MIND
AND INTELLECT & THEIR ROLE IN SELF-INQUIRY AND SELF-REALIZATION
(Compilation for a discourse at Sri Ganesha
Temple, Nashville, TN, by N.R.
Srinivasan, February 2020)
Invariably Hindus conclude all prayers
with following sloka called Sattvika Tyaga surrendering everything at the feet
of the Lord they worship but focused on the Supreme Being modified from Bhagavata sloka;
kāyena vācā manasendriyair vā | buddhyātmanā vānusṛta-svabhāvāt
karoti yad yat sakalaṁ parasmai | nārāyaṇāyeti samarpayet tat
karoti yad yat sakalaṁ parasmai | nārāyaṇāyeti samarpayet tat
Spiritual aspirants and Yoga
practitioners have always before their imagination the Mahabharata scene where
Lord Krishna as a charioteer was driving five horses, holding the reins and
teaching Arjuna.
Imagine
a horse and carriage, with its driver controlling the reins and the passenger
inside the carriage. The horse represents our five senses going in all
directions. The reins represent the mind because wherever the senses go the
mind goes, too. The driver represents the intellect.
So the intellect has to be strong to control the reins attached to the horse in
order to arrive safely to their destination. The carriage is your body. The
passenger inside the carriage is the spirit. What would happen if the driver
let go of the reins? The horse would run all over the place, the carriage wouldn’t
be safe, and the passenger wouldn’t have a place to sit during their journey.
Therefore,
the process of taking control of your life falls on the priority to develop
your intellect and make it so strong that no matter where those horses (the
senses) want to roam, you know how to pull the reins (the mind) back into the
right position.
In
all these activities the focus is on Mind, Intellect and Atman. We have been talking
about Atman all the time and therefore focus here on understanding Vedic model of
Mind and Intellect.
Webinar 167 recently discussed at
length the Role of Intellect in Self-Enquiry by H.H. Swami Chidanandaji. The
Gist of this elaborate discourse was: “The Upanishads declare the Self
(which is one with Brahman, the Absolute Reality) is simply beyond the reach of
both speech and mind. Neither word nor thought can ever grasp it. Then what
role does the intellect (the same as the mind in this context) play in
Self-enquiry or in contemplation on Brahman?”
In
the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, there is a vivid
description how our senses, body, mind, intellect, and Spirit interplay. The
energy of consciousness functions through three different but closely connected
entities, the mind, intellect and personality. With the power of the mind, one
imagines, thinks and forms ideas.
Buddhi or Intellect is the faculty of reasoning, knowing,
distinguishing, discriminating and drawing inference. Our mind always
fluctuates. Though it fluctuates, it is very innovative and creative. It perceives
everything through our sense organs like eyes, ears, tongue, skin and nose.
Intellect is just like elder brother to guide the younger brother Mind. In
perception the good and bad decision can be taken by mind if intellect is with
it. If intellect completely surrenders to the soul, then all decision taken by
the man will be good and correct. The soul is the vibrant energy which reflects
itself towards the intellect, mind and body. If these three parts such as
intellect, mind and body surrender themselves completely to the Soul then human
being can be a complete one. The intellect which don’t surrender to the
powerful soul and concentrate on the outside things like money, power and man,
that intellect can’t use its power in right way. Intellect can either construct
or destruct. The energy coming from the vibrant soul can be used in both right
and wrong ways. Thus, as the intellect so the use of this energy. Proper
guidance of the intellect can make a man a super human being. A super human
being does the miracle by the dint of his high concentration of energy level.
Scientists, writers, poets, artists, etc., are not because of their genius.
They are because of their higher mind under the control of this intellect.
Higher minds are the creative minds that run themselves in a right and creative
ways. He, who has no determination, is an idiot. The power to distinguish
between and infer about the texture, characteristics and intentions of entities
is Buddhi. Buddhi is planning and is decision making. The intellect is the
faculty for knowing and reasoning. If you are deprived of your intellect, you
are deprived of your principle... your primary asset in life. Great things can
be achieved using the intellect. One can achieve greatness... one can soar to
the heavens. What you do not use, you lose. Do not let your intellect rust away
through disuse. It would be like making an enemy out of your own intellect!
Listen to your intellect, do what it says you must do. Enmity with your
intellect meats enmity with the good wishes of your own conscience. The
development of the intellect involves expanding the horizons, increasing its
efficiency and making use of the intellect at every opportunity. The more you
use your intellect, the sharper it becomes. You learn the technique of using
the intellect effectively by using it often. Contemplation and introspection
are like food to the intellect. The more nutrition you will provide, the more
it will grow. The busier the intellect becomes, the lesser it thinks about the
body. To be sure it will think of the body to the extent of ensuring that its
basic needs are satisfied. Food, shelter, clothing, fear and sex-these basic
needs will be satisfied but not indulged in resulting in control and discipline
leading to the decrease in the entanglement of the mind in sensual pleasures
and materialistic desires. A virtuous cycle is created- fearlessness increases,
the vital energy of the body increases, health, wealth and a healthy, pure mind
results, leading to a sharper intellect and therefore increased astuteness and
presence of mind.
The reason it is important to focus on
our intellect, is that once we have
concentrated on it, we will be able to reunite with the true Self or the
Spirit-on. Joining with this highest Truth is the reason the ancient teachings
of yoga tell us to begin with a physical practice (asana) and progressively
grow in mind, intellect and spirituality. Our future is in our hands. It all
depends on what we do in the present life. Study it and understand how we have
gotten to where we are today by our past actions and we will easily see how our
future will depend on what we do today.
Having taken birth as a human beings we only can join our source of
Bliss by our own effort.
Therefore, the process of taking
control of our life falls on the priority to concentrate on our intellect and make it so strong that no
matter where those horses (the senses) want to roam, you know how to pull the
reins (the mind) back to the right position.
Our attention is often drawn to Mind
and Intellect in Vedas, Upanishads and
Bhagavad Gita. While Mind is often described as wavering like a monkey
Intellect is highlighted for its steadfastness and unidirectional focus. Let us
therefore understand Mind and Intellect in Vedic concept based mainly on the
thoughts of Subhash Kak, a Vedic scholar and Indologist and others.
On
earth man is a transitional being. He is provided with mental
instrument intended to see all possibilities. And the immediate
consequence of this is the concept of good and evil, or of what is right and
what is wrong, and all the miseries that follow from that. One cannot say that
it is a bad thing; it is an intermediate stage — not a very pleasant one, but
still... one which was certainly inevitable for the complete development of the
mind.
Mother
describing human mind as above said “This precise detail is not
superfluous; man is a transitional being on earth meaning that man does
not belong merely to earth: in essence man is a universal being, but he has a
special manifestation on earth.”
According to Vedic literature, spiritual
particle, spirit-on (soul), called Atman enters the sperm cell which then
fertilizes the ovum, the female gamete, to form a single cell called
zygote. But as it emerges out of the womb with all its past and accumulated
karmas it has neither the remembrance of the past nor is focused on the
future and gets involved in material success driven by sense
organs.
Our mind in this life should be guided
by atman to obtain Jnana which is precisely transcendental wisdom (vijnana)
if we have to end our manifestation on Earth and join the source. Bhagavad
Gita says “nahi Jnanena sadrisam” that has to be sought after by
“Buddhi”, but not by the wavering physical mind and by turning to the
inner-net. Gita says there is nothing else in the world which can equal the
purifying power of Transcendental Wisdom.
In Vedanta the mind is viewed to be
constituted by five basic components: Manas, Ahamkara, Chitta, Bhuddhi
and Atman. Usually Manas is translated as mind (mind is a monkey!) and Buddhi
as Intellect by Spiritual and Religious writers who are Western English
educated like me.
One
Vedic model of the mind is expressed by the famous metaphor of the chariot in
the Katha Upanishad and the Bhagavad-Gıta (to which Swamiji draws our
attention). A person is compared to a chariot that is pulled in different
directions by the horses yoked to it, with the horses representing the senses.
The mind is the driver who holds the reins, but next to the mind sits the
master of the chariot – the true observer, the Self, who represents a universal
unity. Without this Self no coherent behavior is possible.
Ramcharitmanas and
Kathopanishada describe body as a chariot. The roles of
spirit, intellect, mind and body are depicted beautifully in the Verse
from Kathopanishad:
Atmanam rathinam viddhi sareeram rathameva tu
Budhim tu sarathim viddhi, Manah pragrahamevacha (Kathopanishad)
Budhim tu sarathim viddhi, Manah pragrahamevacha (Kathopanishad)
Indriyani hayanyahur,
Vishayansteshu gocharan
Atmendriya manoyuktam, Bhoktetyahur maneeshinah (Ramacharitamanas)
Atmendriya manoyuktam, Bhoktetyahur maneeshinah (Ramacharitamanas)
Know
the spirit (Atmanam) within as the sole passenger sitting in a chariot.
The chariot is the body associated with that spirit. The intellect is the
charioteer (Sarathi) that holds the reins and controls the horses that
pull the chariot. Mind (Manah) is depicted as the reins and our sense
organs (Indriyas as horses, which run into different directions lured by
the sense objects.
We
have 5 organs of action (Karma Indriyas) that comprise of hands, legs,
speech, sex and excretory organs and 5 organs of perception (Jnyana Indriya) – ears, eyes, skin, tongue and nose . The
objects in this universe keep pulling the sense organs towards them. By
whose will the chariot moves decides the course of our life. Disciplined mind
shall keep all the horses focused and guide them to move in one right
direction. Loose mind would create havoc. Intellect in full control would
ensure that mind and senses are driven on the path of high ideals. Horses may
tend to move towards sensuous objects, mind may get tempted to let the sense
organs indulge in vasanas (flavors),
yet the intellect should exercise firm discretion and use the control and keep
the chariot move towards the higher goal. If the charioteer is competent, the
soul enjoys the journey. If the intellect falters, horses become foul and
feel free to choose their direction, give a bumpy ride to the soul, topple the
chariot and good life gets lost thus in pursuit of worldly pleasures.
The
above model if followed ensures clear and organized mind, united with the inner
spirit, disciplined living and attainment of higher state. Defiance of the
model would mean turbulent, disturbed, disorganized life incapable of realizing
the higher order.
Unlike
the chariot explained in Kathopanishad, the chariot in Ramayana depicts the
invincible character and personality. At the beginning of the battle between
Lord Rama and Ravana, Vibhishana became disconcerted to see Ravana on a
chariot and Lord Rama bare footed on the ground. Bowing to Lord’s feet with
tender heart, he spoke: "My Lord, you have neither the armor to protect
you, nor the chariot to ride. How can you expect to modify to conquer the
mighty Ravana? ". “Listen friend ", replied the Lord in the Verse
below in Ramcharitmanas (Lanka kanda):
Sunhu
sakha keh kripa nidhana, jehi jai hoi so syandana aana
Soraj dheeraj tehi rath
chaka, Satya sheel dridh dhwja pataka
Bal vivek dum parhit
ghore,Kshma kripa samta raju jore
Iss bhajan sarthi
sujana,viriti charam santosh kripana
Daan parasu budhhi shakti
prachanda,Bar vigyan kathin ko danda
Amar achal mann tron samana,Sama
yama niyam sili mukh nana
Kwach abhed vipra guru
pooja,Ehi sum vijay upaya na dooja
Sakha dharmmaye es rath
jakien, Jeetan kah na kat hu ripu takien
Maha ajay sansar riput, jiti
sakai so bir, jaake as rath hoi dridh, sune hu saka mati dheer
“The
chariot which leads one to victory is quite another. Valor and fortitude are
the wheels of that chariot. Truthfulness and good conduct are its banners.
Strength, discretion, self-control and benevolence are its horses that are tied
with the reins of forgiveness, helpfulness and evenness of mind. Adoration of
God is the expert charioteer. Dispassion is the shield and contentment, the
sword. Charity is the axe, reason, the fierce spear and the highest wisdom is
the relentless bow. A pure and steady mind is like a quiver. Quietude and
various forms of abstinence (Yama) and religious compliances (Niyama) are a
sheaf of arrows. Homage to the saints and to one's own preceptor is an
impenetrable armor. There is no alternate equipment for victory as efficacious
as this. Dear friend, he who owns such a chariot of piety shall have no enemy
to conquer anywhere. Listen, Oh friend of resolute mind, the hero who owns such
a strong chariot can conquer even the mighty and invincible foe – the
attachment to this world.”
The
explanation above is deep. Strength and discretion without the ability to
forgive and sympathize can be misused, helpfulness without equality can get
biased and hence the choice of reins for specific horses by Tulsidas
ji. While intellect is Kathopanishad's charioteer, prayer is the
driver in Tulsi's chariot. Detachment is the armor that protects one from all
injuries. We know this to be true from our daily experience. We are hurt
as a friend, spouse or as an employee, by losses or insults and this,
since we are deeply attached to our identities.
While
the reference is to the battlefield, the chariot as explained is the remedy to
our daily battles in this world. Every soul would desire to own such a chariot
in the form of human body. It is for us to provide it to the soul.
In
the Taittirıya Upanisad 2.7 (to which Swamiji also draws our attention),
an individual is represented in terms of five different sheaths or levels that
enclose the individual’s self. These levels, shown in an ascending order, are:
The Physical sheath (annamaya kosa); Energy sheath (pranamaya kosa);
Mental sheath (manomaya kosa); Intellect sheath (vijnanamaya kosa)
and Bliss sheath (anandamaya kosa)
These
sheaths are defined at increasingly finer levels. At the highest level is the
Self. It is significant that ananda is placed higher than the intellect.
This is a recognition of the fact that eventually meaning is communicated by
associations which are extra-logical.
The
energy that underlies physical and mental processes is prana. One may
look at an individual at three different levels. At the lowest level is the
physical body, at the next higher level is the energy system at work, and at
the next higher level are the thoughts. Since the three levels are
interrelated, the energy situation may be changed by inputs either at the
physical level or at the mental level. When the energy state is agitated and
restless, it is characterized by Rajas; when it is dull and lethargic, it is
characterized by Tamas. The state of equilibrium and balance is termed Sattva.
Prana, or energy, is described as the currency, or the medium of exchange, of
the psycho-physiological system. The higher three levels are often lumped
together and called the mind.
The
key notion is that each higher level represents characteristics that are
emergent on the ground of the previous level. In this theory, mind is an
emergent entity, but this emergence requires the presence of the Self.
The
mind may be viewed to be constituted by five basic components: Manas, Ahamkara,
Chitta, Buddhi and Atman, which cannot be reduced to gross elements.
Manas
is the lower mind which collects sense impressions. Its perceptions shift from
moment to moment. This sensory-motor mind obtains its inputs from the senses of
hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell. Each of these senses may be taken to be
governed by a separate agent.
Ahamkara
is the sense of I-ness that associates perceptions to a subjective center and thus
creates “personal” experiences.
Once
sensory impressions have been related to I-ness by ahamkara, their evaluation
and resulting decisions are arrived at by buddhi, the intellect. Manas,
Ahamkara, and Buddhi are collectively called the “internal instruments” (Antahkarana)
of the mind.
Next
we come to Chitta, which is the memory bank of the mind. These memories
constitute the foundation on which the rest of the mind operates. But Chitta is
not merely a passive depository. The organization of the new impressions throws
up instinctual or primitive urges that create diverse emotional states.
This
mental complex surrounds the innermost aspect of Consciousness, which is called
Atman; it is of course the same as the Self or the amsa of Brahman. Atman is considered to be
beyond a finite enumeration of categories.
The
material elements (Bhutas) are represented by earth, water, fire, air and
ether. Paralleling them are five subtle elements (tanmatra), represented by smell, taste, form, touch and sound; five
organs of action (karmendriya), represented
by reproduction, excretion, locomotion, grasping and speech; five organs of cognition (jnyanendriya), related to smell,
taste, vision, touch and hearing; the inner instrument (antahkarana) being mind, ego and intellect; inherent nature (prakrti);
and consciousness (purusha).These categories define the structure of the
physical world and of conscious agents and their minds--(the nineteen outlets
or Dwaras).
The
Vedic theory of consciousness may also be taken to suggest a process of
evolution that was discussed at the Seminar
in Nashville--The Theory of Creation in Hinduism. In this evolutionary
model, the higher animals have a greater capacity to grasp the nature of the
universe. The urge to evolve into higher forms is taken to be inherent in
nature. A system of an evolution from
inanimate to progressively higher life is clearly spelt out in the system of
Samkhya. At the mythological
level, this is represented by an ascent of Vishnu through the forms of
fish, tortoise, boar, man-lion, and the dwarf into man.
Sattva,
Rajas and Tamas are the three original attributes. These act and dwell in the
bodies of all creatures. The Jıvatman, called Kshetrajna, enjoys and endorses
the actions of these three attributes. He, however, transcends them and they
cannot touch him. Having created them himself, he is above them all. At
dissolution, earth, which is the refuge of the universe, merges into water,
water disappears into light, light into wind, wind into space and space into
mind. Mind is a great being, and it disappears into un-manifest Prakriti.
Unmanifest Prakriti disappears into inactive Purusha. There is nothing higher
than Purusha, which is eternal. There is nothing among mobile and immobile
things in the universe that is immutable, except Vasudeva, the eternal Purusha.
Endued with great power, Vasudeva is the soul of all creatures–(Mahabharata, Shanti
Parva, 340)
A
Vaishnava enlargement of the Vedic
theory of the mind is provided by the Pancharatra Tradition. Here
Vasudeva or Krishna represents the ground-stuff of reality. Vasudeva is also
called Kshetrajna, the knower of the field.
kshetrajnam chaapi maam viddhi
sarvakshetreshu bhaarata | kshetrakshetrajnayor jnaanam yat
taj jnanam matam mama ||
Know
also that I am the knower in all fields, O Bharata, and only the knowledge of
the field and its knower do I regard as true knowledge.–BG 13.2
From
Vasudeva develops Sankarsana at the beginning of time; this is identified with
Sesha and with prakrti. Next arises Pradyumna, who is identified with manas, or mind. Lastly, we have Aniruddha, who is ahamkara.
Thence evolve the three gunas.
This
model makes an interesting departure from the kosa model. Each intermediate
levels is identified with GOD. Sankarshana is the same as Balarama, Krishna’s
brother, while Pradyumna is his son and Aniruddha is his grandson. The idea is
to suggest an individuality to each of the stages of the expansion of the mind.
Actually,
the idea of multiplicity, as emerging
from a fundamental unity, permeates the entire Vedic literature. This is
how the Vedic gods emerge in the Rigveda. Bhagavad Gıta 15.16-17 speaks of the
three-fold purusha.
Let
us return to mainstream science. Quantum mechanics has thrown up a multitude of
paradoxes that cannot be understood in the framework of reductionist physics.
For example, we have non-local effects that can propagate instantaneously over
enormous distances. Another famous example is the Wheeler delayed-choice
experiment, according to which our decisions now can alter the remote past.
These effects establish that the idea of an objective reality, visualized in
terms of material objects, is invalid. What
we need is a theory that incorporates the subjective and the objective in a
comprehensive whole. Current research suggests that such a theory will
be based fundamentally on quantum physics, but it will go beyond it in its
comprehensiveness.
Vaishnava
metaphysics confronts the question of objective and subjective reality
directly. It presents its resolution in terms of a paradoxical unity between
consciousness and the material world. The details of the cognitive structure,
which may be termed Vaishnava Tantra, belong to esoteric traditions and are not
well known in the academic world. Let it also be said that Saiva metaphysics is
similar to Vaishnava metaphysics, although there are some differences in
emphasis. Saiva Tantra, likewise, has parallels with Vaishnava Tantra. The
image of Hari-Hara symbolizes this identity.
The
Vaishnava approach to reality is a
systematic analysis that distinguishes the domain of the material from that of
the agent, who is Vasudeva. It is in complete opposition to the materialist position which regards consciousness as emerging from the
material ground. But the materialist position cannot explain how this emergent
entity, mysteriously, makes a break in the cycle of cause and effect. Why do we suddenly obtain the sentient from
the insentient? On the other hand, the Vaishnava position declares the
universe, in the form of Vasudeva, to be sentient and considers the materiality
of the kshara purusha to be a part of the divine play (leela) of Krishna--Isavasyamidam
sarvam viewed as Chit, Achit and Iswara.
Suitably
extracted from Subhash Kak’s “Understanding The Vedic Model of the Mind”.
Vedic model of Mind that leads to Atmajnana and then on to
Prajnaana:
Vedic Model of the
Mind says: Manas leads to Ahamkara to
Chitta to Buddhi- and Buddhi to Atman (Manasa chittam chittena
smriti smaarena vijnaanam vijnaanena atmananam vedayati)--Physical Mind power leads to conclusive
experience that opens our Intellect
that leads to our Inner-net Atman
(Mahanarayana Upanisahad )
Webinar 167 showed that the
intellect (buddhi / manas) has a prominent role in the matter. “Through
the mind alone is THIS attained,” says the Kathopanishad. Āchārya Shankara clarifies that a mind that is purified through the
guidance that a competent teacher (Āchārya) gives and through the insights that the scriptures supply –
can indeed bring about the radical transformation’.
May
I draw your kind attention to his first citation of the Taittariya Upanishad Mantra
in Webinar 167: yato vācho nivartante.. manasā saha – Taittiriya Upanishad
Valli 4 [Speech and mind return, failing
to reach Brahman.] Valli mantra 4 is
vividly and conclusively explained in the concluding part of the Valli 9:
yato
vacho nivartante | apraapya manasaa saha | aanndam brahmano vidwaan na bibheti
kutaschaneti ||
He who knows the Bliss of
Brahman, from which all words together with the mind return without reaching
Brahman is no more afraid of anything.
In Valli 4 the mantra
indicates infinite possibilities of
speech and mind if tuned properly.
Here the same mantra repeated reveals its native import, explaining the
transcendental nature of the Self, and shows how the speech can neither define
nor feel, nor the intellect completely comprehend the Self, which is the eternal subject.
In earlier section
Taittareeya Upanishad says one gains fearlessness getting oneself established
in Brahman. We also earlier discussed
the Upanishadic statement “Aatmanaa
vindate veeryam’ one gets strength (devoid of fear) by turning to soul guided
by Intellect. Speech and mind turn back
without being able to reach the end of the bliss of the Brahman as the bliss of
Brahman is infinite says the above mantra. So Brahman cannot be known fully.
Brahman cannot be described fully. But
yet there will be total destruction of all fears and sufferings through
meditation upon Brahman of such bliss. Even if a person has committed sins and
is bogged down with fears that his evil deeds will lead him to hell, will get
his evil deeds burnt to ashes by the knowledge of Brahman. You have seen this
from the life of Sage Valmiki. The mind
cannot feel the Truth, nor can the Intelligence know Brahman because the mind
and the intellect are but inert-matter and they gain their capacity to feel and
know when they are dynamited by the Conscious Principle in us, the Divine
Light!
Swamiji draws our attention next to the
following mantra from Katha Upanishad in this context:
manasā eva idam āptavyam neha naanasasti
kanchana |mrityoh sa mrityum gacchati ya
iha naaneva pasyati || II-iv-11 ||
By mind alone could this
Brahman be obtained (realized); then there is no difference here (in the
Paramatman). He, who sees any difference
here, goes from death to death.
Why can’t we realize this
truth of Paramaatman grasped by the purified mind in this birth alone and
attain Him and why to postpone? Meditation is the process by which the mind
soaring over the summit of spiritual enquiries loses itself to nothingness.
When the mind has thus ended, through
meditation, and the Self has become fully aware of Itself, then there is no difference here at all (iha naaneva pasyati). We should be smart
enough to walk the Path of Truth and finally succeed in reaching the goal of
life in this very birth and avoid going from death to death seeing difference!
MNU says: Vijnanena atmanam Vedayati-- One knows
Self through Intellect we discussed all along. The world today is
in a state of chaos due to the perversion in human development − all
intelligence and no intellect. Know the difference between the two. Any amount
of intelligence gained cannot per se build your intellect. The intelligence
acquired from external agencies is much like data fed into a computer. That explains why
even highly educated businesspersons, professionals and scholars become
alcoholics, are short tempered and succumb to worry and anxiety. It is the mind
that craves alcohol. It is the mind that loses its temper. Again, it is the
mind that constantly harbors worry of the past and anxiety for the future. When
the intellect remains undeveloped and weak, it is unable to control the
vagaries of the mind. The frail intellect looks on helplessly as the mind
devastates the person. In such a condition the business, profession and even
family relationship run into shambles. On the contrary those having developed a
powerful intellect, with or without academic distinction, can hold the mind
under perfect control and direct action to spell success and peace in life. The educational systems the world over must
be held responsible for the debacle of the intellect. Atman, the soul, and
Brahmn and the Paramatman do exist. Only those who have never tried to
understand anything beyond the sensually perceivable world may say, “If God
exists, why can’t we see Him?” A
material-minded person may ask, “Can you show me God?” Such a question may make
a learned person laugh but this does not answer the question. So it is
necessary to say that the answer to the question must be in the code and
language consonant with the nature of the subject. So says Yama, to Nachiketa in Kathopanishad. The Supreme Self lies hidden deep within every object.
The intellect started seeking answers
for what had been its nemesis, namely, who is GOD. What symbolized its own
failure became a subject of its study. Before attempting to comprehend GOD, it
was vital to first comprehend the Self. A student of science could study any
subject but would be incapable of making the Self a subject of its own study.
Experiment can never investigate the Self, which is an experience of awareness. Experience transcended
intelligence. A paradigm shift is needed to be able to comprehend the
abstraction that we call GOD. This could be made possible when we move from the
ambit of experiment to experience. It will require sublimation of Intellectual
faculties to a point of heightened awareness,
elevating awareness to become all-encompassing and all-inclusive that would end
the subject-object dichotomy. The only way to understand GOD would be to become
one.
[Compiled from Webinar 167 discourse by H. H. Swami Chidananda on the subject, Relation between Mind, Intellect & Consciousness by Dr.
Anadi Sahoo, Understanding Vedic concept of Mind by
Subhash Kak, Principal Upanishad by Anantha Rangacharya, Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata
and other Internet sources that are gratefully acknowledged]
APPENDIX
BHAGAVADGITA ON MIND AND INTELLECT
In the Bhagavad Gita (BG) Lord Krishna
provides a lot of information on the mind and the intelligence. He emphasizes
that in order to be successful, both materially and spiritually, one must
control the mind with the help of the intelligence.
BG 3.42 gives the hierarchy of different subtle and gross
elements within a particular body:
SOUL →
INTELLIGENCE →
MIND → SENSES → DULL MATTER
Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that, “one
must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The
mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.” (BG
6.5). And “for him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of
friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest
enemy.” (BG 6.6)
But Arjuna expresses the difficulties
in controlling the mind, “for the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and
very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than
controlling the wind.” (BG 6.34).
Lord Krishna immediately tells Arjuna
that, “O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb
the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.” (BG
6.35)
f the soul, is to direct the mind but the mind, over a long
period of time, has become difficult to direct. Instead, the mind has become so
powerful that it dictates the intelligence and controls the soul, just ‘as an
acute infection may surpass the efficacy of medicine’.
Lord Krishna then tells Arjuna “for the `
one whose mind is unbridled, self-realization is difficult work. But he whose
mind is controlled and who strives by appropriate means is assured of success.
That is My opinion.” (BG 6.36)
All
the above is achieved with the help of the intelligence. Lord Krishna points
out that, “one who restrains his senses, keeping them under full control,
and fixes his consciousness upon Me, is known as a man of steady intelligence.”
(BG 2.61)
indriyani paraany
ahur indriyebhyah param manah
manasas tu paraa buddhir yo buddheh paratas tu sah || 3-42 ||
manasas tu paraa buddhir yo buddheh paratas tu sah || 3-42 ||
The working senses are superior to dull
matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the
mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.
Doubts and re doubts (`संकल्प विकल्प) is function of mind.
Taking firm decision from among various options available is function of
intelligence बुध्दि.
In short, mind is horses of chariot and intelligence is charioteer सारथी।
Jnana Bhumikas (Stages of Wisdom)
The Varaha Upanishad
lists seven stages of wisdom. These stages mark the journey from striving for
truth until the final state of self -realization. These seven stages belong to
the realm of jnana yoga (the yoga of knowledge).
The
seven stages of wisdom are:
- Subheccha (Yearning for Truth). In this state, there is a strong will to study scriptures and to practice them. The spiritual aspirant longs to mingle with gurus and teachers. He/she has a strong yearning to realize the self.
- Vicharana (Enquiry, Investigation). This stage is marked by deep inquiry. The aspirant puts the teachings into practice through self-inquiry and meditation.
- Tanumanasi (Thread-like Mind).The practice of meditation and inquiry transforms the aspirant’s mind. He/she slowly loses interest in worldly affairs and passions, and starts to concentrate more on spiritual practice. The mind slowly moves away from desires and emotions, and longs to pursue selfless spirituality.
- Sattvapatti (Attaining Purity). In this stage, the mind becomes pure. The lower qualities of passion (rajas) and dullness (tamas) are transformed into purity (sattva) and awareness. A pure mind is akin to a lake’s calm surface. It is able to directly perceive the Absolute Self. Deep rooted tendencies in the mind are destroyed and the aspirant breaks frees from the clutches of maya (illusion) and sees the world as a dream.
- Asamsakti (Detachment). In this stage, the aspirant becomes completely detached. He/she becomes utterly selfless and inwardly experiences complete bliss. He/she is not affected by external circumstances, but still performs voluntary actions, when the need arises. The aspirant becomes a jivanmukta (liberated while alive).
- Padartha (Continuous Awareness of the Self). In this stage, the person is continuously immersed in the Absolute Self and acts only when impelled by others.
- Turiya (The Superconscious State). In this final stage, the aspirant sees the world and the Absolute Self as one. Ramana Maharishi said turiya is natural and real state of one’s self.
Conclusion
These seven stages can be used a guide to gauge spiritual progress. If you are
a spiritual aspirant, check which stage you currently in, and strive to improve
further.