Posts
Yoga Vashishtha 3.52.1–15
(These verses teach that the huge world we see is nothing but a dream-like illusion appearing inside a tiny space, such as the pavilion near a dying person’s body. Even though it looks real and full of action like battles and nations, nothing is truly happening or being achieved outside the mind)
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे राम लीलोवाच सरस्वतीम्।
श्वासावशेषमालोक्य मूढं भर्तारमग्रगम् ॥ १॥
प्रवृत्तो देहमुत्स्रष्टुं मद्भर्तायमिहाम्बिके ।
ज्ञप्तिरुवाच।
एवंरूपमहारम्भे संग्रामे राष्ट्रसंभ्रमे ॥ २॥
संपन्नेऽपि स्थितेऽप्युच्चैर्विचित्रारम्भमन्थरे।
न किंचिदपि संपन्नं राष्ट्रं न च महीतलम् ॥ ३॥
न स्थितं क्वचनाप्येव स्वप्नात्मकमिदं जगत्।
तस्य तन्मण्डपस्यान्तः शवस्य निकटाम्बरे ॥ ४॥
इदं भूराष्ट्रमाभाति भर्तृजीवस्य तेऽनघे।
अन्तःपुरगृहान्ते तदिदं राष्ट्रान्वितोदरम् ॥ ५॥
वसिष्ठविप्रगेहेऽन्तर्विन्ध्याद्रिग्रामके स्थितम्।
वसिष्ठविप्रगेहेन्तः शवगेहजगत्स्थितम् ॥ ६॥
शवगेहजगत्कुक्षाविदं गेहजगत्स्थितम्।
एवमेष महारम्भो जगत्त्रयमयो भ्रमः ॥ ७॥
त्वया मयाऽनयाऽनेन संयुक्तः सार्णवावनिः।
गिरिग्रामकदेहान्तर्मध्ये गगनकोशके ॥ ८॥
स्वात्मैव कचति व्यर्थो न कचत्येव वा क्वचित्।
तत्पदं परमं विद्धि नाशोत्पादविवर्जितम् ॥ ९॥
स्वयं कचितमाभातं शान्तं परमनामयम्।
किल मण्डपगेहेन्तः स्वस्वभावोदितात्मनि ॥ १०॥
एवमारम्भघनयोरपि मण्डपयोस्तयोः।
उदरे शून्यमाकाशमेवास्ति न जगद्भ्रमः ॥ ११॥
भ्रमद्रष्टुरभावे हि कीदृशी भ्रमता भ्रमे।
नास्त्येव भ्रमसत्तातो यदस्ति तदजं पदम् ॥ १२॥
भ्रमो दृश्यमसत्तस्य द्रष्टृदृश्यदशा कुतः।
द्रष्टृदृश्यक्रमाभावादद्वयं सहजं हि तत् ॥ १३॥
तत्पदं परमं विद्धि नाशोत्पादविवर्जितम्।
स्वयं कचितमाभातं शान्तमाद्यमनामयम् ॥ १४॥
किल मण्डपगेहान्तः स्वस्वभावोदितात्मनि।
विहरन्ति जनास्तत्र स्वगेहे स्वव्यवस्थया ॥ १५॥
Maharishi Vasistha said:
3.52.1–5
> In this interval, O Rama, Leela spoke to Saraswati: Seeing my foolish husband lying in front with only his breath remaining.
> He is about to leave his body, this husband of mine here, O Ambika. The Enlightened One said: Even in such a great effort of this form, in the battle and the confusion of the nation.
> Even though accomplished and standing high in the slow strange beginning, nothing at all is accomplished – neither the nation nor the earth.
> Nothing is situated anywhere at all. This world is dream-like. Inside that pavilion of his, near the corpse in the upper space.
> This earth and nation appears to the life of your husband, O Pure One. At the end of the inner palace house, that nation with its inner belly.
3.52.6–11
> Situated inside the Brahmin house of Vasistha in the Vindhya mountain village. Inside the Brahmin house of Vasistha, the world of the corpse’s house is situated.
> Inside the belly of the corpse-house world, this house-world is situated. Thus this great effort is the illusion consisting of the three worlds.
> Joined with you, me, her and this, the ocean and the earth. Inside the body of the mountain village, in the middle of the sky sheath.
> The Self alone shines in vain or does not shine anywhere at all. Know that Supreme State as free from destruction and production.
> It appears self-shining, peaceful, supreme, without any disease. Indeed, inside the pavilion house, in the Self arisen from its own nature.
> Thus, even for these two dense pavilions of beginning, in the belly there is only empty Space; there is no illusion of the world.
3.52.12–15
> In the absence of the Seer of the illusion, what kind of movement in the illusion? There is no existence of the illusion at all; that which exists is the unborn state.
> The illusion is the seen, which is non-existent for it. Where is the state of Seer and seen? Due to the absence of the order of Seer and seen, it is indeed non-dual and natural.
> Know that Supreme State as free from destruction and Creation. It appears self-shining, peaceful, primordial, without disease.
> Indeed, inside the pavilion house, in the Self arisen from its own nature. People wander there in their own homes according to their own arrangements.
Summary of Teachings:
The verses show how big things are nested inside smaller ones – the earth inside the palace, the palace inside a village house, and the house inside the body – proving that everything is contained within the mind and has no independent Reality.
The teachings explain that this world has no real place or existence anywhere because it is all like a dream. There is only empty Space inside the apparent structures, and the so-called great efforts and confusions are empty. The Self is the only thing that shines by itself, peaceful and free from any trouble, birth or death. People think they live in their own homes and follow their own plans, but all of it is happening inside the Self that arises from its own nature.
In the absence of a true Seer, there cannot be any real illusion or movement within it.
The illusion is only the seen object, which does not truly exist, so there is no separate seer and seen. This leads to the understanding of non-duality – everything is one natural, unborn reality without any sequence of perception or change.
The Supreme State is beyond Creation and destruction, self-shining and completely Peaceful from the beginning.
Even the dense beginnings of worlds and pavilions contain only empty space with no world-illusion at all. Recognizing this removes all confusion and shows that the vast three-world illusion is just a mental play.
Finally, the verses remind us that Beings move about in what they believe are their own worlds and arrangements, yet all of it unfolds within the self-arisen soul. True Wisdom comes from knowing this Unchanging Supreme Reality, free from disease or harm, where the Self alone exists without any need for external support.
