Do dualities such as good and evil, virtue and sin, or life and death exist in the external world, or are they mere illusions of the mind? According to Yoga Vasistha, all consciousness is fundamentally one. Ignorance perceives divisions and cycles of birth and death, while pure spiritual vision perceives only the non-dual truth everywhere.
Throughout life, we constantly compare ourselves with others and suffer within dualities like good and bad, virtue and sin, pleasure and pain. Every seeker eventually faces the doubt of whether these divisions truly exist within creation or if they stem from a flaw in our perception.
The enlightened Queen Leela experienced this exact doubt. With reverence, she asked Goddess Saraswati why so many differences appear among people in this world if the Self ever shines as pure and singular.
Queen Leela’s Doubt on the Wise and the Ignorant
Even upon reaching high spiritual realization, the sheer diversity of the worldly realm can occasionally perplex the mind. Although Queen Leela had attained intuitive insight, she stood before Goddess Saraswati to comprehend the root cause of dualities in worldly experience.
As a divine tranquility enveloped the celestial assembly, Queen Leela bowed at the lotus feet of the Goddess and presented the question lingering within her heart.
Queen Leela: O Mother! You declared that the Self is the true reality within everyone and remains eternally immaculate. Why then do the wise and the ignorant, the virtuous and the sinful, the joyful and the grieving appear distinct in this world? What is the fundamental cause behind dividing beings into those who know the truth and those who do not?
The Metaphor of River Waters and the Nature of Consciousness
Goddess Saraswati looked at Queen Leela with a gentle smile and began explaining the mystery of creation through an intuitive metaphor. She clarified how consciousness, though singular, appears varied depending on its limiting condition.
The voice of Goddess Saraswati resonated with divine solemnity throughout the space.
Goddess Saraswati: Leela, have you observed the waters of a flowing river? In one stretch, the water appears turbulent, agitated, and muddy with violent waves. In another, it appears entirely serene, crystal-clear, and motionless. Similarly, when pure consciousness assumes individual traits, it seems clouded by ignorance due to attachments and aversions; through spiritual discipline, it regains its clarity. Nevertheless, the underlying essence of consciousness within the wise and the ignorant remains one and the same.
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The Knots on the Vine and the Illusion of Birth and Death
As Goddess Saraswati continued her explanation, Queen Leela listened with profound absorption. The Goddess highlighted where bondage actually resides when the Self pervades all living beings equally.
The Goddess instructed that relinquishing the sense of separation is the direct path to ultimate liberation.
Goddess Saraswati: The Self present in demons, deities, sages, humans, animals, birds, and ultimately within you and me is identical. Perceiving division is worldly bondage; realizing non-division is liberation. Just as nodes and knots appear along long creeping vines, the knots of birth and death arise within this insentient physical vessel. As long as you view existence through the bodily frame, birth and death will appear real; to the vision of pure consciousness, there is neither birth nor death.
The Three Modes of Perception
To illuminate this truth more deeply, Goddess Saraswati delineated the three distinct ways an individual soul perceives the surrounding universe.
The Goddess explained how human beings comprehend all of existence according to their inner level of awareness.
Goddess Saraswati: We perceive the world in three ways: First is the elemental physical vision—wherein only gross bodies and external inert objects appear. Second is the mental vision—wherein minds, tendencies, and subtle qualities of others become apparent. Third is the consciousness vision—wherein one perceives solely the pure consciousness shining as the indweller within all beings.
The Dream Illusion and the Transience of Bodies
Queen Leela humbly pleaded once more, ‘O Mother! What is all this visible manifestation? The illusion does not lift unless I hear the truth repeatedly.’ The Goddess responded with compassionate grace.
The Goddess explained that the individual consciousness projects this objective universe through its own power of illusion.
Goddess Saraswati: Pure Consciousness experiences birth and death, pleasant and unpleasant, gross and subtle forms through its own illusion, just like a dream projection. In truth, consciousness never suffers destruction. Only insentient physical bodies devoid of intrinsic movement perish. Witnessing this decay, people fall into the delusion that ‘I am born’ or ‘I am dying.’ Consciousness remains forever imperishable, non-dual, and steady.
The Whirlpool of Latent Impressions
Goddess Saraswati unraveled the mystery behind why the individual soul takes birth repeatedly even after physical bodies perish.
She detailed how past impressions stored within the mind breathe life into the perceived worldly reality.
Goddess Saraswati: No departed being truly dies; joys, sorrows, and individual identity are all portraits painted by latent impressions. The soul drifts helplessly within the whirlpool of these impressions. Until one undertakes resolute self-inquiry, this perceptual illusion will not dissolve. When latent impressions vanish through inquiry, the soul realizes the objective world is illusory, becoming fearless and liberated.
Subtle Consciousness as Fragrance Carried by the Wind
The Goddess provided another profound analogy to explain what happens to the vital breath at death and how the soul travels to subtle realms.
She revealed the supreme truth that consciousness neither arrives from anywhere nor departs to any destination.
Goddess Saraswati: When the vital breath ceases, the physical body turns into a corpse. However, consciousness carrying its latent impressions departs subtly. The scriptures term this entity the individual soul. Just as the wind carries fragrance from place to place, consciousness carrying these impressions manifests as worldly existence. Consciousness does not come from anywhere, nor does it go anywhere. Imagining a new bodily form in another realm through the momentum of past impressions is the entire illusion of coming and going!
The Dream World Awakening from Slumber
Goddess Saraswati clarified the experiences the individual soul undergoes after the dissolution of the physical body.
She described how the soul projects entire universes within its own inner conscious space, much like a dream.
Goddess Saraswati: The moment a body perishes, just as a sleeping person dreams, the soul conceives a new world and a new body in accordance with its latent impressions. Within its inner space, it beholds space filled with earth and elements, envisioning an entire creation. Just as dozens of people lying in the same chamber experience completely different landscapes in their individual dreams, all these souls witness separate universes within their own mental space.
The Final Declaration of Goddess Saraswati
The Goddess concluded her instruction by declaring that true wisdom lies in severing the bondage of latent impressions that causes universal delusion.
Goddess Saraswati reaffirmed that truth ever shines as singular and non-dual.
Goddess Saraswati: O Queen Leela! I declare repeatedly for the liberation of all seekers: The pure Self alone is reality. Everything else is merely an illusion. This firm conviction alone will permanently liberate you from all dualities and worldly fears.
Modes of Perception and Levels of Experience
| Mode of Perception | Perceived Experience | Spiritual State |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Elemental Vision | Gross physical bodies and external inert matter | State of Ignorance and Bondage |
| Mental Vision | Minds, qualities, and subtle feelings of others | Stage of Spiritual Practice |
| Consciousness Vision | The single pure consciousness within all beings | State of Liberation and Wisdom |
Spiritual Inner Meaning
The supreme secret taught by Goddess Saraswati in this chapter is that the differences observed in the world are not objective; they are entirely mental. Just as water remains water whether waves agitate its surface or not, the underlying Self shines identically whether an individual experiences attraction or aversion. Like the wind carrying fragrance, the mind carries its impressions, projecting new bodies and new realms like a dream.
Dualities are merely reflections of our latent impressions. When these impressions dissolve through regular self-inquiry, the fear of birth and death and the impact of pleasure and pain cease completely. Perceiving non-duality is the ultimate culmination of all spiritual discipline.
In your daily life, refrain from judging people and situations through rigid polarities of good and evil; instead, try to perceive the one consciousness glowing within everyone. Remember that the latent impressions residing in your mind shape the world you experience.
Chapter Summary
Goddess Saraswati instructed Queen Leela on the mystery of dualities. Just as river waters remain unchanged even when clouded by turbulent waves, the Self remains ever pure despite appearing tainted by attachments. She clarified that seeing division is worldly bondage, while seeing unity is liberation. Explaining physical, mental, and consciousness modes of perception, she taught that bodies perish while consciousness remains indestructible, driven across births by latent impressions. The Goddess declared that the pure Self alone is real.
Scripture Notes
- Main Message: Pure consciousness within all living beings is one; seeing division is bondage, while realizing unity is supreme liberation.
- Philosophical Teaching: Birth, death, pleasure, and pain are delusions belonging to bodily impressions. The Self is eternally pure, imperishable, and changeless.
- Connection to the Next Chapter: The next chapter explores how the soul experiences rebirth after bodily death and examines the subtle journey that unfolds once vital pulsations cease.
Perceiving division is worldly bondage; realizing non-division is liberation.
Just as the wind carries fragrance, consciousness carries impressions and appears as worldly existence.
The pure Self alone is reality; everything else is merely an illusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dualities real or merely an illusion?
Dualities are illusions caused by an ignorant perspective; in absolute reality, pure consciousness alone exists throughout creation.
What is the difference between the wise and the ignorant?
Although the essence of consciousness is identical in both, the ignorant mind is clouded by latent impressions of likes and dislikes, while the wise abide in clear Self-awareness.
What is worldly bondage?
Perceiving division among objects and living beings constitutes worldly bondage; perceiving unity everywhere is liberation.
What is death, and does consciousness perish?
Death occurs only to the physical body; consciousness is an imperishable reality that never undergoes destruction.
Why does an individual soul undergo rebirth?
Due to the momentum of latent impressions in the mind, the soul projects and assumes a new physical form like a dream, causing rebirth.
Conclusion
Goddess Saraswati unmistakably revealed the non-dual conscious reality hidden behind all perceived differences. Hearing the supreme declaration that ‘The pure Self alone is reality,’ Queen Leela found absolute peace of mind. Yet, how does the individual soul actually travel at the precise moment vital breath departs the physical body? What is the mystery of that rebirth journey?
