Articles for Saadhana

Now that all of you are here for the experiential Vedanta learning, one idea I thought I would explain today.

See there are many facts and truths. We may be very familiar with them but we may not think about them properly to derive a certain knowledge orientation and a constantly operating influence in you. For example, I wanted to say, any knowledge, any kind of a knowledge or a knowing process is inner and it is only based upon mind and intelligence.

Normally, ever since we wake up, we are interacting with the varied objects of the world. To gain knowledge you read a book, you look at a picture or you listen to a talk. All these are objects. Sound is an object, letters are an object. Ever since we wake up we are interacting, interacting only with the objects of the world. And our inquiry is also about the objects of the world. We have so many branches of knowledge, all the branches of knowledge relate to the external objects of the world. There it is physics, chemistry, mathematics, different forms of engineering, electronics, even humanities, nuclear science….. All these are related to external objects. But, my dear souls, I want to tell you that, the knowledge itself is an inner process. Are you conscious of it? I doubt!

In the company of external objects, interacting with them, what is put into action is your own mind and intelligence. In Sanskrit, we call it chitta-vrittih. vrittih means the vyaapara, the activity of the chitta, means the mind. All jnanas are vritti-jnanas. All knowledge is vritti-jnana. What is meant by vritti? vyaapara – activity. Understand very clearly, the source of knowledge is within the body and it is not in the bodily level, it is not in the matter level or energy level. Neither matter nor energy is capable of thinking and giving rise to knowledge. But we have a lot of knowledge about matter and energy. The source of knowledge is inner and it is supra-material and supra-energial and mind is one such, intelligence is another.

So, all kinds of knowledge arise only when the mind and the intelligence get activated. Through mento-intellectual vibrations or processes alone knowledge arises. Though the knowledge relates to the object, the knowledge itself is subjective, spiritual. Why I call it spiritual? To distinguish it from the matter and material. Will you understand this properly?

The knowledge of the scientist; it may be about the atom, the molecule, and further, waves and particles, but mind you the scientist himself is a spiritual person. It is the spiritual constituent in his personality, namely consciousness, that gives rise to this knowledge. He employs his body and senses. He interacts with the objects of the world but the very interacting person is a subject. If you understand it, I think we have gone a long way in our mission.

Knowledge is an inner process. This inner process takes place, not in the matter or energy orbit, it takes place only in the mind and intelligence. Mind and intelligence are functional, functional notes of consciousness. Consciousness is the source of knowledge. That is why we call Brahman, the supreme reality as existence, knowledge and bliss! We describe it as knowledge, only in India! In the ageless past itself we had said that the source of the entire material and visible universe is not matter and energy but it is knowledge!

It is from consciousness that everything else has come! Matter has got no creating power! Energy also does not have! To create means to have an idea of what is to be created. That idea neither matter nor energy has. Our Mind alone can conceive, can ideate. Our intelligence alone can enquire, understand, discover.

So the very source of the entire visible world is not another matter or another energy. All of them will have, will have been included in the visible universe. It is something invisible and inner.

So, what is it that I have said? I have said this - That ever since we wake up we interact with this world and we have a lot of knowledge and experience. Though the interacted with is the wonderful huge world, understand that the interacting person is a Subject and experience and knowledge, they never come from the outside world, they only arise from, emerge from the inner consciousness – the mind and the intelligence.

So, knowledge is an inner process. The source of knowledge is not matter and energy. It is the consciousness and mind and intelligence are the functional units of consciousness. In other words knowledge is a subject property, not an object property. And you will have to agree with me when I say that every one of you is a subject person not an object person. Our body is an object, but you are the subject. And not only that, you are the spirit, not matter and energy.

In a dead body we don’t find the animation. So it’s all body and matter, body and energy. So there is something conscious within us which animates and activates the body. Only then the body is put into action. So that employing factor, that factor, that is something very sentient. Now the entire mission here will be to understand, more and more, about this subject knowing process, the subject. Once you are able to get a peep into it, you will find that you are far different from what you are now. We carry in us a potential which transcends the entire visible universe.

What a great discovery is this! And what a great source of strength, succor, refuge it will be, is something very, very wonderful! Let us see how we are able to get along with it.