The Story of Queen Līlā

Once there lived a noble king named Padma, who ruled justly with his queen Līlā. She was devoted to him, but also deeply devoted to knowledge and wisdom. When the king passed away, Līlā was overcome with grief and prayed with intense concentration to the Goddess Sarasvatī for guidance.

The Goddess appeared and blessed her, saying:
“Līlā, your sorrow comes from ignorance of the truth. Your husband is not gone — he lives in another universe, another cycle of existence. If you wish, I will grant you the vision to see beyond this world.”

Through Sarasvatī’s blessing, Līlā’s mind expanded beyond the limits of time and space. She entered deep meditation and suddenly found herself in a different universe — where her husband Padma was alive again, though as another king in another realm. She saw herself too, living a different life in that universe.

Bewildered, Līlā asked Sarasvatī, “Which one is true? Is that life real, or is this life real?”

Sarasvatī replied:
“Both are real, and both are dreams. Just as in a dream you see a world full of mountains, rivers, and people — yet on waking you realize it was all within your mind — so too these universes are like dreams within Consciousness. Your mind, when expanded, can enter countless such dream-realities.”

Līlā moved across many universes, witnessing her husband living as different rulers, and herself in different forms. She realized that the mind creates entire worlds, and by the power of saṅkalpa (intention), one can enter them. Eventually, she saw that all lives are like reflections in a mirror of consciousness, arising and dissolving without beginning or end.

The Teaching

Through this story, Rishi Vasiṣṭha explains to Rāma:

1. Reality is Mental – The universe exists because of the power of consciousness, just like dream worlds.
2. Multiple Universes – Infinite universes coexist, and the mind can travel through them.
3. Liberation – True freedom is not in chasing lives across universes, but in realizing the substratum, the Pure Consciousness beyond all appearances.

Source: The story of Queen Līlā comes from the Yoga Vasiṣṭha —
a profound dialogue between Rishi Vasiṣṭha and Prince Rāma,
where many stories are told to explain the nature of reality, consciousness, and liberation.