From Yoga Vasishta

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Sri Rama asked Sri Vasishta: Kindly tell me again the relationship

between the Supreme Self and the jiva (the individual) with a mind.

Who is this jiva? How was he born?

 

How was he born to Supreme Self, which is only one and is without a

second?

 

Vasishta told him thus: Rama, whenever and whatever power Brahman, or

the Self, appears endowed with, it then thinks that it has that power

at that time in that manner. The jiva is that power of consciousness

(chetana sakti), which is seen from time immemorial. As the form of

sankalpa, (fixed concept, volition) full of the subtle desires of the

mind, the power of Consciousness (Chit) creates, for itself by

itself, dualism and experiences the ideas of birth, growth, decay,

and death.

 

Sri Rama asked: If the power of Consciousness, by its own nature,

obtains the ideas of birth, growth, decay, and death, what is the

meaning of saying, " This is God, this is action, and this is the

cause?

 

Vasishta replied: Rama, the real nature of wind, the nature of which

is movement and non-movement, is supposed to be in the sky.

Similarly, the play of creation and destruction by Consciousness

appears as the world. There is no power except Consciousness, which

creates when mingled with rajas, activity; when it is not, it remains

calm. The Consciousness, due to unaccountable or indefinable

ignorance pertaining to the Self, thinks that it is mind. This is

called Cit-spandana, the vacillation of Consciousness by the wise.

The vacillation of the Consciousness is the world. Its non-

vacillation is the Brahman. The jiva, the actions, the causes of the

body, and God are different stages and names of the movement of the

Consciousness.

 

It is evident that the movement of the Consciousness is the chaitanya

(awareness, sentience), which is the form of experience. This is

called jiva, the cause of samsara etc. The reason for the bodies is

the illusion of dualism. The chidabhasa (reflected light of

Consciousness, or the distortion of Consciousness), is the result of

the reflection of chaitanya in the ignorance that depends upon it.

The pure Consciousness, as chaitanya and due to ignorance created by

itself, appears in the world with innumerable different forms, by its

own desire, takes births through innumerable wombs.

 

Thus, the caitanya, entering thousands and thousands of wombs, quite

various, and as the cause of birth, remains for long in samsara due

to lethargy and effortlessness, but it attains Liberation, in only

one birth, by serious Self-effort with great discrimination.

Chaitanya takes the form of whatever object attracts it toward it. It

becomes mixed with the subtle elements, and manifests in the form of

the semen from the father mixing with the sonita (a term usually

applied for Soma, but here used for female fluids or an ovum) of the

mother and obtains bodies. These, thus, become the causes of bondage,

heaven, or Liberation. The chaitanya is only one, but appears as

different due to mixing itself with different limiting adjuncts

(upadhis), like the father and the son. Gold is only one, but it

appears as different in several forms. Similarly, the chaitanya is

only one but, being in innumerable bodies, appears as if different.

As the bodies change with the five elements, they look like quite

different.

 

Hence, though Consciousness is eternal, it is under the sway of

illusion and thinks, " I am born; I died. " The fall in a dream, though

false, appears to be real. Similarly, the mind immersed in attachment

and confusion, experiences the false births and death. Lavana, the

king of Mathura, was ruled by a pariah (untouchable), and so he

believed that he was a chandala, a pariah (untouchable). The mind

immersed in avidya, ignorance, thinks that the Self is the world.

From the peaceful ocean, small ripples come forth. In the same way,

from the calm first cause, Consciousness, ready to create, is born

that which is just a change of mind. In the ocean of Brahman, full of

the waters of Consciousness, the whirlwinds or eddies of the jivas,

the waves of the minds, and the bubbles of heaven and earth arise, O

Rama. The exuberance of the illusion, that is naturally in the

Supreme Brahman, which is all and is capable of destroying the

illusion and is all-powerful, shines as " I " and appears as drisya

(the object, the seen). The jiva, the mind full of desires,

intelligence, thought, egoism and illusion are different names of

chit (Consciousness). It is the mind that creates the tanmatra-s

(subtle elements) and expands as the false world, which appears as if

true, just like the town of the Gandharva-s. The magic show of the

world by the mind is as good as the appearance of pearls in the sky

and the objects in a dream.

 

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This will continue tomorrow.

 

Not two,

richard