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

The soul is eternal, distinct from the body and mind, and independent of material existence. Most people mistakenly identify with their physical bodies and minds, unaware that these are mere coverings over their true selves. Through introspection and spiritual practice, one can peel away these layers to realize their soul’s pure, transcendental nature.
The material world is like a thin layer floating on an ocean of consciousness, much like cream on milk. True reality is spiritual, and all external experiences are fleeting illusions. By focusing inward, one can move beyond material limitations and enter a higher spiritual plane.
This journey of self-discovery happens gradually, passing through stages of faith, devotion, purification, and deep spiritual love. The highest realization leads to divine connection, where one perceives existence through the lens of pure consciousness, free from illusion.

Exert from: SUBJECTIVE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Consciousness and Evolution 
By Srila Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj 


CC Madhya Lila 23. 14-15

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-
sango’tha bhajana-kriya
tato’nartha-nivrttih syat
tato nistha rucis tatah

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):

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-
sango’tha bhajana-kriya
tato’nartha-nivrttih syat
tato nistha ruchis tatah

athasaktis tato bhavas
tatah premabhyudanchati
sadhakanam ayam premnah
pradurbhave bhavet kramah

“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.

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 
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.