What we are familiar with, is the world that has the manifestation. Important aspect of this world is that it’s perceivable by the senses. This is supposed to be gross. There maybe things which are so minute, so microscopic or so far away that we may have to use some technological means to reach them. To perceive them like the way that microscopes, telescopes or our telephones or cell phones, that we all use, these instruments are equipments to enhance our perception. Once we enhance our perception and we are able to trace them they belong to the gross world. But then, apart from that there is something that you can never reach by the senses or enhancement of the senses. This is supposed to be the subtle world, it is something, which is beyond , for any equipment to really bring about the details. It is like the way that the whole tree is there inside the seed but no amount of dissecting it, are we going to get the information that is hidden inside. It has the whole tree, all the flowers, everything but unfortunately our senses cannot catch them nor any enhancement can catch the core. This is what we call as ‘The form of Intelligence’ and ‘Subtle World’. But in the subtle world also all the things are already clear, already existing. Only thing is that they need to find a manifestation. They can't find any other way. For example the way that in a Rose bud the whole rose flower is there but then it can only manifest as rose. It cannot manifest anything else so therefore the ‘subtle world’ is also very clearly already given its final manifestation we may not know it but in a ambience circumstances it will bring about the manifestation of that subtle world.
But this subtle world also comes from something which is supposed to be beyond that which supposed to be ‘causal world’ and this is known as the Sthula, Sukshma and Karana( gross, subtle and causal), or it is also called Apara (Sthula and Suskshma)and the third one as Para world or Para knowledge. So this ‘Para’ knowledge has everything in that, and everything comes from that Para, otherwise from where this particular intelligence or the knowledge coming from?
But this subtle world also comes from something which is supposed to be beyond that which supposed to be ‘causal world’ and this is known as the Sthula, Sukshma and Karana( gross, subtle and causal), or it is also called Apara (Sthula and Suskshma)and the third one as Para world or Para knowledge. So this ‘Para’ knowledge has everything in that, and everything comes from that Para, otherwise from where this particular intelligence or the knowledge coming from?
Entry into this causal state of our being is available once in a while for people, which we call it as intuitive knowledge. For example a very difficult problem that's going on in the mind and you try to find a solution suddenly it occurs from and intuitive level and this is also what people call it as out of box thinking this is nothing but a place where you really do not approach with a logical mind.
Another beautiful example can be that, when everybody is looking at the Apple falling on the ground. When it left the tree, they thought, it just natural that Apple falls on the ground. If we were there in those times, we also think in the same way. Only it is Newton who thought that the earth is pulling the Apple. It is not logically possible to think that, if you tried 10 apples. You will not know it, but if you try thousand apples you will come to this truth which is a logical extension of your thinking or which is gross. This conclusion that Apple is being being attracted by the earth, this knowledge is what is called as intuitive knowledge or this knowledge is descending from the Para, great truths can only be possible only when we are in touch with ‘Para’.
Whereas in the case of the manifest world and un manifest, there can be logic in sthula and sukshma but in the case of causal level there is no logic therefore it is like a sudden jump or this like you going to a state of unknown and from there that you bring in the solution. Many times for many people this kind of intuitive solves many things and this is this is basically the para knowledge.
Sage Patanjali gives us a systematic method how to explore into this particular state of existence that is given in the form of three steps Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. And when all these three states exist together this is called as Samyama, Now this Samyama when we are able to reach, then consciously we can go to ‘that state’ where it is supposed to be the knowledge which is present intuitively behind for all of us. So if one can really reach that para knowledge then he will be able to bring out the most wonderful creative world. There are few things about this Para knowledge when we compare to what is called – gross and the subtle or the sthula and sukshma.
Gross and subtle worlds have influence from the world outside. For example you do an activity or you think of any activity it has a basis of the world outside that's why we say I thought of it ‘because’… this ‘because’ is the way that shows that there is always some physical cause and based on that that you came up with another idea,but , that is the date and day it maybe the gross world or maybe in the second world. It may be in the real world outside or it may be in the dream world but both these things have the continuum from the world existing outside therefore it is based on ‘because’ but then when we say that its intuitive, that means basically there is no connection here or a previous connection. Where there is previous connection, it's supposed to be ‘orderly’ but where there is no connection and intuitive it is called as disorderly or chaotic way of coming into being. There are a lot of theories about this orderliness and chaos and lot of people have done work on that the nature has both these things in detail.
Very simple way when you look at it - the leaves of the tree all look alike. There is orderliness and there is a discipline whereas the moment you look at each leaf, each one is so entirely different from the other and there is absolutely no relationship between them, they are chaotic. Similarly when you look at the leaf, there is a central line between both the sides, they appear to be very identically symmetrical- they seem to be in orderliness but when you watch them close, both the sides show totally different, chaotic. Your fingers are orderly but fingerprints are chaotic. So nature has to respect both orderliness and chaos. Orderliness is good for execution, and chaos for innovative thinking; orderliness is apara and chaotic is para.
However in Indian philosophy sage Patanjali gives us the philosophy and technology.
Yogashree.N.V.Raghuram
Aug 2021