The Ishwara Tattva

The term Ishwara is made from “Ish”. “Ish” literally means the self. It is sad to see people compare the self with terms, which are generally perceived as an entity separate from the self.

We are the extreme end of creation and probably the last step too. Before human beings are created, higher levels of creations happen. The most fascinating aspect of creation is that everything is similar in the basis. If we can understand the true nature of one thing, we can understand the true nature of other created things. The reason for this is that everything comes from the same one thing. There are two approaches to gaining knowledge. The first is to know the one primordial individual which finally becomes everything; this method is known as Vigyan. The second is to understand how everything in this cosmos finally gets subsumed in that one thing. This is called Gyan. The truth remains the same anyhow.

The Vigyan Perspective starts with Paratpara or better defined as – “Anant Maheshwardhishthata Amayi Parmeshwaraha Avigyeyaha”. The unknowable, highest self, unfazed by Maya, this individual becomes the basis for countless number of Maheshwara’s. This Paratpara is like a limitless ocean. It is this Paratpara which has been termed as Nirvishesha Brahma by Rishis. “Nirvishesha” means something which has no attributes. This individual can also be understood by imagining a limitless forest with countless number of tress, each tree is a creation by itself. What we need to understand is how these trees come into being? Why do they come into being and who brings them into being?

Ultimately we need to understand the nature of each tree. Each branch in a tree consists of an entire cosmos, and each branch ends by creating Karma Bhogi Praja like Jeevaatma.

The direction chosen here is of Buddhi Yoga, as prescribed by Rishis. People interested in Bhakti bhava or Karma bhava may find this difficult to understand.

Paratpara – Rasa & Bala

Paratpara as explained above is limitless in enormity, yet it has no properties before activity begins. By nature this Paratpara consists of two aspects. The first aspect which is the true nature of this limitless entity is Rasa. Rasa can be understood as stable, resting, calm and devoid of motion. Rishis term Rasa as Stithi. The Bhava which it represents is Abhu. Opposite to this Rasa, the other aspect is of Bala. The Bala is in motion, active or incessantly acting. The Bhava it represents is Abhwa.

1. Stithi = Stillness = Asti = Abhu = “RASA”

2. Gati = Change = Nasti = Abhwa = “BALA”

Rasa is incessantly everywhere and Bala are infinite in number but who live in the ocean of Rasa. The Balas are 16 in varieties, yet their prime basis is Rasa itself. Of these 16 Balas the most important Bala is called Maya Bala. This Maya Bala contains all other 15 Bala Koshas within itself.

Unaware or Inactive Mayabala blocks creation, such state of Rasa is Paratpara. Aware or Active Mayabala envelopes a little portion of Paratpara Rasa and the seeds of creation are sown. Paratpara has no center, but due to Maya’s sphere the center gets developed. Because the portion of Paratpara gets seperated from itself, by nature it wants to return to its originality. It can not unite with its true self without expanding itself. This makes it desire. The first desire is of “Ekohsya Bahusyam”. This desire has been termed as Iccha Bala or Kama Bala.

Who desires? The center has Mana and the Mana desires. Because something desires the center comes to be known as Mana. This Mana has been termed as “Shwosiyas Brahma”. The same desire is also termed as “Ashnaya Bala” or the desire which can take food to the desiring entity. It is the hunger of this Mana, the desire to eat something to expand and break the bondage of Maya.

This Mana has nothing to eat within the sphere of Maya other than what existed outside, the Rasa and the Bala. Thus this desire gets divided into two kinds. The one for Rasa is [Mumksha] and the desire for Bala is [Sisriksha].

Hridaya Bala – Chidatma

The two desires start fetching Rasa / Bala and keep gathering on the Mana. Mumuksha fetches Rasa and Sisriksha fetches Bala. The Rasa never mixes with anything, whereas Bala always sticks with other things. When desire brings Rasa it breaks bondage and when Bala comes bondage is created. This activity of the Mana comes to be known as Hridaya Bala and gets initiated the very moment center is created because of the Maya’s envelope.

The Bala centric desire becomes the primary reason for the creation of cosmos. Similarly Rasa becomes the reason for Mukti, it breaks the compound created by Bala. One important thing is that both these desires are completely controlled by the Mana. When the desire gets Rasa to Mana, then Rasa becomes dominant at center and breaks the effect of Hridaya Bala. On the contrary, if the desire collects more of Bala at the Mana than the Mana bondages and creation happens.

Thus far it is established that Mana is composed of Rasa-Bala. The desire which is Rasa dominant [Mumuksha], keeps collecting Rasa on the Mana from the ocean within the Maya enveloped Paratpara. Whereas, the Bala dominant desire [Sisriksha] continues to bring Bala and collects it on the Mana. This transaction of Rasa- Bala results in the Mana coming to be known as “Chidatma”. Chiti is nothing but desire towards a motive.

a) Mana (Kama / Pure Desire) is called Mana / Kama
b) Rasa Chiti (Breaks Bondage) is called Vidhya Chiti
c) Bala Chiti (Bondage Creator) is called Karma Chiti

This entire individual has been termed as Awyaya Purusha or the desirous cause of creation. This Awyaya, while eating Rasa and Bala by desire becomes Chidatma and developes the three Kalas of Vidhya, Mana and Karma.

Awyaya Purusha

Although there was just one individual but because of different situations it becomes three. Who eats? The Mana eats. It becomes the Atma or origin of desires, termed as “Uktha”. What does it eat? It eats itself, Rasa and Bala. These two become “Ashiti” or Anna for the Atma. How does it eat? It eats with the desire of itself in the form of Rashmi’s termed as “Arka”.

Imagine a sphere with five layers. This Awyaya Purusha has its Mana at the centre. The centre itself is made of Rasa and Bala only. But at the core of the center lying untouched is Pure Rasa which comes to be known as “Ananda”. Above the innermost layer the second layer gets diluted with very little portion of Bala but still is primarily Rasa and comes to be known as “Vigyan”. Because both these Chitis are mostly Rasa dominant, they dwell inside the third layer as the first and second, while Mana becoming the third [containing the other two]. The fourth is mostly Bala with little Rasa and is called “Prana”. The outermost layer which is totally Bala dominant chiti is called “Wak”.

The same Awyaya Purusha with 3 Kalas becomes now 5 fold with 5 Kalas. Ananda-Vigyan-Mana-Pran-Wak. Ananda & Vigyan live inside Mana as Antashchiti, while Prana & Wak live outside the Mana as Bahishchiti.

So the Maya encompassed, Rasa-Bala formed, Paratpara Brahma is called Awyaya Purusha. It is called Purusha because it lives in a Pura or location, unlike Paratpara which is everywhere. The center gets created and Hridaya Bala comes to fore, creating 3 Chitis of Uktha, Arka and Ashiti. Ashiti portion is of two type’s because or Rasa-Bala distinction. So because of Hridaya Bala, that single faceted unity form, mana-form Awyaya developes 5 Kalas.

Mana-Pran-Wak are together termed as Satta or “Sat”. Vigyan is termed as “Chit”. Ananda is termed as “Ananda” alone. These five Kalas when combined together were ciphered into “Sachhidananda Ghana Brahma” or simply “Sachhiddananda”.

–Om Iti-