Self-Knowledge and Self-Realization

Pure Knowledge; Pure Knowing; Satchitananda

Jnana yoga, or pure Advaita, is all about the experience of unadulterated knowledge, or truth in its purest form. Everyone experiences hearing words were someone talks, and having a feeling that what this person is saying is true. This is has happened for thousands of years with all kinds of great teachers, gurus, Saints, but also charlatans and lying politicians.

But sometimes truth is experienced in its purest form, unconditioned, unadulterated, and it shoots through one's body and psyche like a bolt of lightning energizing us. The analogy presented by Siddharameshwar, is that you can be exposed to many kinds of sweets, such as chocolates, a milkshake, tapioca, and many other foods that are sweet, but can never extracted from those various experiences, the underlying sweetness of sugar found in those various foods. Only when you taste pure sugar, will you ever and always recognize the sweetness of sugar found in all those other foods. Siddharameshwar is stating that there is a state of unconditioned, pure knowledge, or Turya, which when experienced directly, provides the experience of pure truth, which can never be forgotten. This too is not awakening, but a time and state before awakening where we experience the thrill, energy, and bliss of knowing unconditioned, pure and absolute truth. (Which belongs as the primary property of the fourth state, Turya, the supra causal body, also known and experienced as Satchitananda, or existence, knowledge, bliss.

In "Master of Self-Realization" Siddharameshwar states:

Now, we will see what the fourth body, the Great Causal Body, is. The Great Causal Body is also known as the Turya state, or Satchitananda. It is called the great causal state because it is above, or beyond the limits of the causal body. It is the father of the other three bodies. It indicates a state of consciousness that is without a body in spite of the fact that the body still exists. This is the state of "knowledge" in the fourth body. In Hindu mythology, King Janaka was such a one without a body. He had a daughter named Janaki, meaning awareness. Out of him, the daughter Janaki (awareness) is created. Compared with the previous three bodies, the fourth body is a state that is without a body, and without any conditions in the form of knowledge. This does not mean that there is an absence of knowledge found in the previous three bodies.

Knowledge is the same whether it is in an agitated condition or in equanimity. Is clean and pure the state of equanimity as well as it is termed it is, even when immersed in a flood of objective knowledge. In all states, knowledge is one and the same. However the knowledge in the first three bodies is adulterated knowledge, or conditional objective knowledge. The Knowledge of the State of the Great Causal Body is balanced and can be experienced as "pure knowledge."

This illustrates why Knowledge cannot be experienced in its primal state in the first three bodies because it is always in some form of conditioning. In the first three bodies it will always be experienced only as objective knowledge. In the fourth body, that knowledge is nonobjective and pure, which is not apparent in the other three bodies, and shines in its pure nature. This is why aspirants have to be taken to the great causal body.

Even when each state comes and goes, the witness of these states does not come and go anywhere. The one who sees the dark and fair complexion, as well his childhood, youth and old age of the physical body, is also the one who sees all concepts, imaginings, dreams, and doubts of the subtle body. The same witness also sees the causal body where there is a complete absence of concepts, imagination, and doubt. The one who witnesses all three of these bodies is forever awake.

Once the nature of "witnessing knowledge That" is known, the state of ignorance vanishes completely. Though it is true that ignorance vanishes, it is not true that the appearance of the "the seen," or "the world," also vanishes. It is only the attitude, or the understanding of the aspirant that changes. By virtue of the intensity of study, we will experience that all that is seen in and appears, is in the form of "knowledge." When it is known that everything that exists is only "the LORD OF THE UNIVERSE" the visible universe is not destroyed, just as when the light of the lamp destroys darkness, the objects that become known do not vanish.  The nature of the objects simply became clearly known in the light. In the same way, when we are looking at and feeling the world with blind eyes in the darkness of ignorance, the Sadguru's advice brings correct vision to our sight.

When the Flame Of Knowledge is lived in the "Inner-Consciousness," it spreads light all around, and the darkness of ignorance is destroyed, yet the world appearance remains, as its true nature is uncovered and revealed.

At this point, the first part of the exposition teaching, and everything regarding the physical gross body up to the great causal body has been included. The next part of the teaching that is given after the explanation of the great causal body, is the teaching of the final reality. A person cannot be called acidic even if he gain self-knowledge by becoming identified with great causal body, the Turya state, Satchitananda, and has realized that state. Even though he is accomplished, he still looked upon only as an aspirant. However we will not discuss that state yet at this point.