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Yoga Vashishtha 3.113.51–59
(Unreal mental tendency completely distorts ordinary perception)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।
संध्यादिषु च कालेषु लोष्टपाषाणभित्तयः।
अस्याः प्रसादात्दृश्यन्ते सर्पाजगरदृष्टिभिः ॥ ५१॥
एकोऽपि द्वितयोदेति यथा द्विशशिदर्शने।
दूरमभ्याशतां याति स्वप्ने स्वमरणं यथा ॥ ५२॥
आदीर्घं क्षणतामेति कालस्येष्टा यथा निशा।
क्षणो वर्षमिवाभाति कान्ताविरहिणामिव ॥ ५३॥
न तदस्तीह यन्नाम न करोतीयमुद्धता।
अस्यास्त्वकिंचनायास्तु शक्ततां पश्य राघव ॥ ५४॥
संरोधयेत्प्रयत्नेन संविदेवाशु संविदम्।
सरित्स्रोतोनिरोधेन शुष्यत्येषा मनोनदी ॥ ५५॥
श्रीराम उवाच।
अविद्यमानयैवेदं पेलवांग्या सुतुच्छया।
मिथ्याभावनया नाम चित्रमन्धीकृतं जगत् ॥ ५६॥
अरूपया निराकृत्या चारुचेतनहीनया।
असत्येवाप्यनश्यन्त्या चित्रमन्धीकृतं जगत् ॥ ५७॥
आलोकेन विनश्यन्त्या स्फुरन्त्या तमसोन्तरे।
कौशिकेक्षणधर्मिण्या चित्रमन्धीकृतं जगत् ॥ ५८॥
कुकर्मैकान्तकारिण्या न सहन्त्या विलोकनम्।
देहमप्यविजानन्त्या चित्रमन्धीकृतं जगत् ॥ ५९॥
Sage Vashishta said:
3.113.51–55
> At times such as evening, clods of earth, stones and walls appear as snakes and pythons because of the power of this tendency.
> Even a single thing appears as two, just as one sees two moons. What is far away becomes near, just as a person sees his own death in a dream.
> What is long turns into a mere moment, like the longed-for night. A single moment stretches into a year for those separated from their beloved.
> There is nothing in this world that this arrogant tendency does not accomplish. Look, O Raghava, at the power of this one that is actually nothing at all.
> With effort one should restrain awareness by means of awareness itself. When the flow of the mind-river is blocked, this river of the mind dries up completely.
Sriram said:
3.113.56–59
> It is a wonder that this whole World has been blinded by a non-existent, delicate, extremely insignificant and completely false imagination.
> It is a wonder that the World has been blinded by something formless, without shape, appearing charming yet without Consciousness, false and yet never destroyed.
> It is a wonder that the World has been blinded by something that vanishes in light, shines only in darkness, and behaves like the eyes of an owl.
> It is a wonder that the World has been blinded by something that always performs only harmful actions, cannot bear to be examined, and does not even recognise the body.
Detailed Summary of the Teachings:
These verses show how the unreal mental tendency completely distorts ordinary perception. Simple objects such as clods, stones and walls can suddenly appear as dangerous snakes simply because of its influence. Distance, time and number lose their natural meaning: one object looks like two, far things seem near, long periods shrink to moments, and brief moments stretch into years according to the state of the mind.
Although this tendency is truly nothing, it displays astonishing power. It can create every kind of experience and make the entire world seem solid and real. The only practical remedy given is to use Pure Awareness itself to restrain the restless flow of the mind. When that flow is stopped, the mental river dries up and the false appearances cease.
Prince Rama expresses deep amazement at how such an empty and weak imagination can darken the whole World. He describes it as formless, without real substance, charming on the surface yet lifeless, false yet strangely persistent. It thrives only in darkness and disappears the moment true light of understanding appears.
The tendency is further characterised as something that always produces harmful results, cannot stand careful examination, and remains unaware even of the body it seems to inhabit. Its power lies entirely in the mind’s failure to look at it clearly.
Taken together, the teaching is that the World of suffering and confusion is created solely by this empty mental force. By recognising its unreality and restraining the mind with steady Awareness, one can free oneself from its blinding influence and rest in clear Knowledge.
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