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Yoga Vashishtha 3.49.1–14
(These verses describe a fierce Cosmic battle involving powerful Divine weapons, symbolizing the chaotic and destructive forces within the mind and the Universe)
श्रीवसिष्ठं उवाच ।
ववुर्वलितनीहारा विकीर्णवनपल्लवाः।
वायवो धूतवृक्षौघाः सल्लीलापीडपांसवः ॥ १॥
पक्षिवद्भ्रान्तवृक्षौघाः पतनोत्पातनोद्भटाः।
विकुट्टिताट्टालखण्डाश्चाभ्रभित्तिविभेदिनः ॥ २॥
तेनातिभीमवातेन विदूरथरथोऽप्यथ।
उह्यमानोऽभवन्नद्या यथा जर्जरपल्लवः ॥ ३॥
विदूरथोऽथ तत्याज पार्वतास्त्रं महास्त्रवित्।
व्योमापि घनतोयेन समादातुमिवोद्यतम् ॥ ४॥
तेन शैलास्त्रघातेन विराट् प्राणसमीरणः।
शमं चैतन्यशान्त्येव प्रययौ वायुराततः ॥ ५॥
अन्तरिक्षगता वृक्षपङ्क्तयः पतिता भुवि।
नानाजनशवव्यूहे काकानामिव कोटयः ॥ ६॥
शेमुः सूत्त्कारडान्कारभांकारोत्कारका दिशाम्।
प्रलापा इव विध्वस्ताः पूर्ग्रामवनवीरुधाम् ॥ ७॥
गिरीनपश्यन्नभसः पततः पत्रवर्णवत्।
सिन्धुः सिन्धुरिवोत्पक्षान्मैनाकादीनितस्ततः ॥ ८॥
वज्रास्त्रमसृजद्दीप्तं चेरुर्वज्रगणास्ततः।
पिबन्तोऽद्रीन्द्रतिमिरमग्निदाहमिवाग्नयः ॥ ९॥
ते गिरीणां तथा क्षिप्ताः कोटितुण्डावखण्डनैः।
शिरांसि पातयामासुः फलानीवोल्बणानिलाः ॥ १०॥
विदूरथोऽथ वज्रास्त्रशान्त्यै ब्रह्मास्त्रमत्यगात्।
ततो ब्रह्मास्त्रवज्रास्त्रे समं प्रशममागते ॥ ११॥
श्यामाश्यामं पिशाचास्त्रमथ सिन्धुरचोदयत्।
तेनोदगुः पिशाचानां पङ्क्तयोऽत्यन्तभीतिदाः ॥ १२॥
संध्यायामथ भीत्येव दिवसः श्यामतां ययौ।
पिशाचा भुवनं जग्मुरन्धकारभरा इव ॥ १३॥
भस्मनः स्तम्भसदृशास्तालोत्तालविलासिनः।
दृश्यमानमहाकारा मुष्टिग्राह्या न किंचन ॥ १४॥
Maharishi Vashishta continued:
3.49.1–7
> Winds blew fiercely, carrying swirling mists, scattering leaves from forests, shaking crowds of trees, and raising dust from the ground playfully.
> The winds moved like birds, whirling groups of trees violently, causing them to fall and rise again, breaking towers and shattering mountain walls like clouds.
> By that extremely terrible wind, even Viduratha's chariot was carried away, like a withered leaf floating in a river.
> Then Viduratha, the great knower of weapons, released the mountain weapon (Parvatastra). The sky seemed ready to drink dense water (clouds).
> By the blow of that mountain weapon, the great vital air (prana) of Virat became calm, just as Consciousness becomes peaceful, and the widespread wind subsided.
> Rows of trees hanging in the sky fell to the ground, like millions of crows in heaps of corpses of various people.
> Directions resounded with cries, roars, howls, and shrieks, like the lamentations of destroyed cities, villages, forests, and creepers.
3.49.8–14
> Not seeing the mountains, the sky appeared falling like leaves in color; the ocean rose with wings (waves) from all sides like Mainaka and other mountains.
> He released the shining Vajrastra (thunderbolt weapon), and groups of thunderbolts moved, drinking the darkness of mountains like fires consuming forest blaze.
> Those (thunderbolts) struck the mountains with millions of beak-like cuts, causing heads (peaks) to fall like fruits shaken by fierce winds.
> Then Viduratha, to pacify the Vajrastra, resorted to the Brahmastra. Thereafter, both the Brahmastra and Vajrastra subsided equally.
> Then Sindhu invoked the dark-blue Pisachastra (demon weapon). From it arose rows of demons that were extremely terrifying.
> In the evening, as if from fear, the day turned dark; the demons went to the world, filling it with darkness like heavy clouds.
> They appeared like pillars of ash, tall and dancing playfully, visible in huge forms, yet nothing could be grasped by the fist.
Summary of the Teachings:
The raging winds, falling trees, and uprooted mountains illustrate how uncontrolled thoughts and desires (represented by the storm) can devastate the inner and outer worlds, carrying away even strong entities like Viduratha's chariot. This highlights the impermanence and fragility of material existence when confronted by overwhelming primal energies.
The release of astras like Parvatastra, Vajrastra, and Brahmastra shows a progression of countermeasures to escalating destruction. Each weapon counters the previous one, leading to temporary calm, teaching that conflicts—whether external wars or internal struggles—require increasingly refined responses. The final subsidence of opposing forces (Vajra and Brahma astras) points to a balance achieved through Higher Knowledge or Divine intervention, but the cycle continues with new threats like the Pisachastra.
The emergence of terrifying demons and enveloping darkness signifies deeper layers of illusion and fear that arise when grosser forces are subdued. The world becomes shrouded in ignorance (tamas), where visible forms appear Real yet are ungraspable, emphasizing the illusory nature of phenomena. This reflects how the mind, after overcoming physical distractions, faces subtler delusions that obscure True Reality.
The imagery of ash-like pillars, tall dancing ghosts, and intangible huge shapes underscores the transient and dream-like quality of the perceived world. Nothing substantial can be held onto, teaching detachment from sensory experiences that seem solid but dissolve upon closer inspection.
Overall, these verses teach the Advaita Truth that all apparent battles, creations, and destructions occur within Consciousness. The Cosmic turmoil is a metaphor for the mind's projections; true peace comes not from winning fights with weapons (efforts of ego), but from Realizing the substratum of Pure Awareness beyond Seer-seen duality. The narrative urges turning inward to transcend the cycle of agitation and calm.
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