Chapter 3.81, Verses 10–20

Yoga Vashishtha 3.81.10–20

(These verses explain that the cycle of birth and death in the World continues endlessly until True Spiritual Knowledge arises to cut its root Cause)

राजोवाच।

तावज्जन्म वसन्तेषु संसृतिव्रततिश्चिरम्।

विकसत्युदितो यावन्न बोधो मूलकाषकृत् ॥ १०॥

अणुनानेन रूपत्वं दृश्यतामिव गच्छता।

तापेनाम्बुधियेवेदं स्वस्थेनैवापहारितम् ॥ ११॥

अनेन संविदणुना मेरुस्त्रिभुवनं तृणम्।

वमित्वा बहिरन्तस्थं मायात्मकमवेक्ष्यते ॥ १२॥

चिदणोरन्तरे यद्यदस्ति तद्दृश्यते बहिः।

संकल्पेष्टालिङ्गनादिदृष्टान्तोऽत्र हि रागिणः ॥ १३॥

आदिसर्गे सर्वशक्तिश्चिद्यथैवोदितात्मना।

तथाशु पश्यत्यखिलं संकल्पे पर्वतः स्वतः ॥ १४॥

अभिजातस्य यस्यान्तर्यद्यथा प्रतिभासते।

तत्तथा पश्यतीवासौ दृष्टान्तोऽत्र शिशोर्मनः ॥ १५॥

परमाणुतयैवापि चिन्मात्रेणाणुनामुना।

परिसूक्ष्मतमेनैव विष्वग्विश्वं प्रपूरितम् ॥ १६॥

अणुरेव न मात्येष योजनानां शतेष्वपि।

सर्वगत्वादनादित्वादरूपत्वादनाकृतिः ॥ १७॥

यथा धूर्तेन खिङ्गेन पुंसा बालः प्रतार्यते।

सुभ्रूविकारनयननिरीक्षणविचेष्टितैः ॥ १८॥

चिदालोकेन शुद्धेन सपर्वततृणं जगत्।

नाट्यतेऽविरतं तद्वद्विवृत्त्याभिनयं सदा ॥ १९॥

तेनैवानन्तरूपत्वादणुना वाससा यथा।

संविदा तद्भवद्बाह्ये कृत्वा मेर्वादिवेष्टितम् ॥ २०॥

The King continued: 

3.81.10–14

> As long as the Awakening of True Knowledge does not arise to cut the root, the long vine of worldly existence keeps blooming in the many springs of repeated births. 

> This entire visible World is taken away by the subtle atom of Consciousness, just as the heat of the Sun evaporates water, even while remaining in its own Natural State.

> Through this subtle particle of Awareness, Mount Meru and the three Worlds appear as small as grass. It vomits them out and then sees the illusory nature both outside and inside.

> Whatever exists inside the subtle Consciousness appears outside as visible. The example here is of a passionate person embracing his desires in imagination.

> Just as in the beginning of Creation the all-powerful Consciousness sees everything quickly through its own rising nature, in the same way a mountain appears by its own will in thought.

3.81.15–20

> Whatever appears inside a person according to his inherent nature, he sees it exactly that way. The example here is the mind of a child.

> Even though it is the smallest particle, this Pure Consciousness alone, being the subtlest, fills the entire Universe in all directions.

> This atom does not measure even a hundred yojanas, yet because it is all-pervading, Beginningless, Formless, and without shape, it exists everywhere.

> Just as a clever man with changing glances, eyebrows, and gestures deceives a child, in the same way...

> In the Pure Light of Consciousness, the World with its mountains and grass is continuously enacted like a drama, with constant changes and acting.

> By this very subtle and Infinite Consciousness, like cloth, the Awareness creates the external World and wraps it around things like Mount Meru.

Summary of the Teachings:

This Knowledge is the direct Realization of Consciousness as the fundamental Reality. Without it, the illusory tree of samsara flourishes season after season through repeated lives. The teaching stresses the importance of Awakening to end this long cycle of suffering and rebirth.

Consciousness is described as an extremely subtle Essence, smaller than the smallest particle, yet it has the power to project and dissolve the entire vast Universe. It is like the sun's heat that can remove water while staying unchanged. This subtle Awareness both creates the appearance of the outer World and perceives the illusory nature of everything inside and outside. The mind's imagination plays a key role, turning inner thoughts into seeming external realities, much like a lover's fantasies.

In the process of Creation, Pure Consciousness spontaneously manifests all things through its own power and will, similar to how thoughts form objects in the mind. What a person experiences depends on their inner tendencies and nature. A child's mind, for example, sees the world according to its innocent perceptions. This shows that the world is a projection of the mind's conditioning and not an independent Reality.

This Consciousness is Infinite and all-pervading despite appearing tiny. It has no form, no beginning, and no limits, allowing it to fill everything. The verses use examples from daily life, such as a trickster deceiving a child with gestures, to illustrate how Consciousness playfully enacts the drama of the Universe. The World with all its objects is like a continuous theatrical performance in the light of Pure Awareness, full of changes and movements.

Finally, Consciousness acts like a vast cloth that wraps around and forms the external appearances of mountains, worlds, and all objects. It creates the illusion of solidity and separation while remaining the only True Reality. The overall teaching encourages recognizing this subtle Consciousness within to transcend the illusory world and attain liberation.