Illusory Nature of the World

    Sage Vashishta has imparted the 'adhyatma bodha' to Ramachandra. This 'Adhyatma Bodha' is a voluminous Text running into 6000 verses that has been later reduced to 2000 verses and now an abridged version of selected verses is available. This is known as 'Yoga Vashishta'. One of these- Chapter II is on "Illusory Nature of the World' consisting of 28 verses. These verses are very terse and need a spiritually enlightened person to explain (each and every word of it)..

    A few important verses are given here for contemplation.

 "The world is a product  of the imagination." (verse3). Human Mind is ingenious and has enormous capacity to create, sustain or destroy. Mind is Energy. Mind is a huge thermodynamic Reactor. It is an atomic reactor and nobody knows where and how it has entered the jiva and what stage it has entered! In the early stages of the evolution of the jiva, it is just absent! The jiva that entered the womb as a sperm and got impregnated to form a small tumor of flesh and blood does not even have the bones! The Atman is a spark of stellar energy particle that becomes the 'Soul' and creates 'antah karana', the inner instruments- ego (ahamkara), Intellect (buddhi), and Mind (manas). These manifest in the child when the child is developed in the mothers womb by about six or seventh month. Life -force (Prana) and Consciousness (prajnya) also enter at some stage, later. We have seen many a child does not survive even after birth, although the Doctors certify that it is healthy a day or two before birth! So this life and death remains a mystery forever.

   Once the jiva appears in a specific form (can assume any form!), the mind. begins its work after a few days or weeks and the senses begin to work. The Senses and the Mind will open up the external world for the jiva! The vibrant mind is called 'chitta' The manas and chitta makes the  jiva what it is! Thus, the jiva begins its journey on this planet In fact, no mind, no life is the dictum. Nothing certain as to the nature of the humans with a developed mind, Mind is versatile and its intelligence is what it makes of the Jiva!

   Hence, the manas, Mind, is taken as the central theme here. The nature of the world is what it is created by the Mind of the jiva. Each jiva is a mind and a world and, this itself is an 'illusory aspect'. Nothing is realistic here. Everything is the creation of the mind according to the desire of the jiva. The world is created by the mind and destroyed by the mind. One who controls the mind is a yogi and the world of illusion is destroyed!  
  "The rising and subsiding of the waves of the chitta (vibrant mind) cause the appearance and disappearance of the world (Verse2). Therefore make the chitta free from fluctuations by controlling desires and the Prana through pranayama, yoga.  

(To be contd.)