Chapter 3.70, Verses 21–30

Yoga Vashishtha 3.70.21–30

(The verses show the strange and powerful effect of extreme attachment to a single object)

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच।

एकवस्त्वतिरागाणामहो नु विषमा गतिः।

देहोऽपि तृणवत्त्यक्तो राक्षस्या निजयेच्छया ॥ २१॥

एकवस्त्वतिगन्धेन भ्रश्यन्त्यन्या हि संविदः।

राक्षस्या ग्रासगन्धेन देहनाशोऽपि नेक्षितः ॥ २२॥

नाशोऽपि सुखयत्यज्ञमेकवस्त्वतिरागिणम्।

सूचीभूता विदेहापि परितुष्टैव राक्षसी ॥ २३॥

अन्या वभूव लग्ना सा तथा जीवविषूचिका।

व्योमात्मिका निराकारा व्योमवृत्तिशरीरका ॥ २४॥

तेजस्तनुप्रवाहाभा प्राणतन्तुमयात्मिका।

मूलसंवेदनाकारा चन्द्रार्कांशुकसुन्दरी ॥ २५॥

पृथगेवासिधाराभा परमाण्ववलीय सा।

कौसुमी गन्धलेखेव कला कलनरूपिणी ॥ २६॥

पापात्मिका मनोवृत्तिः सो हि तस्यास्तथा स्थिता।

परप्राणवशादेव परमार्थपरायणा ॥ २७॥

एवमस्यास्तनुर्जाता सूचीद्वयमयी हि सा।

नीहारांशुकवत्तन्वी कार्पासांशुसुपेलवा ॥ २८॥

तनुद्वयेन तेनासौ प्रविश्य हृदयं नृणाम्।

वेधयन्ती ततः क्रूरा प्रबभ्राम दिशो दश ॥ २९॥

सर्वः स्वसंकल्पवशाल्लघुर्भवति वा गुरुः।

कर्कट्योग्रं वपुस्त्यक्त्वा सूचीत्वमुररीकृतम् ॥ ३०॥

Sage Vasishta said: 

3.70.21–25

> Oh, how strange is the path of those who are excessively attached to one single thing! The demoness gave up her own body like a blade of grass, by her own free will.

> Due to strong attachment to one object, other forms of awareness get destroyed. Because of her attachment to the smell of food, the demoness did not even notice the destruction of her body.

> Destruction also brings happiness to an ignorant person who is excessively attached to one thing. Even when reduced to the form of a needle, the demoness remained fully satisfied.

> She became attached in another form, like a cholera affecting the soul. She became space-like, formless, with a body made of space itself.

> Her form looked like a flowing stream of light, made of the thread of life force. She took the shape of basic sensation and appeared beautiful like the rays of the moon and sun.

3.70.26–30

> Separately, she shone like the sharp edge of a sword, reduced to the size of atoms. She was like a line of flower fragrance, existing as a tiny digit or part.

> She was a sinful mental tendency, staying in that state. Controlled by another's life force, she remained devoted to the Highest Truth.

> In this way, her body was born in the form of two needles. It was thin like rays of mist and very delicate like cotton threads.

> With these two thin bodies, she entered the hearts of human beings. Piercing them cruelly, she then wandered in all ten directions.

> Everyone becomes light or heavy according to their own will and imagination. She gave up her fierce crab-like body and accepted the form of a needle.

Summary of the Teachings:

When a person or Being becomes overly focused on one desire, they can ignore everything else, even the loss of their own body. This teaches that strong attachment can make someone blind to reality and lead to unexpected transformations in their existence.

The story explains how intense focus can change one's form completely. The demoness, driven by her craving, shrinks from a big body to a tiny needle-like form. This illustrates that our mind and desires shape our reality and physical appearance. Attachment does not always bring suffering; for an ignorant mind, even painful changes can feel satisfying if they serve the main desire.

These teachings highlight the subtle and invisible nature of the mind after transformation. The demoness becomes like a fine thread of light and life force that can enter other people's hearts. It shows how mental tendencies and sinful thoughts can quietly influence others from within, moving freely across directions due to their light and piercing quality.

The verses remind us that our own will and imagination control whether we feel heavy or light in life. By changing her form through determination, the demoness proves that strong resolve can help us leave behind old, heavy bodies or habits and take new, suitable forms. This power of sankalpa (will) is available to everyone.

Overall, the teachings encourage understanding the dangers of one-pointed attachment while also showing the flexible nature of Consciousness. They teach that the mind can take any shape according to its focus, and true wisdom lies in directing this power towards Higher Truth rather than lower desires.

Chapter 1.21, Verses 23–36

Yoga Vashishtha 1.21.23–36

(Futility of attachment)

श्रीराम उवाच।

सर्वेषां दोषरत्नानां सुसमुद्गिकयाऽनया ।

दुःखशृङ्खलया नित्यमलमस्तु मम स्त्रिया ॥ २३ ॥

किं स्तनेन किमक्ष्णा वा किं नितम्बेन किं भुवा ।

मांसमात्रैकसारेण करोम्यहमवस्तुना ॥ २४ ॥

इतो मांसमितो रक्तमितोऽस्थीनीति वासरैः ।

ब्रह्मन्कतिपयैरेव याति स्त्री विशरारुताम् ॥ २५ ॥

यास्तात पुरुषैः स्थूलैर्ललिता मनुजैः प्रियाः ।

ता मुने प्रविभक्ताङ्ग्यः स्वपन्ति पितृभूमिषु ॥ २६ ॥

यस्मिन्घनतरस्नेहं मुखे पत्राङ्कुराः स्त्रियः ।

कान्तेन रचिता ब्रह्मन्पीयते तेन जङ्गले ॥ २७ ॥

केशाः श्मशानवृक्षेषु यान्ति चामरलेखिकाम् ।

अस्थीन्युडुवदाभान्ति दिनैरवनिमण्डले ॥ २८ ॥

पिबन्ति पांसवो रक्तं क्रव्यादाश्चाप्यनेकशः ।

चर्माणि च शिवा भुङ्क्ते खं यान्ति प्राणवायवः ॥ २९ ॥

इत्येषा ललनाङ्गानामचिरेणैव भाविनी।

स्थितिर्मया वः कथिता किं भ्रान्तिमनुधावथ ॥ ३० ॥

भूतपञ्चकसंघट्टसंस्थानं ललनाभिधम् ।

रसादभिपतत्वेतत्कथं नाम धियान्वितः ॥ ३१ ॥

शाखाप्रतानगहना कट्वम्लफलमालिनी ।

सुतालोत्तालतामेति चिन्ता कान्तानुसारिणी ॥ ३२ ॥

कान्दिग्भूततया चेतो घनगर्धान्धमाकुलम् ।

परं मोहमुपादत्ते यूथभ्रष्टमृगो यथा ॥ ३३ ॥

शोच्यतां परमां याति तरुणस्तरुणीपरः।

निबद्धः करिणीलोलो विन्ध्यखाते यथा गजः ॥ ३४ ॥

यस्य स्त्री तस्य भोगेच्छा निःस्त्रीकस्य क्व भोगभूः ।

स्त्रियं त्यक्त्वा जगत्त्यक्तं जगत्त्यक्त्वा सुखी भवेत् ॥ ३५ ॥

आपातमात्ररमणेषु सुदुस्तरेषु भोगेषु नाहमलिपक्षतिचञ्चलेषु ।

ब्रह्मन्रमे मरणरोगजरादिभीत्या शाम्याम्यहं परमुपैमि पदं प्रयत्नात् ॥ ३६ ॥

Sriram said:

23. "O Sage, may I be forever rid of woman—she who is the well-fitted casket containing all the jewels of faults, bound tightly with the chain of sorrow."

24. "What use is there in her breasts, her eyes, her hips, or her body? All these are nothing more than lumps of flesh. Why should I crave this unsubstantial thing?"

25. "With each passing day, this woman, composed of flesh, blood, and bones, moves inevitably toward the stench of decay, O Brahman."

26. "Those women who were once dear to coarse and lustful men now lie with decomposed limbs in the land of the ancestors."

27. "O Sage, the very lips once lovingly adorned by a passionate man become food for wild creatures in desolate places."

28. "Her hair becomes fluttering strands on funeral pyres, her bones glow like stars as they scatter upon the earth within days."

29. "Dust drinks her blood, scavengers feast upon her flesh in many ways, the skin is consumed by jackals, and the vital airs vanish into the sky."

30. "I have now described to you the impending condition of a woman’s body. Why do you chase after such delusion?"

31. "This so-called “woman” is merely a formation made from the combination of the five elements. How can a person of intelligence develop attachment to such a mortal mass?"

32. "Like a tree with spreading branches full of bitter and sour fruits, so too is desire for a beloved—dense with distressful thoughts."

33. "The mind, becoming blind and maddened like a lone deer that has lost its herd, falls into deep delusion through the attraction to women."

34. "The young man who becomes devoted to a young woman is deeply to be pitied—like an elephant trapped in a deep chasm, swayed by the lure of the female."

35. "He who has a woman has a craving for pleasure. But what pleasure remains for one who has renounced her? Abandoning woman is equivalent to abandoning the world; and one who abandons the world becomes truly happy."

36. "I do not find delight in fleeting pleasures that exist only momentarily and are hard to obtain—pleasures which belong to the unstable domain of the senses. O Sage, I delight instead in the fear of death, disease, and old age. Through this, I gradually find Peace and strive for the Supreme State."

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses express a deep dispassion (vairāgya) toward sensual and worldly pleasures, specifically targeting the infatuation with women as symbolic of sensory indulgence. 

The speaker, Śrī Rāma, speaks from a place of intense renunciation, disillusioned by the impermanence and inherent suffering tied to physical attraction and desire. He portrays the female form—often idolized in worldly life—as ultimately no different from flesh, blood, and decay, urging the sage and listener to recognize this transient reality.

The meditation on mortality is stark and direct. Śrī Rāma details the inevitable decomposition of the body, once considered beautiful, to emphasize the futility of attachment. He argues that time strips away the illusion of form and renders all bodies equally perishable. This powerful imagery is meant to shock the mind out of attachment and awaken a deeper inquiry into the eternal truth.

Philosophically, he underscores the non-substantiality of physical identity. The woman is described not as a person but as a configuration of the five gross elements—earth, water, fire, air, and space. Therefore, desiring her is no different than becoming attached to mud or smoke. Such identification with the body is a form of ignorance, and one who sees clearly will not fall into it.

The verses also illustrate how infatuation leads to suffering. Śrī Rāma compares the lover to a blind deer lost from its herd or an elephant trapped in a pit. The implication is that the deluded mind, when captured by desire, becomes incapacitated and suffers inevitable downfall. These analogies are aimed at cultivating discernment and detachment.

Finally, Śrī Rāma makes a clear shift from transient pleasure to enduring peace. Instead of pursuing momentary joys, he finds solace in contemplating the dangers of worldly life—disease, aging, and death—which become impetuses for spiritual striving. His goal is the attainment of the Supreme State (parama pada), which lies beyond pleasure and pain, beyond attraction and aversion—an Eternal Stillness untouched by the world.