Do up, down, front, and back actually exist within the universes? According to Sage Vasistha, this sense of direction has no place in the infinite, undivided Brahman. It is only the imagination of ignorant beings, born from their own experience, that gives rise to these universes and the directions that seem to divide them. Born of imagination, they endure only through imagination.
Anyone who has looked up at the stars at night has, at least once, wondered how vast this universe truly is, where it ends, what lies above, and what lies below. This question does not belong to astronomers alone. It stirs, sooner or later, in the mind of every human being.
The very same doubt stirred in Sri Rama’s mind. Having just heard Sage Vasistha’s earlier account of the universes, a quiet curiosity rose within him. Where did the very notion of up and down come from, amid these countless, uncountable universes? Sitting in the assembly hall, Rama prepared to ask the question aloud.
The Strange Worlds Born in a Dream
Sage Vasistha continued speaking. A philosophical gravity settled into his voice. Everyone in the assembly waited eagerly for his next words.
“None of these worlds exist apart from experience, and yet, to the ignorant, they arrive as vivid reality. I have described their experience to you so far. It is ignorance alone that makes these worlds appear separate from one another,” Vasistha said.
He went on, “Do you know what kind of illusion grips the mind of a living being? It is like a boy who imagines an entire wedding in his mind, invents every detail of it, and then comes to believe it is all real. The creation, sustenance, and dissolution of these universes work the very same way. They are born within imagination, and imagination alone holds them in place,” he explained.
The moment these words landed, a silence settled over the assembly. The image of the boy’s imagined wedding touched every mind present. A quiet thought rippled across the faces of the listeners: could this world, which feels so real to each of us in our own experience, be nothing more than a current of imagination?
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Rama’s Curiosity: The Question of Direction
On hearing this, Sri Rama did not rise at once, but a question flickered in his eyes. Looking at Vasistha with reverence, he gave voice to his doubt.
“O great sage! Do these concepts of up, down, and sideways, that is, above, below, and behind, arise from these universes themselves? Surely they have no place, of their own accord, within Brahman, the very ground on which all this rests! Then how did this notion of up-down-behind-in-front come to enter the universe at all? Please, tell me more about these universes,” Rama asked.
There was a deep logic threading through Rama’s question. If direction had no room at all within the boundless, formless Brahman, then where could it possibly have come from? The elders of the assembly listened to this question with great attention too, for it was one that had, at some quiet corner, lain hidden in their own minds as well.
The Eye’s Flaw That Sees Strands in the Sky
Sage Vasistha smiled and began to answer Rama’s question. He set out to unravel this deep matter through a simple, everyday illustration.
“Eyes afflicted by night-blindness see strands floating in the sky, don’t they? In truth, there are no strands at all in the sky, and yet, to the eye with that flaw, they appear. In the very same way, to one afflicted by the flaw of ignorance, all these universes appear within the imperishable, boundless, supreme Brahman,” Vasistha said.
A gentle wave of understanding stirred through the assembly at this illustration. Everyone knew, from their own experience, how a flaw in the eye can make something that isn’t there seem to appear. Vasistha had used precisely this common experience to unravel the mystery of the very existence of the universes.
Matter Without Will, Bound to the Divine Design
Sage Vasistha carried his explanation further. Everyone in the assembly listened intently to his words.
“All matter behaves only according to the will of the Divine. It has no independence of its own whatsoever. Within our own universe, the earthly, that is, the gross portion lies below, and the sky lies above,” Vasistha explained.
He continued, “The great sages who perceive the order of the celestial spheres describe this universe as a lump of clay suspended in the sky, and the ten directions as its hollow shell. Just as an ant’s body has an underside, so too does the earth-sphere sit at the lower portion of this universe,” he said, drawing the comparison.
As these words fell upon the assembly, understanding slowly spread. The comparison to an ant’s body made it far easier for the listeners to grasp the very structure of the universe. But Vasistha’s next words were about to carry them toward an even deeper truth.
The Hidden Multitudes Within the Many Universes
Sage Vasistha went on to describe the astonishing variety among the universes. A sweeping vision of scale carried through his words.
“In the lands of some universes, there are no human beings at all, only trees and thickets. Yet in their sky-realms alone dwell gods and celestial beings. Other universes spring into existence in an instant, complete with living beings, villages, cities, and mountains,” Vasistha explained.
“All of these exist within pure consciousness-space, and they dissolve back into it as well. Blocks of ice may take on countless shapes, but are they not, at their core, simply water? In just this way, the Self alone is spoken of as the cause of all these created things, and that very cause becomes their essence,” he said.
The image of blocks of ice left a distinct impression on the assembly. The thought that all these varied, endlessly different forms share a single underlying nature settled deep into the listeners’ minds. After these words, not a single voice stirred in the assembly. Everyone sat lost in thought.
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Waves of Universes on the Ocean of Consciousness
Sage Vasistha widened this teaching further, through a magnificent illustration. A grand rhythm resonated through his voice.
“On the pure, undivided ocean of consciousness-space, universes rise continuously, like waves. And they dissolve back into that very ocean once again. In the future too, countless more universes will rise as waves,” Vasistha said.
He continued, “Some of them, for lack of any will to arise, may be imagined to lie sleeping in emptiness, in the very form of darkness. And some of these universe-waves will endure until the dissolution of the cosmic cycle…” As Vasistha carried his explanation forward, the assembly sank into an even deeper silence.
The Knowledge That the Ocean and the Wave Are Not Two
Sage Vasistha prepared to close this teaching with a decisive truth. A clear certainty rang through his words.
“So then, between the ocean and the wave, there is difference only in name and form, but is there truly any difference between the substances themselves? One who has grasped this ultimate unity between ocean and wave never again feels astonishment at anything in this world,” Vasistha explained.
“One in whom this principle of consciousness, this awareness that is the very knowledge itself, remains the ground of all things, looks upon whatever appears as difference in these universes without dwelling upon it further. To such a person, the changeless, unified nature of knowledge and bliss becomes a living experience,” he said.
As his final word for the moment, he said, “Through the knowledge that all of this is fashioned by imagination alone, the creation, sustenance, and dissolution within these imagined worlds come to be accepted, precisely because they too are nothing but this very imagination,” and with that, he brought his explanation to a temporary close.
The Illustrations Given by Sage Vasistha and Their Philosophical Meaning
| Illustration | Philosophical Meaning |
|---|---|
| The Boy’s Imagined Wedding | The world an ignorant person experiences is itself a current of imagination, yet it feels entirely real to him |
| Night-Blindness – Strands in the Sky | It is the flaw of ignorance alone that makes the universes appear within the imperishable Brahman |
| The Ant’s Body – The Structure of the Universe | The universe is like a lump of clay suspended in the sky, with the earth-sphere as its lower portion |
| Blocks of Ice – Water | All these varied forms share, at their core, a single underlying essence |
| Ocean and Wave | The universes are like waves rising on the ocean of consciousness-space; there is difference in name and form, but no difference in substance |
The Spiritual Essence
The central truth this chapter offers us is this: the sense of up, down, front, and back, and the very notion of countless universes, has no place of its own within undivided consciousness. All of it is imagination, appearing only through the flaw called ignorance.
Just as an eye’s flaw makes strands appear in the sky, ignorance makes these countless worlds appear within the imperishable Brahman. And just as blocks of ice appear as separate shapes even though they are all, in truth, simply water, all these universes are nothing but the varied forms of a single conscious essence.
The illustration of the ocean and the wave stands as the very essence of this entire teaching. A wave is never separate from the ocean, and in the same way, this entire creation is never separate from that one consciousness. Whoever gains this knowledge of non-difference is never again shaken or astonished by anything.
Consider whether the contradictions and differences you meet in your own life might work in much the same way. Once you recognize that the underlying essence is one and the same, outward differences no longer weigh so heavily on the mind.
Chapter Summary
Continuing his account of the universes, Sage Vasistha explained that they appear real only within the experience of the ignorant. Through the illustration of the boy’s imagined wedding, he described this creation as a current of imagination. When Rama asked where the very notion of direction came from, Vasistha answered with the illustration of night-blindness and strands in the sky. Using the comparison of an ant’s body, he described the structure of the universe, and through the illustration of blocks of ice, he explained unity within diversity. Finally, with the illustration of the ocean and the wave, he concluded that one who understands this act of imagination attains the knowledge of non-difference and abides in a state free of disturbance.
Scripture Notes
- Main Message: The directions and differences that appear within the universes are all creations of ignorance; at their root, there exists only one undivided consciousness.
- Philosophical Teaching: One who knows the non-difference between the ocean and the wave is never again astonished by anything in this world, and experiences the changeless, unified nature of knowledge and bliss.
- Connection to the Next Chapter: Having grasped the truth of non-difference among the universes, Rama’s next questions will unfold this knowledge to an even deeper degree.
Blocks of ice may take on countless shapes, but in truth, all of them are simply water.
Between the ocean and the wave, there is difference only in name and form, nothing more.
Only to one afflicted by the flaw of ignorance do all these universes appear within the imperishable Brahman.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the notion of up and down exist within the universes?
This sense of direction has no place of its own within the infinite, undivided Brahman. Sage Vasistha explained that this notion appears only through the flaw called ignorance, much like night-blindness makes strands appear in the sky.
What does the illustration of blocks of ice mean in Yoga Vasistha?
Just as blocks of ice take on many different shapes while remaining, at their core, simply water, this illustration tells us that all these universes, though they appear different, share a single underlying conscious essence.
What does the illustration of the ocean and the wave describe?
This illustration tells us that there is difference between the ocean and the wave only in name and form, never in substance. In the very same way, Vasistha explained, the universes and the consciousness that is their source are not truly separate.
How do universes come into being, and how do they dissolve?
Sage Vasistha explained that universes rise continuously, like waves, on the ocean of consciousness-space, and dissolve back into that same ocean. Countless more such waves of universes will continue to rise in the future as well.
What does one who attains the knowledge of non-difference experience?
One who attains this ultimate knowledge of unity between the ocean and the wave is never astonished by anything in this world again. Vasistha explained that such a person experiences the changeless, unified nature of knowledge and bliss.
Do the same kinds of beings exist in all the universes?
No. According to Vasistha, some universes have no human beings at all, only trees and thickets, with gods and celestial beings dwelling in their sky-realms alone. Others contain villages, cities, and mountains. Each universe, in this way, is entirely distinct.
Conclusion
This teaching brings a profound peace to the mind: however many forms there may be, however many universes there may be, the truth remains that the source is one alone. One who has understood the non-difference between the ocean and the wave is never again shaken by anything. How much deeper still will Rama come to know this true, conscious essence that lies behind all these imagined worlds?
