Sandeha Nivarini - Post 17

Dear All,

Swami has explained awareness / chit in the 2 previous posts. He has summarized "awareness" in these 2 answers.

Swami :  Awareness has another name: pure consciousness (suddha sathwa). It is as opposed to the impure consciousness as knowledge (vidya) is to ignorance (a-vidya).  

Impure consciousness is inherent in the pure as much as darkness is inherent in light.

Swami: That is why the Lord is referred to as truth (sathya) and Brahman. This truth is indivisible (akhanda). It is non-dual (a-dwaitha). It is without end. In the Upanishads, this truth, which is associated with the unmanifested power of illusion (maya-sakthi), is called the Full (Purna), “That (Adah)”. The truth associated with the manifested power of illusion is called the Full, “This (Idam)”. This is the secret of the Upanishadic mantra “Purnamadah Purnamida ...”.

Author's note

We so often hear this expression "sat chit ananda". It also is found in many Sai Bhajans. "Satchitananda Prabho Daya Karo Prem De ..........." and many more bhajans.

Now what is this chit or pure consciousness as expressed by Swami??

A recap derived from Janaka's story, taken up in the theme "Essence of Vedantha" and may be once earlier also, may be of use here.

• When we are in waking state, the same source / Spirit is within us which gives us  various experience
• When we are in dream state, still it is the same spirit / source which is fetching us the dream experience.
• When we are in a deep sleep state, it is the same spirit / source that gives us an experience on the next day that we had a wonderful deep sleep on the previous night. Thus, the same source exists which gives us the experience of "no experience" during deep sleep. 

So, while the states are different, the one spirit / source is the only constant spirit / God / SELF within us which illumines our intellect / senses  which in turn give us various experience in all the three states.

This one source which is illuming all our experience in all the three states - waking, dream and deep sleep, is PURE AWARENESS or CHIT or PURE CONSCIOUSNESS. 

Why we human beings are not able to experience this pure consciousness / awareness all the time?? 

• This pure awareness illumines all our states - waking, dream and deep sleep. Correct?? We have learnt this already.  It has to be crystal clear . In deep sleep, our mind is not working, our intellect is also not working. Then WHO / WHAT is THAT which gives us the experience of "NO EXPERIENCE" when we wake up to say on the next day that we had a nice sleep with no dreams???? Who was there, watching us, knowing  that we had no dream and conveying to us (making us aware) of this dream less sound sleep??? This is CHIT or Pure consciousness.
• This pure consciousness, when it illumines us, it illumines our intellect and from intellect, this gets reflected to our mind and then through the mind, to our senses.
• To understand the above, we can correlate the same with the sunshine falling on a mirror and then getting reflected from the mirror in the place where the mirror is. 
• Basic and fundamental error which we human beings commit is  that "WE RECOGNIZE THIS CONSCIOUSNESS ONLY FROM THE STAGE IT HAS GOT REFLECTED AND HAS TOUCHED OUR MIND OR EVEN MORE PRECISELY, OUR SENSES". 
• Once pure consciousness is recognized in relation to our mind , then it becomes EGO. 
• So, our basic existence starts from this EGO of identifying the pure awareness as we, with our body, our mind, our senses!!!
• It is like this. We stand in front of a mirror, we see our face in the mirror. If we fail to recognize us as our actual face and instead, we end up believing that we are the one which is there in the mirror, then what happens???? Is it not a false identity???

continued.......

Swami Sivananda

Oneness of Self or oneness of Existence is Reality, and the realisation of this Reality is Moksha.

Moksha is the breaking down of the barriers that constitute separate existence. Moksha is the absolute state of Being, where the unity of all-pervading and all-permeating consciousness is realised with certainty, like that of an orange which we see in our palm.

Moksha is not an attainment of liberation from an actual state of bondage, but is the realisation of the liberation which already exists. It is freedom from the false notion of bondage.

The individual soul feels itself to be in bondage on account of ignorance caused by the power of Avidya. When the false belief caused by delusion is removed by Knowledge of Atman, the state of Moksha is realised then and there, in this very life. It is not to follow after death.

The cause of delusion is the desire in man. The desires generate the thought-waves, and the thought-waves veil the real nature of the Soul which is blissful, immortal, and eternal. When the desires are annihilated, Knowledge of Brahman dawns on the individual.

Knowledge of Brahman is not an action. You cannot reach Brahman even as you cannot reach yourself except by knowing yourself. Knowledge of Brahman is absolute and direct. It is intuitive experience.

 - Swami Sivananda