Chapter 3.111, Verses 21–29

Yoga Vashishtha 3.111.21–29

(The restless mind, though it appears unmoving because of confused perception, can be brought under control solely through personal effort and determination)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

संवेदनविपर्यासरूपिणी धीरिवाचला।

जेतुमाशु मनो राम पौरुषेणैव शक्यते ॥ २१॥

अनुद्वेगः श्रियो मूलमनुद्वेगात्प्रवर्तते।

जन्तोर्मनोजयो येन त्रिलोकीविजयस्तृणम् ॥ २२॥

न शस्त्रदलनोत्पातपाता यस्यां मनागपि।

स्वभावमात्रव्यावृत्तौ तस्यां कैव कदर्थना ॥ २३॥

अपि स्ववेदनाक्रान्तौ न शक्ता ये नराधमाः।

कथं व्यवहरिष्यन्ति व्यवहारदशासु ते ॥ २४॥

पुमान्मृतोऽस्मि जातोऽस्मि जीवामीति कुदृष्टयः।

चेतसो वृत्तयो भान्ति चपलस्यासदुत्थिताः ॥ २५॥

न कश्चनेह म्रियते जायते न च कश्चन।

स्वयं वेत्ति मृतं स्वस्य लोकमन्यं स्वकं मनः ॥ २६॥

इतो याति परं लोकं स्फुरत्यन्यतया मनः।

तत्तस्यैत्येतदामोक्षमतो मृतिभयं कुतः ॥ २७॥

इहलोकेन विचरत्विहलोके परत्र च।

चित्तमामोक्षमास्तेऽस्य रूपमन्यन्न विद्यते ॥ २८॥

मृते भ्रातरि भृत्यादौ क्लेश आक्रियतेऽनृतः।

तत्स्वचित्तं स्वचैतन्यव्यावृत्तात्मेति मे मतिः ॥ २९॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.111.21–24

> O Rama, the mind, which appears fixed like the intellect due to reversed perception, can be conquered quickly only through one’s own effort.

> Freedom from agitation is the root of all prosperity; everything proceeds from it. For one who has conquered the mind, victory over the three worlds is as insignificant as a blade of grass.

> In a State where there is not even the slightest cutting by weapons, rising, or falling, and which comes about merely by turning away from one’s natural tendencies, what possible trouble can there be?

> Those lowest of men who cannot even manage themselves when overtaken by their own feelings—how will they ever conduct themselves properly in worldly affairs?

3.111.25–29

> The false notions “I am dead,” “I am born,” and “I am alive” are merely the restless movements of a fickle mind arising from unreality.

> No one dies here, and no one is born. The mind itself imagines its own death and another World as belonging to itself.

> From here the mind goes to another World and appears in a different form. That very arrival is its liberation—so why fear death?

> Let the mind wander with this World, whether here or in the beyond. Until liberation is attained, it has no other form.

> The sorrow felt at the death of a brother, servant, or the like is unreal. In my view, that is only one’s own mind turned away from its Pure Consciousness.

Detailed summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that the restless mind, though it appears unmoving because of confused perception, can be brought under control solely through personal effort and determination. No external force or ritual is required; sincere human striving is enough to master it quickly. Once the mind is conquered, freedom from inner disturbance becomes the true foundation of lasting well-being, and even the greatest worldly or cosmic victories become trivial.

The text emphasises that genuine transformation of one’s nature involves no struggle, conflict, or violence of any kind. When the mind simply turns away from its habitual patterns, all difficulties dissolve. Those who cannot govern their own feelings and reactions remain incapable of handling ordinary life situations effectively, showing that self-mastery is the first and essential skill.

False ideas of birth, death, and continued existence are exposed as mere products of a fluctuating, unreal mind. In truth, no one is born and no one dies. The mind alone invents the experience of dying and of moving to other realms. When the mind shifts to another appearance, that shift itself is liberation; therefore the fear of death has no real basis.

Wherever the mind wanders—whether in this World or another—it remains the same until liberation is reached. Grief over the death of relatives or dependents is likewise unreal, arising only because the mind has turned away from its own pure awareness. The verses repeatedly stress that no other method exists for attaining clear, true knowledge except the calming and subduing of the mind.

Ultimately, the teaching insists that pure, luminous understanding arises in the heart only when the mind is quieted. All other paths and examinations prove incomplete without this Inner Stillness. Mastery of the mind is therefore presented as the single indispensable means to freedom from fear, sorrow, and delusion.