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Yoga Vashishtha 3.60.1–15
(Vasistha teaches Rama that the apparent world is not solid or Real in the way it seems. By listening to the pure story of Queen Lila, one should give up the heavy sense of the world's density and reality)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
एतत्ते कथितं राम दृश्यदोषनिवृत्तये।
लीलोपाख्यानमनघं घनतां जगतस्त्यज ॥ १॥
शान्तैव दृश्यसत्तास्याः शमनं नोपयुज्यते।
सतो हि मार्जनक्लेशो नासतस्तु कदाचन ॥ २॥
ज्ञानेनाकाशरूपेण दृश्यं ज्ञेयस्वरूपकम्।
इत्येकीभूतमालोक्य ज्ञस्तिष्ठत्यम्बरोपमः ॥ ३॥
पृथ्व्यादिरहितेनेदं चिद्भासैव स्वयंभुवा।
साधितं यदि सिद्धेन ततः स्वात्मनि साधितम् ॥ ४॥
संविद्यथा या यतते तथा सैव व्यवस्थिता।
विसृष्टा सृष्टिविन्नद्यां यावद्यत्नान्न रोधिता ॥ ५॥
चिदाकाशावभासोऽयं जगदित्यवबुध्यते।
चिद्व्योम्न्येवात्मनि स्वच्छे परमाणुकणं प्रति ॥ ६॥
एवमस्या मुधाभ्रान्तेः का सत्ता केव वासना।
का वास्था का च नियतिः कावश्यंभावितोच्यताम् ॥ ७॥
सर्वं चैतद्यथादृष्टं स्थितमित्थमखण्डितम्।
मायैवेयमनन्तेयं न च मायास्ति काचन ॥ ८॥
श्रीराम उवाच ।
अहो नु परमा दृष्टिर्दर्शिता भगवंस्त्वया।
दावाग्निदग्धकक्षाणां दाहशान्तौ कलैन्दवी ॥ ९॥
अहो नु सुचिरेणाद्य ज्ञातं ज्ञातव्यमक्षतम्।
मया यथेदं यच्चेदं यादृग् ज्ञेयं यतो यदा ॥ १०॥
शाम्यामीव द्विजश्रेष्ठ निर्वामीव विकल्पयन्।
एतदाख्यानमाश्चर्यं व्याख्यानं शास्त्रदृष्टिषु ॥ ११॥
इमं मे भगवन्ब्रूहि संशयं सर्वकोविद।
तव पातुं न तृप्तोऽस्मि श्रोत्रपात्रैर्वचोमृतम् ॥ १२॥
स सर्गत्रितये कालो लीलाभर्तुर्हि योगतः।
स क्वचित्किमहोरात्रः क्वचित्किं मासमात्रकः ॥ १३॥
क्वचित्किं बहुवर्षाणि कस्यचित्किमु पेलवः।
कस्यचित्किं महादीर्घः कस्यचित्किं क्षणः स्थितः ॥ १४॥
इति मे भगवन्बूहि त्वं यथावदनुग्रहात्।
सकृच्छ्रुतं न विश्रान्तिमेति लोष्टे यथा जलम् ॥ १५॥
Sage Vasistha said:
3.60.1–4
> O Rama, I have told you this to remove the defects of seeing the world as Real. Abandon the denseness of the world through this pure story of Lila.
> The reality of the seen world is itself peaceful; no effort is needed to calm it. Cleaning is hard only for what exists, never for what does not exist.
> With Knowledge that is like Space, the seen world is Known as the nature of the Knowable. Seeing them as one, the wise person remains like the sky.
> This world, without earth and other elements, is established by the Self-born light of Consciousness alone. If it is accomplished by the accomplished one, then it is accomplished in one's own Self.
3.60.5–8
> Consciousness, as it strives in its own way, remains established in that manner. It is projected like creation in a river until effort stops it.
> This appearance of the world is understood as the shining of Consciousness-Space. It exists in the Pure Consciousness-sky itself, even down to the smallest particle.
> For this useless delusion, what reality is there, what tendency, what State, what fate, and what inevitability? Tell me clearly.
> All this stands exactly as seen, undivided in this way. This is infinite Maya alone, yet truly no Maya exists at all.
Sriram said:
3.60.9–11
> O Lord, what a supreme vision you have shown! It is like cool moonlight that brings peace to the burning forest after a great fire.
> After a very long time, I have today truly known what is to be Known, intact and whole — how this is, what this is, of what kind the Knowable is, from where, and when.
> O best of the twice-born, I feel as if I am becoming quiet while considering these ideas. This wonderful story is an amazing explanation in the views of the scriptures.
3.60.12–15
O Lord, knower of all, please tell me this doubt of mine. I am not satisfied drinking the nectar of your words with the vessel of my ears.
> In the three Creations, the time of the supporter of Lila is according to yoga. Somewhere, what is day and night? Somewhere, what is merely a month?
> Somewhere, what are many years? For someone, what is very short? For someone, what is extremely long? For someone, what remains as a moment?
> O Lord, tell me this properly with your Grace. What is heard only once does not bring rest to me, like water on a lump of earth.
Summary of the Teachings:
The seen world has no independent Existence that needs forceful removal; its "reality" is already peaceful by nature. Just as one does not need to clean something that never truly existed, the wise person stops treating the world as a solid problem requiring hard effort to dissolve.
True Knowledge reveals that the visible world and the Consciousness that knows it are not two separate things. When the Knower sees them unified, like Space containing everything without being touched by it, the mind becomes vast and free like the open sky. The world of elements such as earth, water, and fire is merely a play of Pure Consciousness-light arising within the Self-born Awareness. Whatever appears as Creation is already accomplished within one's own Self, with no external doer or separate substance.
Consciousness projects the appearance of the world in the same way it naturally flows, like a river creating its own currents until effort or understanding halts the projection. Even the tiniest particle exists only as a shining in the clear Space of Pure Consciousness. This entire display is a kind of empty delusion without any real support, tendency, fixed state, destiny, or unavoidable fate. Questioning these ideas helps loosen the grip of false belief in the world's independence.
Everything stands exactly as it appears, yet it remains undivided and whole. What we call infinite Maya is only this appearance, but in Truth, no such Maya or illusion exists separately. The highest vision brings deep relief, cooling the mind burned by worldly suffering like moonlight after a forest fire. Rama feels he has at last understood the nature of what is to be known — its essence, quality, source, and timing — and experiences inner quietude while reflecting on these teachings.
Rama still thirsts for more clarity and asks about the nature of time in relation to the three creations and the supporter of the Lila story. Time appears differently according to the state of yoga or awareness: as day and night in one context, a month in another, many years, a short period, a very long span, or even a single moment for someone else. Hearing once is not enough for deep rest, just as water rolls off hard earth without soaking in. Graceful repeated teaching is needed for the mind to fully absorb and rest in the Truth.
