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Yoga Vashishtha 3.53.1–14
(These verses teach the immense power of a firm resolve or sankalpa)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
अथ लब्धवरा देहेनानेनैव महीपतिम्।
पतिमाप्तुं प्रयात्येषा नभोमार्गेण विष्टपम् ॥ १॥
इति संचिन्त्य सानन्दमुद्दाममकरध्वजा।
पुप्लुवे पेलवाकारा पक्षिणीव नभस्तले ॥ २॥
कुमारीं तत्र सा प्राप ज्ञप्त्यैव प्रहितां हिताम्।
स्वसंकल्पमहादर्शात्पुरतो निर्गतामिव ॥ ३॥
कुमार्युवाच ।
दुहितास्मि सखि ज्ञप्तेः स्वागतं तेऽस्तु सुन्दरि।
प्रतीक्षमाणा त्वामेव स्थितास्मीह नभःपथि ॥ ४॥
लीलोवाच ।
देवि भर्तुः समीपं मां नय नीरजलोचने।
महतां दर्शनं यस्मान्न कदाचन निष्फलम् ॥ ५॥
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
एहि तत्रैव गच्छाव इत्युक्त्वा सा कुमारिका।
पुरस्तस्याः स्थिता व्योम्नि मार्गदर्शनतत्परा ॥ ६॥
ततस्तदनुयाता सा प्राप कोटरमम्बरम्।
निर्मलं करमालाग्रं यथा लक्षणलेखिका ॥ ७॥
मेघमार्गमथोल्लङ्घ्य वातस्कन्धान्तरे गता।
सूर्यमार्गादभिगता तारामार्गमतीत्य च ॥ ८॥
वाय्विन्द्रसुरसिद्धानां लोकानुल्लङ्घ्य लाघवात्।
ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेशानां प्राप ब्रह्माण्डखर्परम् ॥ ९॥
हिमशैत्यं यथान्तस्थं कुम्भेऽभिन्ने बहिर्भवेत्।
तथा संकल्पसिद्धा सा ब्रह्माण्डान्निर्गता बहिः ॥ १०॥
स्वचित्तमात्रदेहैषा स्वसंकल्पस्वभावजम्।
अन्तरेवानुभवति किलैवं नाम विभ्रमम् ॥ ११॥
ब्रह्मादिस्थानमाक्रम्य प्राप्य ब्रह्माण्डखर्परम्।
ततो ब्रह्माण्डपारस्था जलाद्यावरणानि च ॥ १२॥
समुल्लङ्घ्य पुरः प्राप महाचिद्गगनान्तरम् ।
अदृष्टपारपर्यन्तमतिवेगेन धावता।
सर्वतो गरुडेनापि कल्पकोटिशतैरपि ॥ १३॥
तत्र ब्रह्माण्डलक्षाणि सन्त्यसंख्यानि भूरिशः।
तान्यन्योन्यमदृष्टानि फलानीव महावने ॥ १४॥
Sage Vasistha said:
3.53.1–3
> Now, having received the boon, with this very body she sets out to reach the King as her husband, travelling through the sky path to the higher world.
> Thinking this with joy, the one with the lofty makara banner, delicate in form, flew like a bird in the sky.
> There she met a maiden sent helpfully by Jnapti herself, as if she had come forward from the great mirror of her own resolve.
The maiden said:
3.53.4
> Friend, I am the daughter of Jnapti. Welcome to you, beautiful one. I have been waiting here on the sky path only for you.
Lila said:
3.53.5
> O Goddess with lotus eyes, lead me near my husband. The sight of the great ones is never without fruit.
Sage Vasistha continued:
3.53.6–9
> Saying “Come, let us go there,” the maiden stood in front of her in the sky, fully focused on showing the path.
> Then, following her, she reached a hollow in the sky, pure and clear like the tip of the palm lines drawn by a fortune teller.
> Next, crossing the path of clouds, she entered the midst of the wind regions. She left the sun’s path and passed beyond the path of stars.
> With lightness she crossed the worlds of wind, Indra, gods and perfected beings, and reached the shell of the cosmic egg of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha.
3.53.10–14
> Just as the cold inside an unbroken pot of ice comes out, so by the power of her resolve she came out of the cosmic egg to the outside.
> This one, whose body is only her mind, experiences inside herself alone this delusion born of the nature of her own resolve.
> Having reached the abode of Brahma and others and the shell of the cosmic egg, she then crossed the outer coverings beyond the cosmic egg such as water and the rest.
> Having crossed them she reached ahead the great sky of Pure Consciousness. Even Garuda flying at top speed could not reach its unseen end in hundreds of millions of kalpas.
> There exist countless Universes (Brahmandas) in huge numbers, unseen by one another like fruits in a great forest.
Summary of teachings:
Lila, strengthened by a Divine boon, decides to meet her husband and begins her journey in her physical body itself. This shows that a strong, pure intention can make the impossible happen and allows a person to move beyond ordinary limits without needing to change the body. The story highlights how determination turns into action and opens doors that normal thinking cannot even imagine.
The meeting with the Divine maiden, daughter of Goddess Jnapti, brings out the role of Higher guidance. The maiden appears exactly when needed, welcomes Lila warmly and offers to lead her. This teaches that when one moves with sincere purpose, help from knowledge and grace arrives naturally. It also reminds us that the vision or company of Great Beings is always fruitful and never wasted, encouraging seekers to value divine support on their path.
The long journey through clouds, winds, sun, stars, gods’ worlds and finally the cosmic egg shell describes the many layers of Existence. Lila crosses each level with ease, showing that the mind can travel through subtle and higher realms. The verses explain that these paths are not just physical but represent different States of Being. By passing them lightly, Lila demonstrates that spiritual progress involves rising above gross matter and entering finer levels of Reality.
A key teaching is that everything happens within the mind. Lila’s body is described as mind-only, and her entire travel is an experience created by her own resolve. Even exiting the cosmic egg like cold escaping a pot shows that the outer Universe is not solid but a projection of thought. This points to the non-dual truth: the world we see is a delusion or vision inside Consciousness, and all journeys are internal, not separate from the Self.
Finally, the vast Space of Pure Consciousness reveals countless Universes, each invisible to the others like fruits scattered in a huge forest. This teaches the Infinite Nature of Creation and the smallness of any single world. It brings humility, showing that our Reality is only one tiny part among endless others, all resting in One Great Consciousness. The verses urge us to see beyond limited views and recognise the boundless, dream-like play of the mind in the Universe.
