Story of Leela - Two Worlds

Rama: "Venerable teacher, you speak of the mind creating its own reality. But surely there is only one world—this solid earth beneath our feet, this palace around us?"

Vasishtha: "Ah, Rama, let me tell you the story of Queen Leela, and then you may judge for yourself. There was once a king named Padma who ruled a prosperous kingdom. His queen Leela loved him so deeply that she could not bear the thought of his death. Through intense devotion to Goddess Saraswati, she obtained a boon that when her husband died, his soul would remain in their palace."

Rama: "A devoted wife indeed. What happened when the king died?"

Vasishtha: "When King Padma finally left his body, his soul did remain—but not in the way Leela expected. Through Saraswati's grace, Leela's consciousness was expanded to see what had become of him. She discovered that within the space of their bedchamber—in the very air between the walls—her husband's consciousness had projected an entire new world. In that world, he was again a king named Viduratha, with a new queen, a new kingdom, new wars to fight."

Rama: "This is beyond comprehension! An entire kingdom within a single room?"

Vasishtha: "Listen further. Leela, guided by the Goddess, traveled to this inner world. There she saw her husband living a complete life—years had passed for him, though only days had passed in her realm. He did not recognize her. She watched him grow old, fight battles, and eventually face death again in that world. And within that second death, another world was born, and another, worlds within worlds without end."

Rama: "My head spins, O sage. Which world was real?"

Vasishtha: "All and none, Rama. This is the supreme teaching. Consciousness is infinite space in which countless worlds arise like dreams. Your waking world is no more solid than Padma's dream kingdom. The room that contained a universe was itself contained in a larger dream. There is no absolute 'outer' reality—only consciousness dreaming itself into countless forms."

Rama: "Then what becomes of our actions, our relationships, our loves?"

Vasishtha: "They are all real within their own context, just as dream experiences feel completely real while dreaming. But when you awaken to the truth, you see that all experiences—waking, dreaming, or imagining—are appearances in the one Consciousness that you truly are. Queen Leela eventually realized this. She saw that she too was a dream character, and in that recognition, she found liberation."

Rama: "So liberation is not going somewhere, but waking up to what already is?"

Vasishtha: "Precisely, dear prince. You are already the infinite space in which all worlds arise and dissolve. You need not travel anywhere—simply recognize what you have always been."