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Yoga is Super Consciousness
It has been observed that there are,
mainly, four types of consciousness. All men, in this
world, without any exception, belong to one category or
the other out of these. The first among these, which is
common to almost all, is the gross-consciousness. This
means the same thing as 'body-consciousness'. The example
of an actor can be cited to clarify this. He plays his
allotted role on the drama stage. For instance, if an
actress is called upon to act as Indira Gandhi, she may
use a mask to look like Indira Gandhi to the spectators.
However, in her mind, she is not oblivious of the fact
that, in reality, she is not Indira Gandhi, but only her
mask makes her appear like the latter. The folly of man,
however, is that, playing his parts on this World Drama-stage,
he has come to identify himself with the gross body, instead
of realising that he is a soul and the body is just like
his outer garment.
Some people wrongly identify the self, the conscient soul,
with the body and brain, which is merely like a computer.
Intellectuals, scientists and the like in their research
work, concentrate their minds on abstract ideas. At that
time, they are not conscious of their gross body, and
so they forget about their bodily relatives, their homes
and their bodily needs. Yet the ideas with which their
mind is occupied are connected directly or indirectly
with the objects of this gross world and have something
to do with the body. This may be called 'the intellectual
consciousness'.
Other people, when engaged in their spiritual efforts,
are conscious of subtle deities or the progenitors of
their religion in their subtle form. During those hours
of devotion, they are a little above gross-consciousness,
and they feel elevated and uplifted. This may be called
'the subtle consciousness'. These devotees may not be
conscious of their own gross body or of the person they
worship, yet their mind has the consciousness of the subtle
body of those whom they worship.
The ultimate highest type of consciousness, which a yogi
in the real sense of the term attains to, is the super-consciousness,
and one's mind is turned to the Supreme Soul who is Incorporeal.
This is what is known, in one word as Yoga. A Yogi is
conscious of himself as a soul and of God as the Supreme
Soul. Just as we chop off the insulating material from
wires in order to join them, we have to withdraw from
our body in order to establish a link with God.
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