Cosmic Consciousness
This exalted, blissful experience comes through intuition or Samadhi. The lower mind is withdrawn from the external, objective world. The senses are abstracted in the mind. The individual mind becomes one with the cosmic mind (Hiranyagarbha or the Oversoul), the Soul of the Universe (Sutratma), the one common thread-soul. The function of the intellect, the objective mind and the senses are suspended. The Yogi becomes a living soul and sees into the life of things through his new divine eye of intuition or wisdom.
The state of Cosmic Consciousness is grand and sublime. It is beyond description. The mind and speech return from it baffled, as they are not able to grasp and describe it. The language and words are imperfect. It induces awe, Supreme Joy and Highest Unalloyed Felicity, free from pain, sorrow and fear. This is divine experience. It is a revelation of the the causal world (Karana Jagat, wherein the types are realised directly.
Sri Sankara, Dattatreya, Vama Deva, Jadabharata, Mansoor, Shams Tabriez, Madalasa, Yajnavalkya, Ram Das, Tulasi Das, Kabir, Hafiz, Tukaram, Mira, Gouranga, Madhvacharya, Ramanujacharya, Lord Jesus, Lord Buddha, Lord Mohammed, Lord Zoroaster, had experience of Cosmic Consciousness.
The Yogi who has experience of Cosmic Consciousness acquires all Divine Aishvaryas. He attains many kinds of Siddhis or powers, which are described in Srimad Bhagavata and Raja Yoga of Patanjali Maharshi.
Arjuna, Sanjaya and Yasoda had the experience of Cosmic Consciousness. Yasoda saw the whole universe within the mouth of Bala Krishna.
In France, Professor Bergson preached about intuition which transcends reason but did not contradict it.
This new experience bestows new enlightenment which places the experiencer on a new plane of existence. There is an indescribable feeling of elation and indescribable joy and Bliss. He experiences a sense of universality, a Consciousness of Eternal Life. It is not a mere conviction. He actually feels it. He gets the eye Celestial.
The Jivahood (individuality) has gone now. The little ‘I' has melted. The differentiating mind that splits up has vanished. All barriers, all sense of duality, differences, separateness have disappeared. There is no idea of time and space. There is only eternity. The ideas of caste, creed and colour have gone now. He has the feeling of Apta-Kama (one who has obtained all that he desires). He feels, "There is nothing more to be known by me." He feels perfect awareness of superconscious plane of Knowledge and intuition. He knows the whole secret of Creation. He is Omniscient. He is a Sarva-Vit or Knower of all details of Creation.
Absolute fearlessness, desirelessness, thoughtlessness, I-lessness, mine-lessness, angerlessness, Brahmic aura in the face, freedom from exhilaration (Harsha) and Grief (Shoka) are some of the signs that indicate that the man has reached the state of superconsciousness. He is also always in a state of perfect bliss. You can never see anger, depression, cheerlessness and sorrow in his face. You will find elevation, joy and peace in his presence.
Cosmic consciousness is perfect awareness of the oneness of life. The Yogi feels that the universe is filled with one life. He actually feels that there is no such thing as blind force or dead matter and that all is alive, vibrating and intelligent. This is the experience of scientist Bose also. He has demonstrated it through laboratory experiements.
He who has cosmic consciousness feels that the universe is all his. He is one with the Supreme Lord. He is one with the Universal knowledge and Life. He experiences bliss and joy beyond understanding and description. In the moment of illumination or great spiritual exaltation he has the actual divine universal vision. He is conscious of being in the presence of God. He sees the light of God's countenance. He is lifted above the ordinary plane of consciousness. He reaches a higher state of consciousness. He has a cosmic or universal understanding. He has developed the cosmic sense. The human soul is revolutionised.
He does not worry about death or future, about what may come after the cessation of the life of the present body. He is one with Eternity, Infinity and Immortality!
During illumination the floodgate of joy breaks. The Yogi is inundated with waves of indescribable ecstasy. Bliss, Immortality, Eternity, Truth, Divine Love become the core of his being, the essence of his life, the only possible reality. He realises that the deep, everlasting fountain of joy exists in every heart, that the immortal life underlies all beings, that this eternal, all-embracing, all-inclusive love envelops, supports and guides every particle, every atom of creation. Sin, sorrow, death are but words now for him without meaning. He feels that the elixir of life, the nectar of immortality is flowing in his veins.
He feels no need for food or sleep. He is absolutely desireless. There is a great change in his appearance and manner. His face shines with a radiant light. His eyes are lustrous. They are pools of joy and bliss. He feels that the entire world is bathed in a sea of satisfying love, or immortal bliss which is the very essence of life.
The whole world is home to him. He could never feel strange or alien to any place. The mountains, the distant lands which he has never seen would be as much as his own, as the home of his boyhood. He feels that the whole world is his body. He feels that all hands, all feet are his.
Fatigue is unknown to him. His work is like child's play, happy and care-free. He beholds only God everywhere. Chair, table, tree have a Cosmic significance. His breath will stop completely sometimes. He experiences Absolute Peace. Time and space vanish.
Cosmic Consciousness is an inherent, natural faculty of all men and women. Training and discipline are necessary to awaken the consciousness. It is already present in man. It is inactive, or non-functioning in the majority of human beings on account of the force of Avidya or ignorance.
May you all attain the State of Cosmic Consciousness, your birthright, centre, ideal and goal, through association with the sages, purity, love, devotion and Knowledge!