the dream. True Wisdom comes when we see beyond these feelings to the Peaceful Self inside.
Finally, these verses use the battle as a metaphor for the entire Universe. Just as one arrow creates a flood of arrows, one thought creates the whole world. The teaching is to wake up from this dream, drop all attachment, and Realize the non-dual Truth. When Rama hears this story, he is guided towards freedom through Knowledge that everything is Brahm and nothing else is Real.
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