consciousness.

What is consciousness and what are its dimensions?
You are conscious of things when you are aware of them, aware of their presence. When you are not aware when you do not perceive you are unconscious. It is the difference between being sleep and awake. When you are asleep things are lost, you become unconscious of them; when you are awake things reappear and you are conscious of them it is analogous to day and night. Night in its darkness swallows up things, annihilates them as it were this is unconsciousness the day dawning brings forth the things and gives them their normal concrete form tangible reality this is consciousness. so consciousness is light, creation and unconsciousness is darkness annihilation.
The essential consciousness is an unchanging reality existing everywhere in the universe but it expresses itself in different modes and apparent forms, its essential quality does not change but acquires a different colour and vibration in accordance with its degree and level of expression. Now consciousness because of inadequate expression becomes blurred or faint etc. You have simply to shake off the outer coating to allow the inner reality to shine forth in its own nature.
Consciousness is not merely consciousness, simple awareness, it is also power energy. The vedic word is cit-tapas, conscious energy. It is not like knowledge is power. it does not mean that consciousness has power or gives power. but consciousness is power. its more likely comparable with light energy which does not merely illumine, it energises, activates, moves things. the inherent quality of light is energy. in the same way consciousness is also a vibration of energy. It is the self-impulsion of consciousness. This impulsion need not always go out, cast or speed itself in outward expression or activity. it may be stilled self contained impulsion. It is say awareness pregnant with power. Consciousness is luminosity, consciousness is energy, consciousness is also delight. The very soul of consciousness is happiness, a gladness absolute and inviolate, the delight which is love in its supreme mode. Saccidananda. The vedic rishi says it is one it is called variously as Light, Infinity, Harmony and Delight.

Mind and Matter.

Material space is not the same as mental space and the speed of light and the speed of thought are not commensurable.The mental world, the world of thoughts, is a world in itself. It is autonomous. It moves with its own way with its own laws. In the Yoga of Sri Aurobindo he says We human beings believe that it is we who think, that is produce or create our thoughts, that we are the makers of our notions and ideas. but in reality it is not so. Thoughts notions ideas all movements of the mind are self existent realities. They go about or flow on like the waves of a vast sea. Human beings are mere instruments, receptacles that capture or seize some mere instruments, receptacles that capture or seize some undulations of this vast ocean. Man a mental being in him the brain is developed to such an extent and in such a manner that it serves as antennae or as an aerial to receive vibrations from the mental world. Indeed an ordinary human mind is a sort of crossroads where all kinds of thoughts from all places meet, cross one another and make a ideal market place. In fact, an individual does not possess any thought-movement which can be called his own. He only catches a contagion. And like a contagion thought-movements pass from one person to another although one may think or feel that the movement is one's own.
In order to have one's own thought, in order to think by oneself, a long process of education and training is necessary. A growing personal individual consciousness is the first requisite and for that one must do what the vedic rishi sought to do, gather the thoughts that one has, collect them, sift them and try to have a control over them. One must develop the habit of admitting certain thoughts and rejecting others. Thoughts that are useful, that carry light and peacefulness and happiness, are necessary those that are worth accepting.Those that are of the contrary nature should be pushed out. This is an exercise that develops the individual consciousness and the individual will.
One may try to recognise thoughts that are of a different category, that do not seem to belong to the accustomed level of consciousness but carry a vibration that is of elsewhere, that seem to come down from higher ranges of consciousness. this means an elevation of consciousness, your being rises into higher realities.
The true individual, the being who is capable of living and creating independently, is formed of a stuff that lies in these higher regions.
Mind is a force, thought and energy but that can be truly and fully effective when it is organised, directed, it then becomes a guided missile. In an ordinary mind the thoughts are dispersed they go about in all directions, to all objectives therefore their efficacy is at its minimal. For example like Light energy which becomes immensely, incredibly powerful when it is concentrated or gathered to one point. so also the thought when focused shines in the knowledge of the real truth. example
Usually when we think of a person or a thing, our thought vibration reaches its object but because the vibration is diffuse - i.e. not polarised it touches or just brushes its object very faintly without almost any reaction from it. Where as an organised, truly individualised consciousness has its thoughts- movements too, so organised and controlled and directed that it moves with a clear and forceful momentum. A mental vibration a thought movement becoming fully dynamic, totally effective then it gets its support from the vital which too is organised then the individualised personality loses its capriciousness and lends its support to the directing consciousness. 

Mahakavyas.

The ancient sages instilled the knowledge of the supreme self through four aphorism's which appear as mahakavyas in each of the four vedas.
1. Prajnanam Brahma Consciousness is Brahman: This aphorism appears in Aitareya Upanishad in the Rgveda. It declares that Consciousness in the microcosm is the same consciousness pervading the macrocosm. The all pervading Consciousness is the Supreme reality, Brahman.
2. Tat tvam asi That thou art: Appears in Chandogya Upanishad in the Samaveda. Tat That refers to the Supreme God, Tvam thou to self within, the core of your being. Asi art indicates that God and your  Self are one and the same.
3. Ayam Atma Brahma This self is Brahman: In Mandukya Upanishad in the Atharvanaveda.  Ayam Atma means this Self. It refers to Consciousness within. Atman,the Self within which activates your body to perceive and act, mind to feel, intellect to think. Atman is the same as all pervading Consciousness Brahman.
4. Aham Brahma asmi I am Brahman; Appears in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad in the Yajurveda. this aphorism is the ultimate pronouncement of the spiritually Enlightened. Aham means I, the Self within. Brahman is the Reality, supreme God. The Enlightened declares his Self to be God.  

Paripadal

Your heat and glow are seen in the sun.
Your coolness and softness in the moon,
Your compassion and grace in the rains,
Your guardianship and patience in the earth,
Your scent and brilliance in the blossoms,
 Your image and wideness in the waters,
Your form and sound in the space,
Your appearance and withdrawal in the wind,
Therefore this, that, the rest and everything else
Have descended from you
Yet are depended upon you.

He takes the form desired by the devotees;
Accepts the name decided upon by them;
Even as they love and envision Him
and meditate upon Him ceaselessly,
he becomes that image.


You are the heat within the fire; Fragrance within the flower; Gem within the stone; Truth within the word; Mercy within justice; Might behind valour; Secret within the scripture; Foremost among elements; Splendour in the sun; Coolness in the moon; You are everything; and also the inner substance of these. (Paripadal, iii: 63-68)

Paripaatal contains seventy poems on various deities of the Hindu pantheon. This is a rare example of religious poetry we find in Sangam literature and is possibly the oldest religious composition in Tamil. The poems have associated music (பண்) so that these can be classified as songs (இசைப்பா). There are eight songs on Thirumaal (Vishnu), 31 songs on Kumaran (Muruga), one song on the Sea God, 26 on the mother Vaigai and four songs on Madurai. These songs are written in the 'Paripaatal' meter.

Ettuthokai The Eight Anthologies' - Classical Tamil poetic work - form part of thePathinenmaelkanakku anthology series of the Sangam Literature. Ettuthokai and its companion anthologyPattupattu are some of the oldest available Tamil Literature and dated to belong to between 200 BCE and 200 CE.

Aiṅkurunūṟu	Akanaṉūṟu
Puṟanāṉūṟu	Kalittokai
Kuṟuntokai	Naṟṟiṇai
Paripāṭal	Patiṟṟuppattu
Pattuppattu
Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai	Kuṟiñcippāṭṭu
Malaipaṭukaṭām	Maturaikkāñci
Mullaippāṭṭu	Neṭunalvāṭai
Paṭṭiṉappālai	Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai
Poruṇarāṟṟuppaṭai	Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭa

To be continued.

Unfolding of Gita.

Gita can be read as History, but it leads itself to being an allegory.
Arjuna represents the individual soul.
Sri Krishna the Supreme Soul that dwells in every heart.
Arjuna's chariot is the body.
Dhrtarastra the blind king is the mind under the spell of  maya ignorance.
the 100 sons are man's numerous evil tendencies.
The battle eternal going on between the power of the good and the evil.
That warrior who listens to the Lord speaking from within will triumph.
The model of life as presented in the Bhagavad Gita.
Every aspect of life is infact a way of salvation. lord Krishna tells of the innumerable ways to achieve peace of mind to resolve life's dilemma. It is applicable to any one in virtually any walk of life, its message transcends the limits of classical Hinduism.
to be continued.

japa

Japa meditation is also known as mantra meditation. With Japa meditation, the use of a mantra is used to focus the thoughts while quieting the mind. Japa meditation exists in many cultures along with a variety of practice methods.

Most methods involve repetition of a word or set of sounds. Some common mantras which you may have heard before are "Om" or "Om Mani padme hum". The sound "Om" pronounced "A-U-M", is a sacred sound which represents the creative energy of the universe. There are many interpretations and a great deal of focus spent on understanding the meaning of the sacred sound. Some interpret "Om" to be the sound of the initial creative spirit of the universe, or one true God.

"Om Mani Padme Hum" is also of great importance. It is one of the most revered mantras due to the amount of knowledge transmitted through its use. It is said that the entirety of the Buddha's teachings are contained within the mantra.

When beginning Japa meditation choosing a mantra which focuses the mind is an important step. If you are in contact with a spiritual leader then you may choose to have them select your mantra for you. If you're unable to speak with a spiritual leader, then selecting your own mantra should be your focus before beginning

Some practices believe that repeating the mantra 108 times is a key to successful meditation. If you own a set of prayer beads, then it may be easier for you to keep track of the mantra count. Otherwise don't worry about the number of repetitions. Simply set a time that you will devote to the practice and repeat the mantra as many times as possible within that time frame. Setting an alarm to help you stick to the committed time may be helpful to you.

In any case when you choose to complete a mantra meditation, stick to one mantra. Don't begin the meditation with one mantra and then switch to another. You may not feel completely comfortable with your chosen mantra at first, but that will change over time.

By repeating one singular mantra you will find that the mind will slip into a deep meditative state. This state will help you absorb the teachings of the mantra deep into your subconscious mind. The repetition will also have the benefit of providing the conscious mind with a deep restful state along with increasing your ability to concentrate.

There are many benefits of mantra meditation. Be sure to stick to your mantra meditation in order to see your way through the challenges of life. 

Chitralekha. classic Hindi Literature.

Chitralekha was written by a young man in his twenties. (Bhagawati charan verma) It has been written in an excellent style which has both challenging and provoking theme with ample beauty and imagination. Better explained the story unfolds with warmth and tenderness. the characters enact the varied tragic style to perfection which grips the reader. The pendulum as if it were swings from the romantic and stormy character of a woman whose power was passion to the curious and inconclusive dreams of a renounce who could not renounce his ego; from the immortal life of a sinner who retained the virginity of his soul while he dined, wined and seduced, to the mystic world of the sycophant of God who hallowed his body but prostituted its soul; from the galleries and caverns of ancient faith and religious dogmatism to the wide open avenues of rational thought.
Chitralekha is just not fiction it has a historical perspective too for which it is held in awe. It depicts the period of Indian History, particularly spotlighting the under current of religious thought, when canonical culture and rituals and pedantic learning made religion into inhuman scholasticism and asceticism. It was that time when Buddhism was calling people to the simplicity of truth and the majesty of the moral law, while the more radical and pagan human mind, revolving against conventional morality and ideological stagnation, was crying for the readjustment of values to the needs of a complex mobile social order. It was fighting against the forces of political disruption to lay the foundation of a great and lasting empire. Here we get a glimpse of Chanakya's philosophy - a philosophy divorced from ethics and wedded to politics and expounded by a man who was a contemporary to Aristotle and who lived long before Machiavelli. Chitralekha though retains its fictional qualities of imaginative plot construction, forceful characterisation and artistic presentation.
english version of the hindi novel is available on net.