Spiritual Wisdom from Gita - Part 1

Athma Jnana from Gita

Soul and Body:

Soul and body are the two components of an individual (consciousness and matter). Soul can know and experience its own existence and that of body also. So soul otherwise is called consciousness. But body or matter cannot experience its own existence or of other bodies. So the soul is considered as 'alive' and body is considered as 'inert'. Soul or consciousness is independent and non-relative. Body or matter is dependent and relative.

Body is not alive and so it is subjected to transformation or change. Body has the nature of birth, existence, growth, transform, decline and ruin. Even if body has all these changes, the soul is without any change.

An individual experiences outer world by the presence of soul or consciousness. Without consciousness there cannot be any experience. Senses help to experience every thing in the universe. Senses and sense matters(vishaya) can be considered as relative aspects on the consciousness. Senses(indriya) and vishaya have no existence without depending on consciousness. If vishaya and indriya are removed then consciousness starts to shine.

Soul is alive and body is inert. Body cannot leave its inertness and soul will not become inert. An individual (jiva) is a combination of these two components, soul and body (consciousness and matter). So a jiva cannot show full characteristics of either soul or matter, but shows a mixed characteristic. Thus by combining with soul, the inert body or matter seems to be with 'liveliness' and with emotions like happiness. Similarly the soul seems to be affected with emotions like sorrows. Here in this circumstance, the eternal soul with ananda happens to forget its real nature. Soul becomes confused as affected with birth and death. All these feelings comes because of the effect of senses and mind. So, for the soul, how to overcome these false state? As a solution to this, the soul has to remain free from the characteristics of body or matter. Soul has to be free from the effects of senses and mind.

Consciousness and Matter

Consciousness and matter are the two components on the existence of universe. Consciousness is the one and only object that has the capability of knowing its own existence and that of others and so it is alive. Matter do not have this capability and so it is inert. Matter is with nothingness in real existence. Consciousness or soul is the one and only object or thing that really exist. All matters or things in this whole universe is considered as just 'names and forms' on the eternal consciousness. These are seem as existing but without consciousness they do not have existence. All living and non living things are just virtual 'scenes' on consciousness. These scenes appear and disappear, but nothing is happened to soul. Now the modern science also proved that all the things that are seen in this universe are merely energy.

The ultimate cause of universe

The inert matters are just 'names and forms'. They appear and disappear on consciousness or soul. The cause of all names and forms that are seen as universe is consciousness (soul or Brahma or Paramathma). As everything is just the names and forms on consciousness, they are nothing else but consciousness itself. So, the consciousness fills up totally in the universe. It is all pervading and undivided truth. It has no beginning or no ending.

Individual Soul or Jivathma

Soul has no beginning and no ending. It has no birth and no death. It is free from all changes and ruin. Consciousness was into being before the formation of all bodies. No destruction is happened to the soul when body is destroyed.

Paramathma or Supreme Consciousness

Consciousness is eternal. No ruin can happen to the soul by time, it is ever existing. Soul does not end by the permeation of space. It does not vibrate or move. It is without emotion. Always it knows its existence. It is always into being. In such a circumstance there is no possibility to exist for any other thing. Nothing can originate from the above said condition. So in a final analysis, all the vision of those inert matters in universe can only be considered as just mirage in a desert.

Levels of Consciousness

States of experiencing

Universe is a series of experiences that comes one after another. If we cannot experience anything then there is no universe. The existence of universe happens because of the capability to experience universe. How we become capable of experiencing everything? It is because of consciousness. It is the ultimate center of knowing. Without consciousness the budhi or mind or senses cannot function. Without consciousness there will not be any experience for us. There are different levels of consciousness or experiencing. Our states of experience or levels of consciousness starts from the level of senses. We experience the outer world through senses. Behind senses there are  sense matters(vishayas). Beyond this, is the mind. Then the budhi. Beyond the budhi is prana. When prana is crossed there is the vague state. When this state is crossed there is the pure consciousness. Beyond this there is no states. This is the ultimate level of consciousness or the superior state of experience or existence.

First level of consciousness - The level of Senses

The experience starts from senses. We experience every thing in this universe, including our own body, through five senses(eyes, ears, nose, skin and tongue). Senses are the tools that happen the experiences of matter or things. This is true not only for humans but also for all living beings. Without senses there cannot be any experience of things and without it there cannot be any experience of universe.

Second level of consciousness - The level of Vishaya

Experience of five basic substances(vishaya- subtle form of sound, touch, taste, form and smell) are happened because of the five senses. The experience of physical world happens when five senses start experiencing the vishayas from subtle level to  physical level. In the physical level the senses experience different things as 'names and forms'. When sense-experiences in physical level are turned inward, then experience goes to subtle level.

Third level of consciousness - The level of Mind

The experience that is seen behind vishaya is mind. When senses create the experiences of vishayas, this in turn create different imaginations, thoughts, feelings and emotions. Mind is the totality of such emotions. Mind field has no stability, it changes from time to time. Humans, most of the time, stay in the superficial level of senses, vishaya and mind. They come very rarely even in the level of budhi.

Fourth level of consciousness - The level of Budhi

Budhi is the state of experience behind mind. The filed of budhi becomes obvious only when vibration of mind becomes less. When mind becomes quiet there the budhi starts to function. Happiness lies in this state by stilling the mind. But humans cannot go into the state naturally. Their mind becomes still and goes into the field of budhi and enjoys when they connect with some pleasureful experiences of senses.There, they find happiness or joy in sensual pleasures.

Fifth level of consciousness - The level of Prana

This level of prana(energy) is beyond budhi. At the peak level of Budhi, it withdraws from mind level and turns inward. When budhi becomes detached from the state of experiencing happiness, it crosses that level. There is the level of prana or energy. When budhi merges into prana, all experiences, including the experience of own body, are seen emerging from a singular consciouss point.

Sixth level of consciousness - The Vague level

In all the above levels there is an 'aham' or the feeling of "I" who experiences those states. When prana spandana(vibration of energy) also becomes quiet then the 'aham' also vanishes. It resembles the deep sleep state. Here in this state, all vibrations and all scenes of things totally vanishes. All perception of senses and mind become totally destroyed in this stage. Here is no experience of 'names and forms'. But there starts an indirect shine of pure consciousness. Totally is a vague experience.

Seventh level of consciousness - The level of Bodha or Pure Consciousness

By the disappearance of the last trace of 'aham', the vague veil that covered the truth is destroyed. Then here the ultimate truth shines and becomes unveiled. The aham and the consciousness becomes one and merges here. So there is no further way to proceed and it demarcates the final and ultimate state of experience that one can proceed. This is the stage where all happiness become condensed. Here lies the non-dual state of consciousness. It is having no vibration, no karma, no feelings. Sat-Chit-Ananda.