Chapter 3.107, Verses 25~48

Yoga Vashishtha 3.107.25~48

(These verses deepen the picture of the King’s total immersion in a savage, forest existence)

राजोवाच।

रौरवापतितेनेव तत्कालस्निग्धतां गतः।

विन्ध्यकन्दरगुल्मानां बन्धुत्वमिव गच्छता ॥ २५॥

पुलिन्दवपुषा यत्र युक्तयोगैः समर्पिताः।

तर्पिता लगुडाघातजितकौलेयरंहसा ॥ २६॥

पुत्रदाराः कदन्नेन ग्रामकान्धोचितेन च।

धारासाररणत्पत्रशुष्कतालतले निशाः ॥ २७॥

नीता रणितदन्तेन सार्धं विपिनवानरैः।

रोमभिः कोटिमुद्रोद्यैः शीतेनाध्युषितस्य मे ॥ २८॥

वर्षासु मुक्ताकणवद्धृता वानलविन्दवः।

अजाजीमूतखण्डार्थं क्षुत्क्षुण्णक्षीणकुक्षिणा ॥ २९॥

कलत्रेण सहाटव्यां कृतः कलह आकुलः।

वने रणितदन्तेन शीतकेकरचक्षुषा ॥ ३०॥

(३.१०७.३१–४४)

ग्रीष्मे सोढा चलद्भूता वराहेण यथोर्वरा।

बहुशोऽहं वनोत्थाग्निनिर्दग्धप्राणिमण्डलः ॥ ४५॥

कल्पाग्निभुक्तजगतः कालस्यानुगतिं गतः ।

लोभिलिङ्गो यथा रोगमनर्थानिव दुर्ग्रहः।

प्रसूतास्तत्र मे दारा दुःखान्यथ सुखान्यपि ॥ ४६॥

नृपालपुत्रकेनैकतनयेन तदा मया।

नीता नीरन्ध्रदोषेण षष्टिः कल्पसमाः समाः ॥ ४७॥

आक्रुष्टमुद्धुरतरं रुदितं विपत्सु भुक्तं कदन्नमुषितं हतपक्कणेषु।

कालान्तरं बहु मयोपहतेन तत्र दुर्वासनानिगडबन्धगतेन सभ्याः ॥ ४८॥

The King continued: 

3.107.25–30

> As if fallen into the Raurava hell, I then became sticky and unclean, growing almost into a relative of the thickets in the Vindhya caves.

> There, with the body of a forest tribesman, offerings were made according to tribal rites, and hunger was satisfied by the force of club-blows that overcame the speed of dogs.

> Sons and wife lived on coarse food fit only for blind village folk; nights were spent under dry palm trees whose leaves rattled in the pouring rain.

> Those nights passed with chattering teeth in the company of forest monkeys, while cold made the hairs of my body stand on end in countless pores.

> In the rainy season, water-drops were held like pearls; for the sake of a mere scrap of food I, whose belly was crushed and thin with hunger, wandered on.

> In the forest I quarrelled in confusion with my wife, teeth chattering and eyes rolling from the cold.

3.107.31–44

> In these intervening verses the King continues to describe the endless hardships of his tribal life: further struggles for food, exposure to every kind of weather, deepening family discord, the gradual loss of all remaining softness of heart, and the complete acceptance of a brutal, animal-like existence in the wilds.

3.107.45–48

> In the summer I endured the trembling Earth as a boar endures the fertile field; many times the circle of living beings around me was burnt by forest fires.

> I followed the path of Time that has already consumed the World in the fire of Cosmic dissolution. Like a greedy mark or an evil planet that brings misfortunes as diseases, my wives there gave birth both to sorrows and to fleeting pleasures.

> I, who was once the single son of a King’s son, spent sixty years that felt equal to Cosmic ages, filled with unbroken faults.

> I cried out loudly, wept in calamities, ate coarse food, and slept in ruined outcaste settlements. For a long time, O noble ones, I remained there, ruined and bound in the iron chains of evil tendencies.

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

These verses deepen the picture of the king’s total immersion in a savage, forest existence. Living like a relative of the Vindhya thickets, eating what is obtained by club and force, and spending nights under rattling palm leaves, he shows how completely the royal identity has been erased. The teaching is that once the mind accepts degradation, even the most brutal surroundings become the only reality it knows.

Family life continues, yet it brings no comfort. Coarse food, constant cold, chattering teeth, and confused quarrels with the wife turn every day into a struggle. The verses illustrate that attachment to wife and children, when rooted in delusion, multiplies suffering instead of relieving it. What should have been sources of support become additional sources of friction and pain.

Exposure to every season—rain, cold, and the scorching summer that sets the forest ablaze—reveals the body’s complete subjection to nature’s harshness. The King endures the trembling Earth like a boar and watches living beings perish in fire. This shows how the loss of discrimination leaves a person defenceless against both outer elements and inner impulses.

The comparison of his life to the path of Time that has already burned the world, and of his own nature to an evil planet bringing disease, teaches that prolonged evil tendencies act like a chronic illness. Even the birth of children is described as the birth of both sorrow and fleeting pleasure, underscoring that nothing arising from a deluded state can bring lasting good.

Finally, the King confesses that sixty years felt like Cosmic ages spent in unbroken fault, bound by the iron chains of wrong tendencies. The passage as a whole warns that a single fall, if not arrested, hardens into a complete way of life. Only the recovery of true discrimination can break those chains; otherwise the soul remains imprisoned in the very existence it has created for itself.

Chapter 3.107, Verses 1~24

Yoga Vashishtha 3.107.1–12

(Continuing the King’s account of his complete descent into the life of an outcaste)

राजोवाच।

बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन सोत्सवावर्जिताशयः।

तदाप्रभृति तत्राहं संपन्नः पुष्टपुल्कसः ॥ १॥

सप्तरात्रोत्सवस्यान्ते क्रमान्मासाष्टके गते।

पुष्पिता सास्य संपन्ना स्थिता गर्भवती ततः ॥ २॥

प्रसूता दुःखदां कन्यां विपद्दुःखक्रियामिव।

सा कन्या ववृधे शीघ्रं मूर्खचिन्तेव पीवरी ॥ ३॥

पुनः प्रसूता सा वर्षैस्त्रिभिः पुत्रमशोभनम्।

अनर्थमिव दुर्बुद्धिराशापाशविधायकम् ॥ ४॥

(३.१०७.५–२०)

अस्पृष्टेन जनैर्भुक्तं कुकलत्रवता मया।

गृहीततेजःक्षतये बहुवक्रविकारिणा ॥ २१॥

मार्गाविकमिवात्मीयं विक्रीतं पण्यमन्यतः।

प्राण्यङ्गवपुषस्तस्य प्रोत्कृत्त्योत्कृत्त्य पेशलः ॥ २२॥

आयसंपरि विक्रीता विन्ध्यपक्कणभूमिषु।

जन्मान्तरसहस्रोत्थं स्वपापमिव वृद्धये ॥ २३॥

अविकीर्णमसत्कीर्णं चण्डालारामभूमिषु।

दृष्टः कुद्दालको दृष्ट्या संध्यास्नेहविमुक्तया ॥ २४॥

The King said: 

3.107.1–4

> What more need be said here? From that time onward, my mind drawn by the festivities, I became a well-nourished Pulkasa (outcaste) there.

> At the end of the seven-night festival, after eight months had passed in due course, she became pregnant and remained with a swollen belly.

> She gave birth to a daughter who brings sorrow, like the very deeds that cause calamity and pain. That girl grew quickly, like the fattening thought of a fool.

> Again, after three years, she gave birth to an ugly son, like a misfortune produced by a dull mind that creates the noose of hope.

3.107.5–20

> In these intervening verses the King continues to describe his prolonged life among the outcastes: the daily hardships, the further birth of children, the gradual hardening of his mind to that degraded existence, the loss of his former royal dignity, the acceptance of menial work and impure food, and the deepening of delusion that made the lowly life seem normal to him.

3.107.21–24

> Food untouched by others was eaten by me, who now possessed a lowly wife—food that damaged my former radiance, eaten by one whose face had become distorted in many ways.

> Like goods sold on the roadside, what was my own was sold elsewhere; the soft flesh of that living body was cut off piece by piece.

> Iron tools were sold in the Vindhya outcaste settlements, like my own sins accumulated over thousands of past births, sold only to increase them further.

> Scattered and mixed with the impure, in the garden grounds of the Chandalas, Kuddalaka was seen with a gaze free from the affection of twilight (or evening attachment).

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

These verses continue the king’s account of his complete descent into the life of an outcaste. After the initial marriage and festivities, he reports that he fully became one of them—well-fed yet degraded. The teaching here is that once a person crosses the boundary of social and moral order under the sway of desire or circumstance, the mind quickly adapts and begins to identify with the new, lower condition. What was once unthinkable becomes ordinary.

The birth of children—first a daughter described as a source of sorrow, then an ugly son compared to a misfortune—illustrates how actions performed in delusion produce further bonds. Offspring that arise from an impure union are portrayed not as blessings but as extensions of suffering and attachment. The rapid growth of the daughter is likened to the swelling of foolish thoughts, showing how ignorance multiplies itself when left unchecked.

The omitted middle section, together with the later verses, deepens the picture of progressive degradation. The King eats food that others avoid, loses his former bodily radiance, and engages in the buying and selling of iron tools and even the cutting of flesh. These acts symbolize the piecemeal destruction of his Higher Nature. The text teaches that repeated association with impurity does not remain external; it enters the body, the mind, and the sense of self, steadily eroding discrimination.

A further lesson concerns the accumulation of karma. The sale of iron implements in the outcaste settlements is compared to the increase of sins carried from thousands of previous births. Every action performed in this degraded state is shown to strengthen the very chains that bind the soul. The verses warn that once one has entered a path of impurity, even ordinary livelihood activities become means of further entanglement rather than neutral work.

Finally, the closing image of Kuddalaka seen with a gaze free from soft evening attachment suggests a moment of stark clarity amid the surrounding impurity. The overall teaching of the passage is that delusion, once accepted, leads step by step from a single transgression to a complete transformation of identity, family, livelihood, and inner vision. Only the recovery of true discrimination can reverse this descent; otherwise the soul continues to multiply its own suffering through the very life it has chosen.

Chapter 3.106, Verses 52~72

Yoga Vashishtha 3.106.52~72

(Under the pressure of extreme circumstances, all considerations of family tradition and social duty are abandoned)

राजोवाच।

अथोक्ता सा मया भर्ता भवामि तव सुव्रते।

केनापदि विचार्यन्ते वर्णधर्मकुलक्रमाः ॥ ५२॥

ततस्तयौदनादर्धं मह्यमेकं समर्पितम्।

माधव्येवामृतादर्धमिन्द्रायार्तिमहत्पुरा ॥ ५३॥

जम्बूफलरसः पीतः स भुक्तः पक्कणौदनः।

विश्रान्तं च मया तत्र मोहापहृतचेतसा ॥ ५४॥

मां तत्रार्कमिवापूर्य सा प्रावृट् श्यामला गता।

हस्तेन समुपादाय प्राणं बहिरिव स्थितम् ॥ ५५॥

दुराकृतिं दुरारम्भमाससाद भयप्रदम्।

पितरं पीवराकारमवीचिमिव यातना ॥ ५६॥

तया मदनुषङ्गिण्या स्वार्थस्तस्मै निवेदितः।

मातङ्गाय भ्रमर्येव निःस्वनेनालिलग्नया ॥ ५७॥

(३.१०६.५८–६७)

अथ विश्रम्य चण्डालभोजनान्यजिनासने।

संचितान्युपभुक्तानि दुष्कृतानीव भूरिशः ॥ ६८॥

अनन्तदुःखबीजानि न मनोज्ञतराण्यपि।

तानि प्रणयवाक्यानि श्रुतान्यसुभगान्यलम् ॥ ६९॥

निरभ्राम्बरनक्षत्रे कस्मिंश्चिद्दिवसे ततः।

तैस्तैरारम्भसंरम्भैस्तैर्वस्त्रविभवार्पणैः ॥ ७०॥

दत्ताप्यनेन सा मह्यं कुमारी भयदायिनी।

सुकृष्णा कृष्णवर्णेन दुष्कृतेनेव यातना ॥ ७१॥

सरभसमभितो विनेदुरत्र प्रसृतमहामदिरासवाः श्वपाकाः।

हतपटुपटहा विलासवन्तः स्वयमिव दुष्कृतराशयो महान्तः ॥ ७२॥

The King said: 

3.106.52–57

> Then I told her, “O virtuous one, I shall become your husband. In times of crisis, who bothers about caste rules, family customs or social order?”

> Then she offered me half of her cooked rice, just as Madhavi once offered half of the nectar to Indra when he was in great distress.

> I drank the juice of the jambu fruit and ate the rice of the outcaste settlement. There I rested, my mind overcome by delusion.

> Like a dark monsoon cloud that fills the sky around the sun, she took hold of me as if seizing my very life-breath that stood outside, and then left.

> She went to her father—a frightful, ill-formed man of massive body who looked like the torments of the lowest hell—and approached that terrifying figure of evil deeds.

> Accompanied by me, she announced her personal wish to that Chandala, just as a female bee clinging with a soft hum announces itself to an elephant.

3.106.58–67

> In these intervening verses the narrative continues with the king’s further experiences in the Chandala settlement: the father’s response, the arrangements made for the union, the living conditions among the outcastes, the food and daily life, the gradual acceptance of that degraded existence, and the growing sense of degradation and delusion that settled upon the king’s mind as he remained there.

3.106.68–72

> After resting, I partook of the Chandala meals served on animal-skin seats—meals that had been collected in abundance, like heaps of sinful deeds.

> Those words of affection I heard were seeds of endless sorrow; they were not at all pleasing, and they were thoroughly unpleasant.

> Then, on a certain day when the sky was clear and the stars were visible, amid all those excited preparations and the offerings of clothes and wealth,

> That girl, who inspired fear, was given to me by him. She was very dark, black in complexion, like the torment that follows an evil deed.

> All around, the dog-eaters shouted loudly in great excitement, reeking of strong liquor; with beaten drums and joyful display they seemed like great heaps of sin themselves.

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

These verses form part of a larger story in which a king recounts how, under the pressure of extreme circumstances, he abandoned all consideration of caste, family tradition and social duty. The teaching begins by showing that when survival or intense desire is at stake, the ordinary rules of varna and kula are quickly set aside. The king’s ready agreement to marry an outcaste woman illustrates how fragile social conventions become once personal need overrides them.

The episode next describes the king’s complete immersion in a life he would normally regard as impure and degrading. He accepts food from a Chandala household, rests in that environment, and allows his mind to be overtaken by delusion. The text thereby demonstrates how quickly the discriminating intellect can be clouded when one repeatedly associates with what is considered low or impure. The senses and the mind gradually accept what was once repulsive.

A further teaching concerns the power of attachment and the company one keeps. The woman, described as dark and fearful, draws the king deeper into that world; her words of affection become seeds of endless sorrow. The verses warn that even pleasant-sounding expressions of love, when rooted in a base or deluded context, plant the causes of future suffering. Attachment born of ignorance does not liberate; it binds more tightly.

The narrative then moves to the formalization of the union amid the noisy celebrations of the Chandala community. The atmosphere of liquor, drums and wild excitement is presented as the outer reflection of inner disorder. The king’s participation in this scene underscores that once one has crossed certain moral and social boundaries, the surrounding environment itself reinforces and multiplies the original error. Sinful associations tend to grow into larger heaps of misconduct.

Finally, the entire passage serves as a cautionary illustration within the larger philosophical framework of Yoga Vasistha. It shows how a single decision made under delusion can lead a person of high status into progressive degradation, how the mind loses its clarity step by step, and how the consequences of such choices appear as both inner torment and outer chaos. The teaching is that true discrimination must be maintained even in crisis; otherwise the soul sinks into conditions that multiply sorrow rather than remove it.

Chapter 3.106, Verses 25~51

Yoga Vashishtha 3.106.25~51

(King Lavana’s account of the long dream-illusion created by a magician)

राजोवाच।

शनैः श्यामिकया ग्रस्ते समस्ते भुवनोदरे।

रात्रिसंव्यवहारेषु संप्रवृत्तेषु जङ्गले ॥ २५॥

अहं तरुतृणे तस्मिन्पेलवे खण्डकोटरे।

निलीनश्चिरलीनास्यः स्वनीडे विहगो यथा ॥ २६॥

विषदष्टविवेकस्य कीनाशस्य गलत्स्मृतेः।

विक्रीतस्येव दीनस्य मग्नस्येवान्धकूपके ॥ २७॥

तत्र कल्पसमा रात्रिर्मोहमग्नस्य मे गता।

एकार्णवोह्यमानस्य मार्कण्डेयमुनेरिव ॥ २८॥

न स्नातवान्नार्चितवान्न तदा भुक्तवानहम्।

केवलं मे गता रात्रिः सापदां धुरि तिष्ठतः ॥ २९॥

विनिद्रस्य विधैर्यस्य स्फुरतः सह पल्लवैः।

समं दुष्टातिदैर्घ्येण सा व्यतीयाय शर्वरी ॥ ३०॥

(३.१०६.३१–४५)

तयोक्तं हारकेयूरिंश्चण्डालीं विद्धि मामिति।

राक्षसीमिव सुक्रूरा पुरुषाश्वगजाशनाम् ॥ ४६॥

राजन्यार्चनमात्रेण मत्तो नाप्नोषि भोजनम्।

ग्राम्यादनभिजातेहात्सौजन्यमिव सुन्दरम् ॥ ४७॥

इत्युक्तवत्या गच्छन्त्या खेलया च पदेपदे।

कुञ्जकेषु निमज्जन्त्या लीलावनतयोदितम् ॥ ४८॥

ददामि भोजनमिदं भर्ता भवसि चेन्मम।

लोको नोपकरोत्यर्थैः सामान्यः स्निग्धतां विना ॥ ४९॥

वाहयत्यत्र मे दान्तान्केदारे पुल्कसः पिता।

श्मशान इव वेतालः क्षुधितो धूलिधूसरः ॥ ५०॥

तस्येदमन्नं भवति भर्तृत्वे दीयते स्थिते।

प्राणैरपि हि संपूज्या वल्लभाः पुरुषा यतः ॥ ५१॥

The King said: 

3.106.25–30

> Slowly, as darkness covered the whole belly of the world and the night-time activities began in the forest.

> I hid myself in that soft grass and broken hollow of the tree, with my face long buried, just like a bird in its own nest.

> My discrimination was as if bitten by poison, my memory was fading, I was like a sold slave in misery, and like one sunk in a dark well.

> That night, as long as a full age of the World, passed for me who was sunk in delusion, like the Sage Markandeya being carried on the single Ocean.

> I did not bathe, did not worship, and did not eat then. That night simply passed for me who stood at the head of all troubles.

> Sleepless and without firmness, trembling along with the leaves, that long and wicked night passed away for me.

3.106.31–45

In these verses the King describes the end of the night, the coming of dawn and the rising sun, how he rose and wandered through the empty forest seeing only birds, and how at midday he met a dark-complexioned maiden carrying food and water. He begged her for something to eat because of his extreme hunger, but she gave him nothing and walked on; he followed her for a long time like her own shadow.

3.106.46–51

> She said to him: Know me to be a Chandala woman named Harakeyuri, cruel like a demoness who eats men, horses and elephants.

> O King, you will not get food from me merely by begging, just as good conduct is not obtained from a low-born person without proper effort.

> Saying this, she went on playfully step by step, diving into the thickets, and spoke again with a playful bow of her body.

> I will give you this food if you become my husband, because ordinary people do not help others without first securing their own interest, just as affection is needed for help.

> My father, a Chandala, is ploughing the field here with his strong oxen; dusty and hungry, he looks like a hungry ghost in a cremation ground.

> This food belongs to him; it will be given to you only if you accept the position of husband, because husbands are to be honoured even at the cost of one’s life.

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

These verses form part of King Lavana’s account of the long dream-illusion created by a magician. They show how a person of high status can suddenly fall into complete helplessness, hunger and fear, losing all sense of dignity and self-control. The experience of spending a night alone in a dark forest, trembling and unable to perform even basic duties, illustrates the fragile and temporary nature of worldly power and comfort.

The meeting with the Chandala woman and her demand that the King marry her in exchange for food highlights how extreme need forces a person to abandon social norms, caste distinctions and personal pride. What seemed unthinkable in ordinary life becomes acceptable when survival is at stake. This teaches that external conditions of birth, status and identity are not absolute; they can be overturned by circumstances created by the mind.

The woman’s words emphasise a practical truth about human nature: people rarely give help without receiving something in return. Ordinary persons act from self-interest, and true generosity without any expectation is rare. The king’s willingness to accept her condition shows how the instinct for self-preservation overpowers every other consideration.

Taken together, the episode demonstrates that the entire experience—whether the lonely night or the forced marriage—is only a mental projection. Just as the King later wakes up and realises that years of life as a Chandala had lasted only a short time in the waking world, so all joys and sorrows of ordinary life are equally dream-like and fleeting.

The deeper teaching is that attachment to body, status, family and social position is the root of suffering. When the mind creates vivid experiences of pleasure or pain, the wise person learns to remain detached, recognising that both the high royal life and the low Chandala life are equally unreal appearances within Consciousness.

Chapter 3.106, Verses 12–24

Yoga Vashishtha 3.106.12–24

(A hard outer journey that mirrors an inner one)

राजोवाच।

ज्ञस्येव विततं चेतो मूर्खस्येव रुषाऽजवम्।

अदृष्टजनसंसर्गमजाततृणपल्लवम् ॥ १२॥

अरण्यमिदमासाद्य मतिर्मे खेदमागता।

ललनेवैत्य दारिद्र्यं निरन्नफलबान्धवम् ॥ १३॥

कचन्मरुमरीच्यम्बुपुरःप्लुतककुम्मुखम्।

आसूर्यास्तं दिनं तत्र प्रक्रान्तं सीदता मया ॥ १४॥

तदरण्यं मयातीतमतिकृच्छ्रेण खेदिना।

विवेकिनेव संसारो मध्यशून्यतताकृति ॥ १५॥

यदेतेनातिवाह्याहं प्राप्तवाञ्जङ्गलं क्रमात्।

अस्ताद्रिसानुं खिन्नाश्वः शून्यभ्रान्त्येवभास्करः ॥ १६॥

जम्बूकदम्बप्रायेषु कलालापाः पतत्रिणः।

यत्र स्फुरन्ति खण्डेषु पान्थानामिव बान्धवाः ॥ १७॥

यत्र शष्पशिखाश्रेण्यो दृश्यन्ते विरलाः स्थले।

कदर्थलक्ष्म्या जिह्मस्य हृदीवानन्दवृत्तयः ॥ १८॥

पूर्वादरण्यादरसात्तद्धि किंचित्सुखावहम्।

अत्यन्तदुःखान्मरणाद्वरं व्याधिर्हि जन्तुषु ॥ १९॥

तत्र जम्बीरखण्डस्य तलं संप्राप्तवानहम्।

मार्कण्डेय इवागेन्द्रमेकार्णवविहारतः ॥ २०॥

आलम्बिता मया तत्र स्कन्धसंसर्गिणी लता।

नीला जलदमालेव तापतप्तेन भूभृता ॥ २१॥

मयि प्रलम्बमानेऽस्यां प्रयातः स तुरङ्गमः।

गङ्गावलम्बिनि नरे यथा दुष्कृतसंचयः ॥ २२॥

चिरं दीर्घाध्वगः खिन्नस्तत्र विश्रान्तवानहम्।

भानुरस्ताचलोत्सङ्गे तले कल्पतरोरिव ॥ २३॥

यावत्समस्तसंसारव्यवहारभरैः समम्।

रविर्विश्रमणायेव निविष्टोऽस्ताचलाङ्गणे ॥ २४॥

The King said: 

3.106.12–24

> My mind felt wide like that of a wise person, yet restless with anger like that of a fool. I had come to a forest never seen by people, without human contact, and without even grass or young leaves.

> Reaching this forest, my mind grew weary and sad. It felt like a woman falling into poverty, with no food, no fruit, and no relatives.

> The directions ahead shimmered with the water of desert mirages. Suffering there, I spent the whole day until the Sun set.

> With great hardship and exhaustion I crossed that forest. It was like the world crossed by a person of discrimination: empty and hollow in the middle.

> After passing that place I gradually reached a wilderness. I was like the Sun arriving at the peak of the western mountain with tired horses, wandering as if in emptiness.

> In groves of jambu and kadamba trees, birds with sweet calls shone in the patches of forest, like companions appearing to weary travelers.

> Sparse rows of grass tips were seen on the ground, like rare moments of joy in the heart of a crooked person whose fortune is wretched.

> Compared with the earlier tasteless forest, this place brought a little comfort. For living Beings, even illness is better than the extreme pain of death.

> There I reached the ground beneath a cluster of jambu trees, like Markandeya reaching a great mountain after wandering across the single Ocean.

> I clung to a creeper growing from the trunk of a tree, as a heat-scorched mountain clings to a dark garland of clouds.

> While I hung there, the horse went away, just as a heap of sins leaves a person who clings to the Ganga.

> Tired after a long road, I rested there for a while, like the Sun resting in the lap of the western mountain at the base of a wish-fulfilling tree.

> Meanwhile the Sun, as if to rest from the full burden of all worldly activity, settled in the courtyard of the western mountain.

Summary of the verses: 

The verses show a hard outer journey that mirrors an inner one. A barren, waterless forest stands for a mind and a world that look wide yet give no real support. Anger, loneliness, hunger, and mirage-water describe how restlessness and false hopes keep a person moving without rest. Crossing that waste with difficulty points to viveka: seeing that ordinary life is hollow in the middle even while it appears solid at the edges.

A slightly greener wilderness then appears. Sparse grass, a few trees, and the calls of birds are only small reliefs, yet they feel better than the earlier emptiness. The teaching is practical: even limited ease is preferable to total despair, just as illness can be better than death. The traveler does not stop at the first comfort; he still seeks a firmer place to rest.

Reaching the shade of jambu trees and holding a creeper is an image of taking support that is itself unstable. The horse that leaves while the traveler hangs on the vine shows how outer supports and past actions drop away once a person turns toward a higher refuge. The comparison with sins leaving a person who holds the Ganga suggests that genuine rest begins when clinging to the world is replaced by clinging to something that can actually hold.

Rest under the tree at sunset is the first true pause. The Sun itself, carrying the whole day’s work, also settles. The picture teaches that both the individual mind and the apparent activity of the world share the same rhythm of effort and needed stillness. Rest is not escape; it is the natural close of a cycle of strain.

Taken together the verses quietly point to the larger Yoga-Vasistha view: the forest of samsara can be crossed, small comforts are real but temporary, and lasting ease comes only when the traveler stops running after mirages and sits still. Discrimination, endurance, and the willingness to let go of what cannot stay are the inner counterparts of the outer march from waste land to shade.

Chapter 3.106, Verses 1–11

Yoga Vashishtha 3.106.1–11

(King’s vivid recollection of how an ordinary royal assembly was suddenly transformed by the appearance of a magician)

राजोवाच।

अस्ति तावदयं देशो नानावननदीयुतः।

वसुधामण्डलस्यास्य सहोदर इवानुजः ॥ १॥

अस्मिंश्चायमहं राजा पौराभिमतवृत्तिमान्।

इन्द्रः स्वर्ग इवास्यां तु सभायां मध्यसंस्थित ॥ २॥

यावदभ्यागतो दूरात्कश्चिच्छाम्बरिकस्त्वयम्।

रसातलादभ्युदितो मायी मय इव स्वयम् ॥ ३॥

अनेन भ्रमिताद्येह पिच्छिका तेजसोर्जिता।

कल्पान्तपवनाभ्रेण शक्रचापलता यथा ॥ ४॥

आलोक्यैतामहं लोलामस्याश्वस्य पुरः स्थितः।

पृष्ठमारूढवानेक आत्मना भ्रान्तमानसः ॥ ५॥

ततोऽद्रिं प्रलयक्षुब्धं पुष्करावर्तको यथा।

तथा चलन्तं चलितः स्वश्वमारूढवानहम् ॥ ६॥

गन्तुं प्रवृत्तो मृगयामेकोऽहमतिरंहसा।

उर्वरामिव निर्भर्तुः कल्लोलः प्रलयाम्बुधेः ॥ ७॥

तेनानिलविलोलेन दूरं नीतोऽस्मि वाजिना।

योगाभ्यासजडेनाज्ञो मुग्धस्य मनसा यथा ॥ ८॥

अकिंचनमनःशून्यं स्त्रीचित्तमिव निर्भरम्।

ततः प्रलयनिर्दग्धजगदास्पद भीषणम् ॥ ९॥

निष्पक्षिक्षारनीहारं निर्वृक्षमजलं महत्।

संप्राप्तोऽहमपर्यन्तमरण्यं श्रान्तवाहनः ॥ १०॥

तद्द्वितीयमिवाकाशं तथाष्टममिवाम्बुधिम्।

पञ्चमं सागरमिव संशुष्कं शून्यकोटरम् ॥ ११॥

The King continued: 

3.106.1–11

> There is this country full of various forests and rivers. It is like a younger brother of this whole circle of the Earth.

> In this land I am the King, living according to the wishes of the citizens. I sit in the middle of this assembly hall just as Indra sits in Heaven.

> Then a certain magician came from far away. He rose up from the nether world like the demon Maya himself.

> He whirled here a bright peacock-feather wand full of power, just as the wind-cloud at the end of a world-cycle scatters Indra’s rainbow.

> Looking at that moving wand and at the horse standing before him, I climbed alone onto the horse’s back with a bewildered mind.

> Then, just as the Pushkara and Avartaka clouds shake a mountain tossed about at the time of dissolution, I mounted the moving horse and began to move.

 

> I set out alone at great speed for the hunt, like a wave of the Ocean of dissolution rushing to cover a masterless Earth.

> That horse, restless as the wind, carried me far away, just as the mind of a deluded person carries an ignorant man who has been stupefied by the practice of yoga.

> Then I reached a place that was empty like the mind of a pauper, completely vacant like a woman’s mind, and terrifying like the World burnt by final dissolution.

> It was a vast wilderness without birds, without salt-mist, without trees and without water. With my tired horse I arrived at that endless forest.

> It was like a second sky, like an eighth Ocean, like a fifth dried-up sea — an empty hollow.

Detailed summary of the teachings:

These verses begin the King’s vivid recollection of how an ordinary royal assembly was suddenly transformed by the appearance of a magician. The King first describes his own prosperous kingdom and his secure place within it, establishing the normal waking reality from which the illusion will arise. This contrast prepares the listener to see how quickly and completely the mind can leave its familiar setting.

The arrival of the magician and the whirling of the peacock-feather wand mark the exact point at which the outer world begins to dissolve. The wand is compared to a Cosmic storm that breaks Indra’s rainbow, showing that what seems a small magical act can carry the force of universal dissolution. The mind, once caught by the spectacle, loses its ordinary bearings.

Mounting the horse is presented as an almost involuntary act performed in a state of mental confusion. The horse, though standing still in the court, becomes a vehicle of rapid movement. This illustrates how the mind can project intense motion and distance while the body remains motionless, revealing the creative and deceptive power of imagination.

The journey into an empty, waterless, birdless wilderness expands the teaching. The desert is likened to the mind of one who has nothing, to a woman’s restless heart, and to the burnt-out world at the end of a Cosmic cycle. These images teach that the landscape of experience is shaped by the state of the mind itself; when the mind is emptied of its usual supports, the world appears correspondingly barren and frightening.

Finally, the endless forest is compared to a second sky, an eighth Ocean and a dried-up fifth sea. Such similes emphasise the boundless and hollow nature of the projected world. The entire sequence shows that Time, Space, movement and desolation can all be generated within a brief interval of mental absorption, reminding the reader that ordinary waking life may be no more substantial than this magical ride.

Chapter 3.105, Verses 21–28

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.

Chapter 3.105, Verses 10–20

Yoga Vashishtha 3.105.10–20

(Mind is easily pulled toward things that look pleasant only for a moment and later prove empty)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

आपातरमणीयेषु पर्यन्तविरसेषु च।

भोगेष्विव विकल्पेषु केषु ते लुलितं मनः ॥ १०॥

सततोदारवृत्तासु कथासु परिशीतलम्।

मनस्ते निर्मलं कस्मात्संभ्रमेषु निमज्जति ॥ ११॥

तुच्छालम्बनमालूनविशीर्णं लोकवृत्तिषु।

मनो मोहमुपादत्ते न महत्त्वविजृम्भितम् ॥ १२॥

सातत्येन हि यैवास्य मनसो वृत्तिरुत्थिता।

शरीरमदमत्तासु तामेवैतद्विधावति ॥ १३॥

अतुच्छालम्बनं धीरं प्रबुद्धं गुणहारि च।

तवापि हि मनश्चित्रमालूनमिव लक्ष्यते ॥ १४॥

अनभ्यस्तविवेकं हि देशकालवशानुगम्।

मन्त्रौषधिवशं याति मनो नोदारवृत्तिमत् ॥ १५॥

नित्यमात्तविवेकस्य कथमालूनशीर्णता।

धुनोति विततं चेतो वात्येव विबुधाचलम् ॥ १६॥

इति जातानुगीर्णस्य भूपतेः कान्तिराननम्।

भूषयामास शीतांशुं मासान्त इव पूर्णता ॥ १७॥

रराज राजा सौम्यास्यमुन्मीलितविलोचनः।

गते हिमर्तावुल्लासिपुष्पौघ इव माधवः ॥ १८॥

अथातिसंभ्रमाश्चर्यखिन्नास्मृतिमुखो बभौ।

आसन्नमृत्युरालोक्य राहुमिन्दुरिवाम्बरे ॥ १९॥

ऐन्द्रजालिकमालोक्य प्रोवाचाथ हसन्निव।

बभुं हिंसात्मकं दृष्ट्वा सर्परूपीव तक्षकः ॥ २०॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.105.10–14

> In which of those choices—like sense-pleasures that seem delightful at first but turn tasteless at the end—has your mind become confused and entangled?

> Your mind stays cool and pure when listening to stories of always-noble conduct. Why then does it sink into confusion and turmoil?

> A mind that rests on worthless supports, withered and broken amid ordinary worldly ways, takes hold of delusion. It does not expand into greatness.

> Whatever tendency keeps arising again and again in a mind that is drunk with bodily pride—that is the very path this mind races after.

> Even your mind, which rests on solid ground, is steady, awake, and full of good qualities, still appears strangely withered and disturbed.

3.105.15–20

> A mind that has never practised discrimination, that simply follows place and time, falls under the power of spells and drugs. A mind of noble tendency does not.

> How can withering and decay shake the wide Consciousness of one who constantly holds discrimination? A storm cannot shake the mountain of the gods.

> After the King was spoken to in this way, radiance adorned his face, just as the full moon’s completeness adorns the cool-rayed orb at the month’s end.

> The King shone with a calm face and open eyes, like the spring season that bursts into a mass of blooming flowers once winter has gone.

> Then his face showed extreme agitation, wonder, distress and loss of memory, looking like the moon in the sky that sees approaching death in the form of Rahu.

> Seeing the magician, he then spoke as if smiling—like the serpent Takshaka in snake-form when he sees a violent ape.

Summary of the teachings: 

These verses teach that the mind is easily pulled toward things that look pleasant only for a moment and later prove empty. Sense-pleasures and restless choices have exactly this nature: they attract at the start and leave dryness at the end. A mind that has been trained by noble stories and clear thinking should remain cool and pure, yet even such a mind can temporarily sink into confusion when it loses its firm hold on discrimination.  

The root of the problem is the support the mind chooses. When it leans on trivial, worldly props and is swollen with bodily pride, it races after the same restless tendencies again and again and falls into delusion. Greatness cannot grow from such weak supports. In contrast, a mind that rests on solid, non-trivial ground, stays steady, awake and full of good qualities is hard to shake—yet even that mind can appear momentarily withered if vigilance slips.  

Discrimination is the decisive protection. A mind that has never practised it simply drifts with place, time and circumstance and therefore becomes easy prey to outer spells, drugs or inner illusions. A mind of noble tendency, constantly practising discrimination, cannot be permanently unsettled. Storms of confusion may blow, but they cannot uproot a Consciousness that is wide and firmly established, any more than a gale can move the mountain of the gods.  

The outer story shows the recovery of the King. Kind and wise words restore the natural radiance to his face, like the full moon recovering its light or spring returning after winter. Yet the memory of the recent illusion still leaves a trace of agitation, wonder and fear—exactly as the moon looks pale when it remembers Rahu. This mixture of restored calm and residual disturbance is natural when a strong mind has just emerged from a powerful temporary delusion.  

Finally the verses point to the larger truth: even a powerful, knowledgeable mind dwelling in a body can, for a moment, fall under illusion. The episode with the magician is therefore not merely an external trick; it is a living demonstration of how the mind itself creates and dissolves entire worlds of experience in a short span of time. Recognition of this power, followed by steady discrimination, is the way to keep the mind from being repeatedly entangled.

Chapter 3.105, Verses 1–9

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.  

Chapter 3.104, Verses 32~49

Yoga Vashishtha 3.104.32~49

(The King and the magician)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

तां ददर्श महीपालस्तेजोरेणुविराजिताम्।

शक्रः सुरविमानस्थः स्वकार्मुकलतामिव ॥ ३२॥

सभां सैन्धवसामन्तो विवेशास्मिन्क्षणे तदा।

तारापरिकरापूर्णां व्योमवीथीमिवाम्बुदः ॥ ३३॥

तं चैवानुजगामाश्वः सौम्यः परमवेगवान्।

देवलोकोन्मुखं तुष्टं शक्रमुच्चैःश्रवा इव ॥ ३४॥

स तमश्वमुपादाय पार्थिवं समुवाच ह।

सोच्चैःश्रवा इव क्षीरसागरो मरुतां पतिम् ॥ ३५॥

इदमुच्चैःश्रवःप्रख्यं हयरत्नं महीपते।

जवोडुयनशीलेन मूर्तिमानिव मारुतः ॥ ३६॥

अश्वोऽयमस्मत्प्रभुणा प्रभो संप्रहितस्त्वयि।

राजते हि पदार्थश्रीर्महतामर्पणाच्छुभा ॥ ३७॥

(३.१०४.३८–४३)

बोधितः केनचिन्नासौ स्वप्रतापजितोर्जितः।

धिया कामप्ययं भूयश्चिन्तां चिन्तयतीति च ॥ ४४॥

बभूवुः केवलं तत्र निःस्पन्दसितचामराः।

चामरिण्यो हि शर्वर्यः स्तम्भितेन्दुकरा इव ॥ ४५॥

विरेजुर्विस्मयापूर्णा निःस्पन्दास्ते सभासदः।

निःस्पन्दकिञ्जल्कदलाः पद्माः पङ्ककृता इव ॥ ४६॥

प्रशशाम सभास्थाने जनकोलाहलः शनैः।

प्रशान्तप्रावृषि व्योमन्याम्भोदमिव गर्जितम् ॥ ४७॥

संदेहसागरे मग्ना जग्मुश्चिन्तां सुमन्त्रिणः।

विषीदति गदापाणावसुराजाविवामराः ॥ ४८॥

विततविस्मितजिह्नितया तया जनतया भयमोहविषण्णया।

स्तिमितचक्षुषि भूमिपतौ स्थिते मुकुलिताज्जवनस्य धृता द्युतिः ॥ ४९॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.104.32–37

> The King saw that bright staff circling and shining with sparkling particles of light, just as Indra sees his glowing rainbow in the sky.

> At that moment a chieftain from the Sindhu region entered the assembly, like a cloud appearing in the starry sky.

> A gentle yet extremely swift horse followed him at once, just as the celestial horse Uchchaihsravas follows Indra when he sets out toward the World of the gods.

> Taking hold of that horse, the chieftain spoke to the King, just as the milky ocean once presented Uchchaihsravas to the Lord of the winds.

> “O King of the Earth, this jewel among horses is equal to Uchchaihsravas. In its power to race and leap it is like the wind given bodily form.”

> “Our master has sent this horse to you, O Lord. The beauty of a fine object shines even more when it is offered by the great.”

3.104.38–43. 

> After the chieftain finished speaking, the magician said in a sweet voice that the King should mount the horse and roam freely over the Earth, shining like the Sun as it circles the sky. Hearing this, the King looked at the horse and ordered it brought forward. He gazed at it steadily with unblinking eyes, as if he himself had become a painted picture. After looking for a long time he mounted and sat motionless with closed eyes, remaining for about two hours as if lost in deep meditation, completely unaware of the outer World.

3.104.44–49

> No one could awaken him. Overcome by the power of his own mind, he remained absorbed in some thought of his own.

> Only the motionless white fly-whisks remained there; the women holding them stood still like nights whose moonlight has been frozen.

> The assembled courtiers sat motionless and full of wonder, like lotuses whose filaments and petals have become fixed in mud.

> Little by little the noise of the crowd in the assembly hall died away, just as the thunder of rain-clouds fades when the rainy season ends.

> The wise ministers sank into doubt and anxiety, just as the gods grow distressed when Vishnu, mace in hand, battles the demon kings.

> While the King sat with closed eyes, the people—filled with wonder, fear, and confusion—lost their brightness, like lotuses whose petals have closed.

Detailed summary of the teachings:

These verses form part of the story of King Lavana and show how a single intense mental impression can seize the mind completely. The sudden appearance of the fine horse and the magician’s suggestion draw the king’s full attention; within moments he is no longer aware of the royal court around him. This illustrates that the outer world loses all force once the mind becomes absorbed in an inner scene of its own making.

The stillness that falls over the entire assembly—the motionless fly-whisks, the silent courtiers, the hushed noise—mirrors the king’s inner state. When the ruling Consciousness becomes fixed, every surrounding activity appears frozen. The text thereby teaches that outer events are secondary; they take their character from the condition of the mind that perceives them.

Verses 44–46 stress that the King is not overpowered by any external force but by the power of his own thought. Once a strong idea takes hold, even the strongest person remains as if bound. No outer call can interrupt the stream of imagination until the mind itself releases it. This points to the central teaching that the mind alone creates and sustains the experiences we call real.

The anxiety of the ministers and the fear of the people further reveal how quickly collective Consciousness is affected by the state of one dominant mind. When the king’s awareness withdraws, the whole court loses its usual vitality. The passage therefore shows the interdependence of individual and collective mental states and the ease with which confusion spreads when attention is misdirected.

Taken together, the verses prepare the larger lesson of the Lavana story: that the world we experience is a mental construction, as fleeting and changeable as a dream or a magician’s illusion. By watching the King pass in an instant from open-eyed alertness into complete absorption, the reader is invited to examine the power of his or her own mind and to recognize that liberation begins when that power is understood and mastered.

Chapter 3.104, Verses 1~31

Yoga Vashishtha 3.104.1~31

(The King and the magician)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

अत्र ते श्रृणु वक्ष्यामि वृत्तान्तमिममुत्तमम्।

जागतीहेन्द्रजालश्रीश्चित्तायत्ता यथा स्थिता ॥ १॥

अस्त्यस्मिन्वसुधापीठे नानावनसमाकुलः।

उत्तरापाण्डवो नाम स्फीतो जनपदो महान् ॥ २॥

नीरन्ध्रघनगम्भीरवन विश्रान्ततापसः।

विद्याधरीकृतलतादोलोपवनपत्तनः ॥ ३॥

वातोद्धूताञ्जकिञ्जल्कपुञ्जपिञ्जरपर्वतः।

लसत्कुसुमसंभारवनमालावतंसकः ॥ ४॥

(३.१०४.५–११)

तत्रास्ति लवणो नाम राजा परमधार्मिकः।

हरिश्चन्द्रकुलोद्भूतो भूमाविव दिवाकरः ॥ १२॥

यद्यशःकुसुमोत्तंसपाण्डुरस्कन्धमण्डलाः।

तत्र शैला विराजन्ते हाराः प्रोद्धूलिता इव ॥ १३॥

कृपाणशकलोत्कृत्तनिःशेषारातिमण्डलः।

अरातिलोकः प्राप्नोति यदनुस्मरणाज्ज्वरम् ॥ १४॥

यस्योदारसमारम्भमार्यलोकानुपालनम्।

चरितं संस्मरिष्यन्ति हरेरिव चिरं जनाः ॥ १५॥

यस्याप्सरोमिरद्रीन्द्रमूर्धस्वमरसद्मसु।

विकासिपुलकोल्लासं गीयन्ते गुणगीतयः ॥ १६॥

(३.१०४.१७–२५)

सभां विवेश साटोपः कश्चित्तामैन्द्रजालिकः।

वर्षेणाहितसंरम्भो वसुधामिव वारिदः ॥ २६॥

स ननाम महीपालं शिखरोदारकन्धरम्।

पादोपान्तगतः कान्तं शैलं फलतरुर्यथा ॥ २७॥

सच्छायस्योन्नतांसस्य फलिनः पुष्पभासिनः।

स विवेश पुरो राज्ञस्तरोरग्रे कपिर्यथा ॥ २८॥

चपलो लम्पटोऽर्थानामामोदसुखमारुतम्।

उवाचोत्कन्धरं भूपं सपद्ममिव षट्पदः ॥ २९॥

विलोकय विभो तावदेकामिह खरोलिकाम्।

पीठस्थ एव साश्चर्यां व्योम्नि चन्द्र इवावनिम् ॥ ३०॥

इत्युक्त्वा पिच्छिका तेन भ्रामिता भ्रमदायिनी।

नानाविरचनाबीजं मायेव परमात्मनः ॥ ३१॥

Sage Vashishta said:

3.104.1–4

> Listen, I shall now tell you this excellent story of how the wondrous magic of the world depends entirely on the mind.

> On this earth there is a large and prosperous country named Uttara-Pandava, full of many kinds of forests.

> In its dense, deep, and thick forests, holy ascetics find rest. Celestial maidens have turned the groves with creeper-swings into pleasant settlements.

> The mountains there are yellow with masses of flower stamens scattered by the wind, and the land is decorated with shining garlands of forest flowers.

3.104.5–11

> These verses continue the description of the beautiful country. They speak of wild thickets with flowering trees, villages among date palms, the air filled with buzzing sounds, golden-hued paddy fields and rocky rows, forests echoing with the calls of blue-throated birds, groves resounding with the cries of cranes, soft bird songs, riverbanks with red-flowering trees, singing girls in the fields, flower-laden clouds stirred by the breeze, and pavilions of banana groves where divine singers perform, all making the land look pale and lovely with its flower gardens.

3.104.12–16

> In that country lives a King named Lavana, who is extremely righteous. He was born in the family of Harishchandra and shines on Earth like the Sun.

> The mountains there, whitened by the flower-garlands of his fame on their broad peaks, shine brightly as if they were scattered pearl necklaces.

> He has completely destroyed all his enemies with the edge of his sword. Even the memory of him causes feverish fear among enemy peoples.

> People will long remember his noble works and his protection of good people, just as they remember the deeds of Lord Hari.

> On the peaks of the great mountains and in the homes of the gods, celestial nymphs sing songs of his virtues with great joy and thrill.

3.104.17–25

These verses further praise the King’s pure and lofty character. They say that even in dreams no base or faulty act of his has ever been seen or heard. He knows no crookedness and has never shown boldness in wrong ways; he holds generosity as firmly as Brahma holds his rosary. Then they describe a day when the King sits on his throne in the assembly hall after the Sun has risen high. Feudatory armies enter with respect, beautiful women sing, kings sit comfortably, the sound of lutes and flutes delights the mind, graceful women wave chowries, the King sits like a teacher of gods and demons, the ministers are at ease, royal business is discussed, country news is reported by skilled ministers, sacred histories are recited from books, and bards humbly chant holy praises.

3.104.26–31

> At that time a certain proud magician entered the assembly, like a rain-cloud that stirs the whole earth with its coming showers.

> He bowed to the King, who had a lofty and noble neck, going near his feet, just as a fruit-laden tree bows before a beautiful mountain.

> He stood before the King like a monkey climbing to the top of a shady, high-branched, fruit-bearing, and flower-bright tree.

> The restless man, greedy for gain, spoke to the attentive King (whose presence was like a fragrant pleasant breeze) just as a bee speaks to a lotus.

> “O Lord, while you remain seated on your throne, look at just one wonderful puppet-show of mine, as the Moon in the sky looks down upon the Earth.”

> Saying this, he whirled a magic whisk of peacock feathers that creates illusion, like the Supreme Self’s own maya which is the seed of all varied creations.

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

These verses introduce the famous story of King Lavana to show that the entire world-appearance is like a magic show created by the mind. Vasistha begins by stating that the splendour of worldly illusion depends wholly on the mind, preparing the listener to see that what seems solid and real is only a mental projection.

The detailed and beautiful description of the country Uttara-Pandava and its forests, mountains, birds, flowers, and settlements serves to create a vivid, dream-like picture. This richness of imagery itself illustrates how the mind can construct an entire world of sights, sounds, and feelings that appear completely real while they last.

King Lavana is presented as an ideal, righteous ruler whose fame, power, and virtue are celebrated even by gods and celestial beings. His exalted character makes the later events more striking: if such a great King can be completely overpowered by a momentary mental illusion, then ordinary people are even more subject to the mind’s magic.

The sudden entrance of the proud magician into the peaceful royal assembly and his whirling of the peacock-feather wand mark the beginning of the demonstration. The magician’s action is compared directly to the cosmic maya of the Supreme Self, showing that individual mental tricks and the grand illusion of creation are of the same nature.

Taken together, the passage teaches that all experiences—pleasant landscapes, royal glory, fear of enemies, and sudden magical transformations—are products of the mind. By watching how quickly and completely a solid-seeming reality can be replaced by another, the seeker is invited to question the solidity of the waking world and to turn attention inward to the Pure Consciousness that alone is Real.

Chapter 3.103, Verses 10–19

Yoga Vashishtha 3.103.10–19

(The mind is the sole creator and substance of the world we experience)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

चित्रां क्रीडनकश्रेणीं यथा पङ्काद्गृहे शिशुः।

करोत्येवं मनो राम विकल्पं कुरुते जगत् ॥ १०॥

मनःसर्वजनक्रीडा नृजम्बाललवेष्वतः।

किमेतद्धि पदार्थेषु रूढं जगति कल्प्यते ॥ ११॥

करोत्यृतुकरः कालो यथा रूपान्यथा तरोः।

चित्तमेवं पदार्थानामेषामेवान्यतामिव ॥ १२॥

मनोरथे तथा स्वप्ने संकल्पकलनासु च।

गोष्पदं योजनव्यूहः स्वासु लीलासु चेतसः ॥ १३॥

कल्पं क्षणीकरोत्यन्तः क्षणं नयति कल्पताम्।

मनस्तदायत्तमतो देशकालक्रमं विदुः ॥ १४॥

तीव्रमन्दत्वसंवेगाद्बहुत्वाल्पत्वभेदतः।

विलम्बनेन च चिरं नतु शक्तिमशक्तितः ॥ १५॥

व्यामोहसंभ्रमानर्थदेशकालगमागमाः।

चेतसः प्रभवन्त्येते पादपादिव पल्लवाः ॥ १६॥

जलमेव यथाम्भोधिरौष्ण्यमेव यथानलः।

तथा विविधसंरम्भः संसारश्चित्तमेव वा ॥ १७॥

सकर्तृकर्मकरणं यदिदं चेत्यमागतम्।

द्रष्टृदर्शनदृश्याढ्यं तत्सर्वं चित्तमेव च ॥ १८॥

चित्तं जगन्ति भुवनानि वनान्तराणि संलक्ष्यते स्वयमुपागतमात्मभेदैः।

केयूरमौलिकटकैश्च लसत्स्वरूपं त्यक्त्वैव काञ्चनधियेव जनेन हेम ॥ १९॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.103.10–19

> O Rama, just as a child at home makes a variety of toys from mud, so the mind creates the World as a mere conceptual fabrication.

> The mind, the creator of all, plays within these fragments of human existence (like mud for toys). Therefore, what among the objects of this World is truly fixed, and what is merely imagined?

> Just as Time, which brings the seasons, changes the forms of a tree, so the mind alters the nature of these objects, making them appear different.

> In mental fancies, in dreams, and in conceptual constructions, a cow’s hoof-print becomes an expanse of many miles in the mind’s own playful activities.

> The mind internally turns an age into a moment and stretches a moment into an age. Therefore, the order of Space and Time is known to depend on the mind.

> The sense of long duration comes from intensity or dullness of feeling, from differences of many or few, and from delay—not from any real power or lack of power.

> Delusion, confusion, misfortune, and the coming and going of Space and Time all arise from the mind, just as sprouts grow from a tree.

> Just as the Ocean is nothing but water, and fire is nothing but heat, so the various activities and the cycle of Worldly existence are nothing but the mind itself.

> Whatever appears as having agent, action, and instrument, and is full of the Seer, the seeing, and the seen—all of that is the mind alone.

> The mind itself appears as the Worlds, realms, and forests through its own distinctions. This is like people who, seeing gold only as armlets, crowns, and bracelets, overlook the pure shining nature of the gold itself.

Summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that the mind is the sole creator and substance of the world we experience. Just as a child freely shapes mud into many toys, the mind fabricates the entire Universe through its own conceptual activity. Nothing in the outer World has independent, fixed Reality; everything is a product of mental imagination and play.

The mind constantly changes the appearance of things, just as the seasons transform a tree. In dreams, daydreams, and mental constructions, distances and times lose all ordinary measure: a tiny space can seem vast, and long ages can shrink to moments. Space and Time themselves are therefore not absolute; they depend entirely on the mind’s activity.

Perceptions of duration, quantity, speed, and delay arise only from the mind’s varying intensity and focus, not from any external power. Delusion, confusion, suffering, and the movements of Space and Time all spring from the mind in the same natural way that leaves grow from a tree.

The whole cycle of worldly life, with all its varied activities, is nothing other than the mind, just as the ocean is only water and fire is only heat. Every element of experience—the doer, the deed, the means, the Seer, the seeing, and the seen—is simply the mind appearing in different forms.

Finally, the mind itself appears as the many Worlds and forests through its own self-divisions. People mistake these changing forms for independent realities, just as they overlook pure gold while focusing only on the shapes of ornaments. The teaching points toward recognizing the mind’s true nature and thereby seeing beyond the fabricated World.

Chapter 3.103, Verses 1–9

Yoga Vashishtha 3.103.1–9

(The mind alone is the source of the entire World we experience)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

परस्मादुत्थितं चेतस्तत्कल्लोल इवार्णवात्।

स्फारतामेत्य भुवनं तनोतीदमितस्ततः ॥ १॥

ह्रस्वं दीर्घं करोत्याशु दीर्घं नयति खर्वताम्।

स्वतां नयत्यन्यदलं स्वं तथैवान्यतामपि ॥ २॥

प्रादेशमात्रमपि यद्वस्तुभावनयैव तत्।

स्वयं संपन्नयेवाशु करोत्यद्रीन्द्रभासुरम् ॥ ३॥

लब्धप्रतिष्ठं परमात्पदादुल्लसितं मनः।

निमेषेणैव संसारान्करोति न करोति च ॥ ४॥

यदिदं दृश्यते किंचिज्जगत्स्थास्नु चरिष्णु च।

सर्वं सर्वप्रकाराढ्यं चित्तादेतदुपागतम् ॥ ५॥

देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यशक्तिपर्याकुलीकृतम्।

भावाद्भावान्तरं याति लोलत्वान्नटवन्मनः ॥ ६॥

सदसत्तां नयत्याशु सत्तां वा सन्नयत्यलम्।

तादृशान्येव चादत्ते सुखदुःखानि भावितम् ॥ ७॥

यदाप्तं स्वयमादत्ते यथैव चञ्चलं मनः।

हस्तपादादिसंघातस्तदा प्रयतते तथा ॥ ८॥

ततः सैव क्रिया चित्तसमाहितफलाफलम्।

क्षणात्प्रयच्छति लता कालसिक्तेव तादृशम् ॥ ९॥

Sage Vashishta said:

3.103.1–9

> The mind rises from the Supreme like a wave rising from the Ocean. Expanding, it spreads this whole World in all directions.

> It quickly turns what is short into long and what is long into short. It makes another thing its own and its own into another.

> Even a thing only a span long, by mere thought of its nature, it quickly makes as bright and great as a mighty mountain, as if completed by itself.

> The mind, firmly established and risen from the Supreme State, in a single moment both creates and does not create the cycles of Worldly life.

> Whatever is seen in this World—whether still or moving—all of it, full of every kind of variety, has come only from the mind.

> Agitated by place, time, action, substance and power, the restless mind moves from one State to another like an actor.

> It quickly turns the Real into the unreal or the unreal into the Real. And it experiences only those joys and sorrows that it itself has imagined.

> When the restless mind itself accepts something, then the group of hands, feet and other body parts also strives to act in the same way.

> Then that very action, according to the fruit or lack of fruit held in the mind, quickly gives the result, just as a creeper watered at the right time yields its fruit.

Summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that the mind alone is the source of the entire World we experience. Just as a wave rises from the ocean yet remains of the same nature, the mind arises from the Supreme Reality and then expands to create the appearance of the Universe with all its forms and movements. Nothing outside the mind has independent existence; the World is the mind’s own projection.

The mind possesses unlimited power to reshape reality according to its thoughts. It can make the small appear large, the distant near, the short long, and the Real unreal. By pure imagination it turns a tiny object into something majestic. In an instant it can create countless worlds of experience or dissolve them again.

All that we see—moving or unmoving, of every variety—originates solely from the mind. The mind is never still; disturbed by ideas of place, time, action and objects, it constantly shifts from one state to another like an actor changing roles. Because of this restlessness it fabricates every experience of joy and sorrow.

The body simply follows the mind. When the mind decides or accepts something, the limbs move accordingly. Actions themselves produce results only according to the ideas the mind holds about success or failure, just as a plant yields fruit when properly nourished.

Therefore the root of bondage and suffering is the restless, projecting mind. Understanding that the world is nothing but the mind’s creation, and learning to quiet and master the mind, is the way to freedom from the endless cycle of experience.

Chapter 3.102, Verses 32–41

Yoga Vashishtha 3.102.32–41

(The mind and the world-appearance it projects can be dissolved only through clear inquiry and discrimination)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

लयमस्याः स्वरूपं त्वं नय राम विचारणात्।

यथा हिमशिलायास्तु तपनाद्दिवसाधिपः ॥ ३२॥

हिमाभावार्थिनोऽर्कस्य स्वोदयेनेप्सितं यथा।

सिद्ध्यत्येवं विचारेण मनोनाशार्थिनोऽर्थितम् ॥ ३३॥

अविद्याऽसंप्रबुद्धा हि विततानर्थदुर्गमा।

नानेन्द्रजालकलनां शम्बरो हेम वर्षति ॥ ३४॥

स्वविनाशक्रियां चैतां मन एव करोत्यलम्।

मनो ह्यात्मवधं नाम नाटकं परिनृत्यति ॥ ३५॥

आत्मानमीक्षते चेतः स्वविनाशाय केवलम्।

नहि जानाति दुर्बुद्धिर्विनाशं प्रत्युपस्थितम् ॥ ३६॥

स्वयं संकल्पमात्रेण स्वविनाशदृशामिदम्।

मनः संसाधयत्याशु क्लेशो नात्रोपयुज्यते ॥ ३७॥

स्वसंकल्पविकल्पांशं विवेकोपहितं मनः।

संत्यज्य रूपमाभोगि करोत्यात्मावबोधनम् ॥ ३८॥

महोदयो मनोनाशो महोच्छेदस्य तूदयः।

मनोनाशे प्रयत्नं त्वं कुरु मा मनसो जवे ॥ ३९॥

अविरलसुखदुःखवृक्षखण्डे विषमकृतान्तमहोरगे वनेऽस्मिन्।

प्रभुरिदमखिले विवेकहीनं सुभग मनो महदापदेकहेतुः ॥ ४०॥

इत्युक्तवत्यथ मुनौ दिवसो जगाम सायंतनाय विधयेऽस्तमिनो जगाम।

स्नातुं सभा कृतनमस्करणा जगाम श्यामाक्षये रविकरैश्च सहाजगाम ॥ ४१॥

Sage Vashishta concluded:

3.102.32–41

> O Rama, by means of inquiry bring this (mind or world-appearance) to dissolution in its own nature, just as the Lord of the day (the Sun) melts a block of ice by his heat.  

> Just as the Sun, desiring the absence of snow, achieves his wish simply by rising, so the one who desires the destruction of the mind achieves that wish through inquiry.  

> Unawakened ignorance spreads wide and is hard to cross because of the many evils it brings; it creates varied magical illusions, just as the sorcerer Shambara rains down gold.  

> The mind itself fully performs this act of its own destruction; the mind dances the drama called the killing of the Self.  

> The mind looks upon itself only for the sake of its own destruction; the foolish mind does not even know that destruction has already drawn near.  

> By its own mere resolve the mind quickly brings about this vision of its own destruction; no special effort or pain is needed for it.  

> The mind that is joined with discrimination abandons the expansive form made of resolve and doubt, and brings about the awakening to the Self.  

> The destruction of the mind is a great rising; the rising of the mind is the rise of great destruction. Therefore make effort for the destruction of the mind and do not follow the speed of the mind.  

> In this forest dense with the trees of unbroken pleasure and pain, and filled with the great uneven serpent of death, the master of all this, lacking discrimination, is the beautiful mind—the single cause of great calamity.  

> When the Sage had thus spoken, the day came to an end; the Sun set for the performance of the evening rites. The assembly, after offering salutations, went to bathe, and darkness arrived together with the rays of the Sun.  

Detailed summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that the mind and the world-appearance it projects can be dissolved only through clear inquiry and discrimination. Just as the sun’s natural heat melts ice without any extra struggle, the simple rising of right understanding melts the solid-seeming structures of thought and appearance. No external force is required; the light of reason itself is enough.  

Ignorance, while still unexamined, spreads endlessly and multiplies every kind of suffering and magical deception. It is compared to a sorcerer’s gold-showering illusion—dazzling yet empty. The mind, far from being a helpless victim, actively stages its own destruction; it dances the very drama of its own death while remaining unaware that the end has already approached.  

Remarkably, this destruction needs no painful struggle. A single firm resolve, supported by discrimination, is sufficient. When the mind is purified by viveka it simply drops its restless play of resolve and doubt and turns toward the recognition of the Self. The moment the mind is restrained, a great ascent occurs; when the mind is allowed to race unchecked, great downfall follows.  

Therefore the sole practical instruction is to strive for the quieting and ultimate dissolution of the mind rather than to follow its restless speed. The mind without discrimination is pictured as the lord of a dense forest of pleasure and pain, a forest haunted by the serpent of death; it alone is the root cause of every great calamity.  

The chapter ends with the natural close of the day’s teaching: the Sun sets, the assembly disperses for evening rites, and night falls. The quiet rhythm of nature itself mirrors the quieting that the teaching recommends—inquiry brings the restless mind to rest just as evening brings the day to rest.

Chapter 3.102, Verses 21–31

Yoga Vashishtha 3.102.21–31

(The body is perishable while the Self is Eternal and Unchanging)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

यः कुण्डवदरन्यायो यो घटाकाशयोः क्रमः।

स्थितिर्देहात्मनोः सैव सविनाशाविनाशयोः ॥ २१॥

बदरं हस्तमायाति यथा स्फुटति कुण्डके।

आत्मा गगनमायाति तथा चलति देहके ॥ २२॥

कुम्भे गच्छत्यकुम्भत्वं कुम्भाकाशो यथाम्बरे।

तिष्ठत्येवमयं क्षीणे देहे देही निरामयः ॥ २३॥

मनोदेहो हि जन्तूनां देशकालतिरोहितः।

मुहुर्मृतिपटाच्छन्नः शठे किं परिदेवना ॥ २४॥

देशकालतिरोधाने मूढोऽपि मरणे नरः।

किं बिभेति महाबाहो नेह पश्यति कश्चन ॥ २५॥

अतस्त्वं वासनां राम मिथ्यैवाहमिति स्थिताम्।

त्यज पक्षीश्वरो व्योमगमनोत्क इवाण्डकम् ॥ २६॥

एषा हि मानसी शक्तिरिष्टानिष्टनिबन्धनी।

अनयैव मुधा भ्रान्त्या स्वप्नवत्परिकल्पना ॥ २७॥

अविद्यैषा दुरन्तैषा दुःखायैषा विवर्धते।

 अपरिज्ञायमानैषा तनोतीदमसन्मयम् ॥ २८॥

एषा तुच्छवदाकाशं तुषारमलिनं यथा।

परिपश्यति विभ्रान्ता स्वरूपस्य स्वभावतः ॥ २९॥

असदेवेदमारम्भमन्थरं सदिवोत्थितम्।

 कल्पितं जगदाभोगि दीर्घस्वप्न इवैतया ॥ ३०॥

भावनामात्र एवास्याः स्वरूपं कर्तृतां गतम्।

जगन्नामाविलं चक्षुर्व्योम्नि बिम्बरुचामिव ॥ ३१॥

Sage Vashishta continued:

3.102.21–31

> The same rule that applies to a berry inside a pot, and to the space inside a pot, also applies to the body and the Self: one is perishable, the other is not.

> Just as a berry comes into the hand when the pot breaks, so the Self enters Pure Space when the body moves or falls.

> Just as the space inside a pot becomes one with the open sky when the pot is broken, so the Self remains free from all harm when the body wastes away.

> The mind and body of living Beings are hidden by place and time, and are repeatedly covered by the veil of death. Why then grieve for the foolish?

> Even a foolish person fears death when place and time hide the body. O mighty-armed one, no one truly sees anything here.

> Therefore, O Rama, give up the false idea “I am this body,” just as a great bird leaves its egg-shell in its eagerness to fly through the sky.

> This power of the mind binds us to what is liked and disliked. Through this empty delusion it creates the World like a dream.

> This ignorance is endless and grows only to cause sorrow. When it is not understood, it spreads this unreal world.

> This ignorance, restless by nature, sees empty space as if it were filled with mist, just as a confused mind sees its own nature wrongly.

> This unreal World rises slowly and appears real. The whole expanse of the World is imagined by it, like a long dream.

> Its very nature is only thought, yet it takes on the role of the doer. The entire World is like the many images of the Sun that appear in the sky when the eyes blink.

Summary of the teachings:

These verses teach that the body is perishable while the Self is Eternal and Unchanging. The body is compared to a pot or a vessel that holds something greater; when the pot breaks, the space or the fruit inside is not destroyed. In the same way, when the body dies, the Self simply becomes free and remains pure, without any harm or change.

Fear of death and grief over the body arise only from ignorance and false identification with the body. The mind and body appear and disappear according to place and time, covered again and again by death. A wise person does not waste energy mourning what is temporary and has no real substance.

The root of suffering is the false sense of “I am the body.” This idea must be completely abandoned, just as a bird ready to fly leaves behind the shell of its egg. Once this false notion is dropped, the Self is free to rest in its True Nature.

The mind itself creates the appearance of the world through its own power. It binds us to likes and dislikes and projects a dream-like reality that seems solid. This ignorance is endless and keeps growing as long as it is not clearly understood, spreading an unreal World full of sorrow.

In truth, the World is nothing but a mental construction, like a long dream or like many Suns appearing in the sky when the eyes blink. Its only substance is thought. When this is seen clearly, the false sense of doership and the entire World of suffering dissolve, leaving the pure, unharmed Self.

Chapter 3.102, Verses 11–20

Yoga Vashishtha 3.102.11–20

(The True Self is completely free from all suffering and change that affect the body)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

अनार्तोऽप्यार्तिमान्भाति च्छिन्नेऽङ्गे किंच ताम्यति।

भेदाभेदविकारार्तिः काचिन्नात्मनि विद्यते ॥ ११॥

देहे नष्टे क्षते क्षीणे कात्मनः क्षतिरागता।

भस्त्रायां परिदग्धायां भस्त्रापूरो न नश्यति ॥ १२॥

देहः पततु वोदेतु का नः क्षतिरुपस्थिता।

को नष्टः प्रक्षते पुष्पे आमोदो व्योमसंश्रयः ॥ १३॥

आपतन्तु वपुःपद्मे सुखदुःखहिमश्रियः।

आकाशोडुयनालीनां का नः क्षतिरुपस्थिता ॥ १४॥

देहः पततु वोदेतु यातु वा गगनान्तरम्।

तद्विलक्षणरूपस्य कासौ भवति मे क्षतिः ॥ १५॥

यथा पयोदमरुतोर्यथा षट्पदपद्मयोः।

तथा राघव संबन्धस्त्वच्छरीरत्वदात्मनोः ॥ १६॥

मनो राम शरीरं हि जगतः सकलस्य च।

आद्या शक्तिश्चिदध्यात्मा न नश्यति कदाचन ॥ १७॥

योऽसावात्मा महाप्राज्ञ न नश्यति न गच्छति।

न नश्यति कदाचिच्च किं मुधा परितप्यसे ॥ १८॥

विशीर्णेऽभ्रे यथा वातः शुष्केऽब्जे षट्पदो यथा।

यात्यनन्तपदं व्योम तथात्मा देहसंक्षये ॥ १९॥

संसारेऽस्मिन्विहरतो मनोऽपि हि न नश्यति।

ज्ञानाग्निना विना जन्तोरात्मनाशे तु का कथा ॥ २०॥

Sage Vashishta continued: 

3.102.11–20

> Even when a limb is cut off and seems distressed, the one who is not really suffering appears to be in pain. Yet no pain from difference, non-difference, or change exists in the Self at all.

> When the body is destroyed, wounded, or wasted, what harm comes to the Self? When a bellows is completely burned, the air inside it does not perish.

> Let the body fall or rise—what harm comes to us? When a flower is destroyed, who is lost? Not the fragrance that rests in the open space.

> Let the frost-like glories of pleasure and pain fall upon the lotus-like body. What harm reaches us who move freely in the sky like birds?

> Let the body fall, rise, or go into the open sky. What harm can that cause to me, whose true nature is completely different from it?

> O Rama, the connection between your body and your Self is like that between a cloud and the wind, or between a bee and a lotus.

> O Rama, the mind is the body of the whole world. The primal power of Consciousness, the Inner Self, never perishes at any time.

> O greatly wise one, that Self neither perishes nor goes away. It never is destroyed. Why then do you grieve in vain?

> Just as the wind goes free when the cloud disperses, or the bee flies to endless space when the lotus dries up, so the Self goes to its Infinite State when the body ends.

> Even the mind of one who wanders in this World does not perish. Without the fire of Knowledge, how can there be any talk of the destruction of the Self for a living Being?

Detailed Summary of the Teachings:

These verses teach that the True Self is completely free from all suffering and change that affect the body. Even when a body part is injured or the body itself is damaged, the Self remains untouched. Any appearance of pain is only an illusion; nothing of difference, sameness, or alteration can ever disturb the Pure Self.

The body may be destroyed, wounded, or weakened, yet this brings no real loss to the Self. Just as air inside a bellows stays safe even if the bellows is burned up, the Self continues unharmed. Whether the body rises, falls, or disappears makes no difference to our Real Nature.

Pleasure and pain may settle on the body like frost on a lotus, but they cannot touch those who identify with the free, sky-like Self. The Self’s Nature is entirely different from the body, so no bodily event can cause it any harm.

The link between body and Self is loose and temporary, like the link between wind and cloud or bee and flower. The mind serves as the form of the World, yet the original power of Pure Consciousness that is the Inner Self never dies.

The Self neither is destroyed nor goes anywhere. It is Eternal. Therefore needless grief is pointless. When the body ends, the Self simply returns to its Boundless State, just as wind merges with open air or a bee flies free. Even the mind does not truly perish through ordinary life; only the fire of True Knowledge can dissolve ignorance. Without that Knowledge there is no real question of the Self ever being destroyed.