There are various steps to become a yogi. To become a yogi we need guidance from another yogi, who is called spiritual Guru. We have discussed certain things in my earlier postings like Self Realisation. Now, we will go a little deep into this subject. First step is to understand consciousness thoroughly. This plays an important role in various stages of meditation. The consciousness can be defined as “understanding the subject and the object”. The consciousness cannot be defined with a relative term. This can also be interpreted as “knowing your self”. In Sanskrit, consciousness is referred as “cit”. The word “cit” can be defined as ‘self knowing self’.

Giving a proper explanation or understanding the explanation is difficult. But without understanding this, we cannot proceed further. ‘Knowing your self’ and ‘self knowing self’ is one and the same. Here the second usage of self means Atman. Consciousness is not Atman. Consciousness or cit is trying to know the atman. How is that Self appearing? It is ‘prakasha’. Prakasha means light. So, the consciousness or cit is trying to know the Self which is in the form of light. It is just not another light. This light is self illuminating and also illuminates things around it. Does it not sound like our electrical lights? When a bulb is burning, we see the burning bulb and also the things around that bulb, because of the light from the bulb. With our eyes we see both, the subject and object, whereas the Self or atman is only the subject and there is no object to see here. This is what Kato Upanishad also says. Whatever we see around us is due to the illuminating inner Self or atman. The illuminating atman cannot be seen with our physical eyes.

We can see this only with our consciousness. With consciousness we can see the illuminating atman. But, how we can understand it? In order to derive complete knowledge about some thing, we have to thoroughly understand it. Atman is not only prakasha, it is also vimarsha. Vimarsha means knowing by experience. The vimarsha is responsible for jnana (wisdom) and kriya (deeds). It is also responsible srishti (creation), sthithi (maintenance), and dissolution. I am not inclined to use the word ‘samhara’ (destruction) instead of dissolution, as the samhara means complete destruction, after which there will be, no rebirth. Prakasha is just illuminating. Vimarsha gains jnana from prakasha and acts as per its instructions. In other words, prakasha does not act and is static. Only vimarsha acts. Prakasha is the ultimate reality and vimarsha is the energy. Without energy none can act. Prakasha is the God and vimarsha is the Goddess or shakthi. Prakasha and vimarsha combine is the highest reality or the Absolute. It may be difficult to understand the above, but repeated readings will certainly help. Unless we understand this first step, going into further steps, which are going to be discussed later will be futile.