Life , Death and Samskar

 

Life , Death and Samskar

         Sachidananda is derived from a conversion of three terms, namely : Sat, cit and ananda. 

  The meaning of ananda is of course " bliss".  it is by the power of chit that the cosmos is created, and it is this power that through the unit mind experiences or activates created substance. This subjectivation in only due to the Consciousness or chitishakti in Brahma.

     It was seen in the last chapter that Saguna Brahma includes in itself all of microcosm, Macrocosm, Purusottama and Paramatman. The whole cosmos in Saguna Brahma is the thought-projection of the Macrocosm.

   The microcosm processes ten organs- five sensory and five motor organs. Sensory organs receive tanmatras from the objects which are perceived. These organs or indriyas are, therefore , the knowers of these objects, In the next stage though the afferent nerves, chitta receives the tanmatras and takes the form of the object perceived; Ahamtattva feels the subjectivity- I perceive- but this subjectivity itself dependsupon the existence if "I" because one cannot work unless one feels that one exists. "I" exists first and then the "I" works. This feeling of existence is Mahatattva. The combination of Ahamtattva and Mahatattva is the instrument for the perception of tanmatras which have been brought in by the organs. The mind ,the combination of the three ( mahat, aham and chitta) is thus the knower of the indriyas , that is way the mind is said to be the master of the organs. But is mind the real knower ? if not , who is the real knower ?

   We thus come to the entity witnessing Mahatattva. This witnessing entity is the atma , or unit consciousness. The knower of the mind itself is the atman. Hence the ultimate knowership lies in the atman and not in the mind; the atman or the reflected consciousness on the unit psychic plate , is not only the active elements; the knowership lies in him as witnessing entity. The atman knows because it is an active participant in the functions of the mind.

     The function of the five motor organs is to activate tanmatras. The organs work by translating their potentialities into action with the help of the out-going tanmatras radiated through the motor nerves, which in their turn receive the tanmatras from the mind. So it seems that the doership lies in the mind and not in the absence of the atman, who witnesses that the mind is activating the internal samskaras, or accumulated momenta, in the form of tanmatras. The atman is not active, but it is due to the atman due to its omnipresence-that the mind is able to work. To this extent in the atman lies the knowership or doership. The atman itself does not work, but its existence is the ultimate cause of knowing and doing.

     The ultimate existence of the mind is itself in the atman. Thus the untimate knowership, doership and existence are in the atman, and the collective name given for the three is " witnessing entity" This will be more clear if it is remembered that the mind is nothing but a state of never-ending alsh among three combined principles. These correlated belligerent combined principles are the main attributes leading to the formation of the mind, As the mind is only a never -ending clash and an ever-changing relative this witnessing entity is the atman , and the mind is only the result of ever-changing functional metamorphosis. 

   The witnessing entity must exist at all stages in Brahma Cakra. In sanchara, Purusottama acts as the witnessing entity of the Cosmic Mind. The Atman of the Macrocosm is , therefore, Purusottama Himself. In pratisanchara, Purusottama by His ota yoga reflects associatively upon the microcosm, and the reflection in each mental plate is the jiivatma, the witnessing entity of the unit mind. The atman is not an active counterpart.

   The mind is an ever-changing functional organism and so it must have a momentum. From where the mind derive this momentum ? Every stage results from the previous stages. The stage after formation of the unit mind is also the effect of all the past stages. The effect of action in the past stages is called samskara, which gives momentum to the unit mind. The initial creation of the unit mind is the result of certain forces reacting in sanchara. The untimate cause of momentum of every force is , of course the Macrocosm, the entire working principle in sanchara and pratisanchara. It is therefore , the Macrocosm who works through the media of microcosm and provides the momentum for the unit mind. The attraction of the Great gives an acceleration to such momentum. At the nucleus point where the first manifestation of Prakriti took place , the momentum of creation lay in latent form. The momentum of the universe is the momentum by the Cosmos through the media of microcosm and also through the medium of the inanimate portion of the Macrocosm. Before the formation of microcosm only the Macrocosm existed , and all projected activities lay in the Macrocosm, and all the diversities were in collective unity there. All the Cosmos resides in Him and therefore , there is no question of life , death or samskara in this inanimate phase of creation, that is from the first bursting out of Prakriti to the development of crudest solid matter.   

   In the journey of Pratisanchara the crude mind gets momentum from the Macrocosm. In the first stage the microcosm evolves neither ego ( Ahamtattva) nor Mahatattva , so it is devoid of any samskara, and the eternal force of the Macrocosm moves the microcosm further towards the Nucleus. In a later stage , the ego is evolved but the unit mind feels it and accepts it as a possessor of samskara or momentum.

   This stage in evolution is represented by human beings Human instead of going further towards the divine goal according to the movement of pratisanchara can retrace , or adopt the path of negative pratisanchara. The momentum for this negative movement being the accepted momentum of the  unit mind , it is said that the samskara of any living animal inferior to the human inferior animals, therefore , continus to march further on the path of pratisanchara ( because of their less develop ego ) while hymas may retrace by adopting mean objectives.

   While maintaining the unit structure of any object in the animated phase of evolution , proper adjustment amongst mental waves, physical waves and the pranah is an essentiality. Any object , mental or physical , always emanates waves.  

   This paralleism can be lost as well, causing a dissociation of the composite factors by a maladjustment or unadjustable elevation or degradation of any one of the constituent factors. To take an example , if a dog comes in contact and clash with the waves of the human and thereby the dogs mental waves get evolved and attain a greater wavelenght of the dog may lose proper adjustment with its physical structure.  This loss in parallelism will cause dissociation, and the dissociated mind will have to find a physical body with which it can find proper adjustment. 

 Here as well the loss of paralleism shall occur and the physical and psychic bodies shall dissociate from each other. The symbolic story of the epic Ramayan, wherein Ahalya. the wife of Gautam Muni, was transformated into stone for negative pratisanchara.  Through science the apan of life can be made longer by properly adjusting the waves of the physical bodies; but if a change in the mental body be made . Pranah is the collective name of ten vayus, five internal and five external. The internal vayas are - prana, apana, samana, udana and vyana, and the external vayus are - naga, kurma, krkara, devadatta, and dhananjaya.

  The jurisdiction of prana is between the navel point and the vocal cord , and its function is inhalation and exhalation. Apana resides from the payu ( anus) to the navel point.  Samana resides in the navel sphere and its function is to maintain adjustment between prana and apana. Udana has its place in the throat , and it controls the vocal cord and the voice. Vyana regulates blood circulation and physical function of the afferent and efferent nerves.

   The function of the external vayus is as follow: Naga ( means " serpentine") gives the power to to jump or to extend the body and also to throw an object. Kurma ( mean " tortoise") gives the function of contraction. Krikara helps in yawning. Devadatta is responsible for thirst and hunger, and dhananjaya casues sleep and drowsiness(tandra)

  A physical deficiency or defect in any portion of the body result in the weakening of prana and apana, and samana may become unable to maintain adhustment between prana and apana, as a result of which there takes place a vehement fight in the navel area and in the vocal cord. In physiology , this is called " navel breathing" or nabhishvasa. When samana loses its vitality , all the three vayus- prana , apana, and samana - are transformed into one and strike udana. The moment udana loses its separate identity, vyana also comes in contact with their collective force and all the internal vayus, getting associated into one, move throughout the physical . The combined vayus pass out, and with their passing away from the physical structure all the external vayus, except dhanajaya , also leave the physical structure. Dhananjaya causes sleep, and so to cause the deep sleep of death dhananjaya remains in the body even after all the vayus have left. When the dead body is burnt or gets totally decayed , dhananjaya as well leaves the body and remains in the Cosmic to act again according to the will of Prakriti.

       The loss in the parallelism of physical and mental waves cause death. The physical cause of death is the passing away of the nine ( ten minus dhananjaya ) vayus into eternal space. The psychic waves, finding no proper adjustment with the physical waves, also dissociate and pass into eternal space.The detached mental body possesess the unexpressed momentum of its previous lives ( which it had to express according to the universal law of Prakriti that every force force must have its expressions ). This it does by making the dissociated mind penerate into a subtle physical structure.

   Since the mind exist , the mental plate exists, and the reflection of Purusottama must remain; the Atman, therefore, remains associated with the Jiivatma. The ultimate knowership, doership and base of existence lies in the atman. The atman is the witnessing entity without which there is no meaning of the mind working or activating the internal samskaras into tanmatras. Without the atman the mind cannot perceive or receive the in-coming tanmatras, that is way the ultimate knowership or doership lies in the atman. As the atman witness the mind itself, the ultimate residence of the mind is the atman. The dissociated mind has , therefore , the witnessing entity who witness the mind which is in a state of inaction (or converted into karmasaya- samskara , or reaction in its potentiality).

  The physical cause of death has been discuss above. 

   Food taken, after mixing with the digestive fluids, gets transformed into rasa, the unnecessary material being rejected in the form of urine and other waste matter. The essence of rasa is transformed into blood, waste matter  once again being rejected. The essence of blood changes into flesh and the essence of flesh into meda or vasa ( fat) and so on , till it changes into bone, bone marrow and ultimately into shukra ( viirya). The physical body is constituated of these seven materials , of which shukra is the final essence. This vital fluid has three stages: lymph, or prana-rasa ( lasika) spermatozoa ; and seminal fluid.

   The lymph forces through lymphatic vessels which run side by side with the arteries. The glands through which lymphatic vessels pass are known as lymphatic glands. The function of the lymph is to purify the blood and maintain the beauty and glory of the body; and by getting into the glands it enables proper secretion of hormones.  The lymph rises up and gets into the brain, thus strengthening it.  A deficiency or defect in the lymph casus some disease in the organ where the deficiency has occured. For example , defects of the lymph in the leg will result in elephantiasis of the leg.

    After a due supply of lymph to the brain, the extra lymph comes in contact with the testes and is transformed into spermatazoa. By a proper system of observing fast , the excessive formation of lymph can be checked. Impure thoughts also cause excessive formation of spermatazoa from lymph. If the surplus lymph is destroyed there is no harm. Spermatazoa with lymph and other fluids collected in the seminal sac are known as " seminal fluid"

   In the female body this excess lymph is converted into ova and the sperms of the male and the ova of the female get together , they constitute one physical structure. When the physical structure commences formation, there is no question of extra seminal fluid or seminal wastages, and that is way in the stage of pregnancy there is no menstruation.  

   In the uterus the basis physical structure is first formed. This structure has potential energy and emanates a wave length. It receives the potentiality from the momentum of the spermatozoa. Spermatozoa get their motion from the vital potentiality of the male body, and that is way the living being is said to reside first in the seminal fluid of the male and then in the mother's womb; after which the bosom of Mother Earth receive it.

   Since the physical structure starts from spermatozoa which has a positive motion and , therefore , a wavelength , the physical structure thus formed must have a wavelength accordingly. We have already seen that the dissociated mind also has a wavelength and a momentum which has to be expressed. The dissociated mind needs physical paralleism for proper expression, and therefore the cosmic mutative force causes the dissociated mind from eternal space to enter the adjustable physical structure , assuming a form in the mother's womb. This is how life comes into physical creation.