Chapter 3.20, Verses 31–41

Yoga Vashishtha 3.20.31–41

(The dreamer and the dreamed world are both Consciousness alone)

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

अनुभूय क्षणं जीवो मिथ्यामरणमूर्च्छनम् ।

विस्मृत्य प्राक्तनं भावमन्यं पश्यति सुव्रते ॥ ३१ ॥

तदेवोन्मेषमात्रेण व्योम्न्येव व्योमरूप्यपि ।

आधेयोऽयमिहाधारे स्थितोऽहमिति चेतति ॥ ३२ ॥

हस्तपादादिमान्देहो ममायमिति पश्यति ।

यदेव चेतति वपुस्तदेवेदं स पश्यति ॥ ३३ ॥

एतस्याहं पितुः पुत्रो वर्षाण्येतानि सन्ति मे ।

इमे मे बान्धवा रम्या ममेदं रम्यमास्पदम् ॥ ३४ ॥

जातोऽहमभवं बालो वृद्धिं यातोऽहमीदृशः ।

बान्धवाश्चास्य मे सर्वे तथैव विचरन्त्यमी ॥ ३५ ॥

चित्ताकाशघनैकत्वात्स्वेऽप्यन्येऽपि भवन्ति ते ।

एवं नामोदितेऽप्यस्य चित्ते संसारखण्डके ॥ ३६ ॥

न किंचिदप्यभ्युदितं स्थितं व्योमैव निर्मलम् ।

स्वप्ने द्रष्टरि यद्वच्चित्तद्वद्दृश्ये चिदेव सा ॥ ३७ ॥

सर्वगैकतया यस्मात्सा स्वप्ने दृष्टदर्शना ।

यथा स्वप्ने तथोदेति परलोकदृगादिभिः ॥ ३८ ॥

परलोके यथोदेति तथैवेहाभ्युदेति सा ।

तत्स्वप्नपरलोकेह लोकानामसतां सताम् ॥ ३९ ॥

न मनागपि भेदोऽस्ति वीचीनामिव वारिणि ।

अतो जातमिदं विश्वमजातत्वादनाशि च ॥ ४० ॥

स्वरूपत्वात्तु नास्त्येव यच्च भाति चिदेव सा ।

यथैव चेत्यनिर्हीणा परमव्योमरूपिणी ॥ ४१ ॥

Goddess Saraswati continued:

3.20.31: The living being experiences for a moment the false death and fainting, forgets the previous State, and sees another one, O good-vowed one.

3.20.32: With just that slight awakening, like space appearing in space, it thinks: "I am this content placed here in the container."

3.20.33: It sees the body with hands, feet, and so on as "this is mine," and whatever body it imagines, that very one it perceives.

3.20.34: "I am the son of this father, these many years are mine, these are my pleasant relatives, this pleasant abode is mine."

3.20.35: "I was born, I became a child, I grew up in this way, and all my relatives behave in the same manner."

3.20.36: Because of Oneness with the dense mind-space, others also become the same for oneself. Even when the mind, this fragment of the world, arises in this way,

3.20.37: Nothing at all has arisen; it remains Pure Space alone. Just as in a dream for the dreamer, so in the seen object, it is Consciousness alone.

3.20.38: Because it is all-pervading oneness, it is the Seer of what is seen in the dream. It arises in the same way with visions of the other world and so on.

3.20.39-41: It arises in the other world just as it arises here in this world. Therefore, in dream, other world, and this world, for the worlds that are unreal and Real, there is not even the slightest difference, like waves in water. Therefore, this Universe, because it is unborn, is indestructible. But because of its True Nature, it does not exist at all, yet what appears is Consciousness alone, just as it is the Supreme Space devoid of thoughts.

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses from the Yoga Vasishta, spoken by Goddess Saraswati, explain the illusory nature of rebirth and the world, emphasizing that everything arises from Pure Consciousness, similar to a dream.

In the first part, the jiva (individual soul) experiences a momentary false death, forgets its prior existence, and immediately identifies with a new body and life. It perceives hands, feet, family, age, and possessions as its own, creating a sense of personal history and relationships that feel Real but are newly imagined each time.

This identification happens instantly upon "awakening" in the new state, like forms appearing in empty space. The mind projects relatives and the world as extensions of itself due to its dense, condensed nature, but in Reality, nothing new truly arises—the underlying Space (Consciousness) remains Pure and unchanged.

The verses compare this to a dream: the dreamer and the dreamed world are both Consciousness alone. There is no fundamental difference between experiences in dreams, the afterlife, and this waking life—all are appearances in the same undivided Consciousness.

Ultimately, the world has no Real birth, hence no destruction; it seems to exist but does not, as its Essence is only the thought-free, Infinite Consciousness. This teaches non-dual reality where apparent multiplicity is illusion. True Freedom comes from recognizing this: the seeming individual life cycle is false projection, and resting in Pure Awareness ends the cycle of illusion.

Chapter 3.20, Verses 22–30

Yoga Vashishtha 3.20.22–30

(Worlds, Time, and Space are projections within the atomic yet Infinite Self, and awakening involves seeing beyond these illusions to the Unchanging Reality)

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

स्वप्नसंभ्रमसंकल्पस्वानुभूतिपरम्पराः ।

प्रमाणान्यत्र मुख्यानि संबोधाय प्रदीपवत् ॥ २२ ॥

स्थितो ब्राह्मणगेहान्तर्द्विजजीवस्तदम्बरे।

ससमुद्रवना पृथ्वी स्थिताब्ज इव षट्पदः ॥ २३ ॥

तस्याः कस्मिंश्चिदेकस्मिन्पेलवे कोणकोटरे ।

इदं पत्तनदेहादि केशोण्ड्रक इवाम्बरे ॥ २४ ॥

तस्मिन्नस्मिन्पुरे तन्वि तदेव सदनं स्थितम् ।

तस्मात्किं त्रसरेण्वन्तर्जगद्वृन्दमिव स्थितम् ॥ २५ ॥

परमाणौ परमाणौ सन्ति वत्से चिदात्मनि ।

अन्तरन्तर्जगन्तीति किंत्वेतन्नाम शङ्क्यते ॥ २६ ॥

लीलोवाच ।

अष्टमे दिवसे विप्रः स मृतः परमेश्वरि।

गतो वर्षगणोऽस्माकं मातः कथमिदं भवेत् ॥ २७ ॥

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

देशदैर्घ्यं यथा नास्ति कालदैर्घ्यं तथाङ्गने ।

नास्त्येवेति यथान्यायं कथ्यमानं मया शृणु ॥ २८ ॥

यथैतत्प्रतिभामात्रं जगत्सर्गावभासनम्।

तथैतत्प्रतिभामात्रं क्षणकल्पावभासनम् ॥ २९ ॥

क्षणकल्पं जगत्सर्वं त्वत्तामत्तात्मजन्मनाम् ।

यथावत्प्रतिभासस्य वक्ष्ये क्रममिमं शृणु ॥ ३० ॥

3.20.22 

The Goddess said: The series of dream confusions, mental imaginations, and personal experiences—these are the main proofs here for awakening, like a lamp.

3.20.23  

The Brahmin's soul stayed inside the Brahmin's house, in its sky-like space, like a bee inside a lotus, with the earth complete with oceans and forests.

3.20.24

In some soft corner crevice of that earth, this city, body, and so on existed in the sky, like a bunch of hair in the air.

3.20.25 

In that city, O slender one, that very house existed. From a tiny dust particle in it, clusters of worlds existed like that.

3.20.26

O dear, in every atom, in every atom, within the conscious Self, inner worlds exist—but this is not really doubted.

3.20.27

Queen Lila said: O Supreme Goddess, that Brahmin died on the eighth day. Many years have passed for us, O Mother—how can this happen?

3.20.28

The Goddess said: Just as there is no Real length in Space, similarly there is no length in Time, O beautiful one. Listen to me explain this properly as it is.

3.20.29

Just as this appearance of the world's creation is merely an illusion, similarly this appearance of moments and eons is merely an illusion.

3.20.30

The entire world is a moment or an eon for you, me, and others who are born. I will explain the sequence of its proper appearance—listen to this order.

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses from the Yoga Vasistha, in the story of Lila, illustrate profound Advaita Vedanta principles about the illusory nature of the world, time, space, and individual experiences.

The first set of verses (22-26) emphasizes that True Knowledge arises from recognizing personal experiences—such as dreams, imaginations, and perceptions—as primary evidences for Spiritual Awakening, much like a lamp illuminates Reality. The narrative uses vivid analogies: the soul of the deceased Brahmin resides within the vast "sky" of his home, containing an entire earth with oceans and forests, like a bee in a lotus. Nested within this, cities, bodies, houses, and even multitudes of worlds exist in tiny spaces like dust particles or atomic corners. This highlights the Infinite nesting of Universes within Consciousness, where countless worlds reside in every atom of the Pure conscious Self, underscoring that all apparent multiplicity is contained within the Singular, Undivided Awareness.

Verses 27-28 address Lila's confusion about time discrepancies: the Brahmin died quickly, yet years passed in her experience. The Goddess explains that just as Space has no inherent length or extension (it is boundless and undivided), Time similarly lacks objective duration—it is not Real in an absolute sense. This teaches that perceived extensions in time and space are mere appearances without Ultimate Reality.

In verses 29-30, the Goddess equates the creation of the world to a mere mental projection or illusion (pratibha), comparable to how moments and vast cosmic ages (kalpas) appear. The entire Universe, for all Beings, alternates between seeming instantaneous (a moment) or eternal (an eon), depending on perception. This points to the subjective nature of existence, where the sequence of manifestation is illusory, and true understanding comes from recognizing this orderly yet unreal appearance.

Overall, these verses convey the non-duality of Consciousness: worlds, time, and space are projections within the atomic yet Infinite Self, and awakening involves seeing beyond these illusions to the Unchanging Reality. The core teaching is liberation through insight into the dream-like quality of all phenomena, dissolving distinctions of vastness, duration, and separation.

Chapter 3.20, Verses 13–21

Yoga Vashishtha 3.20.13–21

(What we call “Reality” is only a new dream that has replaced the old one)

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

नाहं मिथ्या वदामीदं यथावच्छृणु सुन्दरि ।

भेदनं नियतीनां हि क्रियते नास्मदादिभिः ॥ १३ ॥

विभिद्यमानामन्येन स्थापयाम्यहमेव याम् ।

मर्यादां तां मया भिन्नां कोऽपरः पालयिष्यति ॥ १४ ॥

सग्रामद्विजजीवात्मा तस्मिन्नेव स्वसद्मनि ।

व्योम्न्येवेदं महाराष्ट्रं व्योमात्मैव प्रपश्यति ॥ १५ ॥

प्राक्तनी सा स्मृतिर्लुप्ता युवयोरुदितान्यथा ।

स्वप्ने जाग्रत्स्मृतिर्यद्वदेतन्मरणमङ्गने ॥ १६ ॥

यथा स्वप्ने त्रिभुवनं संकल्पे त्रिजगद्यथा।

यथा कथार्थसंग्रामो मरुभूमौ जलं यथा ॥ १७ ॥

तस्य ब्राह्मणगेहस्य सशैलवनपत्तना ।

इयमन्तः स्थिता भूमिः संकल्पादर्शयोरिव ॥ १८ ॥

असत्यैवेयमाभाति सत्येव घनसर्गता ।

तस्मात्सत्यावभासस्य चिद्व्योम्नः कोशकोटरे ॥ १९ ॥

असत्याद्यत्समुत्पन्नं स्मृत्या नाम तदप्यसत् ।

मृगतृष्णातरङ्गिण्यां तरङ्गोऽपि न सद्यतः ॥ २० ॥

इदं त्वदीयं सदनं तद्गेहाकाशकोशगम्।

विद्धि मां त्वां च सर्वं च तच्चिद्व्योमैव केवलम् ॥ २१ ॥

3.20.13  

The Goddess said: O beautiful one, I am not speaking anything false. Listen carefully to the Truth. The boundaries of fate are not broken by me or anyone like me.

3.20.14  

I Myself am the one who, when another power tries to break the law of fate, re-establishes that very boundary. After I have broken and reset it, who else can protect it?

3.20.15  

That Brahmin soul, along with his village and all its people, remains in his own house and sees this whole region in the sky of Consciousness, just as everything appears in empty space.

3.20.16  

Your old memory has vanished and a new, different memory has arisen. O dear one, this is exactly like waking from a dream; what you now think happened is actually death (of the previous State).

3.20.17  

Just as the three worlds appear in a dream, just as the three worlds appear in mere imagination, just as a battle scene appears in a story, just as water appears in a desert mirage —

3.20.18  

In the same way, this entire earth with its mountains, forests, and cities exists only inside the imagination of that Brahmin’s house, like a reflection in a mirror.

3.20.19  

This world appears even though it is unreal, yet it shines as though it is Real and solid. Therefore, in the hollow of the sheath of the shining Consciousness-sky that appears Real,

3.20.20  

Whatever has arisen from the unreal is also unreal when remembered. Just as even a wave in a desert mirage-river has no reality at all.

3.20.21  

Know that your palace, the Inner Space of that Brahmin’s house, you yourself, me, and everything else — all of it is nothing but Pure Consciousness-space alone.

Summary of the Teachings:

The Goddess is teaching Queen Chudala and King Shikhidhvaja the highest Truth of non-duality (advaita). She explains that she never speaks falsehood and that even the laws of fate (niyati) are not truly broken by any power, including hers. Whenever something seems to violate destiny, she herself restores the boundary. This shows that everything happens within the Supreme Consciousness and nothing ever truly goes outside its control.

She then reveals the illusory nature of the entire world. The Brahmin, his village, the kingdom, mountains, forests, cities, and even the palace where the king and queen now stand — all of it exists only within the Consciousness of a single Brahmin who once lived long ago. Just as cities and countries appear in a dream or in a mirror, this whole world is merely a projection inside Pure Awareness.

Past memories disappear and new memories arise, exactly like waking from one dream and entering another. What we call “reality” is only a new dream that has replaced the old one. The three worlds, battles in stories, or water in a mirage are perfect examples: they seem Real while they last, but have no True Existence.

Ultimately everything — Real or unreal, remembered or forgotten — arises from and dissolves back into the One Infinite Consciousness (chid-akash). Even things that seem solid and lasting are like waves in a mirage river: completely non-existent. The Goddess tells them to recognise themselves, their palace, each other, and the entire creation as nothing but that one Pure Consciousness alone.

This teaching removes the last trace of duality. There is no Real world, no Real fate, no separate persons — only the shining empty sky of Awareness appearing as all these forms, like countless reflections in a single mirror.

Chapter 3.20, Verses 1–12

Yoga Vashishtha 3.20.1–12

(Creation itself is only “bhranti-maya” – made of illusion alone)

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

स ते भर्ताद्य संपन्नो द्विजो भूपत्वमागतः ।

या सावरुन्धती नाम ब्राह्मणी सा त्वमङ्गने ॥ १ ॥

इहेमौ कुरुतो राज्यं तौ भवन्तौ सुदम्पती ।

चक्रवाकाविव नवौ भुवि जातौ शिवाविव ॥ २ ॥

एष ते कथितः सर्वः प्राक्तनः संसृतिक्रमः ।

भ्रान्तिमात्रकमाकाशमेवं जीवस्वरूपधृक् ॥ ३ ॥

भ्रमादस्माच्चिदाकाशे भ्रमोऽयं प्रतिबिम्बितः ।

असत्य एव वा सत्यो भवतोर्भवभङ्गदः ॥ ४ ॥

तस्माद्भान्तिमयः कः स्यात्कोवा भ्रान्त्युज्झितो भवेत् सर्गो निरर्गलानर्थबोधान्नान्यो विजृम्भते ॥ ५॥

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच ।

इत्याकर्ण्य चिरं चारु विस्मयोत्फुल्ललोचना ।

भूत्वोवाच वचो लीला लीलालसपदाक्षरम् ॥ ६ ॥

लीलोवाच ।

देवि भोस्त्वद्वचो मिथ्या कथं संपन्नमीदृशम् ।

क्व विप्रजीवः स्वगृहे क्वेमे वयमिह स्थिताः ॥ ७ ॥

तादृग्लोकान्तरं सा भूस्ते शैलास्ता दिशो दश ।

कथं भान्ति गृहस्यान्तर्मद्भर्ता येष्ववस्थितः ॥ ८ ॥

मत्त ऐरावतो बद्धः सर्षपस्येव कोटरे।

मशकेन कृतं युद्धं सिंहौघैरणुकोटरे ॥ ९॥

पद्माक्षे स्थापितो मेरुर्निगीर्णो भृङ्गसूनुना ।

स्वप्नाब्दगर्जितं श्रुत्वा चित्रं नृत्यन्ति बर्हिणः ॥ १० ॥

असमंजसमेवैतद्यथा सर्वेश्वरेश्वरि।

तथा गृहान्तः पृथिवी शैलाश्चेत्यसमञ्जसम् ॥ ११ ॥

यथावदेतद्देवेशि कथयामलया धिया ।

प्रसादानुगृहीते हि नोद्विजन्ते महौजसः ॥ १२ ॥

3.20.1  

Goddess Saraswati said: O beautiful one, your husband who was a brahmin has now become a King. That brahmani woman named Arundhati in the past life – that is you now, dear lady.

3.20.2  

Both of you are ruling this kingdom together as a happy couple, just like a fresh pair of chakravaka birds on earth or like Shiva and Parvati.

3.20.3  

I have told you the whole sequence of your previous births. This individual soul (jiva) is nothing but Pure Space of Consciousness covered by mere illusion.

3.20.4  

Because of delusion in the Space of Consciousness, this world-appearance is reflected. Whether you call it unreal or Real, it is the cause of repeated birth and death for both of you.

3.20.5  

Therefore, who can truly say this creation is Real with illusion, and who can say it is completely given up? Nothing else ever really expands except the endless awareness of meaningless things born of pure illusion.

3.20.6  

Sage Vasishta said: Hearing these words for a long time, Leela’s eyes widened in wonder and bloom, and she spoke these playful and charming words.

3.20.7  

Queen Leela said: O Goddess, how can your words be true? Where is that brahmin’s life in his small house, and where are we standing here now?

3.20.8  

How can those other worlds, that earth, those mountains, and all ten directions appear inside this small house where my husband is lying?

3.20.9  

It is like tying an Airavata elephant inside a mustard seed, or a mosquito fighting a horde of lions inside an atom!

3.20.10  

It is like placing Mount Meru inside a lotus petal, or a tiny worm swallowing it, or peacocks dancing in joy hearing thunder in a dream!

3.20.11  

O Queen of all, this whole thing is completely impossible and illogical – just like having an entire earth and mountains inside one small house.

3.20.12  

O Goddess of gods, please explain this properly with your Pure and Spotless Mind, because great souls who have received your Grace never feel agitated or confused.

Summary of the Teachings:

The Goddess reveals to Leela the astonishing truth of her and her husband’s past lives: they were once a simple brahmin couple (the husband being the present king and Leela being Arundhati), and through the play of Consciousness they have now become royal. This shows that all identities – brahmin or king, poor or wealthy – are temporary appearances within the same unchanging Consciousness.

The entire world that Leela sees – kingdoms, mountains, vast space, and countless lives – is nothing but an illusion (bhranti) appearing in the Infinite Space of Pure Consciousness (chidakasha). Whether we call the world Real or unreal, it is still the cause of endless birth and death as long as the delusion lasts.

Leela is stunned and gives humorous examples of impossibility: an elephant inside a mustard seed, Meru mountain inside a lotus petal, peacocks dancing to dream-thunder. These examples beautifully illustrate that, from the standpoint of ordinary logic and waking-state experience, it is absolutely impossible for whole Universes to exist inside a tiny room. Yet the teaching is that Consciousness is Limitless and can contain anything.

The core message is that creation itself is only “bhranti-maya” – made of illusion alone. Nothing truly comes into existence apart from the meaningless play of delusion in Pure Awareness. When this is clearly understood through the Grace of the Goddess (or the Guru), even the greatest wonders no longer disturb the mind.

Finally, Leela humbly requests a clear and pure explanation, showing the right attitude of a seeker: instead of rejecting the teaching as impossible, she admits her confusion and asks for clarification with full faith. This teaches that True Knowledge dawns only when the mind is open, surrendered, and free from agitation.

Chapter 3.19, Verses 10–28

Yoga Vashishtha 3.19.10–28

(Everything magnificent that people see and touch is nothing but the projection of one man’s imagination)

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

तमालोक्य महीपालमिदं चिन्तितवानसौ ।

अहो नु रम्या नृपता सर्वसौभाग्यभासिता ॥ १० ॥

पदातिरथहस्त्यश्वपताकाच्छत्रचामरैः ।

कदा स्यां दशदिक्कुञ्जपूरकोऽहं महीपतिः ॥ ११ ॥

कदा मे वायवः कुन्दमकरन्दसुगन्धयः ।

पास्यन्त्यन्तःपुरस्त्रीणां सुरतश्रमसीकरान् ॥ १२ ॥

कर्पूरेण पुरन्ध्रीणां पूर्णेन यशसा दिशाम् ।

इन्दूदयावदातानि कदा कुर्यां मुखान्यहम् ॥ १३ ॥

इत्थं ततःप्रभृत्येष विप्रः संकल्पवानभूत्।

स्वधर्मनिरतो नित्यं यावज्जीवमतन्द्रितः ॥ १४ ॥

हिमाशनिरिवाम्भोजं जर्जरीकर्तुमादृता।

जले जर्जरितेवाथ जरा द्विजमुपाययौ ॥ १५ ॥

आसन्नमरणस्याथ भार्या म्लानिमुपाययौ ।

तस्य शाम्यति पुष्पर्तौ लतेव ग्रीष्मभीतितः ॥ १६ ॥

मामथाराधितवती सा ततस्त्वमिवाङ्गना ।

अमरत्वं सुदुष्प्रापं बुद्ध्वेमं सावृणोद्वरम् ॥ १७ ॥

देवि स्वमण्डपादेव जीवो भर्तुर्मृतस्य मे।

मायासीदित्यतस्तस्याः स एवाङ्गीकृतो मया ॥ १८ ॥

अथ कालवशाद्विप्रः स पञ्चत्वमुपाययौ ।

तस्मिन्नेव गृहाकाशे जीवाकाशतया स्थितः ॥ १९ ॥

संपन्नः प्राक्तनानल्पसंकल्पवशतः स्वयम् ।

आकाशवपुरेवैष पतिः परमशक्तिमान् ॥ २० ॥

प्रभावजितभूपीठः प्रतापाक्रान्तविष्टपः।

कृपापालितपातालस्त्रिलोकविजयी नृपः ॥ २१ ॥

कल्पाग्निररिवृक्षाणां स्त्रीणां मकरकेतनः ।

मेरुर्विषयवायूनां साध्वब्जानां दिवाकरः ॥ २२ ॥

आदर्शः सर्वशास्त्राणामर्थिनां कल्पपादपः ।

पादपीठं द्विजाग्र्याणां राकाधर्मामृतत्विषः ॥ २३ ॥

स्वगृहाभ्यन्तराकाशे चित्ताकाशमयात्मनि ।

तस्मिन्द्विजे शवीभूते भूताकाशशरीरिणि ॥ २४ ॥

सा तस्य ब्राह्मणी भार्या शोकेनात्यन्तकर्शिता ।

शुष्केव माषशिम्बीका हृदयेन द्विधाभवत् ॥ २५ ॥

भर्त्रा सह शवीभूता देहमुत्सृज्य दूरतः ।

आतिवाहिकदेहेन भर्तारं समुपाययौ ॥ २६ ॥

नदीनिखातमिव तं भर्तारमनुसृत्य सा ।

आजगाम विशोकत्वं सा वासन्तीव मञ्जरी ॥ २७ ॥

तत्रास्य विप्रस्य गृहाणि सन्ति भूस्थावरादीनि धनानि सन्ति ।

अद्याष्टमं वासरमाप्तमृत्योर्जीवो गिरिग्रामककन्दरस्थः ॥ २८ ॥

3.19.10-13

The Goddess said: Seeing that King, the brahmin thought, “Oh, how wonderful is kingship! It shines with every kind of good fortune.” “When will I become a king who fills all ten directions with foot-soldiers, chariots, elephants, horses, flags, umbrellas and yak-tail fans?” “When will the breezes, fragrant with the pollen of kunda flowers, drink the drops of sweat from the love-play of the women in my inner apartments?” “When will I make the faces of women shine white like the rising moon with camphor and with my fame that fills all directions?”

3.19.14–17

From that moment the brahmin became full of strong desire. Yet he remained devoted to his own dharma every day, without laziness, until the end of his life; Just as frost destroys a lotus or water rots something slowly, old age came and made the brahmin frail; When death was near, his wife became pale and withered, like a creeper that loses its flowers in summer out of fear of the heat; That wife worshipped me (Goddess) and, knowing that immortality is almost impossible to get, she asked for this boon just as you once did.

3.19.18

“O Goddess, after my husband dies, let his soul remain in our house itself.” I granted her exactly that wish.

3.19.19–23

In the course of time the brahmin died. His soul stayed in the very same house, in the form of sky (invisible); Because of his earlier intense wish, he himself became a mighty king with a body made only of sky (subtle body); He became a king whose throne conquered all others by glory, whose heat conquered the heavens, whose kindness protected the underworld, a conqueror of the three worlds; He was like world-destroying fire to enemy kings, like the god of love to women, like Mount Meru to the winds of pleasures, like the sun to the lotuses of virtuous women; He became the mirror of all scriptures, a wish-fulfilling tree to those who asked for anything, a foot-stool for the best brahmins, and the full-moon light of dharma that gives nectar-like joy.

3.19.24–27 

In the space inside his own house, in his mind-made sky-self, while the brahmin’s physical body had become a corpse with an elemental body, his brahmin wife became completely withered with grief. She became like a dry bean-pod and her heart broke in two. She gave up her gross body along with her husband and, in her subtle (ātivāhika) body, went far away and reached her husband. Following her husband like a river flowing into a trench, she reached him and became free from sorrow, like a blossom in spring.

3.19.28 

That brahmin now has palaces, immovable properties and wealth on earth. Today is the eighth day since he died, and his soul is staying in a mountain cave village.

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses teach the immense power of saṅkalpa (strong mental resolve or imagination). A poor brahmin, simply by seeing a king and intensely imagining royal life, plants a Seed in his Consciousness that completely changes his next birth. Even though he continues his ordinary duties, the wish remains alive inside him. The story shows that whatever we strongly and repeatedly think about with feeling shapes our future reality.

The second teaching is that death is not the end. When the brahmin dies, his strong desire does not die with the body; it instantly creates a subtle sky-like body and he becomes the King he dreamed of. This proves that the mind and its desires are more Real and lasting than the physical body. The gross body falls away, but the mind-made body continues and can immediately enjoy or suffer the fruits of past thoughts.

Third, the wife’s love and grief are so strong that she too discards her physical body and joins her husband in the subtle realm. Her single-pointed wish to remain with her husband is granted by the Goddess. This illustrates that pure love and devotion have the same creative power as any other intense desire. Where the mind goes with full feeling, the life-force follows.

Fourth, the outer world we see is created by the King (palaces, wealth, kingdom) is actually produced by the dead brahmin’s mind alone while his corpse lies in the hut. 

Everything magnificent that people see and touch is nothing but the projection of one man’s imagination. 

Therefore the whole universe is nothing but mind-stuff; there is no solid matter independent of Consciousness.

Finally, the story reminds us to be extremely careful about what we desire and imagine, because every strong thought will certainly bear fruit, either in this life or immediately after death. A single intense daydream can create an entire kingdom or an entire hell. Real Freedom lies not in fulfilling desires but in dropping all identification with desire itself.

Chapter 3.18, Verses 29–38

Yoga Vashishtha 3.18.29–38

(There is no real difference between the biggest galaxy and the smallest personal story — both are mere appearances in the One Unchanging Awareness)

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

प्राक्स्मृतेर्भ्रान्तिमात्रात्मा सर्गोऽयमुदितो यथा ।

स्वप्नभ्रमात्मको भाति तथेदं कथ्यते शृणु ॥ २९ ॥

अस्ति क्वचिच्चिदाकाशे क्वचित्संसारमण्डपः ।

आकाशकाचदलवत्संस्थानाच्छादिताकृतिः ॥ ३० ॥

मेरुस्तम्भस्थलोकेशपुरन्ध्रीशालभञ्जिकः ।

चतुर्दशापवरकस्त्रिगर्तो भानुदीपकः ॥ ३१ ॥

कोणस्थभूतवल्मीकव्याप्तपर्वतलोष्टकः ।

अनेकपुत्रजरठप्रजेशब्राह्मणास्पदम् ॥ ३२ ॥

जीवौघकोशकाराढ्यो व्योमोर्ध्वतलकालिमा ।

नभोनिवाससिद्धौघमशकाहितघुंघुमः ॥ ३३ ॥

पयोदगृहधूमोग्रजालावलितकोणकः ।

वातमार्गमहावंशस्थितवैमानकीटकः ॥ ३४ ॥

सुरासुरादिदुर्बाललीलाकलकलाकुलः ।

लोकान्तरपुरग्रामभाण्डोपस्करनिर्भरः ॥ ३५ ॥

सरःस्रोतोब्धिसरसीजलोक्षितमहीतलः ।

पातालभूतलस्वर्गभागभासुरकोटरः ॥ ३६ ॥

तत्र कस्मिंश्चिदेकस्मिन्कोणेष्वम्बरकोटरे ।

शैललोष्टतलेष्वेको गिरिग्रामकगर्तकः ॥ ३७ ॥

तस्मिन्नदीशैलवनोपगूढे साग्निः सदारः सुतवानरोगः ।

गोक्षीरवान् राजभयाद्विमुक्तः सर्वातिथिर्धर्मपरो द्विजोऽभूत् ॥ ३८॥

3.18.29  

Goddess said: Listen, I will now tell you how this whole Creation arose earlier — it was nothing but pure illusion born of a mistaken thought, just like a dream that appears real while it lasts.

3.18.30  

Somewhere in the Infinite Space of Pure Consciousness there exists a huge pavilion called “the world”.

3.18.31  

It has golden pillars shaped like Mount Meru, lords of the worlds as its pillars, goddesses as dancing figures on the beams, fourteen floors with railings, three surrounding walls, and the sun as its lamp.

3.18.32  

Its corners are filled with the anthills of the five elements, mountains are mere lumps of mud, old kings and their many sons are householders, and brahmins live there.

3.18.33  

It is rich with countless living beings like silkworms in cocoons, the darkness of time covers its upper sky, groups of perfected beings live in the heavens, and mosquitoes make their humming sound.

3.18.34  

Its corners are covered with thick nets of smoke from the clouds that serve as houses, airplanes look like tiny insects flying along the highways of the wind.

3.18.35  

It is full of the childish noisy play of gods, demons and others, filled with the furniture and utensils of towns and villages in many worlds.

3.18.36  

Its ground is sprinkled with water from lakes, rivers, and oceans; it has shining hollows that are the three divisions — underworld, earth, and heaven.

3.18.37  

In one tiny corner of that sky-like pavilion, among the mountain-lumps, there was a small pit that was a mountain village.

3.18.38  

In that village, hidden by rivers, mountains and forests, there lived a brahmin who had fire (sacred fire), wife, healthy sons, plenty of milk from cows, was free from fear of kings, welcomed every guest, and always followed dharma.

Summary of the Teachings:

These verses use a powerful metaphor to teach the complete unreality of the world. The Goddess describes the entire Creation — with its countless worlds, gods, demons, heavens, hells, mountains, oceans, and living beings — as nothing more than an imaginary pavilion that appears in the Infinite sky of Pure Consciousness, exactly like a dream-city that appears in sleep.

Everything we think is vast and solid (Mount Meru, sun, planets, gods, hells, heavens) is reduced to tiny, childish playthings: pillars, lamps, dancing dolls, lumps of mud, insects, smoke, and mosquito sounds. This deliberate scaling down shows that the whole Universe is only a fleeting mental projection, no more real than furniture in a dream.

The description gradually zooms in — from the infinite sky to the cosmic pavilion, then to one tiny corner, then to one mountain village, and finally to one ordinary brahmin living there with his family and cows. This zoom effect teaches that the same Consciousness in which the entire cosmos appears is the same Consciousness that appears as “my little life”. There is no real difference between the biggest galaxy and the smallest personal story — both are mere appearances in the One Unchanging Awareness.

The brahmin is described as healthy, prosperous, pious, and free from fear — exactly the kind of life most people desire. Yet the Goddess has just shown that his entire village, his body, his family, and his happiness are only a speck in an imaginary structure. This proves that even the best possible human life is still part of the dream and cannot give lasting peace.

The Ultimate teaching is: the world is nothing but a long mistaken thought, like a dream. When this wrong idea drops, only the Pure, Limitless Consciousness remains — birthless, deathless, ever-free.

Chapter 3.18, Verses 19–28

Yoga Vashishtha 3.18.19–28

(All Creation, whether the inner world or outer one, is empty like sky)

लीलोवाच ।

दृश्यते कारणात्कार्यं सुविलक्षणमम्बिके ।

अम्ब्वादातुमशक्ता मृद्धटस्तज्जस्तदास्पदम् ॥ १९ ॥

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

संपद्यते हि यत्कार्यं कारणैः सहकारिभिः ।

मुख्यकारणवैचित्र्यं किंचित्तत्रावलोक्यते ॥ २० ॥

वद तद्भर्तृसर्गस्य किं पृथ्व्यादिषु कारणम् ।

तद्भूमण्डलतो भूतिर्जाता तत्र वरानने ॥ २१ ॥

गतं चेदित उड्डीय कुतः स्यादिह भूतलम् ।

सहकारीणि कानीव कारणान्यत्र कारणे ॥ २२ ॥

कारणानामभावेऽपि योदेति सहकारिता ।

तत्पूर्वकारणान्नान्यत्सर्वेणेत्यनुभूयते ॥ २३ ॥

लीलोवाच ।

स्मृतिः सा देवि मद्भर्तुस्तथा स्फारत्वमागता ।

स्मृतिस्तत्कारणं वेद्मि सर्गोऽयमिति निश्चयः ॥ २४ ॥

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

स्मृतिराकाशरूपा च यथा तज्जस्तथैव ते ।

भर्तुः सर्गोऽनुभूतोऽपि स व्योमैव तथाबले ॥ २५ ॥

लीलोवाच ।

स्मृत्याकाशमयः सर्गो यथा भर्तुर्ममोदितः ।

तथैवेममहं मन्ये स सर्गोऽत्र निदर्शनम् ॥ २६ ॥

श्रीदेव्युवाच ।

एवमेतदसत्सर्गो भर्तुस्तैर्भाति भासुरः ।

तथैवायमिहाभाति पश्याम्येतदहं सुते ॥ २७ ॥

लीलोवाच ।

यथा पत्युरमूर्तोऽस्मात्सर्गात्सर्गो भ्रमात्मकः ।

जातस्तथा कथय मे जगद्भ्रमनिवृत्तये ॥ २८ ॥

Queen Lila said:  

3.18.19  

O Ambika, from a cause arises an effect that is totally different from it. Clay cannot drink water, yet the pot made of clay can hold water and becomes the resting place for water.

Goddess Saraswati said:  

3.18.20  

Whatever effect is produced arises with the help of auxiliary causes. In it, only a slight difference due to the chief cause is noticed.

3.18.21  

Tell me, what is the cause of your husband’s world-creation in earth and other elements? From that very earth-sphere his prosperity was born there, O beautiful-faced one.

3.18.22  

If he flew up and left, how would this earth remain here? What are the auxiliary causes here, and what is the main cause?

3.18.23  

Even when other causes are absent, the auxiliary help that arises comes from a prior cause alone and nothing else — this is directly experienced by all.

3.18.24  

Lila said: O Goddess, that memory of my husband grew so vast. I know with certainty that this memory itself is the cause and this entire creation is nothing but that.

3.18.25  

Goddess said: Memory has the nature of empty space. Just as things born of it are, so is your husband’s creation. Though experienced, it is merely sky (emptiness), O strong one.

3.18.26  

Lila said: The world that arose in my husband’s memory-space is exactly like this one. I consider this present world to be the same — it is only an example of that.

3.18.27  

Goddess said: Yes, exactly. Your husband’s unreal creation shines brightly through those memories, and this world here shines in exactly the same way. I too see it clearly, dear daughter.

3.18.28  

Lila said: Please explain to me how from your husband’s formless creation another illusory creation full of error arose, so that the delusion about the world may end.

Summary of the Teachings:

The verses use the example of a clay pot to illustrate that an effect can have qualities completely absent in its material cause. Clay itself cannot hold or drink water, yet the pot shaped from it can. This shows that the form and arrangement (the chief Cause), not just the raw material, determines the new properties of the effect. The world we see is therefore not a direct copy of its causes but appears different because of the unique configuration imposed by the primary cause — here, the memory or will of the creator.

Goddess Saraswati points out that every effect needs both primary and auxiliary causes. She questions what caused King Padma’s world and how the earth and prosperity appeared in Lila’s experience after his death. The teaching is that nothing arises from a single cause alone; many conditions must cooperate. Yet, even these cooperating causes ultimately depend on one prior root cause. Without understanding that root, we remain confused about how the world continues to appear solid and Real.

Lila realises that the entire universe she is experiencing — the palace, the earth, her own body — is nothing but the vast expansion of a single memory of her dead husband. Memory here is not a small psychological event; it has become Infinite Space-like Awareness in which an entire Cosmos appears. Just as a dream-world feels completely Real while dreaming, this “Real” world is actually the same nature: it is made only of memory or thought, with no substance outside Consciousness.

Saraswati confirms that all creation, whether the husband’s inner world or this outer one, is empty like sky. Though it shines brightly and feels solid, it has no more reality than sky or space. Both women now see clearly that the present world is just another example of the same memory-born illusion that appeared to the king. There is no difference in essence between the two creations.

Finally, Lila asks for the final step: how, from one formless illusory creation, another layered illusion arises again and again, creating endless delusion. The teaching aims at complete liberation from the error of taking the world as Real. Once it is understood that everything is only an appearance in Consciousness (a vast memory or thought), like a pot is only rearranged clay or a dream is only mind, the false notion “I am the body, this world is solid” drops away, and Peace remains.