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Yoga Vashishtha 3.105.21–28
(The mind can be overpowered by illusion, even when it is strong and trained)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।
जाल्म जालजटालेन किमेतद्भवता कृतम्।
येनास्पन्दप्रसन्नोऽब्धिः क्षणादेत्य प्रसन्नताम् ॥ २१॥
चित्रं चित्रा हि देवस्य पदार्थशतशक्तयः।
सुशक्तमपि मे चित्तं याभिर्मोहे निवेशितम् ॥ २२॥
क्व वयं लोकपर्यायकृतान्तपदवेदिनः।
क्व मनोमोहदायिन्यो वितताः प्रकृतापदः ॥ २३॥
अप्यभ्यस्तमहाज्ञानं मनस्तिष्ठति देहके।
कदाचिन्मोहमादत्ते क्षणं मतिमतामपि ॥ २४॥
इदमाश्चर्यमाख्यानं श्रूयतां रे सभासदः।
मम शाम्बरिकेणेह यन्मुहूर्तं प्रदर्शितम् ॥ २५॥
दृष्टवानहमेतस्मिन्बह्वीः कार्यदशाश्चलाः।
मुहूर्तं प्रार्थितोऽध्वस्तशक्रसृष्टिरिवालजः ॥ २६॥
इत्युक्त्वोन्मुखनेत्रेषु सभ्येषु स हसन्निव।
राजा वर्णयितुं चित्रं वृत्तान्तमुपचक्रमे ॥ २७॥
राजोवाच।
इह विविधपदार्थसंकुलायां ह्रदनदपत्तनपर्वताकुलायाम्।
कुलशिखरिसमुद्रसंकरायां भुवि विभवावलितोऽस्त्ययं प्रदेशः ॥ २८॥
Sage Vashishta continued:
3.105.21–27
> O wretched one with hair tangled like a net! What have you done that the ocean of my mind, which was still and clear, has in a moment been thrown into agitation?
> How wonderful and varied are the hundred powers of the Divine! Even my strong and capable mind has been cast by them into delusion.
> Where are we who know the successive states of the World and the place of death, and where are these widespread natural calamities that delude the mind?
> Even a mind that has practiced the Highest Knowledge and still resides in the body can sometimes fall into delusion for a moment, even in the case of the wise.
> Listen, O members of the assembly, to this astonishing story of what this magician showed me here in a single moment.
> In that short time I saw many changing scenes of events, as numerous as those shown long ago by the creator when he destroyed the magic creation of Indra.
> Having spoken thus, while the assembly looked on with raised faces, the King, smiling as it were, began to describe the wonderful occurrence.
The King said:
3.105.28
> In this World crowded with many kinds of things, filled with lakes, rivers, towns and mountains, mixed with family hills and oceans, there is this region rich in prosperity.
Detailed summary of the teachings:
These verses show how easily the mind can be overpowered by illusion, even when it is strong and trained. The King, who had just emerged from a magical trance, addresses the magician and expresses surprise that his calm mind could be disturbed so quickly. The comparison of the mind to a still ocean that is suddenly agitated teaches that mental peace is fragile and can be lost in an instant under the influence of external forces or internal tendencies.
The verses highlight the extraordinary and manifold powers that belong to the Divine or to the creative force of Consciousness. These powers are capable of producing countless effects and of casting even a disciplined mind into delusion. This points to the idea that the World of appearances is a display of infinite creative energy, and that no individual mind, however powerful, stands outside its reach.
The text contrasts human knowledge of the cycles of life, death and worldly change with the sudden onset of deluding experiences. It reminds us that theoretical understanding of impermanence does not automatically protect us from practical confusion. Even those who know the facts of existence can still be overtaken by mental disturbance when circumstances arise.
A central teaching is that the mind, although it lives in the body and may have cultivated the Highest Knowledge, remains liable to momentary delusion. Wisdom and practice do not grant permanent immunity; vigilance is always required. This underscores the need for continual self-awareness rather than complacent reliance on past attainments.
Finally, the king’s decision to recount the experience to his assembly illustrates the value of examining and sharing such events. By describing the many scenes he witnessed in a brief period—scenes as vast and varied as a cosmic magical display—he demonstrates that time and experience are relative to the state of the mind. The opening description of the prosperous region then begins the narrative proper, showing how the mind projects an entire world of objects, places and conditions within itself. Together the verses teach that the apparent solidity of ordinary life is no more substantial than a magician’s show, and that true clarity arises only when this is clearly recognized.
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