The journey of the soul

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Yogi Ashwini [1]

Soul is a unique pranic frequency. In unmanifested form it exists as the part of Para Brahma just as salt exists in ocean. Only when it desires a certain experience or a set of experiences, it chooses to go through the cycle of karmas or birth and death. The basic reason of the soul separating from the source is ego, or recognising one’s existence as an individual. The ancients called it “asmita”, “I”. This was the first step we took when we separated ourselves from the Divine Consciousness which is sukshma-iti-sukshma, subtlest of the subtle, the unmanifested. Ego led the soul to realise that it is an individual and so came into existence the jeev-atma.

Chitta is all-pervading, which resides in each one of us as buddhi. Buddhi is unlimited mind, it is the ability in us that has the potential to become unlimited. However, it remains shadowed by manas the sheath, which blurs its vision, which provides logic to the mind and fetters it with the vrittis. Together, buddhi and manas form the chitta. The jeev-atma, chitta and vrittis unite with panchmahabhutas (five elements) to take form of a human being. As the soul separates itself from the source, the distance is directly proportional to the evolution of the soul. For example, when a droplet of water leaves the clouds it is nearly pure, in its journey towards Bhuloka, it gathers dust. The further it travels, the more contaminated it becomes. When it touches the ground it becomes dirt. This is similar to the journey of the soul, also, now to go back it needs to do tapas, i.e. heat itself and rid itself of the impurities. Only then would it become vapour and get rid of the bandhan (entrapment) of form, shape and ego.
The three states of chitta are conscious, unconscious and subconscious. They exist because of desires, which are the reason why the soul chose to take the journey called life. It is “desire” which drove the soul to realise its individuality and combine with the chitta and become a jeev-atma. These desires form a circular pattern like ripples in water and go on expanding and contracting, keeping the soul entangled in their movement.
The vrittis operate at every level; the conscious, unconscious and subconscious, therefore complete consciousness is not achieved. It is only when the disturbances in the form of vrittis become still, complete consciousness is achieved and the soul realises its true self. This is the state of dhyan that can be achieved by the practices of yoga. That is why yoga is defined by sage Patanjali as “chitta vritti nirodh”. That is to stop the activities of the chitta, to still the thoughts emerging from desires so that the vision becomes clear.

Yogi Ashwini, the guiding light of Dhyan Foundation, is an authority on yoga, tantra and the Vedic sciences