by Sri Bmal Mohanty
VOL No. 24
Nov.& Dec. 2002

THE PATH OF PROGRESS

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

So, antahkarana which is the combination of ego element, mind and discerning power, is indeed the tool that we have in our possession to lift ourselves up in our path of development. We should remain ever mindful of this. Like any tool, it needs constant usage and care to retain its effectiveness. If I waste it, I throw away my very life itself. Who knows when shall I get a human life again?

When we meditate, we should constantly analyse ourselves the activities of this antahkarana or the internal tool. Am I committed to my spiritual progress? Is my heart in it or am I doing it half heartedly as one of the many rituals that I do daily? That is the first question.

Am I able to keep my mind concentrated on the Bramhan consciousness even for a short while, by keeping my senses under control? Can I increase this concentration a little more and remain a little longer in that state thinking of Bramhan? That is the second question.

Am I able to analyse my actions and thoughts from the stand point of what is Preyas or likable and what is Shreyas or desirable? Am I walking on the path of Dharma - the righteous living- or am I deviating? That is the third question.

How does one monitor and evaluate one's development? What are the stages of development? These have to be known well if our efforts towards development has to be methodical and effective. It is also important to know if we are on the right track and are then able to correct ourselves if otherwise.

While every developmental process and evolutionary achievements are abundantly self evident, yet, various stages of achievement and experience have been explained in our sastras. They are so logical and convincing that one is bound to deduce that they are the results of personal experiences through which others have gone and therefore it is also within the reach of human capability.

A clarification, at the cost of repetition here is necessary. We have said this before. The various stages that we talk about are by no means disjointed and separate stages. They are always descriptive titles of a continuous spectrum which Yoga Sadhana is. This aspect should never be lost sight of.

The process of evolution is nothing but a process of acquiring experiences. The measure of evolution is nothing but various degrees of chetana or consciousness. Since it is a matter of experience, many knowledgeable people who have gone through these experiences have tried to codify and explain in various ways for others to follow. Taking into totality one can see that they are talking of the same thing. Explaining it in various ways and giving them a name they all try to help the novice to understand and relate his or her own experience likewise.

However it should be kept in mind that these different explanations of levels of experience, though broadly relate to one and the same thing, yet have embedded in them subtle explanations of a large number of intermediary experiences. Each has some uniqueness to declare and is indeed a great help in the path of progress. These are matters of detailed study.

There are great many stages of experiences which our sastras explain. They talk of many heavens or Lokas with their further subdivisions of fourteen levels - the chaturdasa bhuvana. Or consider the pure consciousness levels of jagriti, swapna, susupti, turiya, turiyatita, bhagavat and bramhi. All these are different experience levels of the same experience. By experiencing each of these stages we not only can realise how we are progressing but can also correct ourselves and refine ourselves.

Take the case of the five koshas or the five imaginary bodies or sheaths that our sastras talk about. These are the annamay kosha or the food sheath, the pranamay kosha or the vital breath sheath, then the manomay kosha or the mental sheath, fourthly the jnanamay kosha or the knowledge realisation sheath and finally the anandamay kosha or the blissful sheath.

What are these imaginary sheaths? These are really representative of various stages that our development takes place. Our association with a particular kosha is representative of a mental stage associated with that kosha. The annamay kosha is purely a bodily existence dictated by the reflex actions of the bodily needs. This is really the animal existence. The mind - the obedient servant - is at this stage constantly engaged in fulfilling what the body with its sense organs dictate. Hunger, environmental effects, sex, momentary pleasures of well being are all that seem to be the aim of existence. The mind at this stage is reduced to a base level unmindful or unaware of any higher need. It has little time to listen to Viveka, leave aside the voice of inner self. The mind reflects the level of development and dwells within its limitations.

But The Lord or The Bramhan can not rest leaving the Jiva's development halted. The Jiva has to rise above its base existence. So by the actions and participation of the nature itself - by the very Guna of Prakriti -He slowly pushes the Jiva to lift itself up. Much like the mother of a new born calf nudges the tottering offspring to stand up. That is how benevolent the Lord and the mother nature is.

There develops eventually more of awakening and the `being' listens to the inner soul, and the viveka, and gets a glimpse of the next higher level of existence. The mind rises to a higher level and starts reflecting a higher consciousness.

It then becomes a higher mind.

Slowly and gradually the developmental exercise addresses the realm of pranamay kosha and the manomay kosha. The vibrations of life force adds strength to the evolutionary process and the mind starts more and more dwelling on the subject of Satchidananda the truth, its realisation and the bliss that follows. These are the regions where the mind assumes progressively still higher levels.

As this consciousness or chetana grows deeper and deeper , the ahamkara participates and viveka goes on advising and showing the way, the truth gets more and more revealed. The demands of bodily needs have now become secondary, like the craving for sweets by a child becomes unimportant as the child grows into adulthood.

As the mind gets some glimpse of a possible higher existence, it stops being restricted to the base bodily desires. It realises that the prana or the force of life breath has more power in it than its base level usage. Prana is not simply inhaling, exhaling, extricating such as Prana, Apana and Vyana. Its characteristic is not limited to simply keep the body sheath or the annamay kosha from dying away. Its other characteristics are also udana the uplifter and samana or the stabilizer. It has power to lift the Jiva into a higher level of consciousness.

When the mind realises this and starts drawing upon this power, it becomes a still higher mind. Further development has taken place.

With certain degree of consciousness acquired, the mind becomes more conscious of its own potential. As we said earlier mind is an extremely powerful tool that we have, to assist us in Sadhana. With the blessings of the Lord, with the co-operation of performing ego element -ahamkara - and the guidance from -viveka, we can achieve anything worthwhile, with unlimited power at our command.

The mind then rests more and more in mind itself, exploiting its power and we are then a true mental being.

The stage the mind reaches, synonymous with the manomay kosha, is the stage of a still higher mind.

The knowledge of the truth, its revealations, are integral parts of development. We have discussed this before. Knowledge and development are inseparable.

The next stage is jnanamay kosha, the pure knowledge existence. The chetana or consciousness is ever so sharp now. All other levels have now become irrelevant and unimportant. The mind realises that the goal is getting nearer.

This realisation is the characteristic of a still higher mind, an evolved mind, a developed mind, a truly superior mind.

Once the full consciousness of the truth dawns, - what is known as the total consciousness or purna chaitanyabodha, it is mokshya indeed. The power of the mind is unlimited, knowledge is unlimited, the ability to achieve is unlimited, everything else is unlimited.

When mind has this consciousness or chetana our existensce is beyond all physical limitations and is consciousness itself. At that stage of the mind its powers are indescribable, unlimited. The Jiva then is not a mere mental being it is a supramental being.

Variously described, it is the state of fullness - purnam. The final chetana. It is chetanaschetananam. The ultimate consciousness of all consciousness.

When this stage is reached, there is bliss or ananda as the jiva's predominant character.

(On the relationship of various sheaths (koshas) on the process of sadhana, please also refer to article on Meditation Part2 - August 2002 issue.)

( This month's issue of AHWAN has been sponsored through the benevolence of Sri Amiya Roy of Kolkata )