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Yoga Vashishtha 3.96.36–44
(The Mind - continued)
श्रीराम उवाच।
मनः किं स्याज्जडं ब्रह्मंस्तथा वापि च चेतनम् ।
इत्येको मम तत्त्वज्ञ निश्चयोऽन्तर्न जायते ॥ ३६॥
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।
मनो हि न जडं राम नापि चेतनतां गतम्।
म्लानाऽजडा तदा दृष्टिर्मन इत्येव कथ्यते ॥ ३७॥
मध्ये सदसतो रूपं प्रतिभूतं यदाविलम्।
जगतः कारणं नाम तदेतच्चित्तमुच्यते ॥ ३८॥
शाश्वतेनैकरूपेण निश्चयेन विना स्थितिः।
येन सा चित्तमित्युक्ता तस्माज्जातमिदं जगत् ॥ ३९॥
जडाजडदृशोर्मध्ये दोलारूपं स्वकल्पनम्।
यच्चितो म्लानरूपिण्यास्तदेतन्मन उच्यते ॥ ४०॥
चिन्निःस्पन्दो हि मलिनः कलङ्कविकलान्तरम्।
मन इत्युच्यते राम न जडं न च चिन्मयम् ॥ ४१॥
तस्येमानि विचित्राणि नामानि कलितान्यलम्।
अहंकारमनोबुद्धिजीवाद्यानीतराण्यपि ॥ ४२॥
यथा गच्छति शैलूषो रूपाण्यलं तथैव हि।
मनो नामान्यनेकानि धत्ते कर्मान्तरं व्रजत् ॥ ४३॥
चित्राधिकारवशतो विचित्रा विकृताभिधाः।
यथा याति नरः कर्मवशाद्याति तथा मनः ॥ ४४॥
Sriram asked:
3.96.36
> O Brahman, Knower of Truth, I cannot decide in my heart whether the mind is inert or Conscious.
Sage Vasistha said:
3.96.37–44
> O Rama, the mind is neither completely inert nor fully Conscious. When Pure Awareness becomes dulled and clouded, that State is simply called the mind.
> When Consciousness appears as a mixed form between existence and non-existence and becomes the Cause of the World, it is called the Heart or mind.
> That which stays without firm, unchanging certainty is called the mind; from it this World arises.
> The mind is the swinging imagination of Consciousness that stands between the views of the inert and the non-inert, and has grown dull.
> O Rama, when Pure Consciousness becomes still, stained, and impure inside, it is called the mind—neither inert matter nor Pure Consciousness.
> This same principle has many names given to it: ego, mind, intellect, living soul, and others as well.
> Just as an actor takes many forms and names while performing different parts, so the mind takes many names as it moves from one action to another.
> Just as a man receives different titles according to the work he does under the force of his actions, so the mind receives varied and changing names according to its activities.
Summary of the teachings:
These verses teach that the mind is not a fixed thing that is either purely material or purely spiritual. It is Pure Consciousness that has become clouded, restless, and mixed. When Awareness loses its clear, steady nature and begins to swing between opposite ideas, it is given the name “mind.”
The mind stands in the middle ground between what is Real and what is unreal, between the inert and the Conscious. Because it lacks firm, unchanging certainty, it creates the appearance of the World. All the variety we see comes from this unsteady, imagining activity of Consciousness.
Pure Consciousness itself does not change, but when it becomes stained by desires, sensations, and inner impurity, it appears as the limited mind. In that condition it is neither solid matter nor pure spirit. It is a dull, restless form of awareness that keeps moving and creating experiences.
This same underlying principle is known by many different names—ego, intellect, and others—depending on the particular function it is performing at any moment. Just as an actor changes costume and name for each role, or a person is called by different titles according to the work he does, the mind receives many labels according to its changing activities.
The teaching points toward understanding that the World and the sense of individuality arise only from this fluctuating, named activity of the mind. When the clouding and restlessness cease, the Pure Consciousness that was always present remains, free of the many names and free of the World that the mind had projected.
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