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Yoga Vashishtha 1.14.1–12
(Shriram on Human Life)
श्रीराम उवाच ।
आयुः पल्लवकोणाग्रलम्बाम्बुकणभङ्गुरम् ।
उन्मत्तमिव संत्यज्य यात्यकाण्डे शरीरकम् ॥ १ ॥
विषयाशीविषासङ्गपरिजर्जरचेतसाम् ।
अप्रौढात्मविवेकानामायुरायासकारणम् ॥ २ ॥
ये तु विज्ञातविज्ञेया विश्रान्ता वितते पदे।
भावाभावसमाश्वासमायुस्तेषां सुखायते ॥ ३ ॥
वयं परिमिताकारपरिनिष्ठितनिश्चयाः ।
संसाराभ्रतडित्पुञ्जे मुने नायुषि निर्वृताः ॥ ४ ॥
युज्यते वेष्टनं वायोराकाशस्य च खण्डनम् ।
ग्रथनं च तरङ्गाणामास्था नायुषि युज्यते ॥ ५ ॥
पेलवं शरदीवाभ्रमस्नेह इव दीपकः ।
तरङ्गक इवालोलं गतमेवोपलक्ष्यते ॥ ६ ॥
तरङ्गं प्रतिबिम्बेन्दुं तडित्पुञ्जं नभोम्बुजम् ।
ग्रहीतुमास्थां बध्नामि न त्वायुषि हतस्थितौ ॥ ७ ॥
अविश्रान्तमनाः शून्यमायुराततमीहते।
दुःखायैव विमूढोऽन्तर्गर्भमश्वतरी यथा ॥ ८ ॥
संसारसंसृतावस्यां फेनोऽस्मिन्सर्गसागरे।
कायवल्लयाम्भसो ब्रह्मञ्जीवितं मे न रोचते ॥ ९ ॥
प्राप्यं संप्राप्यते येन भूयो येन न शोच्यते।
पराया निर्वृतेः स्थानं यत्तज्जीवितमुच्यते ॥ १० ॥
तरवोऽपि हि जीवन्ति जीवन्ति मृगपक्षिणः ।
स जीवति मनो यस्य मननेन न जीवति ॥ ११ ॥
जातास्त एव जगति जन्तवः साधुजीविताः ।
ये पुनर्नेह जायन्ते शेषा जरठगर्दभाः ॥ १२ ॥
1. Shriram said: "Life is fragile—like a drop of water dangling on the tip of a leaf, it is always on the verge of falling. It departs suddenly and without warning, like a madman discarding his clothing in a frenzy."
2. "For those whose minds are weakened by the venomous attachment to sense pleasures and who have not yet matured in Self-Inquiry, life is merely a source of toil and suffering."
3. "But for those who have known the knowable and found rest in the vastness of the Infinite, who are unmoved by the rise and fall of transient things, life becomes a means of Peace and Joy."
4. "We, who have determined the limitations of the self and gained clarity, do not find fulfillment in this transient life, which flickers like lightning among clouds in the storm of worldly existence."
5. "Just as one cannot bind the wind, divide space, or weave together the ripples of water, similarly, one cannot find any real foundation in life when it's clung to blindly."
6. "Like an autumn cloud, a flickering lamp fed by ghee, or a rolling wave—life is fleeting and vanishes the moment it is noticed."
7. "I may strive to grasp a wave, reflect the moon on water, capture a streak of lightning, or hold a cloud in my hand—but I refuse to place faith in the unstable thing called life."
8. "The restless mind, ignorant of Peace, pursues life like a foolish woman seeking satisfaction in a barren womb. Such pursuit only leads to sorrow."
9. "In this ocean of Cosmic manifestation, the ever-repeating flow of birth and death is like froth on the waves. O Brahman, I do not desire this life, which is like foam on the surface of water."
10. "That alone is worthy of being called “life” which leads to the Supreme State of Realization—after attaining which there is no grief, and nothing remains to be gained."
11. "Trees are alive, animals and birds too live—but that person truly lives whose mind is capable of reflection; without such Awareness, life is lifeless."
12. "Only those beings are well-born and have lived a good life who, having taken birth, do not return to it again. The rest are like aged donkeys—merely breathing without purpose."
Summary of Teachings:
These verses mark an early and powerful expression of Śrī Rāma’s dispassion (vairāgya). The theme revolves around the impermanence and futility of worldly life when pursued without wisdom. Key points of the teaching include:
Fragility of Life:
Life is transient, delicate, and unpredictable. Clinging to it without wisdom is like grasping at illusions.
The Pain of Attachment:
Those bound by desire and ignorance suffer. Without Self-Inquiry, life becomes a burden rather than a blessing.
The Wise Perspective:
For the one who has Realized the Truth of the Self and seen through the impermanence of appearances, life becomes a peaceful and fulfilling experience—not because of its pleasures, but due to Inner Stillness.
Rejection of Worldly Delusion:
Śrī Rāma rejects conventional notions of success and living. He compares the pursuit of life to chasing reflections and illusions, emphasizing that existence without Awareness is no different from that of animals or plants.
Real Life vs. Mere Existence:
True life is not just biological survival but the life of inner contemplation and Awareness that leads to liberation. Mere living without Self-Knowledge is likened to being an old donkey—alive but purposeless.
Ideal of Realization:
The Highest Goal of life is freedom (nirvāṇa), after which one does not fall back into the cycle of birth and death. Life is only worthy if it takes one toward this State.
Overall, these verses serve as a spiritual critique of material existence, establishing the core themes of the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha: impermanence, dispassion, inner inquiry, and the pursuit of Realization as the only meaningful Goal of life.
