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

Sandeha Nivarini - Post 16

Recap from previous post

Swami: Yes. 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.

Since many words are spoken, don’t get confused my dear boy! Knowledge-ignorance, wisdom-stupidity (jnana-ajnana), pure-impure consciousness —all indicate the same idea, not different ones. I shall ask you an- other question. Have you heard the word that is the opposite of “nature (prakriti)”?

Now, to the current post.

Devotee: I heard it, Swami. When I studied grammar, I learned that the opposite of prakriti is vikriti. 

Swami: What does vikriti mean?

Devotee: Vikriti means changed, transformed, derived (vikara). Agni (fire) is the original; aggi, the derived word. So, too, jama is derived from yama (control of the inner senses), janna from yajna (ritual), and so on.

Swami: So also, the Lord’s nature (prakriti) is known as knowledge (vidya), and its derived or lower form (vikriti) is known as ignorance (a-vidya). 

For knowledge or pure consciousness (suddha-sathwa), ignorance (a-vidya) or impure consciousness is the lower form.

Devotee: How is that, Swami? Knowledge (vidya) is effulgent in the Lord and ignorance (a-vidya) is apparent only because of knowledge. That is to say, the universal cosmic principle is in the Lord, and this principle itself appears as different from individual to individual —the appearance of individuals is caused by the external char- acteristics of name and form. 

This power of ignorance (a-vidya-sakthi) also manifests as an inseparable entity. For the Lord is the only existence. Therefore, that one existence is the basis or foundation for the universal and the particular, the totality as well as the apparent parts. This is Your meaning, isn’t it, Swami?

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 ...”.

Devotee: Oh, what fine teaching! Just like giving unto the hand a fruit peeled and ready to eat! This manifested total cosmos (purna) arose out of the Fullness (Purna) of unmanifested indivisible Reality —this is what you spoke of, isn’t it?

Swami: It is on account of this that we say Vasudevas-sarvamidam, Sarvamkhalvidam Brahma, etc. The words Vasudeva and Brahma are different, but there is no difference in meaning at all. Did you understand?

Devotee: It is all like nectar, Swami. But so far, you haven’t told me who I am.

Swami: This is enough for now. Next month, I ‘ll solve your doubts with illustrative examples. Grasp well what has been told. Practise; don’t forget and lay aside. Meditate on it. Well, you can take leave now. 

Dear All,

We will get further into what Swami has taught us in last 2 posts, in our next post.

Love.