The Known, The Knowledge,
The Knower and the Knowing.
--
पाजञ्जल योगसूत्र : समाधिपाद
सूत्र 17
वितर्कविचारानन्दास्मितारूपानुगमात् संप्रज्ञात:।।
।।१७।।
शाङ्करभाष्य
।।1.17।।
वितर्कश्चित्तस्याऽऽलम्बने स्थूल आभोगः। सूक्ष्मो विचारः। आनन्दो ह्लादः। एकात्मिका संविदस्मिता। तत्र प्रथमश्चतुष्टयानुगतः समाधिः सवितर्कः। द्वितीयो वितर्कविकलः सविचारः। तृतीयो विचारविकलः सानन्दः। चतुर्थस्तद्विकलोऽस्मितामात्र इति। सर्व एते सालम्बनाः समाधयः।
--
In the above commentary in Sanskrit, Sri Shankaracharya explains the kinds of the :
sampragnAta samAdhi, / सम्प्रज्ञात समाधि, where the experience of ecstasy takes place and the three components of this experience are :
The Experiencing / feeling, The "one" who supposed to goes through the "experience", and the memory / knowledge of this phenomenon is stored in the brain. These three aspects of the consciousness are the "experiencing", "experience" and "the one who goes through "the experience";
i. e. The "ego" - the sense of being "oneself / individual being. This sense persists throughout all such experiences, like a thread in a garland.
In comparison, when one "knows" this whole phenomenon of "experiencing", the "knowing" attains a higher level, and there,the "knower" is not the ego, but is the "consciousness" only, where one is "conscious".
This "conscious-one" is the underlying, immutable principle, whereas the sense of ego goes through change all the time, moment to moment.
The "knowing", the "knowledge" and the "knower" are the essential constituents of the "ego".
So Knowing is of these two types -
One as the Underlying principle and the another as the person, the individual or the "ego".
Accordingly,
वितर्क, विचार, आनन्द and the अस्मिता are the four kinds through which such an ecstasy takes place.
This ecstasy is always "time-bound" a state of mind and howsoever exalted and deep, ultimately has to go away.
Now to understand these four kinds we can see four examples :
वितर्क :
This happens in an instant because of some pleasure, shock, excitement, thrill or any other such experience. Even as in deep sleep where one is asleep with great joy and happiness, this bliss persists.
विचार :
This type is enjoyed by a philosopher, an artist, a mathematician, a scientist and even by a poet, where one feels great joy, exhilaration and for the moment it is like an ecstasy.
आनन्द :
This is the very normal state of the mind of the well-being and enjoying the peace within oneself that too is lost after some time. Though the memory persists.
अस्मिता :
This is where and when one feels oneself and claims as the unique, the only entity "Who" performs certain actions, "Who" enjoys or suffers the various joys and sorrows, pleasures and pains, and the consequences of one's own or others' deeds.
One "Who" has this memory, information, memory and the knowledge accordingly, a man of knowledge or an ignorant one.
The last kind is the one, "Who" through the sense of "one-self" possesses and is possessed by one's belongings.
In the Vedanta these four are known as : कर्ता, भोक्ता, ज्ञाता and स्वामी .
Knowing is therefore the consciousness in the two forms as follows :
The first is awareness, while the another is information, memory, recognition.
The "knowing" is independent of "Time" and Time-interval, but the information, recognition and memory are subject to, and with reference to a Time-interval, and cause the illusion in terms of all the memory, thought and information.
You are always and ever so Timelessly conscious of things within or without the objects in the mind, that are perceived in the consciousness, independent of the information, memory or the recognition of those objects.
Consciousness is therefore a state of being conscious either with or without the objects in consciousness.
Consciousness is therefore knowing, but it's not a process related to the objects of the attention, whereas the knowing as in the form of the knowledge, information or memory takes place in a certain and a "measurable" Time-interval.
Again, the so-called Time-interval and the "Time" too have only a hypothetical existence, have no substance or essence beyond thought.
"Thought" is though inevitably always a process, subject to and in the assumed, hypothetical Time.
Therefore "knowing" as consciousness is of two types :
Unrelated to Time and Time-interval, and within and without regard to this "assumed" Time and Time-interval.
The question : "What is Time?"
is therefore a most important and a relevant question.
Tested on the criteria of the aphorism / Sutra :
विपर्ययो मिथ्याज्ञानमतद्रूपप्रतिष्ठम्।।1.8।।
and the next
शब्दज्ञानानुपाती वस्तुशून्यो विकल्पः।।1.9।।
we see that this hypothetical "Time" is but a word वस्तुशून्यो विकल्पः, with no substance and essence any.
Thought, Thinking and the Thinker.
वितर्कश्चित्तस्याऽऽलम्बने स्थूल आभोगः। सूक्ष्मो विचारः। आनन्दो ह्लादः। एकात्मिका संविदस्मिता। तत्र प्रथमश्चतुष्टयानुगतः समाधिः सवितर्कः। द्वितीयो वितर्कविकलः सविचारः। तृतीयो विचारविकलः सानन्दः। चतुर्थस्तद्विकलोऽस्मितामात्र इति। सर्व एते सालम्बनाः समाधयः।
Who is Kalki / कल्कि?
कलयति स कल्कि। - One who calculates.
One Who "thinks or thinks over, ponders over is Kalki"., as is evident from the use of the word - वितर्कविकलः
in the above commentary .
The era of Kalki is "Kalkiyuga or "Kaliyuga".
Presently there is much talk of arrival of the Kalki avatAra of ViShNu. Though all and every state of manifestation is truly an avatAra of ViShNu, and we tend to believe that we all experience a "common world" , there is not, nor could be such any common world. Knowing the Reality thus helps us in transcending the virtual Reality and then the Absolute Reality shines before us where all differences cease to exist.
The state transcending all apparent states of being oneself and thinking oneself as the other than the world is called Brahman or the Atman The Transcendent Truth.
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