CONSCIOUSNESS

Consciousness is not limited to words, thoughts, or perception but rather goes beyond the level of cognition and awareness. It is beyond the reach of any description by words or mind. Swami Sivananda says words and languages are imperfect to adequately express our thoughts and ideas on consciousness.

Rather, it may be expressed, if not imperfectly, as inward awareness to perceive the Ātman (inner spirit or inner self) embodied in every being. It is an elevating experience towards the realisation of divine consciousness and ultimate supreme consciousness, or Brahmān (Supreme Being, or Cosmic Self) consciousness. That way, it is an undifferenciated part of the universal self, or Brahmān. It is the core self of every creature or being. It transmigrates on the demise of the ephemeral gross body (Sthula sarira) to remain unmanifest until its migration to another one. This process goes on until full liberation, or moksha.

The Self is the Ātman (inner self or inner spirit) within every being and not the objects outside. The purpose of the perceiver is to perceive the Ātman. The inner spirit is eternal, invisible, imperishable, and unchanging. It exists beyond the grasp of our ordinary senses and can only be perceived by a true perceiver. Self-realised beings, with their senses turned away from sense objects, see the Ātman within.

1. Outline

The universe is not just conscious; it is consciousness, and this consciousness is Brahmān. Consciousness, which is designated as the Ātman, the subtlest, and the smallest, is indivisible. It cannot be partitioned; it cannot be conceived as having parts within itself; it has no internal distinctions. This is an essential characteristic of consciousness, which is the Ātman.

Swami Krishnananda says that consciousness is divinity that is present immanently both in the subjective and  objective sides and yet remains transcendent to both the subject and the object.

An analysis of the nature of the world discloses its dependence on a reality higher than its own. It is subject to a teleological direction in its movements towards an end beyond itself. Dissatisfaction with the superficial experiences that one has in life is a tacit admission of a higher standard, so says Swami Krishnananda.

Adi Shankaracharya aphoristically says, "These are three things that are rare indeed and are due to the grace of God, namely, a human birth, the longing for Liberation, and the protecting care of a perfected sage... Let people quote the Scriptures and sacrifice to the gods; let them perform rituals and worship the deities; but there is no Liberation without the realisation of one’s identity with the Ātman—not even in the lifetime of a hundred Brahmas put together. There is no hope of immortality by means of riches; such indeed is the declaration of the Vedas. Hence, it is clear that work cannot be the cause of Liberation...The man who discriminates between the Real and the unreal, whose mind is turned away from the unreal, who possesses calmness and the allied virtues, and who is longing for Liberation, is alone considered qualified to enquire after Brahmān."

The ultimate pathway to consciousness is to realise supreme consciousness, or Brahmān consciousness. The universe is not just conscious; it is consciousness, and this consciousness is Brahmān. Brahmān is Sat-Chit-Anand (Eternal Truth, Eternal Consciousness, and Eternal Bliss). 

Brahma-Saṁhitā (5.1) says

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

Sri Krishna, who is known as Govinda, is Sat-Chit-Anand. He has an eternally blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all He has no other origin, and He is the prime cause of all causes. He is the exalted Supreme entity, having an eternal name, an eternal form, an eternal attribution, and eternal pastimes.

Sri Krishna in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita says:

mayy āveśhya mano ye māṁ nitya-yuktā upāsate

śhraddhayā parayopetās te me yuktatamā matāḥ

Those who fix their minds on Me and always engage in My devotion with steadfast faith, I consider to be the best yogis.

ye tv akṣharam anirdeśhyam avyaktaṁ paryupāsate

sarvatra-gam achintyañcha kūṭa-stham achalandhruvam

sanniyamyendriya-grāmaṁ sarvatra sama-buddhayaḥ

te prāpnuvanti mām eva sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ

Sri Krishna says: But those who worship the formless aspect of the Absolute Truth—the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the all-pervading, the unthinkable, the unchanging, the eternal, and the immoveable—by restraining their senses and being even-minded everywhere, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all beings, also attain Me.

  2. Level and Identity

Variation in the level of consciousness when the being forgets its identity, that of Brahmān, and considers itself as a separate entity having its body-mind-intellect complex.

The level of coscousness is related to a being’s identification. The kind or level is related to the way of identification. Swami Sivananda identifies the various kinds depending on the mode of realisation of consciousness.

2.1. Physical consciousness: At the level of the physical plane through sense perception, seeing, feeling, thinking, knowing, willing, and exerting.

2.2. Astral consciousness: At the level of the astral plane with the astral body when the Atman transcends the physical body.

2.3. Mental consciousness: When one operates on the mental plane with the mental body.

2.4. Divine consciousness: At the level of expanded consciousness with lower Divya Drishti (Divine sight) of the Etheric body in an Etheric plane following transcending the mind and identification with individual Karana Sarira or causal body.

2.5. Prajna consciousness, or lower Prakamya: At a cosmic level of cosmic consciousness. This is Purushottama consciousness with Adi Sakti, Para Prakriti, or Avyaktam. 

2.6. Nirguna consciousness: It is also called Para Brahmān, Ananta consciousness, and the Highest end of human life (Kaivalya). It is very difficult to rest here for a long time.

This is Higher Prakamya. Consciousness is Brahmān, which refers to its supra-essential essence, not its accidental attributes, as creatorship.

Swami Sivananda says that the "Svarupa Lakshana of Brahmān is Sat-Chit-Ananda. Tatastha Lakshana of Brahmān is Ishvara with powers of omnipotence, omniscience, etc.

When we take the Tatastha Lakshana of Brahman, Ishvara has the full consciousness of Nirguna Brahmān (unmanifest, without qualities, without attributes, without form, and supreme), as well as the whole cosmic consciousness. Here, Saguna Brahmān is identical with pure Nirguna Brahmān. This is Avachheda Vada. This is the doctrine of limitation. There is only Nirguna Brahmān. Saguna Brahmān (manifest, full of attributes, and supreme) is a mere appearance for the sake of the pious meditation of Bhaktas (devotees)."

Srimad Bhagavatam also says that Saguna Brahmān is identical with pure Nirguna Brahmān.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate (ŚB 1.2.11)

Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahmān, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.

The Absolute Truth is both subject and object, and there is no qualitative difference there. Therefore, Brahmān, Paramātmā and Bhagavān are qualitatively one and the same. The same substance is realised as impersonal Brahmān by the students of the Upanishads, as localised Paramātmā by the Hiraṇyagarbhas or the yogīs, and as Bhagavān by the devotees.

3. Pathways.

The essential qualities to raise the cosciousness level are clearly enunciated in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, wherein Sri Krishna stresses on Humbleness; freedom from hypocrisy; non-violence; forgiveness; simplicity; service of the Guru; cleanliness of body and mind; steadfastness; and self-control; dispassion towards the objects of the senses; absence of egotism; keeping in mind the evils of birth, disease, old age, and death; non-attachment; absence of clinging to spouse, children, home, and so on; even-mindedness amidst desired and undesired events in life; constant and exclusive devotion towards Me; an inclination for solitary places and an aversion for mundane society; constancy in spiritual knowledge; and philosophical pursuit of the Absolute Truth—all these I declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to it, I call ignorance.

It is well observed in the Srimad Bagavad Gita.

evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā sanstabhyātmānam ātmanā

jahi śhatruṁ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam

Thus, knowing the soul to be superior to the material intellect, subdue the lower self (senses, mind, and intellect) by the higher self (strength of the soul) and kill this formidable enemy called lust.

In the Vivekchudamani, Sri Shankaracharya puts emphasis on the application of Vivek (discrimination between the real and the unreal) to discriminate between the inner and outer selves. The outer self gives sensual gratification, whereas the inner self gives Sat-Chit-Anand (Eternal Truth-Eternal Consciousness-Eternal Bliss). He says, "One should recover oneself, immersed in the sea of birth and death, by means of devotion to right discrimination."

Ramana Maharsi says: To all deep-thinking minds, the inquiry about the "I" and its nature has an irresistible fascination. Self-enquiry is the only infallible and direct means to realise the unconditioned, absolute being that you really are. The term "I-I" represents the union of the individual self (the "I") with the ultimate reality (also the "I"), which is said to be identical with the self. According to this philosophy, the true nature of the self is not limited to the individual ego but rather is a universal consciousness that underlies all of existence.

Swami Sivananda teaches that God is within us, and whatever we see, hear, touch, or feel is also a manifestation of God alone. He saw only God in all existence.

The Ātman is eternal, invisible, imperishable, and unchanging. It exists beyond the grasp of our ordinary senses and can only be perceived by a true perceiver. while the other mechanism is ephemeral. However, the fact is that body-mind-intellect needs to be fostered under control as it embodies the Atman within its fold. The Atman simultaneously needs to be nurtured to raise the consciousness level to its fullest potential.

3. Remarks

The ultimate consciousness is Brahmān. The Upanisadik terms ‘Brahmān‘ and ‘Ātman‘ (the Inner Spirit) indicate the highest Truth and Reality, which are non-dual. The Supreme Being is nirguna (attributeless), nirakara (formless), and nirvisesa (traitless), that is, without the gunas or attributes, formless, without any special characteristics, immutable, eternal, and akarta (non-agent). Brahmān is above all needs and desires; it is always the witnessing subject; it can never become the object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. It is non-dual. Without a second, in Brahmān, there is no distinction between substance and attributes. Brahmān, the Absolute, is Existence (sat), Consciousness (chit), and Bliss (änanda). These form the svarupa of Brahmān.

Ramana Maharshi says: To all deep-thinking minds, the inquiry about the "I" and its nature has an irresistible fascination towards the realisation of Supreme Consciousness... Self-enquiry is the only infallible and direct means to realise the unconditioned, absolute being that you really are.

-Asutosh Satpathy