“The whole universe is beautiful and full of bliss. Creation is a manifestation of love .O God, how infinite is your love and grace. My limited little words cannot express your grandeur. I bow to you within and outside.”
Let us understand what the world is. If I asked the question “What is this world?” One will say, “It is made up of stars, planets, earth and animals – this is the world.” Another might say, “The wind blows, the sun shines the rain comes and birds sing – this is the world.” Another might say, “Family, job, children – this is the world.” Yet another may conclude, “Quarrels, misunderstanding, love and understanding – this is the world.”
The Object
In the Vedic scriptures the world is described as the object we experience through the five sense organs. World is nothing but what we see, hear, smell, taste and touch. This world that we experience has two qualities. The rishis said, nama rupatmaka visva – nama is name and rupa is form. Every object has a name and a form. If I say, “a book” you may say, “which book?” If I say, “the Bhagavad Gita”, immediately you think of the form as you have seen the book. So, a name and a form can identify an object. When something has a name and a form it is limited. Another quality of the objective world is that it is continuously changing. What you see today will not be the same tomorrow.
The Subject
Who is seeing this world, who is experiencing and who is enjoying the world? You will say, “I am the one who is experiencing.” In the Vedic culture one who is experiencing is the subject. I experience things through the process of experiencing.
The Subject Object Relationship
So we have three things – Subject, object and the subject object relationship. World is the object, I am the subject and the process of experiencing the world is the relationship. One who knows these three clearly is one who lives intelligently.
Let us see who experiences or enjoys by taking a few examples. Suppose I have many servants who work for me, who gets the result of the work? If I have a business in which many work, who gets the profit? I am the one who benefits. If soldiers fight and win a battle, it is the king who gets the victory. I am giving all these examples to show the subject object relationship. With this introduction let us first understand the subject in depth.
The Nature of the Subject – Who am I?
Subject is the one who experiences, enjoys or is the witness. Subject is different from the object. I see you - You are the object in front of me. I am different from you. I wear clothes - The clothes are objects to me. I see my body - Body is the object. Body like the world, has a name and a form and is changing constantly. I enjoy and experience the body, but I am not the body. This is a simple understanding with an intelligent mind.
If I am not the body, then am I the sense organs? My eyes are weak. I know the power of my eyes, so the eyes are the objects and I am the subject. The eyes, ears and nose are instruments through which I experience and enjoy. So I am not the senses organs.
Then am I the inner equipment of the mind, intellect, ego and memory? Let us have a look at these.
The Mind
We all have a mind. The mind is sometimes agitated, some times restless and sometimes happy and elevated. You say, “My mind is tired.” so you know your mind and you are making the statement. So if you have seen the mind and know the mind, then you are different from the mind. But Ordinary people identify with the mind and cannot distinguish the object from the subject. I am the subject and mind is the object and I know the limitations of the mind and how the mind changes. So I am not the mind, mind is my object. Now let us go a little more into the nature of the mind.
samsayatmaka manah - Mind is a doubting faculty
Mind is a good friend but a confused friend. Suppose you are thinking about going to the retreat. The mind says, “Ok Go.” The next minute mind says, “But it is so far and you have to share a room, the accommodation may not be good. May be don’t go.” This is the nature of the mind. Mind never gives a lear picture.
Intellect
When you are thinking on these lines someone in you makes a decision for you and says, “Go to the retreat.”
nischayatmaka buddhi i- The intellect is the deciding faculty. You know how intelligent you are and the limitations of the intellect. So the intellect is also an object. I know my intellect and I am the subject.
Ego Next come to the ego. People some times admit, “I have a big ego and I do not know how to deal with my ego. We know our ego and we know when our ego gets hurt. Ego is my object as I know the ego changes – sometimes it is up and sometime it is down. So I am not the ego.
Memory
From where are all thoughts coming? What is the source of all these thoughts? These are all coming from the memory. Even when we forget in the sleep, when we get up again the memory comes up. Memory is the object and I am the subject. I know my memory; I know that my memory is decreasing with age. People take tablets to help increase their memory. Memory changes. So I am not the memory.
Conclusion
World is nothing but objects with names and forms and is changing continuously. I am the subject in the objective world.
mano buddhyahankara cittani nahaå - I am not mind, intellect, ego or memory
My mind, intellect, ego and memory are all part of the world. I am the subject. I know the body, the mind, intellect, ego and memory. I am the subject witnessing all these and I am changeless. This can be understood with a simple logic,
When I was a little boy I said, “I am a boy.”
When I grew I said, “I am a young man”
When I got old I said, “I am old.”
When I was a student I said, “I am a student.”
Each of the above sentences has one common factor - “I am.” I am the changeless pure consciousness in the constantly changing world and with this awareness I can establish an intelligent relationship to be in the world and yet to be free.