Exhibited at Conquest House Gallery 2017 - 2019 Part of the Interfaith week in association with CANDIA
Exploring human nature and the deeper dimensions of The Self and Self realization. This is an ongoing body of work.
Taking inspiration from the book Subjective Evolution of Consciousness by Srila Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj
Exert from: SUBJECTIVE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS Consciousness and Evolution By Srila Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj
we must first inquire about the soul. First there is mind, manah, then intelligence, buddhi, then soul, atma. The soul is evergreen: it does not die. Soul is eternal, constant. It is said in the Upanisads and in the Gita: if once we can meet our soul, then a diametrical change comes in our life. At that time we will be astonished to realize, “Oh, such a highly qualified thing is here within me! In ignorance, I was considering that this perishable body and this flickering mind, was my true self. But the material senses and mind are all trespassers, they have some inimical tendency towards my true self. I am soul: I have no necessity of all these things. Without these unnecessary material things I can live! No food is necessary for the soul from the jurisdiction of this material plane. The soul is independent. What a wonderful existence I have! In reality I am soul, and the nature of soul is so noble, so high, so good.” A diametrical change of consciousness comes at this point and one tries to enter into that higher realm. Spiritual reality is what is necessary for us. We are soul, we are independent of matter. We are made of such transcendental existence. Nothing can threaten the soul’s existence – not the atomic bomb, nuclear war, lightning, thunder, or earthquakes. All the troubles of this material world are limited to this body which is a foreign carcass, a concocted representation of my true self. My true self exists on the spiritual plane, on a higher level. If we can really have a touch of that realization, a glimpse of our own identity – if we can feel within that the soul is independent of matter, then a revolutionary change will take place within our minds. Then our attempt to progress in spiritual life becomes quite genuine. Otherwise, our progress is suspicious, doubtful. We grasp it intellectually, and think, “Yes, let me try. I hear, of course, that I have a good prospect in spiritual life; by my intelligence I can follow something. Let me try.” But progress on the intellectual plane is only hesitating progress. When one comes to the plane of one’s own soul, however, one will find one’s self and realize, “Here I am!” At that time all false conceptions which have been held for so long will vanish like a dream. They will all be finished, and one will think, “I’m to start a new life.” And the new prospect will open to make progress in the higher plane.
Soul is nearby. We can try to find out what the soul is if we can eliminate the material elements. This is the process of the Upanisads and is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita: indriyani parany ahur (3.42). First we are to understand that our senses are primary. If my senses are removed, the entire world of our experience is nothing to me. Only through my senses can I be aware of the existence of the outside world. Minus senses, eyes, ears, no world is apparent to me. Then, above the senses is the mind. What is the mind? The mind deals with acceptance and rejection: sankalpa vikalpa. In other words, the mind thinks, “I want this, I don’t want that.” It deals with attachment and hatred. The mind determines who is enemy and who is friend, this is mine, that is yours. If we want to understand the mind we have to look within, to inquire within: what is that element in me that seeks friends and avoids enemies? Where is he? Sometimes the mind is apparent; then other times it is hiding. I must find out where the mind exists, of what substance is it composed? By analysis I can understand what aspect of my inner self is the mind. Then, having some idea of what the mind is, I may analyze that part of me which deals with reason, the intelligence. Where is the intelligence? When the mind demands something; the intelligence says, “Don’t take that, don’t eat that.” By introspection, I may look within and find out: what is that principle in me which reasons? Where is that fine thing? What is its nature, its substance, its existence? We shall try in our introspection to find it out, substantially. If that is possible, then the next step will take us to the soul. What is that soul which makes possible the intelligence, the reason by which we act, which prompts the mind to want, and also gives our senses the power to connect with things? What is that spark of knowledge? Where is that soul within me? What position does it hold ? I want to see it face to face. Then in this way we can evaporate like lightning all the misconceptions of body and mind. By finding the soul through introspection, we may experience the lightning touch of realization. At that time, the whole world will be turned in a diametrically different line, and we shall see things differently: “Oh, this material life is undesirable! These senses are enemies in the garb of friends. If I confront them now, they say that I may have an honorable friendship with them, and that without them I can’t live. But it is all a hoax.” From a realization of the soul, from the point of that wonderful knowledge, one may come to see the ocean of knowledge. One may begin to see what is in the subjective area, and hanker for how to come in connection with that divine realm. At that time, the very trend of one’s life will be changed, and a total change will come in our search, in our standard of prospect in life. And our search will take a concrete shape in devotion. In this way, we must begin our search after the higher sphere. And how to enter there?
Question: This verse says nasta-prayesv abhadresu, that the impurities are almost destroyed. Why not completely destroyed? Srila Sridhar Maharaj: That means it happens gradually. The gradual development is described there. Nasta prayesu means when the stage of nisthacomes, when all the undesirabilities are almost finished, then we can have a real peep into the thing. Just as before sunrise, when there is twilight in the early morning, the sun is not there, but the darkness has been dispelled. The darkness has been mainly removed, but the sun has not yet risen. In the same way, the Bhagavatam is describing how bhakti develops gradually. Nasta prayesu: it is not finished immediately; there is a gradual process of sadhana – a means to an end. And gradually, slowly, according to the capacity of the devotee, and the endeavor, the sadhana, one’s bhakti develops. When darkness has almost been finished, the non-gentle, abnormal, exploitative symptoms like the mean attempt to exploit the environment, gradually disappear. And in this way, gradually, we make further progress. It is not that all of a sudden – in one stroke – everything is cleared. Rather, according to our bhajana, our sadhana, our attempt, the undesirable elements will gradually vanish, go away. And by different stages we shall reach the goal.
When the covers are removed, then we find that inner continuity of flow with Krishna connection within us, and naisthiki-bhakti appears That is completely clear, cleansed. Bhaktir bhavati naisthiki: then on the basis of nistha, that is, the continuous flow, then further progress is made on the positive side – asakti, attachment, then bhava, spiritual emotion, then prema, divine love – in this way the inner aspect of devotion will gradually come out. And we shall be able to dive deep into reality. As we give up the external covers, and we experience what may be considered as death in the external world – die to live – we shall enter into the inner side more and more.
These stages have been described by Rupa Goswami as follows in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.4.15-16):
“In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is initiated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and then attachment. This is the way of sadhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually spiritual emotions manifest and intensify, then finally there is an awakening of divine love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Krishna consciousness.” Rupa Goswami says that nistha means “continuous connection.” After nistha, the mundane negative side is eliminated, and then, in the positive side, we may make progress. Then, after this there are the higher stages: asakti, bhava, and prema. Within prema, there are also different stages: sneha, mana, raga, anuraga, bhava, mahabhava. In this way bhakti develops to the topmost plane, mahabhava. Mahabhava means Radharani. That supermost intensity of bhakti which is not found anywhere else is found only in Her. That is called mahabhava. In this way, bhakti – divine love – develops in different stages up to the highest level.
After everything is analyzed, we will find that it is an idea. This is Berkeley’s theory. Everything is an idea in the ocean of consciousness. Just as an iceberg floats in the salt ocean, so the fossil is floating in the conscious ocean. Ultimately everything – whatever we can assert, whatever is within the world of our experience – is floating like an iceberg in the ocean of consciousness. This point can never be refuted. I have had personal experience of this. When I was twenty-three, I had some deep and natural indifference to the world. At that time I had an experience of the reality of consciousness. I felt the material world floating on consciousness just as cream floats on milk. Conscious reality is much deeper than the apparent reality of our present experience. The world of experience is like cream floating on milk which is the mind. This physical world is only the visible portion of reality floating over the mental world. I felt this myself. When there is a huge quantity of milk, the cream that floats over the milk and covers it is very meager. In the same way, I could feel at that time that this physical world is only a meager portion of reality, and that the subtle world, which is at present in the background, is far more vast. The mental world is a huge and vast reality, and the physical world is a small cover over that mental world.
Exert from: SUBJECTIVE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS A Floating world of experience By Srila Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj
Whatever can be perceived by the eye, the ear, the tongue, the nose, the skin – any of the external senses – is only a covering of reality. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Prahlada Maharaj says, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum, durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. We are making too much of the covering of reality, we are devoting our minds to the external coating – bahir-artha-maninah – but we do not dive deep into the eternal substance. If only we were to dive deep into reality, there we would find Vishnu. The most peaceful substance is within, but it is covered, just as milk is covered by cream, and we are making much of that cover. The real substance is within, just as fruit is covered by its skin. What we experience at present is the cover, the skin, and we are making much of that, ignoring the very substance which the cover is protecting. The primary step in the search for truth is to penetrate the covering and find the knower within. And then begin our analysis. What is he? Is he an atom like an atomic particle of dust? Or is he a fantastic atom in the conscious plane? At first we must approach reality in this way. There is the knower and the unknown, the inquirer and the inquired. Try to find yourself. Then gradually, you will come to know that you are the soul, the particle of consciousness within. And just as you are spirit covered by matter, the whole world is also like that; the spiritual reality within is covered. Upon realizing your self as spirit soul, you will be able to see that everything is a part of consciousness. Within the world of consciousness, worlds of different sorts of experience are floating. In the conscious sea, the sun, the moon, trees, stones, human beings, our friends, and our enemies are all floating. As we approach the spiritual plane, we will find it to be nearer to our real self. And in this way, we will see that matter is far, far away, but the soul is near. Try to conceive of reality along these lines. Soul, spirit, consciousness, is nearer to the soul and you are a child of that soil. Matter is far, far away. But the interrupting planes are so close together that we don’t see the nature of spiritual reality, just as if you put your hand over your eye, you can’t see the hand. But if the hand is only one foot away, we can see it very clearly. Sometimes what is very close, we cannot see. I may be able to see so many things, but I cannot see myself.
Whatever can be perceived by the eye, the ear, the tongue, the nose, the skin – any of the external senses – is only a covering of reality. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Prahlada Maharaj says, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum, durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. We are making too much of the covering of reality, we are devoting our minds to the external coating – bahir-artha-maninah – but we do not dive deep into the eternal substance. If only we were to dive deep into reality, there we would find Vishnu. The most peaceful substance is within, but it is covered, just as milk is covered by cream, and we are making much of that cover. The real substance is within, just as fruit is covered by its skin. What we experience at present is the cover, the skin, and we are making much of that, ignoring the very substance which the cover is protecting. The primary step in the search for truth is to penetrate the covering and find the knower within. And then begin our analysis. What is he? Is he an atom like an atomic particle of dust? Or is he a fantastic atom in the conscious plane? At first we must approach reality in this way. There is the knower and the unknown, the inquirer and the inquired. Try to find yourself. Then gradually, you will come to know that you are the soul, the particle of consciousness within. And just as you are spirit covered by matter, the whole world is also like that; the spiritual reality within is covered. Upon realizing your self as spirit soul, you will be able to see that everything is a part of consciousness. Within the world of consciousness, worlds of different sorts of experience are floating. In the conscious sea, the sun, the moon, trees, stones, human beings, our friends, and our enemies are all floating. As we approach the spiritual plane, we will find it to be nearer to our real self. And in this way, we will see that matter is far, far away, but the soul is near. Try to conceive of reality along these lines. Soul, spirit, consciousness, is nearer to the soul and you are a child of that soil. Matter is far, far away. But the interrupting planes are so close together that we don’t see the nature of spiritual reality, just as if you put your hand over your eye, you can’t see the hand. But if the hand is only one foot away, we can see it very clearly. Sometimes what is very close, we cannot see. I may be able to see so many things, but I cannot see myself.