The Bhagavad-Gita on the Experience of Transcendental Consciousness

 

As elaborated by Maharishi (1967), Lord Krishna describes the experience of the field of pure or transcendental consciousness as one's innermost Self. His strategy for teaching Arjun about transcendental consciousness is to provide Arjun first with an intellectual understanding of the nature of the transcendental field and then with direct experience of it. He begins with a description that allows Arjun to realize that there is something to be gained beyond the range of his usual experience.

Lord Krishna first describes the field of transcendental consciousness, the unified field of natural law, in several verses which follow in close succession:

 

Know that to be indeed indestructible by which all this is pervaded. None can work the destruction of this immutable Being.

(II. 17)

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He is uncleavable; he cannot be burned; he cannot be wetted, nor yet can he be dried. He is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable, ever the same.

(II. 24)

 

He is declared to be unmanifest, unthinkable, unchangeable; therefore knowing him as such you should not grieve.

(II. 25)

He who dwells in the body of everyone is eternal and invulnerable, О Bharata; therefore you should not grieve for any creature whatsoever.

(II.30)

In these verses, Maharishi notes, Lord Krishna describes a transcendental and allpervading field of existence without differentiation or change. This field is also identified as the inner nature of each person, that is, as consciousness. The field of " Being" described by Lord Krishna is the unified field of natural law, termed the field of pure consciousness or the cosmic psyche in Maharishi Vedic Psychology (Orme-Johnson, 1988). Lord Krishna's description makes Arjun aware of the existence of this field beyond the usual range of obvious sensory phenomena, and also relieves him of his concern for the fate of the opposing forces.

However, as described in a previous passage by Maharishi, Lord Krishna does not continue to speak to Arjun purely in terms of an intellectual understanding of the field of pure consciousness:

This which has been set before you is understanding in terms of Sankhya; hear it now in terms of Yoga. Your intellect established through it, О Parth, you will cast away the binding influence of action.

(II. 39)

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In this (Yoga) no effort is lost and no obstacle exists. Even a little of this dharma delivers from great fear.

(II. 40)

In Maharishi Vedic Science, Sankhya is one section of the Upang aspect of the Vedic literature, one which gives an intellectual description of the full range of reality;

Yoga is another Upang which provides systematic procedures to experience the field of pure consciousness and thereby gain enlightenment. (Upang refers collectively to the six systems of gaining complete knowledge, providing both intellectual understanding and direct experience. Please refer to Dillbeck, 1988 for a description of aspects of the Vedic literature in Maharishi Vedic Science.) Lord Krishna tells Arjun that the practice of Yoga (union) will establish his awareness in the field of pure consciousness, freeing him from his present state and all potential states of suffering. Lord Krishna also immediately points out to Arjun that the practice of Yoga, to gain the experience of transcendental consciousness, is easy and effortless because it follows the natural tendency of evolution (dharma) of the mind. The effortless nature of the experience of transcendental consciousness is discussed in detail below.

In describing the experience of the field of pure consciousness, Lord Krishna instructs Arjun:

 

... Be without the three gunas, О Arjun, freed from duality, ever firm in purity, independent of possessions, possessed of the Self.

(II.45)

Maharishi points out that this verse gives three characteristics of the field of pure consciousness: it is non-dual, it is separate from all objects, and it is one's innermost " Self." He emphasizes that this verse also describes how to gain the experience of pure consciousness. In his Vedic Science, Maharishi (1967) identifies the " three gunas" as three qualities of activity — creation, maintenance, and destruction — at the basis of all manifestation and change in objective and subjective nature. Thus, the phrase " Be without the three gunas" indicates that to gain this experience, one's awareness has only to be without activity. This is the experience of the fourth state of consciousness, described by Maharishi Vedic Psychology as transcendental consciousness (Alexander & Boyer, 1989).

If it is only necessary to " be" to have this experience, one might ask why Arjun has not had this experience already. Referring back to the theme of attachment, Lord Krishna goes on to state that it is the habit of desire which brings the attention outward through THE BHAGAVAD-GITA: A CASE STUDY

the senses to identify solely with the diversity of the objective world rather than with its own inner nature, thus obscuring the underlying field of pure consciousness.

 

As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo is covered by the amnion, so is This [pure consciousness] covered by

that [desire].

(III. 38)

 

Wisdom is veiled by this insatiable flame of desire which is the constant enemy of the wise, О son of Kunti. (III. 39)

 

The senses, the mind and the intellect are said to be its seat. Overshadowing wisdom by means of these, it deludes the dweller in the body.

(III. 40)

The senses, mind, and intellect are here described as responsible for making concrete the more abstract quality of desire. In commenting upon these verses, Maharishi (1967) notes:

It is necessary to rise above the influence of desire. But as long as life continues, it has to be in the field of desires. No practical man could ever be without desires. When the Lord says: " wisdom is veiled by this insatiable flame of desire which is the constant enemy of the wise, " He does not intend to lay down the principle that desire has to be eradicated, because this is not physically possible. Any attempt in that direction will only make life dull, useless or tense.

The Lord's purpose is to lay the facts before Arjun, and then to give him a technique by which he can rise with ease above the binding influence of desire and make his life brighter, more successful, and fulfilled on every level. The Lord explains clearly the mechanics of bondage, so that Arjun may be better able to realize that to rise above this bondage and live a life of eternal freedom is not difficult but easy. The great emphasis in this verse upon the enmity of desires implicitly shows that the Lord is going to lead Arjun to a way that will transform the influence of desire from enmity to usefulness. Desires will cease to be the " enemy of the wise"; they will prove to be supporters of the wise and will bring them fulfillment on every side.

The Lord, out of his great kindness, is going to give Arjun a simple technique of transforming the whole machinery that gives rise to desire, of transforming the mind and heart so that the rising up of desires and all their activities will serve as tidal waves of love and bliss in the unbounded ocean of [unity] consciousness. This involves giving a pattern to the

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machinery that creates desire — senses, mind, and intellect — so that even while remaining in the field of desire, it remains free from the impact of desire....

Having thus far explained that the loss of wisdom is due mainly to the mind's incessant engagement in the field of activity, to desire, the Lord now begins to describe a way whereby the subjective aspect of one's life, which is responsible for all desire and activity,

can be influenced in such a manner that, on the one hand, it does not permit desires to overshadow Being and, on the other, it brings fulfillment to them.... (pp. 239-241) Lord Krishna continues:

 

The senses, they say, are subtle; more subtle than the senses is the mind; yet finer than mind is intellect; that which is beyond even the intellect

is he.

(III. 42)

 

Thus, having known him who is beyond the intellect, having stilled the self by the Self, О mighty-armed, slay the enemy in the form of desire, difficult to subdue.

(III. 43)

 

Let him gradually retire through the intellect possessed of patience; having established the mind in the Self, let him not think at all.

(VI. 25)

Maharishi points out that in these verses, Lord Krishna describes the mechanics of experiencing the Self as a process of withdrawing the attention from the senses through the " subtler" levels of inner experience — the mind, intellect, and ego (individual self) —  eventually experiencing the Self or pure consciousness (Dillbeck, 1988). Lord Krishna asserts that in this experience of the Self, which is beyond thought, the impelling force

of desire no longer takes attention outward through the senses.

In his commentary, Maharishi emphasizes that the process of transcending described by Lord Krishna does not require effort or concentration. As quoted previously, Lord Krishna (II, 40) first introduces the topic of Yoga by stating, " In this (Yoga) no effort is lost and no obstacle exists." However, he also said, as quoted above (II, 43), that desire was " difficult to subdue." Maharishi explains the resolution of this apparent inconsistency in

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his commentary (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1967, pp. 243-245). He observes that it is indeed difficult to directly attempt to subdue desire, but notes that the process of transcending effortlessly makes use of the natural impulse of desire. Because transcendental consciousness is the field of absolute bliss consciousness, the experience of it, and of the subtler levels of the mind which are closer to it, is more fulfilling then sensory pleasure. Thus the same natural impulse of desire which leads attention to sensory objects also leads attention to a more charming inner experience and ultimately the experience of transcendental consciousness. (Please refer to below, and also to

Alexander & Boyer, 1989 for a discussion of this principle in Maharishi's technique of

Transcendental Meditation.)

In commenting upon the last verse quoted above (VI. 25), Maharishi (1967) describes the process of effortless transcending by a principle of increasing charm:

One must not exert oneself in order to transcend. Exertion of any kind only retards the process of transcending. The mind naturally proceeds towards the Self because in that direction it is attracted by ever-increasing happiness. (p. 432)

This understanding is supported by other verses in which Lord Krishna again describes the experience of transcendental or pure consciousness:

 

When his mind, completely settled, is established in the Self alone, when he is free from craving for any pleasure, then he is said to be united.

(VI. 18)

 

A lamp which does not flicker in a windless place — to such is compared the Yogi of subdued thought practicing Union with the Self.

(VI. 19)

 

That (state) in which thought, settled through the practice of Yoga, retires, in which, seeing the Self by the Self alone, he finds contentment

in the Self.

(VI. 20)

Here, Maharishi observes, Lord Krishna characterizes the experience of transcendental

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consciousness as an experience of inner contentment that is most charming or fulfilling.

Maharishi offers the Vedic technology he has brought to light in the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique as the systematic means to gain the experience of transcendental consciousness and develop higher states of consciousness outlined by the Bhagavad-Gita. Maharishi (1967) describes his Transcendental Meditation technique " as turning the attention inwards towards the subtler levels of a thought until the mind transcends the experience of the subtlest state of the thought and arrives at the source of thought" (p. 470) — that is, pure consciousness. Because " subtler" or less excited states of awareness are more fulfilling or charming, Maharishi also notes that this process is effortless: once given the proper direction, the attention automatically progresses to subtler levels until the experience of transcendental or pure consciousness is gained. The Transcendental Meditation technique thus differs from any technique of concentration, which attempts to use effort to quiet mental activity.

This description is found in Lord Krishna's characterization of the Self as a state of awareness without mental activity, " beyond the intellect" (III. 43). Moreover, the effortlessness of Transcendental Meditation is expressed in Lord Krishna's description of Yoga as involving " no effort" and " no obstacle" (II. 40). Finally, Lord Krishna's assertion that the Self is characterized by " contentment" (III. 17; VI. 20) describes clearly the mechanics of the Transcendental Meditation technique as outlined above.

The Bhagavad-Gita also describes the fundamental principle of the Maharishi TMSidhi program. Maharishi translates Lord Krishna's words in the following way: " Curving onto my own nature, I create again and again" (IX. 8). This principle of creation from the field of pure consciousness, and the mechanics of the TM-Sidhi program, are discussed in Gelderloos and Berg (1989). Maharishi (1986a) also comments on a later verse of the Bhagavad-Gita (IX. 10), in which Lord Krishna expresses the process by which the field of pure consciousness gives rise to the creative process in nature, yet remains the non-changing basis of all change:

" Under my presidency, my nature creates again and again." That means, " I remain uninvolVeda." The self-referral intelligence at the unmanifest basis of creation remains uninvolVeda in the creative process, but the creative process owes its emergence and draws its vitality from that self-referral performance of pure intelligence. (p. 30)

Please refer to Dillbeck (1988) for a further description of this creative process found in Maharishi Vedic Psychology.

In summary, Lord Krishna declares to Arjun that there is a field of pure consciousness which is without diversity or change. It is described as one's own " Self, " experienced when the mind settles to its most silent state of awareness. Lord Krishna indicates that this state is not usually experienced because desire directs attention outward to the objects of the senses. However, given the proper procedure, pure consciousness is easily and effortlessly experienced because it provides experience of joy and contentment greater than that given by sensory pleasure. Finally, Lord Krishna affirms that suffering is ended when the experience of pure consciousness is permanently established. This occurs in the development of higher states of consciousness, or enlightenment.

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