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Yoga Vashishtha 3.15.18–31
(Even the most perfect worldly life is still within the realm of illusion)
श्रीराम उवाच ।
सद्बोधवृद्धये ब्रह्मन्समासेन वदाशु मे।
मण्डपाख्यानमखिलं येन बोधो विवर्धते ॥ १८ ॥
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
अभूदस्मिन्महीपीठे कुलपद्मो विकाशवान् ।
पद्मो नाम नृपः श्रीमान्बहुपुत्रो विवेकवान् ॥ १९ ॥
मर्यादापालनाम्भोधिर्द्विषत्तिमिरभास्करः ।
कान्ताकुमुदिनीचन्द्रो दोषतृणहुताशनः ॥ २० ॥
मेरुर्विबुधवृन्दानां यशश्चन्द्रो भवार्णवे।
सरः सद्गुणहंसानां कमलामलभास्करः ॥ २१ ॥
संग्रामवीरुत्पवनो मनोमातङ्गकेसरी।
समस्तविद्यादयितः सर्वाश्चर्यगुणाकरः ॥ २२ ॥
सुरारिसागरक्षोभविलसन्मन्दराचलः ।
विलासपुष्पौघमधुः सौभाग्यकुसुमायुधः ॥ २३ ॥
लीलालतालास्यमरुत्साहसोत्साहकेशवः ।
सौजन्यकैरवशशी दुर्लीलावल्लिकानलः ॥ २४ ॥
तस्यास्ति सुभगा भार्या लीला नाम विलासिनी ।
सर्वसौभाग्यवलिता कमलेवोदिताऽवनौ ॥ २५ ॥
सर्वानुवृत्तिललिता लीला मधुरभाषिणी ।
सानन्दमन्दचलिता द्वितीयेन्दूदयस्मिता ॥ २६ ॥
अलकालिमनोहारिवदनाम्भोजशालिनी ।
सिताङ्गी कर्णिकागौरी जङ्गमेव सरोजिनी ॥ २७ ॥
लताविलासकुन्दौघभासिनी रसशालिनी ।
प्रवालहस्ता पुष्पाभा मधुश्रीरिव देहिनी ॥ २८ ॥
अवदाततनुः पुण्या स्पर्शनाह्लादकारिणी गङ्गेव गां गता देहवती हंसविलासिनी ॥ २९ ॥
तस्य भूतलपुष्पेषोः सकलाह्लाददायिनः ।
परिचर्यां चिरं कर्तुमन्या रतिरिवोदिता ॥ ३० ॥
उद्विग्ने प्रोद्विग्ना मुदिते मुदिता समाकुलाकुलिते ।
प्रतिबिम्बसमा कान्ता संक्रुद्धे केवलं भीता ॥ ३१ ॥
3.15.18: Shri Ram said: O Brahman, for the growth of True Knowledge, quickly tell me in brief the entire story of the Pavilion (Mandapa), by which Wisdom increases.
3.15.19: Sage Vasishta said: In this world there once lived a king named Padma, beautiful as a blooming lotus, wise, with many sons and full of splendour.
3.15.20: He was an ocean that kept all boundaries, a Sun that removed the darkness of enemies, a moon for the lilies of his wives, fire that burnt the grass of flaws.
3.15.21: He was Meru mountain for the gods, moon for the ocean of worldly existence, a lake for the swans of good qualities, sun for the spotless lotuses.
3.15.22: A breeze in battles, a lion to the elephants of minds, beloved of all Knowledge, an ocean of all wonderful qualities.
3.15.23: He was the Mandara mountain that churned the ocean of demons, honey from heaps of playful flowers, armed with the flower-arrows of good fortune.
3.15.24: Lord Krishna full of playful dance and enthusiasm, moon for the night-lotuses of Noble Nature, fire to the creeping vines of bad play.
3.15.25: He had a very beautiful wife named Leela, full of charm, adorned with all auspicious qualities, like a lotus blooming on earth.
3.15.26: Leela was sweet-spoken, graceful in every movement, smiling like the rising of the second moon, moving slowly with joy.
3.15.27: Her lotus-like face was charming with dark beautiful hair, fair-bodied, golden like the pericarp, a moving lake of lotuses.
3.15.28: She shone like a creeper with clusters of jasmine flowers, full of rasa, hands soft as tender leaves, body glowing like flowers, embodiment of sweet beauty.
3.15.29: Pure and holy in body, touching her gave joy, like Ganga that came down to earth, embodied, playing with royal swans.
3.15.30: To this King Padma, the flower among men of the earth, who gave joy to all, she became attached forever in service like another Rati.
3.15.31: When he was anxious she became anxious, when he was happy she was happy, when he was disturbed she was disturbed; she was exactly like his reflection, but when he was angry she was only afraid.
Summary of the Teachings:
These verses begin the famous “Leela-Upakhyana” (Story of Leela) in Yoga Vasishta. Ram requests Vasishta to narrate a story that awakens True Knowledge, and Vasishta starts with the description of an ideal king Padma and his devoted queen Leela.
King Padma is painted with countless beautiful metaphors as the perfect ruler: wise, powerful, virtuous, and full of every noble quality. The sole purpose of such lavish praise is to show that even the most perfect worldly life is still remains within the realm of illusion.
Queen Leela is described with equal poetic beauty. She is portrayed as the ideal devoted wife who lives only as a reflection of her husband’s states of mind — happy when he is happy, anxious when he is anxious, afraid when he is angry.
This perfect harmony between husband and wife shows the highest ideal of worldly love and married life, yet the story that follows will reveal that even this perfect life is a dream and both Padma and Leela will eventually attain liberation by understanding the truth of the Self.
Thus the stage is set: if even such a flawless king and queen discover that their entire world is only a dream and renounce everything for Knowledge of Brahm, then ordinary people have even more reason to inquire into the Ultimate Truth.
