An Introduction to Vedanta
Part XXXVII
Dr. K. Sadananda

Part XXXVII – Transmigration of Soul

Pure consciousness is all pervading and eternal. Its reflection through the medium of subtle and gross bodies is the expression of life. Identification with the reflection is the notion of the jIva. The reflection depends on the medium of reflection. It is similar to convex, concave or plane mirrors where the reflection is distorted due to the lack of straightforwardness (Arjavam) of the reflecting surface. Hence when the mind and intellect are crooked, the reflecting consciousness also appears crocked. When the mind and intellect are impure, the reflection is also dull. If the mind and intellect are pure the reflection will be pure and shine in all its glory. Thus the BMI surface acts ‘as though’ like a prism refracting the pure light of consciousness into the VIBGYR (ROYGBIV in the UK) pattern of different individuals, each with a different wave length. But the essence is one and the same consciousness-existence entity that “I am” – without any reflections or distortions.

Here, we note that reflection or refraction is not the problem. The VIBGYR pattern is not the problem, the existence of BMI complex is not the problem. Even their crookedness is not the problem. They are part of the nature just as existence of gold in varieties of ornamental forms is its nature. Then where is the problem? The problem arises with the identification of ‘I am this’. That is the problem arises when I take the image of reflection or reflected consciousness as the original I, the all pervading consciousness. Since ‘I am’ is ‘I am’ and ‘this is’ is ‘this is’, the existence of either of these two is not a problem just as gold is gold and ring is ring. When gold feels ‘I am a ring’- that identification with a name and form contributes to suffering or saMsAra.

In that very identification, the problem of the names and forms becomes my problem. The BMI is limited and the limitations of BMI become my limitations, although the existent-consciousness entity that I really am is limitless. The BMI continuously changes with what Vedanta calls the six-fold modifications consisting of presence, birth, growth, disease, decay and death, while ‘I am’ is changeless and eternal. But due to identification, I feel I am undergoing these six-fold modifications and suffer as a consequence of this identification.

Death is nothing but the separation of the subtle body from the gross body. The subtle body, consisting of the flow of thoughts constituting mind, intellect, ego and memory, gathers all its faculties – the faculties of senses, etc - and moves to different fields of experiences (lokas). It takes a new gross body by entering into the womb of a mother which we call ‘birth’. Birth and death are therefore the association and disassociation of the subtle body with a gross body. In the gross body, the consciousness reflects as existence – as ‘the body is’. In the subtle body, the consciousness is reflected as a being with notions of ‘I am this’.

Proceed to the next essay.