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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.
