The need for Vijnanam

 (adapted from my article “Jnanam and Vijnanam” published in Medha, annual journal of Sydney Sanskrit school)

Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in the beginning of chapter 7 of Bhagavad Gita

ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः।(Jnaanam te’ham savijnaanam idam vakshyaamyasheshatah)
यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते।।(Yajjnaatwaa neha bhooyo’nyaj jnaatavyamavashishyate)

I shall completely impart to you this Jnanam along with Vijnanam gaining which knowledge nothing more remains to be known in this life.

Let us explore the two words Jnanam and Vijnanam in the context of Lord Krishna’s advice to Arjuna and the need for Vijnanam  to foster religious unity in our faction-ridden world.

In the closing verse of previous chapter, namely chapter 6, Lord Krishna stated that that the yogi who devoutly worships Him with his mind fully focussed on Him is the best of yogis. In the following verse, which is the first verse in this chapter,  Lord Krishna stated how He can be known in full without any doubt.  We should remember here that Lord Krishna is not speaking these words as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva but as the cosmic Supreme, who has taken the mortal body for the protection of the virtuous and destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of Dharma (Ch.4 – 8).

Cosmic Supreme is defined in Upanishads as Brahman.  Brahman which means “Big one” is only an indicator and not a name and it only means It is bigger than whatever big you can think of or however big you can conceive.  Hereafter we will refer to the Cosmic Supreme, as Brahman only.  Brahman is spoken of as being of two natures, one with the three gunas, satva, rajas and tamas unmanifest, called Nirguna Brahman or simply as Brahman and the other with these three gunas manifest called Saguna Brahman or Iswara. The three gunas together are known as Prakrithi or nature and also as Maya. Maya does not mean an illusion, as ordinarily understood, but refers to the phenomenon which is valid for all our ordinary experiences but is proved false on investigation. When something is referred to as Maya what it really means is that it is not really what it appears to be. A common everyday experience of Maya is sunrise and sunset.  The time of sunrise and sunset is given in print media, displayed on TV screen and we also experience sunrise and sunset.  But does sun really rise or set?  No, it is only the earth’s rotation that creates this phenomenon and all of us are aware of this fact, even while talking or referring about sunrise and sunset. That is why Swami Vivekananda referred to Maya as a simple statement of facts as it is.  The Nirguna Brahman, which is the One without a second, and which is the Absolute Truth, is referred to by Lord Krishna, in verse 5 of the same chapter as His Higher nature that forms the adhishtanam for the whole Universe.  The knowledge of this Nirguna Brahman is referred to here as Vijnanam, visesha Jnanam and Jnanam refers only to the knowledge of Saguna Brahman or Iswara.    It is Vijnanam that makes Jnanam complete and whole as Iswara’s higher nature is Nirguna Brahman.   Only with Vijnanam we can truly imbibe the spirit of the pregnant Rig Veda mantra ‘एकं  सत्  विप्रा  बहुधा  वदन्ति ‘ (Ekam sat viprah bahudha vadanti) meaning “Truth is one, learned men call it by various names”  

We will now examine how Vijnanam, the knowledge of Nirguna Brahman can contribute to religious harmony and unity of humanity.  Kena Upanishad first reveals pure Consciousness, also called Athma, as the power behind all our powers of cognition. The pure Consciousness is an independent principle which is not part, product or property of the body and it enlivens the body- mind complex, which is made of pancha bhuthas.  The pancha bhuthas are inert by themselves and so the body mind complex as their compound is also inert.  It is only the blessings of pure Consciousness that makes the body mind complex sentient.  Later the Upanishad goes on to equate this pure Consciousness with Nirguna Brahman.  From this we conclude that Nirguna Brahman as pure Consciousness, enlivens all body mind complexes, irrespective of sex, age, race, religion. colour and nation.  So when you have Vijnanam, you realise that the consciousness principle that enlivens your body mind complex is the same One that enlivens all other body mind complexes.  You also realise that whatever be the external differences the internal power that makes people move and function as sentient human beings is the same.  This power is the Nirguna Brahman, the pure Consciousness, referred to as Sat in the Rig Veda mantra. It is One only without a second and it is this One which is called by many names in its other nature as Iswara.

Kena Upanishad also makes it clear that the forms which are worshipped, are only that of Iswara and not that of Brahman.  Iswara is the one that is commonly referred to as God and worshipped in different forms or symbols under different names.  This Iswara only is the srishti, sthithi, laya karanam.  Since it is worshipped in different forms or symbols, the worshippers of each symbol or form feel theirs is the true God and all other representations are false/inferior Gods, when worshippers’ knowledge stops with Iswara without extending to Nirguna Brahman, the higher nature of Brahman i.e. with Jnanam without extending to Vijnanam.  So people with Jnanam only without the Vijnanam are only aware of the dividing factors that separate them and miss the uniting principle. So Jnanam alone without Vijnanam had been and is the breeding ground of religious fanaticism and intolerance, This and the resulting zeal for conversion has been the cause for fights and wars, not to speak of present day terrorism, in the name of religion. With Vijnanam you see not only the One Brahman in all, but also all in One Brahman, and know this Brahman is none other than your own real Self.

Burt Harding, one of the advaita teachers of west, presents the same idea in different words.  He says in his satsanghs that human being is a mix of human and Being.  Being is the Oneness principle, the word he uses for Brahman, which is same in all human beings, irrespective of their race, religion, colour, sex or sect or nationality.  When people’s knowledge stops with the 'human' only, without the knowledge of the 'Being', there is emphasis on factors that divide humanity.  When it extends to 'Being' and one discovers that his real Self is the Being that is Oneness and not the human, which is ego, then one sees the intrinsic unity of all people i.e. pure consciousness and does not see others separate from oneself.  Deepak Chopra, another advaita teacher, calls this knowing state of mind as the state of Unity Consciousness. Vijnanam leads one to this Unity Consciousness that is necessary to achieve the principle of real brotherhood among humanity. 

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Sampradaya and dimensions of Consciousness

In my blog “Dimensions of Consciousness” I had tried to relate the views of Burt Harding and Deepak Chopra, modern advaita philosophers of west, who had defined the dimensions of Consciousness in terms of growth in awareness of one’s true Self, to different stages of purification of mind in the path of discovery of one’s real Self.  I had received comments from well-meaning friends that talking of dimensions in the case of Consciousness is not sampradaya.  Since somebody else may be feeling that way without recording, I thought, I may record my views as a matter of clarification. 

Yes, it is not strictly sampradaya but it is not totally new as well.  We can find instances in Sruthi and Smrithi where waking consciousness, dream consciousness and deep sleep consciousness are defined separately and given particular names.  In Mandukya Upanishad, Athma which is the pure Consciousness is said to have four padas.  First pada is the consciousness associated with the waking state called Viswa, the second pada is consciousness associated with dream state which is called Taijasa, and the third pada is the consciousness associated with deep sleep state which is called Prajna.  In Vedanta Sara , Sri Sadananda Yogindra Saraswathi terms Viswa as Consciousness associated with gross body (Sthula sareera), Taijasa as consciousness associated with subtle body(Sukshma sareera) and Prajna as consciousness associated with causal body(Karana sareera).  What can be associated with one of the three states(avasthas) or one of the three bodies(sareeras)  can only be the individual Consciousness, the Consciousness that manifests in individual mind and makes it sentient.

The fourth pada is the pure Consciousness which is present as unassociated witness in all the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep and is called the Fourth in Mandukya Upanishad and as Turiyam in Vedanta Sara and in Karika.  Turiyam is also not associated with the three bodies being asanga, as per Vedanta Sara.  Turiyam is nothing but Brahman, the cosmic Supreme. One who realizes Turiyam as one’s real Self, and stays in that state of realisation all the time, even while interacting with the external world is aware of the unity of all living beings as Turiyam and in Turiyam, and has attained the highest  state  of realisation. This highest state of realisation was called as the state of Unity Consciousness by Deepak Chopra and this is the seventh and the highest dimension.  For that person who has evolved to the seventh dimension, there is only life of being and not of becoming.  In that state of realisation, one lives and interacts with the external world, with the inner realisation that he is not in the body but the body is in him.

As for the first three dimensions and the final seventh dimension only the name differs and not description of the state as compared to sampradaya.  Further the path to Self Realisation is marked by the following stages sadhana-wise in scriptures:  

1.  achieving purification of mind (chitta suddhi) through karma yoga
2. achieving one pointedness of thoughts ( chitta ekagratha) through upasana yoga
3. getting doubt-free Self-knowledge (Athma jnanam)  through sravanam and mananam

These sadhana-wise stages can be also described as dimension 4,5 &6 of Consciousness.  In my blog I have chosen to define knowledge-wise stages as dimensions as they correspond well with the names used by Deepak Chopra for the different dimensions.   So here only the idiom is different, but import is the same.  Whether it is in defining dimensions of conscience or in describing human being as a mix of mortal human and immortal, infinite Being, substance is not sacrificed , only presentation differs. 

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Dimensions of Consciousness

I had sent to Burt Harding the link to my blog “Being-the Oneness”.  He was good enough to respond and in his reply while appreciating the blog, he also made a comment which I am reproducing below.

“One point I would like to stress dear Sam is that while this knowledge is excellent yet we are entering the 4^th dimension and we are living in extremely consciousness-shifting times when everyone’s values are being challenged to be met and transcended.  Therefore, in view of this, the ‘Life-Energy’ is shifting from the emphasis of clearing the past as done in modern therapies to the SEEING of What-Is at the moment as already Divine.  It is this SEEING that is bringing the mass awakening of humanity.  This also means that the human is not seen as something ‘bad’ but as a catalyst for greater growth and acceptance.” 

I was intrigued by his reference to ‘4^th dimension’ and ‘consciousness-shifting’.  For as per my reading, Consciousness is nirvikara, i.e. it does not undergo any modifications and is One only without gradations, which means it is free of levels as well. Also it is all-pervading.  So where it can shift to?  So I wrote back seeking clarification mentioning my doubt as follows.

“In your comment you are making a mention of our entering into fourth dimension.  This I had also heard you mention in your satsangh.  Is it the consciousness you are referring to as the fourth dimension, the body, mind and intellect being other dimensions?   And is it the awakening to consciousness as our Real Self the entering into fourth dimension?  You can briefly clarify, at your leisure.”

Quick came his reply with the clarification which is as follows:

“The question you asked is fully loaded and requires some research to understand it more.  You see, we are all born human being – as you know it is BEING playing the human role.  While BEING is already perfect, the human is what is needed to learn from and its evolution is what creates this seeming universe.  Evolution is the gradual growth of the human getting to know its own true nature through seeming ‘time.’  Dimensions are levels of deeper conscious understanding of this ‘seeming’ process.  It is like the years of physical life for in this lifetime.  We start as infants, then children ready to walk and talk, then develop ego around 3 or 4 years old, then the difficult years of teenage-hood then the slow maturity to greater unfoldment. 

During the war years we lived in the 3^rd dimension level of consciousness where everything was either white or black, good or bad, right or wrong etc.  This was a time of great conflict of the physical knowing of our world where three-dimensions (height, width and depth) predominated our consciousness.  At this time we completely believed the world was real and material.  Therefore religions had more power over the people.  Then we started entering the 4^th dimension around the years of the 60’s where sexual revolution, outmoded ideas where beginning to be seen.  This is a time of emphasis on emotions where people began to get in touch with what they felt more than just beliefs.  Thus many atheists arose around this time.  There were also more intellectuals asking deeper questions. Still the word ‘God’ became taboo for most intellectuals. 

 Now in this year of 2013 we are entering the deeper side of the 4^th dimension that is transcending time and space.  For example, technology such as iphones, advanced computers,skyping are proving that time and space are illusory.  However, what is most important at this time is GOD and its realization.  This is a time for vibrational transformation where words alone are not enough; where scriptures and teachings are not enough but deeper recognition that GOD is all there is.  GOD is love; God is perfect and absolute unconditional love and many people are awakening to that knowing beyond words by awakening their insightful heart.  Also there is greater acceptance of the human as a longing and yearning for God whether it is expressed in drinking, drugs or sexual exploits or through needs and seeking of love through relationships, greater understanding of each other and so on.  In other words, it doesn’t matter how one lives their life, behind their suffering is a yearning for God without knowing it.  All human seeking is a seeking of BEING (God). 

When we start seeing clearly how everything we do, seek and want is God above all because it is all there is, then our love nature flowers like never before and start recognizing our Oneness. Thus in a few years we will be entering the 5th dimension where all our values of the past will drop away and what is left is truly the Divine Nature of Humanity.”

After reflection on what Burt has said I replied to Burt as follows: “I went through your detailed comment carefully and took time to think about it.  I think you are referring to the individual consciousness manifested in the mind of the individual as consciousness, as this can have only dimensions of growth based on the evolution of the mind from the animalistic origin to the divine nature, which is the true Self of the human, the Being.  ---------  In Advaita Vedanta texts, pure Consciousness is referred to as Chit and the manifestation in mind, Chitabhasa, meaning reflection in the mind. So when I translate Awareness to Chit and consciousness to Chitabhasa, I am able to understand and agree with what you say.” 

Proceeding on this premise and calling Chitabhasa as individual consciousness, to distinguish it from pure Consciousness, we can see individual consciousness also moves to a higher dimension as the reflecting medium, when the mind is refined through spiritual studies, satsanghs, spiritual practices and studying with a teacher.  I shall hereafter refer to pure Consciousness as Chaithanyam and Chithabhasa, the individual Consciousness as simply Consciousness.  Swami Ranganathananda remarks "Spirituality is not a mere scholarship; it is being and becoming in the words of Swami Vivekananda: it is growth, development and realisation.  Spiritual knowledge, unlike scholarship does not arise in the mind of man if  it is morally impure”  Unless the mind is made subtle and refined through sadhanas while leading a good moral life, the knowledge will not get assimilated and become part of oneself however much one hears or reads.  When knowledge is absorbed and becomes part of oneself,  then this knowledge of Self, Athma Jnanam, will be available, at all times. So there can be stages of growth in Consciousness depending on the growth in subtlety of the mind.  These stages can be called as dimensions of growth.  

Dimension 1,2 &3 are everybody’s everyday dimensions, corresponding to waking state, dream state and deep sleep state.  They can be called waking consciousness, dream consciousness and deep sleep consciousness.  Since the mind is fully awake, interacting with the outside world in the waking state, partially awake interacting only with the individual’s dream world in dream state and in sleep with no thoughts in the deep sleep state, they are classified separately. They are basic dimensions common to all.  Spiritual growth and development starts from fourth dimension, in which one awakens to the fact that one is not the body-mind-intellect complex, which we shall hereafter refer to as BMI, but the Chaitanyam, which lends sentiency to the BMI through its manifestation in mind as Consciousness, and this Chaitanyam is only a silent witness of the activities of BMI. We can call this fourth dimension as witness Consciousness.  When one realizes that the Chaitanyam is none other than Brahman, the cosmic Supreme, one divinises the mind and this can be said to be fifth dimension, divine Consciousness. The next stage of growth is when one sheds the individual ego, realizing that one’s true self is Brahman and this we can call the sixth dimension, cosmic Consciousness. The final stage of development is when one can stay in this realization all the time 24/7, seeing all in Brahman and Brahman in all, animate and inanimate and that Brahman in himself as his true Self.  Such a person is called Brahma Nishta and people like Ramana Maharishi are example of people who have attained that state. This we can call the unity Consciousness, when one is constantly aware of Brahman in all and all in Brahman, that Brahman being one’s own true Self.

The dimensions, names and analysis are a result of my trying to reconcile the ideas of advaita teachers of west like Burt Harding and Deepak Chopra with my knowledge from Vedanta texts.  The number of dimensions and some of their names are borrowed from Deepk Chopra’s analysis of higher states of Consciousness and the concept of dimension and Consciousness has been inspired by Burt Harding’s satsanghs.  To purists who may frown upon the idea of Consciousness having dimensions, I will only invite their attention to Burt’s remark  “Dimensions are levels of deeper conscious understanding of this ‘seeming’ process.” and my definition of Chitabhasa  as individual Consciousness.

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