The space that places you in

How wonderful that in me, the infinite ocean of consciousness, waves of jivas (individual souls) rise, sport for a while and disappear according to their nature—Yoga Vasishta

Thus the Universal consciousness self-explains its real nature. By the by, what is Universal Consciousness?

Simply, we could define UC as the ‘space’ all around us. Did you ever realize of that ‘space’ which surrounds us? What is it? How we could define that space which is providing us the ‘space’ to live, to move, to enervate and to do all sort of stuffs?

Without this ‘space’ we can’t even imagine of a world full of life. Or rather, all imaginations are deriving out of this space. We are able to see each other only since are ‘distanced’ by this space. We perceive beauty of an object only because the object and the subject are differentiated by the distance.

We could call this space ‘Akash’ or the sky. Is this sky real or unreal? It is real since there is space in and around everything, and unreal since we are unable to make out its real nature or whether it really exists.

Moving further, in and out we are made up of this space. The human body is composed of spaces cemented together by cells!

Even the concept of time, distance and measurement is existent because of the ‘space’. Eye is able to see, ear is able to hear and nose is able to smell only since the ‘space’ exist. Air exists in space, without space there is no air.

And, there by, we all are byproduct of this space. This space is ‘self-shinning’ since everything in this universe is derived out of it. It is the pure ‘conscience’ since it is expanding, self-expressing and eternal. All worldly incidents are nothing but the self-expressions of this ‘space’. And that which can express by it shall be called ‘Self’.

On space’s point of view, everything it contains, which includes human beings, are nothing but the waves of individual souls which rise (originate), sport for a while (live) and disappear (die) according to their nature (may be called fate or destiny) inside the infinite ocean of consciousness (which is the space itself).

We have consciousness only because we are able to perceive the world we live. The fact that we, the self-conscious human beings, are immersed in the ocean of space is the only evidence we need to prove that the space is the universal conscience, which is supplying the humans the faculty of consciousness.

We are nothing but a byproduct of that bigger ‘Self’, which is ever expanding and boundless. We need to worship ‘space’ as nothing will exist without ‘Self’.

Susceptible mind, fleeting body and unstable universe

Did you ever think of ‘from where’, ‘on which’ and ‘from who’ are we seeking peace of stability and tranquillity?

We seek stability, for our ever-susceptible mind standing on our fleeting physical body, from the ever-changing universe. Are these layers- mental, physical and universal- having the essence of stability? The answer has to be ‘yes’ for every being has an innate urge for harmony.

But, what we perceive is nothing but entropy in all dimensions of our existence. We are fatally engulfed in a vicious circle of turbulence. And still we are seeking calmness out of boisterous crowd. Stability is an unstable ‘concept’, we affirm.

For ‘peace’ is stability, it as a concept is ‘unstable’. Even a thought for peace is ‘wavering’. But we know from the bottom of the heart that ‘peace’ is the safest of all shelters where we could stay forever, away from the ever-changing stupidity of ‘civilisation’.

But, for that, we need to surpass the hindering dimensions of ‘instability’, first from the mind (personal level), secondly from the body (physical level) and from the universe (social level). Always, mind is craving for support. A support to withstand the immature thought that ‘I’m the most unstable’. Our conscience needs to appease mind by making it realize that the basic pre-requisite to attain ‘peace’ is to believe that it is achievable.

Body is an instrument of mind’s vagaries. If we could assuage mind the body will follow. Once mind and body are prone enough to believe in ‘stability’, we will be able to perceive the inner peace dormant in all sorts of turbulences. It is like a centre bold of a revolving wheel.

If you believe that you are a wheel, rest your mind on the revolving centre even while your body is susceptible to the stones and thorns of the many-guttered road, say the masters.

No knowledge comes from outside

“The goal of mankind is knowledge. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man 'knows', should, in strict psychological language, be what he 'discovers' or 'unveils'; what man 'learns' is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.” 

This is a powerful affirmation from one of the greatest saints of our time, Swami Vivekananda. We may find it illogical as it is saying all knowledge come from within. How is it possible?  Isn’t it ridiculous to say doldrums of our wavering minds are mines of infinite knowledge? Aren’t our minds contain nothing but entropies derived out of our own worries?

But, Swami is proclaiming a truth.

The truth is that externalities are the result of projections from internal. Say for example, if a man want to build a house the basic ‘urge’ for a house sprouts primarily inside his mind. He is laying the foremost basement of the house on the fertile land of his mind. So an ‘external house’ constructed is a mere projection of his internal desire. Every desire first sprouts inside the mind; may be as a ‘concept’ and gets materialised outside as a ‘fact’.

Like wise, every human knowledge is dormant inside the human mind and will get materialised externally depending on mainly two things. One, when a man really desires. Two, when the time is appropriate.

Knowledge gets unveiled once the time and mind is matured enough. And on implemental level knowledge takes a form and get ‘externally’ expressed. Knowledge is always an ‘internal’ qualitative concept (for e.g. theory of relativity) and its external projection an ‘external’ quantitative fact (the atomic bomb).

The ‘source’ is the truth and the product its declaration.     

That every atom proclaims

‘I exist' is the only permanent self-evident experience of everyone. Nothing else is so self-evident as 'I am'. What people call self-evident, that is, the experience they get through the senses is far from self-evident. The Self-alone is that. So to do self-enquiry and be that 'I am' is the only thing to do. 'I am' is reality. I am this or that is unreal. 'I am' is truth, another name for Self.’---Sri Ramana Maharshi 


By these gracious words, Maharshi Ramana is proclaiming the greatest of all mysteries of existence; i.e. the only existing phenomenon of the universe, ‘I’!


‘I’ is the basic sensation, or rather the fundamental state, of all-- living and non-living creatures of this world. A mountain with its gigantism is proclaiming to the world that ‘I’ exist. A tree with its shoot, roots, seeds and leaves declares to the world ‘here I exist’. A lion with its majestic roar is pronouncing ‘beware of my existence’. All human beings are trying to prove their ‘I’ with their existence. We wake up, bath, move, eat, play, travel and sleep; befriend with the inner voice ‘I am still alive’.


‘I’ is our ever companion, not leaving us in misery or merriment.

And when we mix ‘imaginations’ with ‘I’ it becomes impure. It will transform into a ‘complex’ identify; like I’m a writer, I’m a father, a husband, a friend, an enemy, a communist or a socialist. Any imaginations we are adding to the ‘I’ will make it ‘impure’ and ‘complex’.

The imaginations are deriving from the ‘senses’. ‘Senses’ make you ‘complex’. They will tend you to forget your real identity.

‘The Self-alone is that’—says Maharshi. ‘I am this or that is unreal’. The unreal imaginations you projected into your ‘I’ are what are taking you away from the base. It is a hurricane hitting at your base.

So we need to always remember our ‘Self’, which is impure, immortal and unaffected.

Remembering ‘self’ and distinguishing the ‘self’ from other false identities is the need of the hour. Yes, many a time, we are tempted to live life making others believe in our ‘false identities’. But, if we are able to do it with a ‘strong self surveillance’ that ‘pure self’ is the only existing phenomenon in this world, then the deal is done.

Conquering ‘self’

‘Self’ is your consciousness of your own identity. As masters say individual identity is polluted, or rather impure, until it identifies with the universal self. Otherwise, individual self is stained and hence away from the core.

Universal self is nothing but the one and only sea of ‘universal conscience’ existing, in which every ‘individual conscience’ floats. Individual conscience is ones self. So for purifying individual self (identity) one needs to merge its individual conscience with the universal conscience. 

How is it possible? 

Let’s explain the concept of ‘universal conscience’ a bit further. 

‘Universal conscience’ is like a white screen on which a feature film is projected. And every actions and actors of the film resemble the impure ‘individual consciences’. Before the film starts and after it ends, the only existing phenomenon is the ‘white screen’. The ‘white screen’ is not affected by any of the actions, romances or murders taking place onscreen during the film projection. Even after the film ends, it remains the same, unaffected. 

That which was in the past and is in the present and will be in the future is truth; as truth is immortal. Immortal is unaffected, unpolluted and ubiquitous. 

Consequently, ‘universal conscience’ is unaffected by any actions of the ‘individual consciences’. It is immortal, eternal and ever remaining. On identifying this ‘phenomenon’ each individual conscience will have an urge to merge with the universal conscience for they have an urge to become immortal from mortal. 

Conquering ‘self’ means merge of an individual ‘self’ with the universal ‘self’. And the ‘merge’ occurs when ‘individual’ self becomes unaffected by the ‘impurities’ of worldly ‘ups’ and ‘downs’.  

‘Be like a floating wood on the ever changing ocean of life and never be anxious where the wind of circumstances carry you with’, say the masters.

‘I’ and Indianness

Indian philosophy and spirituality have always circled around the basic demeanour of an individual, namely ‘I’ feeling. ‘I’ feeling is the core that exists in every individual. It is through this ‘I’ a man projects himself to the world. ‘I’ is the base on which he places his mind.

‘I’ is where his personality lies.

All these doctrines, like Indian philosophy, spirituality and Astrology, have been developed for the personality enrichment of an individual; for making him tackle the hurdles of life and for providing him with the peace of mind.

Most of the masters have had been an individualistic approach, considering Man as the most essential phenomenon in this universe. They tried to study man and his exposure to the environ; the way he conceives life, the way he projects himself to the ever-changing circumstances and situations.

Indian spirituality defined the universe as the mere projections of an individual’s self. It put the question: ‘which is greater, the man or the universe?’

The masters found out that the universe is but the by-product of an individual mind. The universe exists only if a mind conceives or perceives it. And if a mind is unwilling to perceive it, then the universe is nonexistent, at least for that particular mind.

So, who is greater; man or the universe? Without a witness there is none to witness the universe with its plenty. When a man is dead the universe is nonexistent; at least for him. For every man his death kills his universe. So the universe for its existence is literally depending on human beings.

‘So individual ‘I’ is nurturing the universal ‘I’’, the masters say.