Mahat, Aham, and Citta

1-16. When the aham is greater than the citta, the buddhi (intellect) evolves.

1-17. When the mahat is greater than the aham, the bodhi (intuition) evolves.

If the dimension of the mahattattva is greater than that of the ahaḿtattva, the surplus part of the mahat is called the bodhi [intuition].

1-18. In undeveloped living organisms, creepers and shrubs where aham and mahat have not yet evolved, there is only citta

It may be discernible in undeveloped organisms or creepers and shrubs that the manifestation of citta only has taken place, but not that of mahattattva or ahaḿtattva.

1-19. In undeveloped organisms, creepers and shrubs where mahat has not yet evolved, there is aham as well as citta.

In some undeveloped organisms or creepers and shrubs, the manifestation of mahat has not taken place, but those of aham and citta have.

1-20. In developed organisms, creepers and shrubs, as well as in humans, there is mahat, aham and citta.

In comparatively developed organisms, creepers and shrubs as well as in human beings, all three, mahattattva, ahaḿtattva and citta, get manifested.

1-21. When the aham and the citta merge into the Macrocosmic Mahat, the merger is called saguńásthiti or savikalpa samádhi

When after continued spiritual practice the mahattattva, that is, the “I” feeling, gets metamorphosed into the Macrocosmic “I” feeling, the citta of the microcosmic mind merges in the aham and the aham merges in the mahat.

When the object merges in its cause, that merger is called pralaya or prańásha [utter destruction].

Since the citta of the Macrocosm grows out of the Macrocosmic Aham, and the Macrocosmic Aham out of the Macrocosmic Mahat, when in pratisaiṋcara’s introversial movement the [unit] citta merges in the aham and the aham in the mahat, to call it prańásha is quite logical and reasonable.

The state of utter destruction of the citta and the aham and the state of all-pervasiveness of the mahat constitute saguńásthiti [the state of transcendentality], or savikalpa samádhi [the trance of determinate absorption].

1-22. When the mahat merges into the Átman, it is called nirguńásthiti (state of objectlessness) or nirvikalpa samádhi (the trance of indeterminate absorption, or total suspension, of the mind)

The totally-absorbed state of the mahat, after merging that “I” feeling in the Citishakti [Cognitive Principle] – rather than doing the sádhaná of installing the mahat in the Macrocosmic Mahat – is nirguńásthiti [a state of objectlessness] or nirvikalpa samádhi [the trance of indeterminate absorption, or total suspension, of the mind]. Due to the absence of any guńa, this state is called nirguńásthiti, the state of objectlessness. This state is verbally inexpressible because…

1-23. This state (of nirvikalpa samádhi) is beyond the mind.

This state of objectlessness being beyond the orbit of the mind, it is not mentally apprehensible.

1-24. The lingering bliss which follows this state of vacuity is the proof of that state, the means of firm belief in that state

In the state of wakefulness all three stages of the mind, namely, conscious, subconscious and unconscious, remain active, but the subtler condition is inconspicuous due to the activeness of the cruder condition. While dreaming, the crude or conscious mind remains dormant, the subconscious and the unconscious minds remain active.

During sleep, only the unconscious mind remains active. The opinion that the state of sleep is the state of the sense of vacuity is unacceptable to a subtle philosophical judgement, because at that time the works of both the conscious and the subconscious minds are done by the unconscious mind.

The real state of vacuity is verily the state of utter destruction of the mind, and so even savikalpa samádhi is not a state of vacuity. Only the state of nirvikalpa is the state of vacuity.

In this state of absolute vacuity, the spiritual waves of exhilaration that fill the unit entity still continue to flow and trail on for some time even after that state of vacuity, that is, after the mind returns due to unserved saḿskáras [the consequential reactive momenta of one’s past deeds].

These very trailing waves of exhilaration and joyous exuberance keep reminding the “mindful” sádhaka [intuitional practitioner] that his or her “mindless” state had been one of absolute bliss.

1-25. The bridge between Nirguńa Brahma and Saguńa Brahma is called Táraka (Liberating) Brahma

The common point bridging together the empirical state of Saguńa and the metempirical state of Nirguńa is called Táraka Brahma. Táraka Brahma appears in saguńa [embodied] form as Mahásambhúti.