February 12, 2026
pratyekamevamuditaḥ pratibhāsakhaṇḍaḥ
khaṇḍāntareṣvapi ca tasya vicitrakhaṇḍaḥ
sarve svayaṁ nanu ca te ‘pi mitho na mithyā
sarvātmani sphurati kāraṇakāraṇe ‘smin (28)
VASIṢṬHA continued:
O king, O Rāma! With the help of my eye of wisdom, I searched for the mendicant. I entered into deep meditation wishing to see that mendicant. I searched for him in this universe, but could not find him. How does one’s imagination appear outside also as if real?
Then I proceeded north to the land of the Jīnas. On top of an anthill there exists a vihara (shrine? or Bihar) inhabited by people. There, in his own cottage, was a mendicant (bhikṣu) known as Dīrghadṛśa whose head was yellow in colour. He was in deep meditation. Even his attendants did not enter his cottage, afraid to disturb his meditation. It was the twenty-first day of such meditation. It was destined to be his last day.
Though from one point of view, he had been in meditation for only twenty-one days, from another point of view thousands of years had passed. For, such was the notion that arose in his mind. I knew that such a mendicant had lived in another epoch; and even in this epoch he is the second such mendicant. However, other than these two, I could not see a third mendicant. With all the wits at my disposal and all the faculties I could command, I entered into the very heart of this creation, looking for the third mendicant.
At last I found him, but he was not in this universe. He was in another universe which, however, was almost exactly like this universe, though created by another Brahmā. Even so have there been (and there will be in the future) countless beings. In this very assembly there are sages and holy brāhmaṇas who will thus entertain notions of other beings who will thereupon appear to be. Such is the nature of Māyā.
Some of these beings will be of natures similar to the one that imagines them. Others will be quite dissimilar. Yet others will partly resemble them. Thus is the great Māyā which baffles even great men. But it does not exist nor does it function here – for it is only delusion that causes all these to appear and disappear! Else, where is a short period of twenty-one days and where is a whole epoch? It is frightening even to think of the play of the mind.
All this is but appearance which unfolds like the lotus in the morning and reveals diversity like a full-blown lotus. All this arises in the infinite consciousness which is pure; yet the appearance appears to be tainted by impurity. Each thing appears as if fragmented and at the end of that fragmented existence it undergoes other strange fragmentation; all this is relatively real, not totally unreal. All of them manifest in the All – the cause is in the cause!