Role of the Case Studies in the Vedic Literature

Expressed in

Individual Situations

 

Figure 1. The case studies of the Vedic literature describe in the form of stories how the field of pure intelligence, the cosmic psyche, functions in specific situations to resolve problems facing individual life.

applied by the individual whenever one is confronted with similar events in one's own life. All the various principles of behavior that naturally guide life when individual awareness is established in the totality of natural law, the field of pure consciousness, are brought to light as the solutions to the situations presented in these accounts.

The Vedic case studies are expressed in poetic language in order to refine the emotions and awaken the intellect of the reader. These case studies are presented as stories; thus, they are easy to remember so that if a problem situation such as they describe should begin to develop it can be quickly recognized and averted before its destructive potential confronts the individual (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1982). Thus, in contrast with the case studies of twentieth-century psychology, which have been only for the psychologist, the Vedic case studies are for everyone. In contrast to contemporary psychological techniques, in which the individual is dependent on the psychologist, Maharishi Vedic Psychology makes each person self-sufficient in the knowledge and technology for his or her own development. This development is accomplished primarily through the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs, but is also supported by the theoretical principles found in Maharishi Vedic Psychology and Maharishi Vedic Science and Technology, which provide a complete understanding of one's development to higher states of consciousness and which are expounded in the Vedic case studies.

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As Maharishi (1986a) explains, the Vedic literature, in which the Vedic case studies are expressed, has its source in the self-interacting dynamics of the field of pure consciousness (please refer to Dillbeck, 1988). The Vedic literature is the literature of consciousness and natural law, expressing all the qualities of consciousness and all the dynamics of natural law (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1986a). The Vedic case studies have been articulated by individuals who directly cognized these dynamics of natural law in the highest level of consciousness, and the case studies are therefore evolutionary, inspiring, and life-supporting for everyone, no matter what the individual's level of consciousness. Maharishi (1982) has noted that the Vedic records have a meaning at every level of evolution of the individual. The same account will therefore be comprehended on increasingly profound levels as one grows in consciousness, until one comprehends its significance on the level from which it was originally expressed, unity consciousness. Thus, the Vedic case studies provide guides to life throughout the entire range of seven states of consciousness outlined by Maharishi Vedic Psychology (please refer to Alexander & Boyer, 1989), but are most meaningful as one's consciousness develops to higher states.

For this reason the greatest benefit from the Vedic case studies is gained when the individual is developing higher states of consciousness through the Maharishi

Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs. Then the individual spontaneously relates the content of the Vedic case studies to his or her own experience of development of consciousness; the understanding and memory of the Vedic case studies broadens intellectual appreciation of one's own experiences, raises self-confidence, and thus supports the natural direction of one's own development (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1982).

In addition, Maharishi (1982) has explained that the Vedic case studies profoundly influence the individual through their sound. As was discussed in a previous article in this series on the experience of the Veda (Dillbeck, 1989), the organizing power of a word exists on two levels: the meaning and, more importantly, the direct influence of the sound vibrations on the physical structure of the nervous system. Because the Vedic literature is expressed in the " language of nature itself" — the sounds expressed by the self-interacting dynamics of the field of pure consciousness — its sound quality directly produces a life-supporting influence on one's physiological functioning. The sound of the Vedic stories is said by Maharishi (1982) to generate an influence that purifies the area of physiological functioning associated with the weakness or problem addressed by the work. In this way, the Vedic case studies directly support the purification of physiological functioning that takes place through the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs (Wallace, 1986). The goal of this physiological purification is the permanent establishment of the experience of pure consciousness as the basis for all thinking and activity; this continuum of pure awareness forms an unshakable foundation of inner satisfaction in higher states of consciousness, which no changing situation can overshadow.

Examples of case studies may be found in the Upanishads and the Puranas, as well as other parts of the Vedic literature. The Brahman aspect of the Veda, of which the Upanishads are one part, expresses the infinite organizing power inherent in the structure of pure knowledge — the Veda. (Please refer to Dillbeck, 1989.) Maharishi (1987)

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explains that the Upanishads are that part of the Brahman aspect of the Veda that deals with the holistic structure of the Self from the angle of the knower (Rishi). The Puranas are an aspect of the Vedic literature which describes all the mechanics of transformation of the Self from the angle of the process of knowing (Devata).

In an example of a case study from the Puranas, the total potential of natural law is embodied in the dwarf Lord Vamana — infinity is expressed in its point value. The term

" Lord" is used because Lord Vamana fully embodies the field of pure consciousness. King Bali, who has mastered all the laws of nature through the development of his awareness, grants Lord Vamana anything he wishes, all the riches of the world. Vamana replies that his needs are few and that he only wishes as much of the king's land as he can measure with three steps. The king's advisor warns him that Lord Vamana is no ordinary individual. The king replies that no greater good fortune can befall him than to fulfill Lord Vamana's request, whereupon he grants Vamana his wish.

Lord Vamana then begins to grow from point to infinity; he covers all of manifest existence in his first step, the unmanifest in his second step, and when he has nowhere to place his foot for the third step, the king fulfills Lord Vamana's wish by offering him his own head for his third step, indicating that the king has attained the wholeness of life that is greater than the manifest and unmanifest together. This is fully developed unity consciousness, or Brahman, which comprehends at all times the unity (Samhita) of knower (Rishi), process of knowing (Devata), and known (Chhandas). (Please refer to Alexander & Boyer, 1989.) The extent of King Bali's " land" is the wholeness of existence on the level of human consciousness. The story thus displays for the reader the goal of complete enlightenment.

Another example of a case study is drawn from the Upanishads. In this story,

Vajasravasa sends his son Nachiketa to gain knowledge from Yama, who governs the whole continuum of change in nature and thus rules over death. In order to make amends for keeping the young Nachiketa waiting three days while he was absent, Yama grants the boy three wishes. Nachiketa's wishes express great wisdom, and his final wish is for knowledge of immortality. Yama is portrayed as capable of giving the knowledge of immortality, since change ultimately takes place on the basis of non-change; relative

existence has its basis in the absolute field of pure consciousness. The full potential of the relative, the field of change or death, is thus found in the field of pure consciousness, the field of immortality.

Another example of a case study from the Puranas is the story of Lord Dhanwantari. In this narrative, the positive and negative forces of nature are represented at each end of a giant snake that encircles a mountain suspended in the ocean; they are shown both as being together and yet tugging against each other. Their tugging spins the mountain back and forth, and this churns the ocean. After repeated churning of the ocean. Lord Dhanwantari emerged from the ocean, holding a vessel filled with amrit, the elixir of immortality. In his commentary on this narrative, Maharishi (1986b) points out that the ocean described in this story is the unbounded ocean of consciousness, the field of pure consciousness. It is a field of perfect symmetry and balance; the self-interacting dynamics of this field give rise to all the laws of nature that uphold the processes of creation, evolution, and dissolution in the universe. Enlivening the infinite silence and dynamism

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of this field in one's awareness, one awakens to the immortal status of this field of pure intelligence in nature. In the same process one promotes the production of the most refined physiological substances, which maintain perfect balance in the body and thereby sustain health and longevity. ¹

Each of these stories points to the importance of connecting the individual awareness with the field of cosmic intelligence, the unified field of natural law. For those who are already having this experience, through Maharishi Vedic Science and Technology, the Vedic case studies describe various features of their own growth and development. Like Nachiketa, or as narrated in the story of Lord Dhanwantari, those who begin to experience transcendental consciousness through the Transcendental Meditation technique find that the source of the ever-changing mind is pure consciousness, an eternal field of both pure silence and infinite d y n a m i s m. In fact, scientific research has shown that the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs reduce biological aging and promote longevity. (Please refer to Alexander & Boyer, 1989.) In transcendental consciousness, these people find their small localized awareness expanding to infinity as described in the story of Lord Vamana. Like King Bali they rapidly rise to wholeness of life and enrich the whole environment.

For those not yet experiencing pure or transcendental consciousness, the Vedic case studies provide an inspiration to gain it. Unless the individual repeatedly gains the experience of pure consciousness, development to higher states of consciousness does not systematically take place, and these Vedic case studies therefore remain mere stories. But if consciousness is developing through the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs, then the Vedic records become comprehended in terms of one's own growth of consciousness and become relevant as case studies of the dynamics of that growth. Their deeper meaning is percei Veda and their real value in supporting the growth of enlightenment is realized.

The following pages analyze in detail the text which Maharishi has identified as the most central of all Vedic case studies, the Bhagavad-Gita, in light of Maharishi's own translation and commentary on this work.

The Bhagavad -Gita

Maharishi (1982) explains that the Bhagavad-Gita displays the practical application of the knowledge and experience of bringing the individual into contact with the field of cosmic intelligence, the unified field of natural law. The Bhagavad-Gita describes what could be understood as a " Vedic psychological session" of approximately two hours, which is sufficient for Lord Krishna to raise Arjun, who has sought his guidance, from a state of suffering to the state of enlightenment. Lord Krishna is called " Lord" because he is understood in the Vedic tradition to most fully embody the totality of natural law, the totality of consciousness.

'The theoretical and practical knowledge of maintaining physiological balance and health is found in the discipline of the Vedic literature known as Ayur-Veda (one of four aspects of the Upa Veda). This knowledge has been brought to light by Maharishi in its completeness — in relation to consciousness — and is termed Maharishi Ayur-Veda.

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In the course of this session, Lord Krishna's dialogue with Arjun unfolds the systematic structure of Maharishi Vedic Psychology in a concrete and comprehensive manner. The Bhagavad-Gita addresses the cause and elimination of suffering, the levels of the mind, the mechanics of experiencing transcendental consciousness, and the development of higher states of consciousness, or enlightenment, in which life is liVeda at the highest level of bliss, effectiveness, and universality.

In commenting on the Bhagavad-Gita as a case study of Vedic Psychology, Maharishi (1963) has suggested that psychologists and all those who seek the solution to problems in life should take advantage of the wisdom found in this work:

Psychology as exemplified in the Bhagavad-Gita presents the study of the development of the mind from a pitiable state of anxiety and depression to that most highly developed state in which the intelligence is established in the consciousness of eternal Being [the field of pure consciousness], the most evolution Veda state of human evolution.

The Bhagavad-Gita describes the psychologies of the individual and the cosmic minds

[cosmic psyche], and marvelously succeeds in bringing about their correlation, so that the status of eternal life may become infused into the temporal phase of the phenomenal existence of man. If this does not take place the individual remains forever subjected to the phenomenal aspect of his nature and it is, as a consequence of this, that suffering overtakes him. (p. 263)

In outlining the Bhagavad-Gita as a case study of Maharishi Vedic Psychology, this article first briefly describes the general story of this work, and comments on the interaction between its two major characters. The remainder of this article describes in detail the full range of Maharishi Vedic Psychology as found in the knowledge given by Lord Krishna to Arjun. The enormous range of knowledge of the psyche found in the Bhagavad-Gita — from individual to cosmic psyche — is much greater than could be expected from any case study in twentieth-century psychology. As Maharishi (1982) explains, this is because the Bhagavad-Gita expresses in compact form the totality of the knowledge of consciousness. The Bhagavad-Gita's exposition of Vedic Psychology, as brought to light by Maharishi, is explored in this article in terms of four themes: the nature of suffering, the experience of transcendental consciousness, the development of enlightenment, and the self-interacting dynamics of consciousness.

T h e Story of the Bhagavad -Gita

The Bhagavad-Gita, set on a battlefield, narrates a dialogue between Arjun, the greatest archer of his time and, as Maharishi notes, a man of great integrity, clarity of mind, and compassion, and Lord Krishn, who is acting as Arjuna's charioteer. The central event of the narrative is the dilemma in which Arjun finds himself as the battle approaches, and the subsequent transformation that he undergoes as a result of his interaction with Lord Krishna.

The events leading to the battle, as well as its resolution, are related in the Mahabharat, of which Arjun is a hero and of which the Bhagavad-Gita is the central part. In Maharishi Vedic Science and Technology, the Mahabharat is part of the Itihas aspect of the Vedic literature, which displays the dynamics of all transformations of the Rishi, or knower. The Mahabharat is thus considered by Maharishi to express funda103

mental dynamics of natural law that have an eternal, universal character independent of particular time and place; at the same time, these dynamics are expressed in the context of events that occurred approximately five thousand years ago (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1967, p. 9).

At this time, Dhritarashtra, the blind king of the Kuru family, had delegated to his y o u n g e r brother P a n d u the m a n a g e m e n t of his k i n g d o m. On P a n d u ' s death,

Dhritarashtra had decided to give his throne to Yudhishthir, the eldest of the five sons of

Pandu, who was renowned for his righteousness, rather than to his own eldest son, Duryodhan, who lacked qualities of an ideal leader. Duryodhan seized the throne for himself and sought to destroy the five sons of Pandu, one of whom was Arjun. Lord Krishna attempts to resolve the conflict peacefully; however, his attempts fail, and war seems inevitable as Duryodhana's forces prepare for battle and the sons of Pandu prepare to defend themselves.

In the context of Maharishi Vedic Psychology, the actions of a governmental leader are the expression of the whole collective consciousness of the society (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1976, p. 122). (Please refer to Orme-Johnson and Dillbeck, 1987 for a detailed description of Maharishi's principles of collective consciousness.) For example, when stress in the collective consciousness of a nation builds up to an extreme degree, it bursts out in turbulence or violence of some kind, whether domestic or international, and the decisions and actions of the head of state respond to and express this stress in national consciousness. Maharishi (1985a) comments on this situation in the context of the Bhagavad-Gita in the following way:

Duryodhan was the opponent of Arjun in the Mahabharat. When he was faced with some wise man, he said:

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