ஆகுல நீர பிற - திருவள்ளுவர் (Thiruvalluvar)
(righteous is to deter wrongdoing as per one's own conscience. Without that, any act or word uttered in the name of good is shear showboating).
Conscience (மனசாட்சி) is just a mental conditioning. The knowledge gathered with our senses and the information processed and segregated as right and wrong forms this logical aspect called conscience. This is only existent as long as we are awake (ஜாக்கிரத நிலை). The moment we doze-off, it is dissolved and recrystallizes when awake again.
It is a very necessary one to co-exist amidst other beings. Conscience is the total humane factor of our being, but a very subjective one. Amongst tribes practicing cannibalism, killing another person does not cause any ripple in their conscience. Killing a cow doesn't bother a butcher. Robbing from meek doesn't bother many. Some even take pride in fooling naiveté and it doesn't interfere with their conscience anymore. So, conscience is very subjective and totally depends on the circumstances in which an individual is raised.
It is essential to understand that it is an ever evolving phenomena and is absolutely self made and re-moulded continuously. Conscience was programmed into a being to establish a better survival of their species and it had stayed the same in wild. When it came to the humans, it took several turns with evolution, as the exclusivity started shrinking their identity away from the species-level in the name of clan, creed, region, etc.
Hence, your conscience means nothing to the other, except for one vital aspect, that it helps the other to determine how much distance they are to maintain from you. Attaching anymore importance and advertising an individual conscience and adopting the conscience of a people we admire as our own are all unnecessary glorification of this transient malleable aspect which can as well be just a figment of our imagination.
Consciousness (சித்தம், chitham) is a subtle aspect of our being that is ever alert irrespective of our awake/asleep state. In sleep, even an habitual roller, doesn't roll off the boundaries of the bed. A totally asleep dog can be awakened by a simple change in direction of breeze. These aspects of the being is called consciousness. Considering the eyes, ears, skin, tastebuds, etc as switches that are turned off one by one when we start to fall asleep, consciousness is the last such switch that is not turned off in our regular day to day activities.
This consciousness (சித்தம், Chitta) is the foundation on which the so called mind (மனம்) , sense of judgement (புத்தி, budhi) and ego (அஹங்காரம், ahankaaram) are built on. These four parts are compositely called as Anthakaranam (அந்தக்கரணம்). This consciousness (chitham) is the result of all the undying education (சாகா கல்வி) obtained in its past forms and retained by the soul.
The enlightened sages have further dwelled into these karmic records and categorized them as;
சஞ்சிதம் (sanchita karma) - The data lake of all the incomplete karmic transactions for each soul accumulated in several births are stored as sanchita karma. All these are in-store for the future births (forms).
பிராரத்வம் (praratva karma) - From the large dataset, a specific set of karmic records are hand picked by the soul (meaning ourselves) and we have taken this current human form to square-off exactly these records. It is to be noted, this set of records are always a mix of choices that bring both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.
ஆகமியம் (aagamiya karma) - While trying to square-off the praratva karma, we incur bits and pieces of more karma, which also needs to be squared-off in this life, if not, they get added back to the sanchita karma.
When someone is embarked on self-realization, they tend to be more aware of their actions. Slowly, but eventually they end up separating themselves from their own actions. This is the concise teaching of Bhagavat Gita. At this point, one stops accumulating any more aagamiya karma and starts dissolving all their praratva karma at a faster pace. This is the exact reason why someone on spiritual progress often seem to be going through a lot more suffering in their life.
Pain in inevitable. Suffering is optional - Haruki Murakami
Realized beings, don't try to bypass this praratva karma because of their deep understanding and absolute knowledge that its their own choice and are in no way attached to this form (body) anymore to dodge such simple pains. This is the exact reason, why Ramana Maharishi or Ramakrishna Pramahamsa endured their cancers even though they were uber powerful and were curing other's ailments at the blink of an eye.
Unconditional service, heartfelt (in a trance emotional state) devotion, yogic kriyas like kundalini awakening is said to burn away the karmas. This is emphasized in many cultures in several ways. This is absolutely true pertaining to the sanchita karma. i.e., The datastore of the karmic records, preserved for the future births starts dissolving fast with these acts. Especially in yogic way, when the yogi attains the breathless state of samadhi, all his sanchita karma dissolves rapidly and hence it is stated that this is their last birth and they don't have a need to come back again. Its only logical, as the sanchita karma is zeroed-out and nothing more to carve out a praratva, which is quintessential for taking another birth.
Labels:Purpose, Esoteric, Science life
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