What consciousness is, and how can we get some

Being in the material world is thus not a question of being in a geographical space, but a matter of consciousness. As long as our consciousness is focused on the material world, we are here.

It's sometimes said we need to be conscious before we become Krsna conscious. We see that many living entities don't show many symptoms of consciousness, such as plants and microbes, even though there is a soul there. It seems, thus, that consciousness is not always present, at least in our conditioned stage. Therefore, what consciousness is, from where consciousness comes, and how can we be sure we have enough of it?

In the teachings of Lord Kapila (SB 3.27.11-13), we find an enigmatic explanation:

"A liberated soul realizes the Absolute Personality of Godhead, who is transcendental and who is manifest as a reflection even in the false ego. He is the support of the material cause and He enters into everything. He is absolute, one without a second, and He is the eyes of the illusory energy.

The presence of the Supreme Lord can be realized just as the sun is realized first as a reflection on water, and again as a second reflection on the wall of a room, although the sun itself is situated in the sky.

The self-realized soul is thus reflected first in the threefold ego and then in the body, senses and mind."

These three verses give a very deep explanation of the nature of our materially conditioned consciousness, the presence of the Lord, and the vision of a pure devotee.

The Lord is present everywhere in the material creation, even in the false ego, which is the most subtle of all material elements. However, at the same time, it is said that the Lord never touches material nature. How is it that the Lord is present everywhere if He never touches the material creation?

If you appreciate the work I’m doing here, you can also contribute with a small monthly donation by becoming a paid subscriber or donating using the button below. On the donation page, you can check all options to contribute. This allows me to concentrate on writing new books, courses, and daily articles that can benefit others: 

Lord Kapila explains this point by using the example of the sun reflected on a pot of water and then on the walls of a room we are already familiar with from other articles. The material world is, by nature, dark, just like a dark room, and the only light comes from the Lord.

Because the sun is so powerful, even the reflection of the sun in a pot of water in the corner of a dark room is sufficiently luminous to be reflected again in the walls of the room and thus illuminate the whole place. The sun thus enters the room and illuminates it, although it never leaves its position in the sky. Similarly, although the Lord is far, far away, outside the coverings of the universe, he becomes present everywhere by the diffusion of the reflection of His energy.

The Lord is situated in the spiritual sky, and He never comes in contact with the material energy. However, at the same time, He becomes present through the reflection of His energy. In this way, Lord Maha-Vishnu appears as Lord Garbhodakasayi-Vishnu and then as Ksirodakasayi Vishnu, and from Him, all avataras are manifested. Even Krsna Himself, who never leaves Vrindavana, appears in the different universes together with his supreme abode. A pure devotee can thus see Krsna present everywhere, although He is eternally situated in the spiritual sky.

This also shows that although present everywhere, Paramatma is just one. Ksirodakasayi Vishnu is like the reflection of the sun in a pot of water. The light of the reflection illuminates the whole room, although all the light comes from a single source. Just like the light coming from the reflection on the pot of water illuminates the whole room, Paramatma permeates all parts of the universe, although at the same time localized.

What about the soul? The soul is just like the Lord (tat tvam asi). The Lord is like the big sun, and the soul is like a small sun. Just like the Lord doesn't come in contact with the material energy, the soul also doesn't, although the consciousness of the soul somehow becomes entrapped here. Lord Kapila explains this point on verse 13: evaṁ trivṛd-ahaṅkāro, bhūtendriya-manomayaiḥ, svābhāsair lakṣito ’nena, sad-ābhāsena satya-dṛk.

Just like a pure devotee can see the Lord present everywhere by His reflection in the material energy, he can see himself also present as a reflection. The consciousness of the soul is first reflected in the three divisions of the false ego (in goodness, passion, and ignorance) and from there permeates the body, senses, and mind. In this way, the big sun permeates the whole universe, while the small sun permeates just a particular body, but both are eternally situated in the sky.

The soul thus enters into the body in the form of consciousness, and in this way goes from one body to the other, even though the soul never really comes into contact with matter, remaining always in one’s transcendental position. We are thus not factually present in this material world, although our consciousness is focused here. This explains how a soul can achieve liberation by just focusing one’s meditation on Krsna. When one can do so, he sees himself immediately with Krsna, even while still technically living in a material body.

Being in the material world is thus not a question of being in a geographical space, but a matter of consciousness. As long as our consciousness is focused on the material world, we are here, but as soon as our consciousness is again focused on Krsna, we suddenly realize we never left. This is a very subtle point in our philosophy. That's one of the reasons the question of how the soul "falls" into the material world is so difficult to answer, because it starts from the false premise that we are here in the first place.

In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Srila Rūpa Gosvāmī explains that a pure devotee can be liberated even while living in his material body. Liberation, in this case, means to become aware of one's eternal relationship with Krsna. This leads us to the question: How can the pure devotee become aware of His eternal relationship with Krsna and thus be directly present with Krsna even though he is still living in his physical body?

The answer is that the sun still shines in the sky, even though reflected in the water. The light of the sun has no problem in being manifested in many places simultaneously. As Prabhupada explains: "When one is reflected through the material contamination of the body and mind in false identification, he is in the conditional state, but when he is reflected in the pure stage he is called liberated."

Prabhupada goes further by explaining the eternal position of the soul as a servitor of the Lord. This is the explanation for the "origin" of the soul that Prabhupada consistently gives in his books, and is the only explanation that does not contradict the scriptures.

As he mentions, "Real individuality is to understand oneself to be the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. This information is received from the mouth of Lord Caitanya. He said clearly, upon the inquiry of Sanātana Gosvāmī, that a living entity is the servitor of Kṛṣṇa eternally. Kṛṣṇa also confirms in Bhagavad-gītā that the living entity is eternally His part and parcel."

In the Bhagavad-Gita Krsna explains that "nāsato vidyate bhāvo, nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ". Everything that is sat (real) is eternal or immutable, and everything that changes or has a beginning is asat (non-existent, or illusory). If the relationship of the soul with Krsna had the be established at a certain point in time, this relationship would have a beginning and thus would be asat, illusory, and temporary, existing only under the purview of the material manifestation. The only way the soul can have an eternal relationship with Krsna is if that relationship is eternally existing. As Prabhupada explains, the soul is eternally connected with Krsna in a bond of love. This relationship is eternal and ever existing, and can never be broken, although it can be temporarily forgotten. The soul thus can come to the material world and become focused on the temporary reality, just like the light of the sun can be reflected in the pot of water and from there illuminate a room, although the sun is permanently fixed in the sky. The reflection of the soul thus becomes engaged with the material ego, mind, intelligence, and senses, creating a delirious consciousness from where one believes there is no God, or that he is one with Brahman, or that he is eternally part of the material world, he was never with Krsna or doesn't have a relationship with Krsna, that an eternal relationship with Krsna has to be established, and so on. These are all illusory concepts that come from one's delirious condition.

Lord Caitanya encapsulates this intricate point in his famous instructions to Srila Sanātana Gosvāmī: jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’. A living entity is the servitor of Kṛṣṇa eternally.

Later He clarifies: nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya, śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya. "Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens."

These two verses encapsulate the following points:

a) The soul is eternal.

b) The soul is constitutionally a servant of Krsna.

c) The soul's relationship with Krsna is eternal (and thus has no beginning).

d) The soul is eternally an individual since a relationship implies two persons. There is no possibility of becoming one with the Lord.

e) Love for Krsna is eternally established in the soul. It is thus part of the soul and inseparable from it.

f) Being part of the soul, this love for Krsna is not something to be gained from another source.

g) Being eternal, the relationship with Krsna can't be broken. Being part of the soul, love for Him can't be lost. Both can only be forgotten.

h) When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.

If you read this article to the end, give it a like. This helps it to reach more people.
If you have questions, use the comments; I will answer as possible. They may even become the topic for another article. Your thoughts and opinions are also very welcome.