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Yoga Vashishtha 1.12.8–18
(Prince Ram addresses Maharishi Vashishtha)
राजकुमार श्रीराम उवाच।
अस्थिराः सर्व एवेमे सचराचरचेष्टिताः ।
आपदां पतयः पापा भावा विभवभूमयः ॥ ८ ॥
अयःशलाकासदृशाः परस्परमसङ्गिनः ।
श्लिष्यन्ते केवलं भावा मनःकल्पनया स्वया ॥ ९ ॥
मनःसमायत्तमिदं जगदाभोगि दृश्यते ।
मनश्चासदिवाभाति केन स्म परिमोहिताः ॥ १० ॥
असतैव वयं कष्टं विकृष्टा मूढबुद्धयः।
मृगतृष्णाम्भसा दूरे वने मुग्धमृगा इव ॥ ११ ॥
न केनचिच्च विक्रीता विक्रीता इव संस्थिताः ।
बत मूढा वयं सर्वे जानाना अपि शाम्बरम् ॥ १२ ॥
किमेतेषु प्रपञ्चेषु भोगा नाम सुदुर्भगाः ।
मुधैव हि वयं मोहात्संस्थिता बद्धभावनाः ॥ १३ ॥
आ ज्ञातं बहुकालेन व्यर्थमेव वयं वने।
मोहे निपतिता मुग्धाः श्वभ्रे मुग्धा मृगा इव ॥ १४ ॥
किं मे राज्येन किं भोगैः कोऽहं किमिदमागतम् ।
यन्मिथ्यैवास्तु तन्मिथ्या कस्य नाम किमागतम् ॥ १५ ॥
एवं विमृशतो ब्रह्मन्सर्वेष्वेव ततो मम।
भावेष्वरतिरायाता पथिकस्य मरुष्विव ॥ १६ ॥
तदेतद्भगवन्ब्रूहि किमिदं परिणश्यति ।
किमिदं जायते भूयः किमिदं परिवर्धते ॥ १७ ॥
जरामरणमापच्च जननं संपदस्तथा ।
आविर्भावतिरोभावैर्विवर्धन्ते पुनःपुनः ॥ १८ ॥
8. Prince Ram said: "All these movements of the animate and inanimate world are unstable and fleeting. Misfortunes, sin, and mental constructs are the lords of these changing states."
9. "Like iron rods that touch yet remain distinct, these mental formations only appear to unite due to the mind's own imagination; in truth, they are unconnected."
10. "This world appears delightful and enjoyable only because it is grasped by the mind. The mind itself, however, seems to be unreal—so by what illusion have we been deluded?"
11. "Alas, we are merely unreal shadows, pulled into suffering with deluded intellects—like bewildered deer chasing mirages in a distant forest."
12. "Though not actually bought or bound by anyone, we behave as though sold into slavery. How foolish we all are, even while knowing the truth of things like magical illusions!"
13. "What are these so-called pleasures of the world, which are so hard to attain? In truth, we are foolishly stuck in them out of delusion, trapped by our own imagination."
14. "After a long time, I realize it was all in vain—we have fallen into delusion like naïve animals, tumbling into a dark ravine, deceived by illusion."
15. "What do I care for kingdom or pleasure? Who am I, and what is this world that has appeared? If it is false, then let it be false—who indeed has experienced anything real?"
16. "Reflecting in this manner, O Sage, I find myself disinterested in all things, like a weary traveler in a desert who no longer seeks an oasis."
17. "So tell me, O revered one—what is it that perishes, what is it that is born again, and what is it that appears to grow or develop?"
18. "Old age, death, suffering, birth, prosperity—they all arise again and again through cycles of appearance and disappearance."
Summary of Teachings (Verses 1.12.8–18):
These verses reflect the inner inquiry of Sri Rama, as he begins to confront the existential suffering (duḥkha) rooted in the illusion (māyā) of worldly life. His words echo a deep disillusionment with worldly pleasures, identity, and the perceived reality of the external world.
Unreality of the world:
The verses stress that the world and its movements are transient and imagined constructs of the mind. Like illusions, they appear Real but have no substantiality.
Mind as the creator of illusion:
The mind is portrayed as both the projector and perceiver of this illusory world. Yet paradoxically, even the mind itself is questioned as unreal, showing a recursive doubt on the nature of existence.
Delusion and bondage:
Rama compares the self to a deluded creature, caught in the trap of desire and mental projection, even though there is no actual bondage. The sense of being "sold" or enslaved is purely self-imposed.
Disillusionment with pleasure and power:
Rama recognizes the futility of seeking pleasures, power, or even identity in this transient existence. He questions the meaning of joy, suffering, life, and death, expressing the futility of worldly pursuits.
Yearning for Truth:
This inner discontent leads to vairagya (detachment), a necessary foundation for Self-Inquiry. Like a traveler in a desert who loses interest in illusions of water, Rama finds no attraction in the phenomenal world.
Inquiry into the nature of Reality:
Finally, Rama turns toward the Sage (Vasiṣṭha) to ask deep metaphysical questions: What is born? What dies? What grows? These are not rhetorical, but genuine cries of a seeker yearning for liberation (mokṣa).
These verses set the philosophical tone for the rest of the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha, laying the groundwork for teachings on non-duality (advaita), Self-Inquiry (vichāra), and freedom from mental conditioning. They depict the transition from moha (delusion) to viveka (discriminative wisdom), marking the beginning of Rama's spiritual awakening.
