EKENDRIYA -- 2

official source: Ma'nasa'dhya'tmika Sa'dhana'r Staravinya's [Stages of Psycho-
	Spiritual Sa'dhana']

cross-references: also published in Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell Part 6

this version: is the printed Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell Part 6, 1st 
	edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., 
	this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

	Last Sunday I started discussing ekendriya.  I said that the human mind is like a cloud spreading slowly and gradually across the sky; bring everything it encounters within its periphery. This subjectivization is called jina'na (knowledge) in Sam'skrta. The process of knowing has a few stages. 

	What is knowledge? It is psychic assimilation of external projections. Parama Purus'a has been creating countless projections in the external world - the sky, the wind, the hills, the mountains and numerous other entities. We may or may not be able to see them, but they do exist. There are innumerable subjects (the unit 'I's) witnessing and innumerable objects being witnessed. These unit 'I's are thinking, "I am the projection of Parama Purus'a and the objects I perceive are also the projection of Parama Purus'a." This is the first stage of knowledge.

	In the next stage human beings develop a desire to know more about those external objects. They question what they are, where, when and how they originated, and so on. Likewise they seek to discover more about themselves and pose the same fundamental questions. Kasya tvam' va' kuta a'yatah. "Who am I?" they ask. "Where have I come from" And why? Where shall I go from here?"

		Jur'a'ite ca'i kotha'y jur'a'i
		    Kotha' hate ese kotha' bhese ya'i

		"I want to get peace, but how?
		    Where have I come from and where do I drift?"

	In their search for the answer human beings strive to realize that Supreme Entity. This is the second stage of knowledge.

	On seeing an ant, you may ask many questions; Where do ants live? How many legs have they got? How do they see and hear? You study the ant in various ways. The ant becomes subjectivized and its image is created in your mind. You can easily visualize its different parts, allowing you to form an idea about it. This is the process of acquiring knowledge, a process divided into three stages: ava-a'tmasthiiksa'ran'a, upa-a'tmasthiikaran'a, and samyak-a'tmasthiika'ran'a.

	In the first stage (ava-a'tmasthiikaran') you form a rough idea about an object in the external world, but do not try to enter its psychic sphere. This is the normal process regarding most objects. You may say, "This species of palmyra grows in abundance in northern India. It has such and such characteristics. But this species of palmyra is common to southern India. It looks quite different from its northern cousin". So in the process of ava-a'tmasthiikaran'a (superficial assimilation of projection) we study the external characteristics of an object. If someone asks you, you can easily give a description of different species of palmyra, but you will not be able to go any deeper because you have not entered its psychic sphere. From external observation you can determine the nature of a person, but without penetrating his psychic sphere you will be unable to tell whether he is truly good, or merely a wicked person in the guise of a good man. 

	Penetrating the psychic sphere can be done in two ways: through applied psychology and through Cosmic Grace. When you attain the quality of macrocosmic omniscience, by His grace, your mind can easily enter the minds of others.

	Most people can reach the stage of superficial psychic assimilation. With this superficial knowledge the pandits debate amongst themselves, scholars write theses, and groups of intellectuals repudiate each others arguments. Strangely, many so called intellectuals have grossly inflated egos even though they have only attained this superficial knowledge. Actually they know so little.

	A'tmajina'nam' vidurjina'nam' jina'na'nya nya'ni ya'ni tu,
	Ta'ni jina'na' vabha'sa'ni sa'rasya naiva bodhona't.

	Internal knowledge, that is self knowledge, and not the knowledge of the intellect, is the real knowledge. Other knowledge is merely the shadow of knowledge. Through intellectual knowledge one cannot attain anything. No matter how learned people might be in this world, they are all throwing mud in the realm of superficial psychic assimilation. They remain ignorant of the reality behind each object. This sort of superficial psychic assimilation takes place due to study, intellection cultivation, direct perception, inference, testimony and authority. 

	Perception takes place when the sensory organs assimilate external objects. It's accuracy depends on the degree of assimilation. If our eyes are defective, for example, perception through them also becomes defective. If one glances hastily at tomato seeds, brinjan seeds and chili seeds, one may mistake one for the other. So perception is not always a reliable source of information.

	The second source of knowledge is inference, which is even more unreliable in conveying information from the external world. In winter smoke rises from many sources. Suppose water is suddenly converted into vapour, it appears as if smoke is rising. If you take that vapour to be smoke you are wrong. Thus inference is not a reliable source of knowledge. Suppose you see smoke coming out of a thatched hut. You may conclude that the hut is on fire, but on further investigation will realize that the family is lighting the oven. So through inference one cannot arrive at a safe conclusion.

	The next source of knowledge is authority (a'gama). People normally accept the words of a teacher or the printed words as being factually correct. When someone points out that some of the informations printed in a particular book are wrong common people will refuse to believe it, because for them the printed word is sacred. I read in one page of Nama'mi Krs'n'asundaram', Suniilakomalacchavim'. According to Samskrta spelling it should "laks'abim", but has been wrongly printed as " lacchavim'". Ordinary people will say that they have seen it spelled that way in a book so how can it be wrong? Thus authority is not a reliable source of knowledge. So superficial psychic assimilation of external objects through direct perception, inference or authority is very unreliable. 

	In the upa-a'tmasthiikaran'a' stage one enters the psychic stratum. Take the case of the palmyra tree. What group does it belong to? It belongs to the palm group. What are the physical characteristics of the trees of the palm group? What are their psychic wants? By posing such questions you will gain knowledge about the palmyra and its special psychology. You will realize  that if the saliva of any animal touches the palmyra tree, its growth gets stunted. Suppose an animal eats the leaves of a palmyra sapling and drops a little of its saliva onto the plant. The speed of its growth will certainly be hampered. So according to its peculiar psychology, it reacts when the external saliva comes in contact with its internal psychic juice. Consequently its natural growth and fruit bearing capacity will be decreased. This is the general rule of all the trees of the palm group. Coconuts and bettelnut trees have the same characteristics. You will understand these facts thorugh upa-a'tmasthikaran'am because you become acquainted with it's basic psychology. When you sit beside a tree you will intuitively understand what the tree is thinking. Of course, the tree won't say anything loudly, but you will be able to communicate with it because your mind has established a link with its mind. Regarding the characteristics of trees in the palm group, Krs'n'a said,

	Ba'ra batsare phele ta'l
	Yodi na' la ge gorur na'l

	The tree bears fruits at twelve years of age provided it is not touched by the saliva of cows, for it cannot tolerate cow saliva.

	So in the stage of upa-a'tmasthikaran'a one comes in contact with the inner heart, the inner life and the inner mind of all objects, leading to one's knowledge becoming deeper and more confirmed. The mind derives much contentment from its contact with the inner mind of certain plants, animals and human beings, for through such contact one can render better to service to them. One will develop a certain degree of self satisfaction  for one's psychic assimilation will have been of some use. This is also a step in the acquisition of knowledge. But it does have a particular disadvantage. This contact with the inner mind of a tree, animal or human being depends on the freshness or strength of your mind. If for some reason your mental power is lost the capacity to acquire knowledge through superficial psychic assimilation and upa-a'tmasthikaran'a will also be lost. Suppose you are a very experienced psychologist. If your mind ceases to function properly, you won't be able  to utilize any of that knowledge you had acquired. People who have practised the sa'dhana'' of a'vidya' tantra can develop the power to know the minds of others. But such acquired power is short-lived - it will desert them one day. If they misuse even a small amount of this acquired power, they will lose it immediately. Perhaps you have heard of certain instances when this has happened.

	The last stage is samyaka a'tmasthiikaran'a. When the sky filling cloud of the mind is directed towards Parama Purus'a it is called dharmamega in scripture. Human beings come in close proximity with Parama Purus'a through the science of dharmamega. That stage is called samyaka a'tmasthiikaran'a. It is the stage in which sa'dhakas form a clear understanding of the physical, psychic, and spiritual realms of life. They thereby come to know of everything of this universe. Their knowledge is lasting, final and absolute. The scripture says, rtambhara' tatra prajina', i.e., their knowledge is filled with veracity.

	Permanent knowledge is not possible through perception, inference, or authority, or by studying books or discourses. The knowledge which one attains by expanding one's mind in the psychic sphere through the practice of sa'dhana', which I gave the name upa a'tmasthiikaran'a is also not everlasting, although it does last for a certain period. Knowledge only becomes permanent when the human beings withdraw the entire intuitative  element and focus it on their spiritual point of ideation. At that time the entire universe comes within the scope of their mind, and they become omniscient.

26 April 1981, Calcutta
Ma'nasa'dhya'tmika Sa'dhana'r Staravinya's [Stages of Psycho-Spiritual 
	Sa'dhana']