CLOUD OF ERROR

Existence is Absolute, eternal, plenum, imperishable, and infinity of the infinitude. Limited adjuncts of space-time encapsulate the rest, if any, and are transient, evanescent, illusionary, and finite in finitude. This also applies to perception, cognition, and consciousness. Sage Vasistha, in his discourses with Sri Rama in Yoga-Vasistha (3.64.1-3.64.2), says the Supreme Being is the all-pervading Spirit and the Supreme and Absolute in every respect. He is infinity and is identical to Himself in the boundless happiness of His transparent introspection. The living soul and the active mind, or mens, which formed the world, have their origins in this ultimate felicity and essentially intellectual essence, which is what existed before the creation of the universe. This is Brahma, the eternal and inert happiness.

This state of supreme bliss, which is always tranquil and full of the pure essence of God, is completely indescribable and unfathomable, even for the most knowledgeable in divination. From this arose a force, a hypostasis, akin to the germ of a seed, endowed with consciousness and energy, known as the living and conscious soul, destined to endure until its ultimate liberation. The demiurge is the universe's origin and life force, an emanation of God. The enormous empty sphere of this being's mind reflects a clear mirror, etched with the visions of countless universes stacked one above the other like statues. Sage Vasistha, in his discourses with Sri Rama (Yoga-Vasistha, 3.64.5-3.64.10), proclaims that the living soul is an expansion of the Divine Spirit, analogous to the sea rising and a candle burning without wind to quench its flame. The divine spirit has a clear and peaceful consciousness, while the living soul has a limited awareness. Its vibrancy is a glimpse of Brahma's empty intellect, which relates to the essence of the living God. The living soul recognises itself as "Soham asmi'—I am He or of Him," but the Lord declares, "Aham asmi—I am that I am'." Vitality is the soul's fundamental attribute. Vitality is the soul's fundamental attribute. Like the indivisible qualities of velocity in the wind, warmth in the fire, and coldness in the ice, vitality is the fundamental attribute of the soul.

1. Outline

Existence is Plenum, Absolute, Transcendental, Infinity, Supreme Bliss, Eternal, and Imperishable. He doesn’t have any necessity for further creation or expansion. He is non-relational, omnipotent, omniform, and the supreme self of all that is visible and invisible. How can there exist a tangible body or any material substance if all we see is pure vacuity? It is the emptiness of our intellectuality, contained in the vacuity of the Divine Intellect; it is all an extension of calm and quiet intelligence, subsisting in the serene intelligence of the supreme One. All this is but the quiescent consciousness, and as a dream that we are conscious of in our waking state, it is a pure spiritual extension, though appearing as a consolidated expanse of substantial forms (Yoga-Vasistha, 7.179.1- 7.179.4).

According to sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda, He exists and was existing even before any relational attributes of space and time. He created space and time. He existed before space and time. Existence does not require space and time. Space and time are a kind of externality that is projected by Him, and He has no externality. It's just for us. Swami Krishnananda continues, asserting that the incorrect movement of consciousness creates all relational attributes, just as the dream world's deceptive space and time lead the consciousness to perceive external objects within its space-time. Dreams are capable of perceiving the entire world, but they can only exist in space-time. If there is no spacetime, there cannot be a world.

If the living soul, as per Yoga-Vasistha (3.64.10) is of finite cognisance, then the mind, if it remains unbridled, will be blanketed by a cloud of error. If that is so, whatever we cognise, perceive, or experience through our limited senses led by mind is an illusionary reflection of the Cosmic Self's manifestationary processes. Our cloud of error emanating from our mind perceives everything through a mirage. That's why the thought manufacturing machine of our mind creates myriads of insatiable desires that always remain insatiable. Swami Sivananda eloquently provides deep insight into the illusory power of Supreme Being as Maya (illusion) in his Moksha Gita.

2. Scriptures

The cloud of error emanates from the stark Reality is that Existence is Plenum, Absolute, Infinite, eternal, and rest everything is finite, evanescent, and temporal. The Yoga-Vasistha (1.28.1-1.28.43) contends that whatever we see of all that is moveable and immovable in this world is as transient as anything we see in a dream. It asserts that the body, dressed in silk clothes today and adorned with garlands and fragrances, will be bare and abandoned in a ditch tomorrow. Our ignorance of the nature of the Divine Intellect and Spirit throws us to the knowledge of ourselves by our self-consciousness, and this it is, which is called the living soul. Beyond our conscious or subjective knowledge of ourselves, we know nothing of the subjectivity of God, nor are we certain of any objective reality. It is by means of this positive consciousness that we know our egoism or self-existence; it strikes us more glaringly than a spark of fire and enlightens us to the knowledge of ourselves more than any other light (Yoga-Vasistha 3.64.11-3.64.12).

Externalisation deepens the level of ignorance, blurring the process of enlightenment. As one immerses themselves in the manifestation of desires, the process of resentment intensifies. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita (3.38) elucidates this. It says that desire obscures one's understanding in the same way as smoke obscures a fire, dust obscures a mirror, and the womb conceals an embryo.

We are participants in His act of illusion. When we gaze up at heaven, its blue vault presents itself to our sight, which is impenetrable; similarly, when we investigate the nature of the soul, we perceive just our own consciousness and nothing more. Our understanding of the soul manifests itself to us as the ego, identified with its thoughts, akin to the empty sky taking on the appearance of a blue sphere due to clouds. Egoism is subjective cognition; it separates the soul from our concepts of time and space and moves through them like a wind. The term "ego" denotes the centre of thought, also known as the intellect, soul, mind, maya, or delusion, and prakriti, or nature. The mind, which is the object of cognition, reflects the nature of basic matter, becoming the essence of the five components in and of themselves. Subsequently, the ultimate mind transforms into a fire spark (of itself) and persists as a faint star, or nebula, amongst the void of the unborn universe. When the mind focusses on its essence, it manifests like a spark of fire. Its inherent force causes the mind to gradually develop like a seed, transforming into an ordinary egg. The same blazing spark, also known as the mundane egg or Brahmanda, transformed into a snowball in the middle of the water and gave birth to the creator Brahma inside its hollow womb. Then this Brahma manifested in an embodied form for us to see, just as sensual spirits take on certain physical forms at will, even if they vanish as a magical city in the empty air. Some are immovable objects, while others are moving creatures. Some of them even enjoy taking on the form of aerials. As a result, at the beginning of creation, the first living thing had a shape that suited him. Later, in his form as Brahma, he created the world. Whatever the self-born, self-willed spirit desires to create, it seems to do so instantly and as if on its own. Because of his origin in the Divine Intellect, Brahma was by nature the prime cause of everything. Despite this, he identified human actions as the primary cause of people's changing states throughout history. Thoughts emerge in the mind naturally, like foaming water, and then subside in themselves; the activities that follow, however, bind us, like flying birds trapped in snares and ropes or passing froth. Thoughts germinate into actions, and life is all about action. Past actions can determine future consequences, while inaction produces no results. Our actions define us, and life lacks meaning without action. Every living entity, whether alive or inanimate, possesses vitality. It carries its vitality in the same way that a seed carries the germ inside its bosom; this then shoots forth in subsequent acts, much like the different shapes that trees' leaves, fruits, and flowers take on. Every other living being that manifested in different body forms had those forms bestowed upon them by Brahma, based on their deeds and inclinations in earlier Kalpas' premundane creations. This leads to the belief that the cycle of creation never ends. Personal actions therefore cause people's recurrent births and deaths in this world and others; additionally, people rise or fall in the world according to the goodness or badness of their deeds, which originate from their hearts and the essence of their souls. Our mental endeavours become our deeds, which determine our fate—good or bad—based on the virtue or vice of those deeds. Past deeds, including those from earlier Kalpas, determine everyone's chances and fortunes in the current world. This is known as their destiny. According to the scriptures, no deed is in vain, not even in a thousand Kalpas (Yoga-Vasistha 3.64.13-3.64.31).

3. Remarks

The Absolute, according to Swami Krishnananda, appears to be engaged in anything, in an act of externalising Itself, and space and time are only names for the force of externalisation. Space and time are manifestations of consciousness striving to transcend its inherent nature. In this way, the world is an illusion, possessing all the permeabilities of transience. Accordingly, the life forms of all beings in this illusionary frame are transient only. The greater the externalisation, the greater the likelihood of deception. Sri Rama (Yoga-Vasistha, 1.31.1- 1.31.27), in his erudite conversation with the assembly of sages, highlights the non-durability and unreliability of the life process. He poignantly raises pertinent questions that cloud human minds with errors of affiliation or judgement:

What can we do under the misty cloud of error that overhangs our minds and raises our tempestuous desires, which flash forth in lightnings of ambition and burst out in thunderclaps of selfishness?

How shall we save ourselves from the temptations of our desires dancing like peacocks around us?

How can we escape the grasp of cruel Fate, who, akin to a ferocious feline, dispatches the living as if they were mere mice, only to unexpectedly and unwearily fall upon his prey in an instant?

What expedient, what course, what reflections, and what refuge must we have recourse to in order to avoid the unknown tracks of future lives?

The assembly of sages, (Yoga-Vasistha, Verses 1.33.1- 1.33.37), led by Narada includes Vasistha, Viswamitra, Bhrigu, Angiras, Pulastya, Kratu, Vyasa, Pulaha, Chyavana, Uddalaka, Usira, Richika, Sarjati, Saraloma, Marichi, Durvasa, Vatsayana, Bharadwaja, Valmiki, and many more about them. The assembly of sages was appreciative of the thoughts and perspective issues raised by Sri Rama. Sri Rama expresses his thoughts well, his diction is correct, his message is plain and sweet, and it is agreeable to all. They unambiguously say, It is rare to find one man among a hundred who is so eloquent as to combine dignity and force with a clarity and sweetness that may command the admiration of all.

 -Asutosh Satpathy