The Mandukya Upanishad 3.9 : Swami Krishnananda

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Friday, June 05, 2020.

Section - 3. The Universal Vaisvanara-9.

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1.

While the consciousness in terms of the totality of all the physical bodies, inclusive of all animate and inanimate things, may be regarded as the Vaisvanara, or the Virat, the very same consciousness animating a particular body in the waking consciousness is called Visva. The Visva is the Atman enlivening the physical body; Vaisvanara is the Atman reigning supreme in the physical cosmos. This is the twofold waking life, individual and the Cosmic; – Jagnritasthana.

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2.

Now, we consider the meaning of Bahihprajna : outwardly conscious. 

While both the Jiva and Isvara may be regarded as outwardly conscious, there is a subtle distinction between them. The Jiva is outwardly conscious in the sense that it is aware of things, substances, objects, outside it. But Vaisvanara's consciousness of externality is of a different kind. It is a Universal Affirmation of 'I-am', 'I-am-ness', 'Aham-asmi'. This is the first manifestation of Self-consciousness – Cosmic Ahamkara. 

Therefore, it has no opposing objects in front of it. This Ahamkara does not wage a war with others. It has no misunderstandings with other persons or things, and it has, therefore, no pains of any kind. It has, also, no dealings with other persons and things, because it is Vaisvanara, and not Visva. We cannot even imagine this state of the "I-am-ness" of the Virat. We have never been in that state, and so our minds are not capable of imagining that condition. To some extent, they say, this condition may be compared to the initial state of our becoming aware of ourselves immediately after we wake up from deep sleep. Generally, we do not think of this condition when we get up from sleep. 

We remain in a state of half-consciousness, and we plunge into our usual activities afterwards; so that we do not meditate upon this intervening period between deep sleep and waking consciousness in terms of the outer world. We have a subtle feeling of our 'being', before we become aware of the world outside. We are not asleep; we have woken up; and yet we are not fully aware of the Samsara that is outside us. This state of consciousness where it is aware that it is, and yet not aware that other things are, is the state of I-am-ness, Asmitva, Aham-asmi, that can be a feeble apology for Reality. A perpetual establishment of oneself in this consciousness would land us in the experience of the Cosmic. 

When this consciousness relates itself to other objects and persons, it becomes the individual, Jiva. The Bahihprajnata or the externality-consciousness of Isvara is not a binding factor to Him, because of there being no dealings of this consciousness with outer things, while this Bahihprajnata or externality-consciousness of the Jiva binds it to what is called Samsara, and this bondage is due, not merely to its being aware of the world outside, but because of its evaluating the world, judging the world, wanting it or not wanting it in some way. There is no desire in the Virat, while in the Jiva there is desire. 

This is the only difference, if at all, between Jiva and Isvara. Jiva, without desire, becomes Isvara; and Isvara, with desire, becomes Jiva.

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To be continued ....

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