Chapter 3
आत्मा चित्तम् ।। ३.१ ।।
ātmā cittam // 3.1 //
Individual being is the mind entangled in the wheel of repeated birth and death.
Here, individual being has been transformed into the nature (svarūpa) of mind. But what kind of mind is this? It is not the mind filled with (mantra), the God consciousness of supreme I. It is that mind which is eternally saturated with the impressions of sensual pleasures.
This individual is attached to the three intellectual organs mind, intellect and ego. The function of these three organs is as follows. First, understanding what is to be done is accomplished by the organ of intellect. Second, the thought of how to do it is accomplished by the organ of mind. Third, the ego is attached when we say, “this is to be done by me.”
These three movements are the functions of the mind of that individual being. It is this mind of the individual being which is ātmā. Here the Sanskrit word ātmā does not mean “individual being.” The word ātmā comes from the verbal root ata. In grammar, the meaning of ata is sātatya gamane, “who comes and goes, who is always in movement, moving in repeated births and deaths, being born and dying again and again.” So he who is always entangled in the wheel of repeated births and deaths is ātmā. And that mind is ātmā.
जाग्रद्द्वितीयकरः ।। ३.८ ।।
jāgratdvitīyakaraḥ // 3.8 //
The waking state is another form of his real nature of consciousness.
Wakefulness is not other than his own nature, his real nature of consciousness. It is another formation of his universal consciousness. In speaking of the waking state, the dreaming state and the state of sound sleep are also included. So for such a yogi, these three states, which are experienced in daily life, are not other than universal God consciousness.
The waking state (jāgrat) is another formation, another ray of his being, his expansion of Self. For him, the waking state is not separate nor is it foreign. It is, on the contrary, another form of his expansion of universal Self. The divinity that he gains in the state of universal God consciousness is found by him to exist equally in the waking state, in the dreaming state, and in the dreamless state, deep sleep.
And then, after achieving the state of pure knowledge, this yogi pervades this supreme knowledge with oneness. He is always aware of his universal consciousness. So, for such a yogi, the waking state is the second form of his establishment of being. Where does this yogi find this state? This state of wakefulness is not found in “I”-consciousness. It is found in “thisness,” because thisness” is absorbed and digested in Universal God Consciousness. So, for such a yogi, this whole objective world is another way of his being, another way of universal consciousness. The state of God consciousness, on the other hand, does not digest “thisness”; it only digests “I”-consciousness.
नर्तक आत्मा ॥ ३-९ ॥
nartaka ātmā // 3.9 //
The dancer in this field of universal dance is his Self of universal consciousness.
What is this universal dance? It is everything that you experience in your life. It may be coming. It may be going. It may be birth, death, joy, sadness, depression, happiness, enjoyment. All of this forms part of the universal dance, and this dance is a drama. In this field of drama, the actor is your own nature, your own Self of universal consciousness. This Self of universal consciousness is the one who is aware, he is the actor in this universal drama. Those who are not aware are not actors; they are played in this drama. They experience sadness, they experience enjoyment, they become joyful, they become depressed. But those who are aware, they are always elevated; they are the real players in this drama. … So, Lord Siva is the real actor. And although his nature of universal consciousness is concealed to the public, in fact, he knows that he is that reality. Actually, being filled with that awareness of universal God consciousness, he sometimes appears in the waking state, sometimes in the dreaming state, sometimes in the dreamless state, etc. This, however, is actually his play. It is not his real action. His real action is his being in his own universal God consciousness in each and every moment of revealing his differentiated forms. At the time of revealing his differentiated formation in the waking state, he diverts his universal consciousness in the state of wakefulness. And also in that state, he finds he is playing. Actually, this is play, he is not becoming that state. For although he has become the waking state, he has not actually become the waking state and he has not become the dreaming state or the state of deep sleep. In fact, he is already there in that universal God consciousness.
triṣu caturthaṁ tailavadāsecyam //
The fourth state (turya) must be expanded like oil so that it pervades the other three: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.
What are the three states? The three states are the waking state (jāgrat), the dreaming state (svapna), and the state of deep sleep (suṣupti). The fourth state (turya), which is filled with pure knowledge, pure light and the ecstasy and joy of turya, must be sprinkled and expanded just as oil expands when it is poured on a smooth surface like a piece of cloth. For just as oil spreads on this surface, adhering to it, so in this way a yogi must expand the state of turya into the other three states.
The state of turya is found in all these three at the moment of entry and at the moment of exit. So at the time of entering into the state of wakefulness, or the dreaming state, or the dreamless state, and at the time of coming out from any one of these three states, the yogi finds turya existing.
The yogi must prolong turya in such a way that its nectar becomes established and pervades not only in the beginning and the end but also in the middle of these three states. And the means to accomplishing this in all three states is to “hold it.” Hold it at the time of entry and hold it at the time of exit. This nectar of turya (turyarasa) must be properly held with full awareness so that it is expanded in the center of these three states. Accomplishing this, the yogi becomes one with that nectar of turya in all three states.
tripadādyanuprāṇanam // 3.38 //
Emerging from the state of turya, insert the absolute bliss of that state into the waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states, and they will become one with that state of turya.
Just as soon as you emerge from samādhi, coming out from the state of turya, insert the absolute bliss of that state into the other three states of consciousness-waking, dreaming and deep sleep and in time, these four states will become one without distinction
There are three states of creation (sṛiṣṭi), protection (sthiti), and reabsorption (layaḥ). The state of creation exists when you are just about to direct your consciousness towards an object (bhāvaunmukhya). In the creative state, you have not yet directed your consciousness, but you are going to direct it. When your consciousness is positively directed towards that object (bhāvābhiṣvaṅga), that is the protective state. And, when your consciousness is carried away from that object and is going to be inserted into another object, that is the state of reabsorption. In this state of reabsorption, your consciousness is being withdrawn from the object you are presently perceiving and is about to be inserted into a new object. Being inserted into another object is the creative state for that new object you are about to perceive. But at this moment, in the state of reabsorption, your attention is not on either object. It has entered internal consciousness (āntarmukhabhāvā). … For example, when you take an ear of corn, which is well cooked and you taste that corn, at the time of tasting, even though this tasting is covered by the energy of illusion just like lightning-God consciousness is found. If, by the grace of your Master, you have the power and the capacity to hold that moment, then you will gain entry into God consciousness. That God consciousness is found in the beginning of that tasting. How to hold it is just a trick. You do not have to move here and there with breath. That will not accomplish it. It is a trick to hold that awareness. You cannot hold God consciousness with prayer, weeping, or worship, or by any other means. It can only be held by the trick of awareness which can be taught to you by your master.
So, even if your sense perceptions are covered by the energy of illusion, at the time when you enjoy any sensation, God consciousness is momentarily shining like a flash of lightning. What must be done in these moments where God consciousness shines is to be absolutely aware. If you do not maintain awareness, then you are finished; you are just like an ordinary human being.
तदारूढप्रमितेस्तत्क्षयाज्जीवसङ्क्षयः॥३-४१॥
tadārūḍhapramitestatkṣayājjīvasaṁkṣayaḥ // 3.41 //
All desire vanishes in that fortunate person whose consciousness is established in his own real nature. For him, the state of being a limited individual has ended.
It is said in that Kālikākrama:
When one is experiencing in the dreaming state, he perceives many different dreams. And yet when he awakens, these dreams completely vanish and are not existing at all. In the same way, when a fortunate yogi puts his awareness on this objective world, thinking in this way, “This universe is not the objective world, it is only subjective consciousness,” then, the more he puts his awareness in continuity on subjective consciousness, the more he becomes one with that subjective consciousness.