August 29, 2026
jagatsvapneṣu cā ‘nyeṣu saṁsthānakathanena kiṁ
nahyopayogikādanyā kathā bhavati dhīmatāṁ (3)
VASIṢṬHA continued:
The description of the universe I have given you is the fruit of direct experience, not inferential guesswork. Besides this there are other universes of which I have not told you. For of what use is investigation into the nature of the world and others which are but of the nature of a dream; wise men do not waste their time talking about useless things.
The northernmost extremity is the Meru mountain; and the southernmost extremity is the Lokāloka mountain-range. The inhabitants of the various planes of consciousness and the different worlds experience the materialisation of those worlds, not others.
I told you of the skull-caps of the universe. Beyond them the whole universe is enveloped by water which is tenfold in extent. Beyond that there is another envelope, this time of fire which is tenfold the previous one. Beyond that is the wind-envelope and then the plane of space which are each ten times the extent of the previous one.
Beyond even that is the infinite space; this is neither illumined nor is it dark. It is full of pure consciousness. It is beginningless, middleless and endless. In that, countless millions of universes arise again and again at different points and again and again they are dissolved in it. There is no being in this infinite space to entertain a notion of these universes, but they exist in whatever form and manner they exist.
Now listen to the story of the king Vipaścit who was on top of the Lokāloka mountains. After he died, he saw his body being eaten by a huge vulture. In his consciousness the notion of another physical body did not arise, nor did he reach enlightenment. Hence, he wished to engage himself in further activity. For pure mental activity, a physical body is unnecessary. In the case of illusion, dream, daydreaming and hallucination, the mind creates its own field, which is known as the subtle body (ātivāhika). Only when that is forgotten or abandoned does the physical body arise. When one realises the unreality of the physical body through proper investigation, then once again the subtle (ātivāhika) body arises.
Hence, investigate the nature of the ātivāhika body till the knowledge that the infinite consciousness alone is the truth arises. The realisation “Where is duality, where is hate or affection? All this is pure Śiva, beginningless and endless” is enlightenment.
Vipaścit was still in the subtle body, unenlightened. He was enveloped by darkness as if in a foetus. He then experienced the earth-plane, water-plane, fire-plane, and space-plane. Then he began to investigate the nature of his own subtle body and wondered: “What sustains me who am pure consciousness?” He entered the infinite space of Brahmā and saw everything there. But not having investigated the illusory nature of ignorance, he rests in it even now, though in fact there is no ignorance and Brahman alone exists.