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Yoga Vashishtha 3.55.31–43
(These verses explain how the individual soul - jiva - perceives its journey in the world of illusion - samsara)
श्रीदेव्युवाच ।
इयं मे सौम्यसंपाता सरणिः शीतशाद्वला।
स्निग्धच्छाया सवापीका पुरःसंस्थेति मध्यमः ॥ ३१॥
अयं प्राप्तो यमपुरमहमेष स भूतपः।
अयं कर्मविचारोऽत्र कृत इत्यनुभूतिमान् ॥ ३२॥
इति प्रत्येकमभ्येति पृथुः संसारखण्डकः।
यथासंस्थितनिःशेषपदार्थाचारभासुरः ॥ ३३ ॥
आकाश इव निःशून्ये शून्यात्मैव विबोधवान्।
देशकालक्रियादैर्घ्यभासुरोऽपि न किंचन ॥ ३४॥
इतोऽयमहमादिष्टः स्वकर्मफलभोजने।
गच्छाम्याशु शुभं स्वर्गमितो नरकमेव च ॥ ३५॥
यः स्वर्गोऽयं मया भुक्तो भुक्तोऽयं नरकोऽथ वा।
इमास्ता योनयो भुक्ता जायेऽहं संसृतौ पुनः ॥ ३६॥
अयं शालिरहं जातः क्रमात्फलमहं स्थितः।
इत्युदर्कप्रबोधेन बुध्यमानो भविष्यति ॥ ३७॥
संसुप्तकरणस्त्वेवं बीजतां यात्यसौ नरे तद्बीजं योनिगलितं गर्भो भवति मातरि ॥ ३८॥
स गर्भो जायते लोके पूर्वकर्मानुसारतः।
भव्यो भवत्यभव्यो वा बालको ललिताकृतिः ॥ ३९॥
ततोऽनुभवतीन्द्वाभं यौवनं मदनोन्मुखम्।
ततो जरां पद्ममुखे हिमाशनिमिव च्युतम् ॥ ४०॥
ततोऽपि व्याधिमरणं पुनर्मरणमूर्च्छनाम्।
पुनः स्वप्नवदायातं पिण्डैर्देहपरिग्रहम् ॥ ४१॥
याम्यं याति पुनर्लोकं पुनरेव भ्रमक्रमम्।
भूयो भूयोऽनुभवति नानायोन्यन्तरोदये ॥ ४२॥
इत्याजवं जवीभावमामोक्षमतिभासुरम्।
भूयो भूयोऽनुभवति व्योम्न्येव व्योमरूपवान् ॥ ४३॥
The Goddess continued:
3.55.31–37
> This is my gentle and pleasant path, cool and covered with soft green grass. It has smooth shade and ponds in front. This is the moderate one.
> I have reached the city of Yama. He is the Lord of Beings. There is the inquiry into karma done here, thus experiencing it as Real.
> In this way, each one separately approaches this vast section of the world. It shines with all objects and actions exactly as they are placed.
> Like the sky which is completely empty, the Self is void yet aware. Even though it appears bright with Space, time, actions and distances, it is nothing at all.
> From here this I has been ordered to enjoy the fruits of my own karma. I will quickly go to the good heaven or to hell from here.
> The heaven which I enjoyed, or this hell which I enjoyed. These births have been experienced by me. I will be born again in the cycle of Existence.
> This rice I was born as, gradually I became the fruit, I stayed like that. With this future Realization, it will become aware.
3.55.38–43
> With its senses in deep sleep like this, that one attains the State of a seed in a man. That seed, entering the womb, becomes the fetus in the mother.
> That fetus is born in the world according to previous karma. It becomes fortunate or unfortunate, a child with a charming form.
> Then it experiences youth that is moon-like, eager for love. Then old age descends on its lotus-like face like a hail of snow.
> Then also disease and death, again the unconsciousness of death. Again, like a dream, it acquires a body formed from food particles.
> It goes again to the world of Yama, again the cycle of wandering. Again and again it experiences the arising of various births in different wombs.
> Thus this swift back and forth movement, extremely bright until liberation. Again and again it experiences it, being Space-form in Space itself.
Summary of the teachings:
The Goddess describes a gentle path for souls of moderate nature, which is cool, green, shaded, and has ponds, making the soul feel it is in a real and pleasant place. This shows how the mind creates the experience of the world as solid and attractive.
The soul then feels it has arrived at the city of death - Yama's realm - the Lord of Beings. It reflects on its karma and believes all actions and objects around it are truly happening. This teaches that the entire world appears real to the soul because of its own thoughts and past actions, even though it is like a fragment of a dream.
In Reality, the Self is empty like the sky, full of Awareness but without any substance. It may seem to exist in Space, Time, and actions, but it is nothing at all. The soul is directed to reap the results of its karma, moving quickly to heaven or hell, showing that all movements and experiences are just appearances in the Void Consciousness.
The soul remembers enjoying heavens and hells and various births, only to be reborn again. It goes through the stages of life: starting as a seed, becoming an embryo, being born as a child according to past karma, experiencing beautiful youth full of desires, then old age like snow falling on a flower, followed by disease and death. This cycle repeats like a dream.
The soul keeps going back to the realm of death and wandering through different births again and again. This fast-moving cycle of birth and death continues brightly until the soul achieves liberation (moksha). The main teaching is that all this is an illusion happening in empty Space-like Consciousness, and Realizing this Truth frees one from the endless cycle of suffering in samsara.
