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Yoga Vashishtha 3.105.1–9
(Return from a deep state of mental delusion to ordinary awareness)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।
मुहूर्तद्वितयेनाथ बोधमाप महीपतिः।
प्रावृषेण्याम्बुनिर्मुक्तमम्भोरुहमिवोत्तमम् ॥ १॥
आसनात्साङ्गदोत्तंसः प्रबुद्धोऽसावकम्पयत्।
सवनाभोगशृङ्गाग्र्यो भूकम्प इव पर्वतः ॥ २॥
बभूवाथ प्रबुद्धोऽसावासनोपरि कम्पितः।
विक्षुब्ध इव पातालवारणे शङ्कराचलः ॥ ३॥
पतन्तं धारयामासुस्तं पुरोगा नृपं भुजैः।
मेरुं प्रलयविक्षुब्धं कुलशैलास्तटैरिव ॥ ४॥
पुरोगैर्धार्यमाणोऽसौ पर्याकुलमतिर्नृपः।
वीचिविक्षोभितस्येन्दोर्बभार वनमाः श्रियः ॥ ५॥
कोऽयं प्रदेशः कस्येयं सभेति स नृपः शनैः।
दध्वान मज्जदम्भोजकोशस्थ इव षट्पदः ॥ ६॥
अथोवाच सभा देव किमेतदिति सादरम्।
रणन्मधुकरी भानुं दृष्टराहुमिवालिनी ॥ ७॥
अथैनं परिपप्रच्छुः पुरोगा मन्त्रिणस्तथा।
प्रलयोल्लाससंत्रस्तं मार्कण्डेयमिवामराः ॥ ८॥
त्वयीत्थं संस्थिते देव वयमत्यन्तमाकुलाः।
अभेद्यमपि भिन्दन्ति निर्निमित्तं भ्रमा मनः ॥ ९॥
Sage Vashishta said:
3.105.1–9
> Then, after two moments, the King regained awareness, like a fine lotus freed from the waters of the rainy season.
> The awakened King, wearing armlets and a crest, shook from his seat like a mountain with forests and high peaks trembling in an earthquake.
> Then the awakened King trembled on his seat, as if Mount Kailasa were shaken by the elephant of the nether World.
> His attendants held the falling King with their arms, just as the surrounding mountains support Mount Meru when it is shaken by the winds of dissolution.
> Held by his attendants and with a confused mind, the King looked like the moon disturbed by waves and carried the beauty of forest garlands.
> The King slowly murmured, “What is this place? Whose assembly is this?” like a bee trapped in the cup of a sinking lotus.
> Then the assembly respectfully asked, “O lord, what is this?” like a buzzing bee seeing the Sun as if seized by Rahu.
> Then the leading men and ministers questioned him, just as the gods, terrified by the onset of cosmic dissolution, once questioned Sage Markandeya.
> “O Lord, while you are in this state we are extremely anxious. Even unbreakable things are broken by groundless delusions of the mind.”
Summary of the Teachings:
These verses show how a person can suddenly return from a deep state of mental delusion or magical illusion to ordinary awareness. The king’s sudden recovery is compared to a lotus that blooms again once the rains clear, teaching that clarity of mind can return quickly once the covering of confusion lifts. The strong physical shaking that follows reveals how deeply the body and mind are linked; a powerful inner experience leaves visible outer signs.
The attendants’ prompt support of the falling king points to the value of steady companions in moments of weakness. Just as surrounding mountains hold up Meru during upheaval, wise friends and counselors steady a person when the mind is unsettled. The king’s confused appearance, like the moon tossed by waves, shows that even after awakening the mind may still carry traces of disturbance and need gentle help to regain balance.
The king’s soft questions—“What place is this? Whose court is this?”—illustrate the natural response of a mind that has briefly lost its bearings. Like a bee inside a sinking lotus, the person feels enclosed and uncertain until the outer world is recognized again. The respectful inquiry of the assembly mirrors the concern of those who care for someone returning from confusion; their tone is gentle yet urgent, seeking to understand what has occurred.
The ministers’ questioning, compared to the gods asking Markandeya during the fear of cosmic dissolution, teaches that great upheavals—whether outer catastrophe or inner delusion—prompt the same search for explanation. Even the wise feel temporary fear when familiar order is shaken, yet steady inquiry restores perspective.
Finally, the courtiers’ words state the central lesson: groundless mental delusions can shake even a firm mind. No one is immune to sudden confusion arising without clear outer cause. The teaching urges constant discrimination and calm awareness so that the mind remains unshaken by fleeting illusions, whether produced by magic, dream, or ordinary error.
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