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Yoga Vashishtha 3.50.41–50
(These verses portray the brutal reality of war and the fleeting nature of worldly power and glory. Even a mighty King like Viduratha, who fights bravely, suffers terrible injuries and defeat)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
हृदि स्फोटशिलापट्टदृढे पीवरमूर्धनि।
भित्त्वा वज्रसमैर्बाणैः पातयत्येव भूतले॥ ४१॥
अथान्यं रथमानीतं कृच्छ्रेण प्राप्य चेतनाम्।
खङ्गेनारोहतोऽस्यांसं छिन्नं भर्तुर्विलोकय॥ ४२॥
पद्मरागगिरिद्योतमिवर्द्धासृग्विमुञ्चति।
हा हा धिक्कष्टमेतेन सिन्धुना खड्गधारया॥ ४३॥
जङ्घयोर्मे पतिश्छिन्नः क्रकचेनेव पादपः।
हा हा हतास्मि दग्धास्मि मृतास्म्युपहतास्मि च॥ ४४॥
मृणाले इव पत्युर्मे लूने द्वे अपि जानुनी।
इत्युक्त्वा सा तदालोक्य भर्तुर्भावभयातुरा॥ ४५॥
लता परशुकृत्तेव मूर्च्छिता भुवि सापतत्।
विदूरथोऽपि निर्जानुः प्रहरन्नेव विद्विषि॥ ४६॥
पपात स्यन्दनस्याधश्छिन्नमूल इव द्रुमः।
पतन्नेवैष सूतेन रथेनैवापवाहितः॥ ४७॥
यदा तदाहतिं तस्य कण्ठेऽदात्सिन्धुरुद्धतः।
अर्धविच्छिन्नकण्ठोऽसावनुयातोऽथ सिन्धुना॥ ४८॥
स्यन्दनेनाविशत्सद्म पद्मं रविकरो यथा।
सरस्वत्याः प्रभावाढ्यं तत्प्रवेष्टुमसौ गृहम्।
नाशकन्मशको मत्तो महाज्वालोदरं यथा॥ ४९॥
खङ्गावकृत्तगलगर्तगलत्सवातरक्तच्छटाछुरितवस्त्रतनुत्रगात्रम्।
तत्याज तं भगवतीमभितो गृहान्तः सूतः प्रवेश्य मृतितल्पतले गतोऽरिः॥ ५०॥
Maharishi Vasishta said:
3.50.41–45
> In his strong heart, like a firm slab of stone on his broad head, he breaks it with arrows strong as thunderbolts and throws him down to the ground.
> Then another chariot is brought with difficulty and he regains Consciousness. See his master's shoulder cut by the sword as he tries to climb onto it.
> It shines like a ruby mountain and pours streams of blood. Alas, alas, what misfortune—this sword of Sindhu with its sharp edge!
> My husband's thighs are cut like a tree sawn by a saw. Alas, alas, I am killed, I am burnt, I am dead and destroyed!
> Both my husband's knees are cut like lotus stalks. Saying this, she looks at her husband, filled with fear and sorrow for his life.
3.50.46–50
> Like a creeper cut by an axe, she faints and falls to the ground. Even without knees, Viduratha keeps fighting the enemy.
> He falls under the chariot like a tree with cut roots. While falling, the charioteer carries him away in the chariot itself.
> When Sindhu, full of rage, strikes a blow on his neck, his neck is half-cut and Sindhu follows him.
> He enters the house in the chariot like a sun-ray entering a lotus. But he could not enter the powerful house of Saraswati, like a drunk mosquito cannot enter a great flaming fire.
> With his neck cut by the sword, blood flowing with force from the wound, clothes and armour soaked in blood, the charioteer leaves him near the Goddess inside the house and places the enemy on the bed of death.
Summary of the teachings:
The description shows how physical strength, chariots, and weapons ultimately fail against fate and a stronger opponent. It teaches that no matter how firm one's resolve or how powerful one's body and armour, everything in the material world is temporary and subject to destruction. The body, which seems solid like stone or a mountain, can be broken in moments.
The verses highlight the intense suffering and attachment in human relationships. The queen's cries of despair, seeing her husband's limbs severed, reveal deep emotional pain caused by identification with the physical form and worldly bonds. Her fainting like a cut creeper shows how grief overwhelms the mind when loved ones face destruction. This illustrates the illusion of Maya, where attachment to body and family creates sorrow, even though the true self is beyond such pain. It reminds us that clinging to transient relationships leads to agony when change occurs.
The scene underscores the inevitability of death and the helplessness of even great warriors. Viduratha continues fighting despite losing limbs and being half-decapitated, yet he falls like a uprooted tree. The charioteer carries his dying body away, and Sindhu pursues relentlessly. This teaches that death comes to all, regardless of courage or status. The half-cut neck and flowing blood symbolize how life force drains away, showing the fragility of the body and the certainty of mortality in the cycle of existence.
These verses point to the illusory nature of the world and victory. Sindhu cannot enter the Divine presence of Saraswati easily, like a mosquito failing to enter fire, while the wounded king is brought before her. It suggests that worldly conquests are limited and cannot penetrate the realm of Higher Consciousness or Divine Grace. The battlefield drama serves as a metaphor for the mind's battles, where ego-driven conflicts end in ruin, and only surrender or Wisdom allows approach to Truth.
Ultimately, the teachings encourage detachment and Self-Realization. By vividly showing the horror of war, loss of limbs, and final placement on the deathbed, the text urges the seeker to look beyond physical existence. The story of Viduratha reminds that all appearances—kings, battles, bodies—are creations of the mind or Consciousness. True Peace comes from recognizing the Unchanging Reality behind these changing scenes, rising above grief, attachment, and the fear of death through spiritual understanding.
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