The Soul or Atman

8. The reflection of Puruśa in a unit object is called the jiivátmá (unit soul)

In spiritual parlance, the Soul is one.

The mind can manifest in various conditions:

1. Manifest as in animate beings and plants
2. Unmanifest as in the inanimate earth, iron, etc.

In these conditions, the Átmá goes on reflecting itself on the mind and its objects – the crude objects.

The reflection of the Soul on the mind is called the jiivátmá.

• In this case, the Reflector-Soul is called Paramátmá [Supreme Soul] or Pratyagátmá.
• The jiivátmá may also be called ańucaetanya [microcosmic consciousness].
• Similarly we may call Paramátmá as Bhúmá Caetanya [Macrocosmic Consciousness].

The totality of microcosms is the Macrocosm.

Every mind or crude entity is holding the Supreme Spirit according to its individual capacity.

Their collective capacity is the capacity of the Macrocosmic Mind.

The Paramátmá is the ultimate knower of the Macrocosmic Mind.

• This is why Paramátmá is called Bhúmá Caetanya.

9. Every entity is embedded finally in the Átman

The object-entity finds its substantiation in the receptacle of the citta the receptacle of the citta in the Doer “I”, or Owner “I”, that is, in the Ahaḿtattva; the receptacle of the Doer “I”, or Owner “I”, in the sense of existence (i.e., in “I am” or Mahattattva).

The knowledge of the “I am” entity, that is, “I know I am” – in the absence of this knowership, the entitative sense of “I am” or “my existence” remains in jeopardy – unsubstantiated.

And so at the root of everything remains “I know” and the next that follows is “I am”.

This “I” of “I know” is the Soul, and so the sense of all entities depends on the Átman.

10. Puruśottama is linked to each entity individually and to all entities collectively

Puruśottama is the Nucleus of the universe. He is the witness of and is directly concerned with every unit entity.

This association of His is called ota yoga [the yoga of individual association].

Evidently, Puruśottama is the collective entity of the universe as well as witness of the collective mind.

This association of His with the collectivity is called prota yoga [the yoga of pervasive association].

He associates with His objects through both ota and prota yogas at the same time is Puruśottama.

11. The seed of the universe lies beyond the mind, in a state the mind cannot comprehend

Every created object obeys the law of cause and effect.

In our quest for the cause of action in pratisaiṋcara, we arrive at the 5 fundamental elements.

Similarly, in our quest for the cause of action in saiṋcara, we arrive at the Mahat of the Great.

The mind having no locus standi beyond the Mahat, such a state is the supra-mental state of the mind.

In this supra-mental state, it is beyond the capacity of the mind to determine the principle of cause and effect, for further probings will entail the fallacy of infinite regress.

To think of the existence of the mind in a state where it does not exist is fallacious.

Hence, the query as to when did the creation take place, and why, is redundant and untenable.

12. The creation originates from Saguńa Brahma

But since the created world is concerned with the guńas, then it is true that it was evolved in Saguńa Brahma, not Nirguńa.

13. The universe takes form within the Cognitive Body

All that is manifest and unmanifest in the world is embodied in the Bráhmiidehe [Cosmic Body]. No one and nothing is outside Brahma. The name “outsider” is a misnomer – a nonentity.

14. Brahma is Absolute Truth; the universe is also truth, but relative

Brahma is Satya [Truth], that is, unchangeable.

But we cannot say that the changes that are perceived apparently on the body of Brahma under the influence of Prakrti and the 3 fundamental relative factors of time, space and person are false, nor can we say that they are eternal truths.

All that we can say is that they are relative truths, for the apparent changes are dependent on the relativity of these three factors, that is, time, space and person.

The unit-entity or the unit mind, also, in its progressive bearing, is involved with these 3 factors, hence its existence also is a relative factor.

One relative entity appears to be a spiritual truth to another relative entity, and so the changeable world appears to be a truth to the changeable living unit.

16. The Buddhitattva, or Mahattattva, itself is not the doer, but remains associated with objects

The Buddhitattva, or Mahattattva, itself does not do anything, but remains involved with the objects.

17. The Aham is the doer, and directly enjoys or suffers the results of action.

The Ahaḿtattva is really the master or doer of acts and also is the enjoyer and endurer of the fruits of actions.