Cosmology lessons that Rama learned from Sage Vasishtha

The cosmology lessons that Rama learned from Sage Vasishtha

परमाणाविदं भाति त्रिजगत्सवनाभ्रखम् ।
देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यदिनरात्रिक्रमान्वितम् ॥ १२ ॥

paramāṇāvidaṃ bhāti trijagatsavanābhrakham |
deśakālakriyādravyadinarātrikramānvitam || 12 ||

But the world is said to be composed of atoms, which compose the land and woods, the clouds and the firmament. But there are no atoms to form time and space, actions and motions and revolutions of days and nights. 

 

परमाणुः प्रविततस्तस्यास्ते तादृगेव च ।

भाति भासुरताकारि तादृग्गिरिकुलं पुनः ॥ १३ ॥

paramāṇuḥ pravitatastasyāste tādṛgeva ca |

bhāti bhāsuratākāri tādṛggirikulaṃ punaḥ || 13 ||

Again the atoms (of matter) which fill the world, have other incipient atoms (of spirit), which are inherent in them, and cause them to take and appear in the forms of mountains and the like. 

तत्रापि तादृगाकारमेव प्रत्यनुसंततम् ।

दृश्यमाभाति भारूपमेतदङ्ग न वास्तवम् ॥ १४ ॥

tatrāpi tādṛgākārameva pratyanusaṃtatam |

dṛśyamābhāti bhārūpametadaṅga na vāstavam || 14 ||

But these forms seeming to be conglomerations of atomic particles, and showing themselves to our vision as lightsome objects, are in reality no substantial things.

इत्यस्त्यन्तो नं सद्दृष्टेरसद्दृष्टेश्च वा क्वचित् ।

अस्यास्त्वभ्युदितं बुद्धं नाबुद्धं प्रति वानघ ॥ १५ ॥

ityastyanto naṃ saddṛṣṭerasaddṛṣṭeśca vā kvacit |

asyāstvabhyuditaṃ buddhaṃ nābuddhaṃ prati vānagha || 15 ||

Thus there is no end of the real and unreal sights of things; the one presenting itself to the view of the learned, and the other to that of the unlearned. 

बुद्धं प्रतीदं ब्रह्मैव केवलं शान्तमव्ययम् ।

अबुद्धं प्रति बुद्ध्यैतद्भासुरं भुवनान्वितम् ॥ १६ ॥

buddhaṃ pratīdaṃ brahmaiva kevalaṃ śāntamavyayam |

abuddhaṃ prati buddhyaitadbhāsuraṃ bhuvanānvitam || 16 ||

The cosmos appears as the immutable Brahma only to the intelligent, and as the mutable visible world to the unintelligent.

यथेदं भासुरं भाति जगदण्डकजृम्भितम् ।

यथा कोटिसहस्राणि भान्त्यन्यान्यप्यणावणौ ॥ १७ ॥

yathedaṃ bhāsuraṃ bhāti jagadaṇḍakajṛmbhitam |

yathā koṭisahasrāṇi bhāntyanyānyapyaṇāvaṇau || 17 ||

As these bright worlds appear to roll about as eggs in their spheres, so there are multitudes of other orbs, shining in every atom in the universe.

यथा स्तम्भे पुत्रिकान्तस्तस्याः स्वाङ्गेषु पुत्रिका ।

तस्याश्च पुत्रिकास्त्यङ्गे तथा त्रैलोक्यपुत्रिका ॥ १८ ॥

yathā stambhe putrikāntastasyāḥ svāṅgeṣu putrikā |

tasyāśca putrikāstyaṅge tathā trailokyaputrikā || 18 ||

As we see curved pillars, consisting of figures under figures, and those again under others; so is the grand pillar of the universe, composed of systems under systems to no end.

एतत्ते कथितं सर्वं स्वरूपं रूपिणां वर ।

संसारसागरश्रेण्यो यथा यान्ति प्रयान्ति च ॥ ३ ॥

etatte kathitaṃ sarvaṃ svarūpaṃ rūpiṇāṃ vara |

saṃsārasāgaraśreṇyo yathā yānti prayānti ca || 3 ||

I have thus told you, O handsome Rama! of the causes of the appearance and disappearance of the creation, resembling the heaving and resting of the waves of the sea of the world.

Yoga Vasishtha of Valmika (4.3.12-18, 4.4.3)

As Translated by Viharilala Mitra, 1891