Chapter 3.14, Verses 1–10

Yoga Vashishtha 3.14.1–10

(From this one Source, all souls appear in a shining line, lighting up one by one)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

इत्थं जगदहंतादिदृश्यजातं न किंचन ।

अजातत्वाच्च नास्त्वेव यच्चास्ति परमेव तत् ॥ १ ॥

परमाकाशमेवादौ जीवतां चेतति स्वयम् ।

निःस्पन्दाम्भोधिकुहरे सलिलं स्पन्दतामिव ॥ २ ॥

आकाशरूपमजहदेवं वेत्तीव हृद्यताम् ।

स्वप्नसंकल्पशैलादाविव चिद्वृत्तिरान्तरी ॥ ३ ॥

पृथ्व्यादिरहितो देहो यो विंराडात्मको महान् ।

आतिवाहिक एवासौ चिन्मात्राच्छनभोमयः ॥ ४ ॥

अक्षयः स्वप्नशैलाभः स्थिरस्वप्नपुरोपमः ।

चित्रकृत्स्थिरचित्तस्थचित्रसैन्यसमाकृतिः ॥ ५ ॥

अनिखातमहास्तम्भपुत्रिकौघसमोपमः ।

ब्रह्माकाशेऽनिखातात्मा सुस्तम्भे शालभञ्जिका ॥ ६ ॥

आद्यः प्रजापतिः एवं स्वयंभूरिति विश्रुतः ।

प्राक्तनानां स्वकार्याणामभावादप्यकारणः ॥ ७॥

महाप्रलयपर्यन्तेष्वाद्यकालपितामहाः ।

मुच्यन्ते सर्व एवातः प्राक्तनं कर्म तेषु किम् ॥ ८ ॥

सोऽकुड्य एव कुड्यात्मा दृश्यादृश्यः स्वयंस्थितः ।

न च दृश्यं न च द्रष्टा न स्रष्टा सर्वमेव च ॥ ९ ॥

प्रतिशब्दपदार्थानां सर्वेषामेष एव सः ।

तस्मादुदेति जीवाली दीपाली दीपकादिव ॥ १० ॥

Maharishi Vashishta said:

3.14.1: In this way, the world with its "I" and all seen things is nothing at all. Because it is never born, it does not exist even a little. What truly exists is only the Supreme Reality.

3.14.2: At the very beginning, the Supreme Space itself thinks and becomes the living souls, like still ocean water that seems to move and form waves in a quiet cave.

3.14.3: It takes the form of Space but never leaves its True Nature. It seems to Know things in the Heart, like the inner working of the mind in dreams, wishes, or tall mountains made in the imagination.

3.14.4: The body of the great king-like soul has no earth or other elements. It is only the subtle body that carries over after death. It is made purely of Consciousness, like soft snow.

3.14.5: It never ends, like a dream mountain. It is steady like a dream city. It looks like painted armies standing still in the mind of a calm painter.

3.14.6: It is like a crowd of doll children around big pillars that have no base. In the Space of the Absolute, the soul has no fixed place. It is like a carved wooden girl figure leaning on a strong pillar.

3.14.7: The first Creator of people, known as the Self-born One, is like this. He has no cause, even though past actions are missing for him.

3.14.8: The first grandfathers of time, who last until the great final end of the world, are all freed. So, what past actions can there be for them?

3.14.9: He stays by himself as the wall-like soul. He can be seen and not seen. There is no seen thing, no Seer, no Creator—everything is Him alone.

3.14.10: He is the true meaning behind every word and every thing. From Him, the line of living souls rises, like a row of lamps lighting up one after another from a single lamp.

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses explain that the world we see, including our sense of "I" and all objects, is not Real in any true way. It has no birth, so it does not exist at all. The only thing that really exists is the Supreme Reality, which is Pure and Unchanging. 

This teaching helps us understand that what seems solid and lasting is just an appearance, like a mirage in the desert. By seeing this, we stop holding on to false ideas and find Peace in the Truth that never changes.

The Supreme Reality, compared to endless Space, wakes up on its own and becomes all living souls. It is calm and still at first, like quiet ocean water, but then seems to move and create waves of life. This shows that souls are not separate from the One Reality—they come from it without any outside help. The mind inside works like thoughts in a dream or ideas in the imagination, making us feel we know things in our heart, but it never leaves its Space-like Nature.

The soul has a great king-like body that is not made of earth, water, fire, or other elements. It is a subtle body that continues after death, built only from Pure Consciousness, soft and white like fresh snow. This body never ends, strong like a mountain seen in a dream or a city built in sleep. It looks like bright painted soldiers frozen in place by a steady artist. Or it is like many toy children gathered around tall pillars with no roots in the ground. In the vast Space of the Absolute, the soul has no fixed spot, like a beautiful carved figure resting against a solid post.

The First Creator, called the Self-born Lord of all people, has this same Nature. He needs no Cause because no past actions exist for him at the start. The early grandfathers of Creation, who live through many great endings of the world, are completely free. They have no old karma to bind them. This means at the Pure beginning, everything is fresh and without chains from before.

In the end, the Supreme stays alone as the wall of the soul—both seen and unseen. There is no object to see, no one to see it, and no one to make it. All is just that One Reality. It is the Real meaning hidden in every sound, word, and thing we know. From this one Source, all souls appear in a shining line, lighting up one by one, just as lamps in a row get their flame from the first light. This teaches full Oneness and ends all ideas of separation.

Chapter 3.13, Verses 26–35

Yoga Vashishtha 3.13.26–35

(Inner Space of the jiva holds the Mind, Heart, Knowledge, and True Existence in a tiny shell)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

स्वप्नसंकल्पयोः संविद्वेत्त्येतज्जीवकोऽणुके ।

स्वरूपतारकान्तस्थो जीवोऽयं चेतति स्वयम् ॥ २६ ॥

तदेतद्बुद्धिचित्तादिज्ञानसत्तादिरूपकम् ।

जीवाकाशः स्वतस्तत्र तारकाकाशकोशगम् ॥ २७ ॥

प्रेक्षेऽहमिति भावेन द्रष्टुं प्रसरतीव खे ।

ततो रन्ध्रद्वयेनैव भाविबाह्याभिधं पुनः ॥ २८ ॥

येन पश्यति तन्नेत्रयुगं नाम्ना भविष्यति ।

येन स्पृशति सा वै त्वग्यच्छृणोति श्रुतिस्तु सा ॥ २९ ॥

येन जिघ्रति तद्घ्राणं स स्वमात्मनि पश्यति ।

तत्तस्य स्वदनं पश्चाद्रसना चोल्लसिष्यति ॥ ३० ॥

स्पन्दते यत्स तद्वायुश्चेष्टा कर्मेन्द्रियव्रजम् ।

रूपालोकमनस्कारजातमित्यपि भावयत् ॥ ३१ ॥

आतिवाहिकदेहात्मा तिष्ठत्यम्बरमम्बरे ।

एवमुच्छूनतां तस्मिन्भावयंस्तेजसः कणे ॥ ३२ ॥

असत्यां सत्यसंकाशां ब्रह्मास्ते जीवशब्दवत् ।

इत्थं स जीवशब्दार्थः कलनाकुलतां गतः ॥ ३३ ॥

आतिवाहिकदेहात्मा चित्तदेहाम्बराकृतिः ।

स्वकल्पनान्त आकारमण्डं संस्थं प्रपश्यति ॥ ३४ ॥

कश्चिज्जलगतं वेत्ति कश्चित्सम्राट्स्वरूपिणम् ।

भाविब्रह्माण्डकलनां पश्यत्यनुभवत्यपि ॥ ३५ ॥

Maharishi Vashishta further says:

3.13.26: In dreams and in thoughts that we make up ourselves, a tiny spark of Awareness knows all these things inside a very small living being. This living being stays in its own true form, right up to the shining stars at the end of everything, and it thinks and feels by itself.

3.13.27: All of this – the mind, the heart, knowledge, what really exists, and other such things – takes shape like that. The space of the living being is naturally inside there, hidden like the sky full of stars inside a small shell.

3.13.28: With the feeling “I am looking,” it seems to spread out into the open sky to see. Then, through two small openings (eyes), it again plans the outside world that will come later.

3.13.29: The pair of eyes that it uses to see will be called the two eyes. The skin that it uses to touch is the skin. What it uses to hear is the hearing.

3.13.30: The nose that it uses to smell is the nose. It sees its own self inside itself. After that, its own mouth will appear, and the tongue will shine forth to taste.

3.13.31: What moves is the air inside, and the actions come from the group of organs that do work. Think also that shapes, light, and the mind’s attention all come together in this way.

3.13.32: The Self that carries the subtle body stays like water in the sky. In the same way, imagine a tiny spark of fire swelling up in that subtle body.

3.13.33: Even though it is not Real, it looks like something true, just like the word “Living Being” that stands for Brahm. In this manner, the meaning of the word “Living Being” becomes full of imagined ideas and gets mixed up.

3.13.34: The Self that has the subtle body looks like the sky made of mind. At the end of its own imagining, it sees a whole circle of shapes standing there.

3.13.35: One kind of Living Being knows only the water it is in. Another kind, like a great king in its true form, sees and even experiences the future plan of the whole universe egg.

Summary of the Teachings:

The verses explain how a tiny Living Being (jiva) creates its own world inside dreams and thoughts. The Awareness in the jiva knows everything by itself, even though it stays in a very small space. This Awareness is like a spark that shines from its True Nature all the way to the stars. The teaching shows that the jiva does not need anything outside to think or feel – it does everything on its own.

Next, the verses describe the Inner Space of the jiva. This Space holds the mind, heart, Knowledge, and True Existence. It is like a small shell that contains the whole starry sky. From this Space, the jiva starts to imagine an outside world. It feels “I want to see,” and its awareness spreads out through two openings (which later become eyes). In the same way, it plans all the other senses – skin for touch, ears for hearing, nose for smell, tongue for taste, and the moving air for actions.

The verses then show how the subtle body forms. This body is not solid; it is like water floating in the sky or a tiny fire that grows bigger. The jiva imagines senses, light, shapes, and the mind’s focus. All these things appear step by step from its own imagining. Even though the subtle body and its world are not real, they look real, just like the word “jiva” points to the unchanging Brahm but seems to be a separate person.

After that, the teaching says the jiva gets lost in its own made-up ideas. The subtle body is like a sky made of mind, and inside its imaginations, it sees a full circle of shapes – a whole Universe. Some jivas only know the small world they live in, like a fish that knows only water. But a jiva that acts like a great king sees its true form and even experiences the future plan of the entire Universe.

Overall, these verses teach that the jiva, the mind, and the world all come from the same Awareness. Nothing is truly separate or outside. Dreams, thoughts, senses, and the Universe are all imagined by the jiva inside itself. When the jiva understands this, it stops being confused by false ideas and rests in its Real Nature, which is the same as Brahm.