CONSCIOUSNESS AND WORLD APPEARANCE - Part II

Power of Consciousness

Consciousness is unmanifest in nature and yet it is the cause of all manifestations. This Consciousness is larger than the universe and yet it is subtler than the minute subatomic particle and invisible. The Consciousness indwelling in all beings is the same like sweetness in the sugarcane. No matter where the sugarcane comes from it gives the same sweetness. That Consciousness is what we are.

Conscious Energy

We are Conscious energy. Conscious energy is referred to as chit-shakti in Vedic scriptures. Through its innate power of Conscious energy Consciousness takes to movement to become mind. Sage Vashista explains the manifestation of mind through simple physics. He says: mind is the cause of movement in Consciousness. Mind implies conceiving of objects which is the characteristic of movement. Movement is vibration. Consciousness energizes the thoughts through vibration and causes manifestation of objects. Thus the very presence of all pervading, all knowing all powerful imperishable Consciousness causes animation of the thoughts. Because of its omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent nature Consciousness pervades everywhere causing manifestations of all kinds and all proportions. Just like the affairs of the world do take place when the adorably conditioned sun is shining in the sky so do all the activities in the universe such as planetary movements, change of seasons, blooming of flowers and all bodily activities etc. take place by the very presence of all pervading light of infinite Consciousness that we call God. Whatever the man does or enjoys he is not the doer.

Consciousness inherently carries life energy and It gives life to the thoughts. Repeated imagination of one thought will ultimately manifest that thought giving birth to an object. Omnipotent Consciousness supports all thoughts irrespective of their nature whether good or bad. It is equanimity itself. It is therefore the supporter of all animate and inanimate objective worlds. because they are its manifestations. Will, space, time, action and order are its five potencies.

Sage Vashista tells Rama that the vibration of the infinite consciousness is the cause of all manifestations. It is from that vibration the individual soul has become manifest, and from the soul the mind has become manifest because the soul thinks. Whatever the mind thinks of, that alone it sees and that alone comes to exist in the world. The mind itself entertains the notions of the five elements and it transforms itself into those elements. Thus the cosmic intelligence inherent in Consciousness merely imagines the five elements earth, water, fire, air and space and wills them into existence by its spark of cosmic light. According to sage Vashista this spark of cosmic light condenses to countless forms of our diverse world entities like human, tree, demi-gods, birds, animals etc and brings them into existence. The first of such creation is Brahma the creator God. Brahma creates others by pure thought and will.

Imagination is the Nature of the World

Imagination and mind are synonymous. Where there is no imagination there is no mind and vice versa. All thoughts exist in the thought world in subtle form and become reflected as objects in the objective visible world by the energy of consciousness. Through imagination the soul one by one acquires the sense organs- the tongue, eyes, ears, nose, and the sense of touch. In this there is the causal connection between the mind and the senses.

The power or energy of infinite Consciousness exists in all objects as latent memory. This conscious energy is in motion all the time in all objects. This vibratory power of Consciousness that becomes associated with the thought manifests the objective world that we want to perceive. It is called Mahaspandana or great vibration. This power of Consciousness is not different or independent of Consciousness. That alone determines the nature of every object. It also determines the fundamental characteristic of every molecule and is the ordainer of all futuristic events. The all pervading Consciousness ever aware of its own inherent power having created the mind and senses also creates the body organs and the limbs as well. Once the individual becomes fully aware of the fact that the infinite Consciousness alone is the cause of all manifestations he is delivered from the delusion of world appearance.

Mind, Ego, Individual Soul and Nature are one with the Absolute Consciousness

Sage Vashista says that there is no difference between the conscious Self and the individual soul or the individual mind. As there is no difference between the individual soul and the mind, so also there is no difference between body and its actions since body is created by the mind. That mind alone is of the nature of “I” or the ego is the individual soul as well. That individual soul alone is Consciousness that is God. Nature or world is but a limb of Consciousness as there can be no existence of jewellery without gold or movement of wind cannot exist without the wind. Sage Vashista says it is Self, the ALL and Shiva the Supreme.

As minds we have got a tremendous power at our command. Whatever the mind thinks of and believes intensely comes to happen. Sage Vashista says that mind is the seed of the world and is the nave of wheel of life. Creation and dissolution are the rising and setting of its activities. Every individual mind is the master of its destiny and the maker of its body and circumstances. There is no other agency but our mind that gives us our desired objects. The mind creates the body from its own imagination, and can change the form of the body by its own intense and repeated imagination. It can cure all the physical ailments of the body by its harmonious and healthy thoughts, because all physical disorders have their origin in mental disorder.

Three States of Mind

Threefold is the nature of mind, waking, dreaming and deep sleep states where the soul takes the individual mind to violent, calm and stupefied states. Whatever the Consciousness manifests into being is known as the visible world. The visible world arises from the interior of Consciousness.
Time, space, matter and motion are parts of Consciousness. The expression of this perception is the waking state. The world which is known as the dream object is also the perception of the Consciousness. Dream is dream only in relation to the waking state because dream does not have time or space.

Conclusion

Thus, birth of cosmic bodies are not mere accidents. They are necessities of upholding the cosmic design, where every being is entangled with all, and follows its destined path, determined by the existence of its creator. Cosmic bodies are born following a universal destiny, rooted in the mechanism of the creation of the universe. So is the evolution of beings and structures ending in death, and decay. However, in spite of birth, evolution and death, bringing constant changes everywhere, the cosmic design remains the same, creating a timeless arena, where things come and go, generating the motions of time.