GAYATRI MANTRA AND COGNITIVE STATES OF MIND

 

Cognitive sciences often rediscover philosophical analyses taxingly.  A better policy would be first to learn what philosophy can teach us and then move on to experimentation and model-building within the scope of positive science.  In this article an attempt is made to combine the ideas of mind existing and revealed in ancient Indian wisdom contained in the GayatriMantra, Upanishads, Advaita philosophy and Sabdabrahma Siddhata.  Also the possible application of such a combination in the fields of cognitive sciences artificial intelligence and physiological psychology is hinted.

     Chanting and meditation on the Gayatri Mantra is part of spiritual ritual of many traditionalists.  This is an important phase of Sandhya Vandanam. The profound meaning of Gayatri Mantra and the meditative insight contained in the performance of Sandhya Vandanam is very interesting, revealing and beneficiary. 

Gayatri Mantra

     .      AumbhoorbhuvahssuvahAum tat saviturvareanyambhargodevasyadhimahidhiyoyo nah prachodayat

Purport/Tatparya:

     May the Divine Luminescence which causes the conscious states/phases of mind-bhooh (jagrat/ wakeful/ awakened), bhuvah (swapna/dream)  andsuvah (sushupti/deepsleep)- illuminate and inspire our intellect.

We also have:

i.  AumbhoohAumbhuvahAumsuvahAummahahAumjanahAumtapahOgumsatyam

ii.Aum tat saviturvarenyambhargodevasyadhimahidhiyoyo nah

prachodayat

iii. Aumaapojothirasomrutam brahma bhoorbhuvassuvahAum

Purport/ Tatparya

i. Pranavam is Aumkaaram.Pranavam is contained in every thing as pranavasakti.  Everything is manifestation of pranavam.Saptalokas ( lokyateitilokah- what is seen is loka) -- LaukikaJnanadayakaroopa Bhooloka (jagrat/ awakened/wakeful conscious/mental state) and Bhuvarloka (swapna/dream conscious/mental state), the swararoopa suvarloka (sushupti/deep sleep conscious/mental unawareness state), buddhiroopa maharloka (phase of intellectual operations), pranayutaahamkaararoopa janoloka (origin, form, structure, cessation and re-creation of egoistic mind state), tapoloka (one-pointed meditative mental state) and Sat-Chit-Anandaroopa eternal awareness-providing Satyaloka (egoless/ego-transcending conscious state, which exists in all the conscious/mental states and at all times-physical or psychological))- are manifestations of  and contain in and by Brahman/Atman .

ii. May such Brahman/Atman, responsible (upanadanakarana) for our mind and associated functions illuminate our intellect to acquire real knowledge (jnana).  We pray that Divine Luminescence and meditate on it. 

iii. Ap (rajoguna), jothi (sattvaguna) and the rasaswaroopam (tamoguna), amritam(essence of meaningful experience or experienced meaning   -beyond or transcending jeevasthiti), and the conscious/mental states bhoor-bhuvah-suvahlokas are all manifestations of the same pranavam-the Brahmaswaroopam.  This is also called savita -the cause and creator of all these. 

     Chanting these mantras and meditation on their meaningis the chief phase in the performance of SandhyaVandanam. . Sandhya means antarmukhadristi samayam/awareness of within mental phase.Sandhya Vandnammeans. atmaanusandhana prayatna vidhi.. Divammeans bahirmukhadristi samayam/ aatmaanubhava vismarana samayam/ awareness of without mental phase. Rathri or Nisameansvisrantadristisamayam/aatmanbhavasamayam, the state ofpeace, silence and bliss-the state of cessation of all mental cognitions (maanasika kaaryakalaapaanaaam viraamasamayam / raamasamayam/ raamabrahma samayam / aatmaaraama samayam).

     These purports can further be interpreted making use of Upanishadic wisdom, Advaita philosophy and Sabdabrahma Siddhata as follows.

Upanishadic Wisdom

     Ancient Indian wisdom as revealed in the Upanishads has a lot to say about human consciousness. Ramabrahmamprovided a scientific awareness of mind, its form, structure, function, thoughts, understanding and other mental  processes and their cessation from psychology point of view contemplating on Upanishadic wisdom as manastattva sastra. Upanishads are source-books of Atmajnana, the Knowledge of the Self. Upanishads construe the state of Atman as the real ‘I’ state. They understood the Self i.e., human consciousness, to be unoccupied (mental) awareness and the natural, original and ground state of human mind.  

Atman is the result of breathing process. Srestaprana, (most possibly O₂) is given as the body (tanu) of Atman.  Atman is in motion always (yasyagamanamsatatam tat atma – which moves incessantly is Atman) and in modern scientific terms can be termed as a bio-oscillator issuing out pulses of psychic(chit) energy of time period 10^-1  second, the time required to pronounce a short syllable  like ‘a’(laghuakshara).

Atman provides us with the mental energy whose presence and transformations of its virtual form (mayaalso known aschidabhasaor pranavam), give us mental time-space and states of consciousness   respectively (Concept Diagram I), to be aware of the body, within of the body, without of the body and also a state that transcends both body and mind consciousnesses^2-11. Maya is the virtual mental energy flowing throughout the body providing sensing abilities to us.  Maya, the virtual psychic energy and its transformations provide the current of awareness and hence consciousness to us. Conscious states are the phases of mind inthe awareness of Atman.  Conscious state of cessation of mental activities, similar to zero in number system and vacuum in physical sciences, is the unique proposition of Upanishadic wisdomwhich has profound role in the human cognition processes 

Advaita Philosophy and SabdabrahmaSiddhanta

Advaita Philosophy is an off shoot of the Upanishadic awareness. Advaita Philosophy is more popular as Vedanta.  And it is known to Sanskrit grammarians that Advaita philosophy is best suited to understand language learning and communication skills.   Patanjali, Bhartruhari, etal., proposed and nurtured SabdabrahmaSiddhanta while attempting to understand language learning, comprehension and communication processes and formulating the grammar  rules for Sanskrit language making use of Brahmajnana orAtmajnana and Advaitaphilosophy and applied them beneficially

      As stated above the presence of Atman and transformations of maya give rise to four conscious states in us.  The wakeful-sleep ( Jagrat Sushupti) and deep sleep (Sushupti) conscious states are the advaita  ( No Two- only Aham – Aham series- here Aham/ relates to unoccupiedawareness or pure consciousness without any mental cognitions taking place) conscious states.  Wakeful ( Jagrat)  and dream (Swapna) conscious states are dvaita (Two- aham - idam series - here idam relates to mental cognitions and  functions in the awareness aham / atman ) conscious states⁷.  These conscious states alternately and simultaneously   rise and set in us helping us to cognize/know/learn, perceive, reason, think, do intellectual operations, experience/understand, speak/teach, read and write and thus be aware of various disciplines and skills, master and use them through the medium of language or otherwise by the simultaneous use of antahkaranas (inner mental tools-- manas, buddhi, chittam and ahamkaram), sense organs and action organ 

    According to Upanishads knowledge is of two kinds- (i) that acquired   through the combined operation of  sense organs, action organs and inner mental tools in the awareness of Atman ( MaitraJnana ) and (ii) that is inherent / genetic  (VarunaJnana)^5-7,14. All our acquisitions of knowledge come under MaitraJnana and the in-built urges, volitions, body and mental abilities, capabilities, nature etc., come under VarunaJnana.

     Simply putting, according to Upanishads, our mental functions are the forward and backward transformations of chidabhasa or maya – transformed by energies sensed through sense organs or the stored information as potential energies retrieved (as vasanas first and then prapancham as feelings/thoughts/perceptions) and transformed in the reverse direction to give us knowledge, experiences etc. The transformation of maya, reverse transformation of maya and cessation of transformation of maya - the dvaita and advaita conscious states respectively- taking place simultaneously, consecutively and alternately is the structure, form, function, state and essence of human consciousness, mental functions and cognitive  processes.  

     The above discussion and propositions about mind and its functions in terms of Atman and mayacan be extended and used to understand language learning and communication processes.  It is mentioned above that maya is also known as pranavam, the primordial sound.

Bhakti (defined as swaswaroopaanusandhanambhaktirityabhidhiyate- tuning the mind to natural state of mind i.e., the state of Self-  or chetovrittirupetyatisthatisadaasaabhaitirityuchyate- the state when chetovritti- antahkaranaparinama-ceases to take place) is another name for the state of Atman or Brahman- theadvaitastate.  In this state the pranavam or virtual chit –energy (termed as maya by Vedantins)– does not transform into antahkaranas - no vivartanam (two-waytransformation ofmayaandantahkaranas) , meaning no antahkaranaparinamaorvritti ( transformation of inner mental tools causing cognitions) takes place

     Transformation of pranavam (maya) as antahkaranas and panchapranas (prana, apaana, vyana, udana and samana) and thence activating sense and action organs respectively and simultaneously (wakeful and dream phases of mind) is the vibhakti or dvaita state or the state of ego- jivatma –the state of I-, my- feelings, thoughts and perceptions.  All kinds of knowing /learning /expression /teaching take place in this vibhakti state making use of all mental tools in the awareness of Atman.Sabdabrahma Siddhatanta, as well takes this advaita / dvaita concept and a theory of language learning/teaching, speaking/understanding in the four modes of mind ( para, pasyanti, madhyama and vaikhari) is developed using sphota vada, a consequence of SabdabrahmaSiddhanta.

     According to this theory human language communication process is a combination and quick successive reversible transformations of four modes i.e., I Speaker/Teacher: (a) Purport/Awareness (Meaningful Experience or Experienced Meaning- para) (b) Understanding/ Experience/ Sense/ Mood/Volition/ Intuition (pasyanti) (c) Perception/Thinking/Feeling (madhyama) (d) Utterance /Expression (vaikhari)   II  Knower/ Listener/ Learner: (a) Knowing (through sense organs)- vaikhari (b) Perception/Thinking - madhyama (c) Understanding/ Experience -pasyanti (d) Purport (Meaningful Experience/ Experienced Meaning)/Awareness- para.

     When the physical structure of mind and its function as revealed in the Gayatri Mantra as saptalokas is compared and combined with the knowledge of conscious states/phases of mind and mental functions provided by Upanishadic wisdom and language learning, comprehending and communication modes as worked out by Sanskrit grammarians together with Advaita Philosophy and SabdabrahmaSiddhanta a working model of human mind can be built.

      The insights of Upanishadic wisdom on human cognitive processes and the physical structure of mind as revealed in the Gayatri Mantra  as lokascan be used to propose a human cognitive process model; the ultimate aim being the development of a soft-ware which would perform the tasks of the mind. These understandings in modern scientific terms about mind, its phases in the form of conscious states/lokas can be further used to develop the software to model human mental processes and language learning/communication processes going on within us and compare and club them with the mind-machine model-building attempts and working of the bio-chemicals and the energy transitions and transformations associated with them.

APPENDIX I

Manas.Buddhi, ChittamandAhamkaram(egoistic mind) areantahkaranas.  They are manifestations (vibhutis) ofjnanasakti. They activate sense organs.

Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana andSamana arepanchapranas.  They are manifestations (vibhutis) of pranasakti.  They activate action organs.

Mind is a combined operation of   Atman, Maya, Antahkaranas,sense and action organs.

Mind and its activities are cognitive elements to consciousness and mind becomes Atman in Jagrat Sushupti consciousness state when all mental cognitions cease to be. 

APPENDIX II

PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AND PHASES OF MIND AS REVEALED IN GAYANTRI MANTRA

SaptaLokas : (Seven Conscious states of mind)

1. Seer   Atman/Brahman           ADVAITA STATE                 BEING

Satyaloka   :  Aham -AhamJagratSushupti       Wake ful Sleep      Peace Silence Bliss  

Egoless /ego-transcending conscious state.VisrantaDristi

                          Awareness   +   Chidakasa      Maya not transformed       Srasta   Rasa

                          Awareness   +    Icha-jnana-kriyasaktipravaham / Nirvishaya/nirvishayaanubhavapravaham

AtmanubhavaSamayam    Bhakti,      Para    Tatparya,    Sat-Chit-Ananda                Sat/Chit 

2. Seer: Antahkaranas – manas, buddhi, chittam and ahamkaram       DVAITA STATES     BECOMING

(a) Tapoloka   :  Aham+ChidabhasaChittakasaSwapna Maya     transformed     Samvit

                           Meditative state if Mind    Single object in awareness     AntakmukhaDristi

(b) Janoloka   :    Aham+VasanaRajomayakasaJagrat and/ or Swapna  Wakeful/Awakened and/or Dream                             

                AntarmukhaDristi     State of  egoistic   mind.      First  transformation of maya

                          Awareness   +   Mood   PasyantiArtha      Experience   Intuition    Sense    Understanding   Urge     

                      

©  Maharloka    :   Aham+ Divya, SwaraSaktisJagrat and/or   Swapna   Mental state of Intellectual operations    

AntarmukhaDristi

Awareness  +Akasa and Vayu    Bifurcation of maya into jnasakti  and  pranasakti

(d) Survarloka  :Aham+ Nirvishaya/NirvishayaaanubhavamSushupti      Deep  Sleep   

                          Awareness+ Tamas       Maya not bifurcated and not transformed      suddhavasanapravaham

(e) Bhuvarloka :Aham+IdamBhutakasaSwapna     Dream    State of awareness of within

                           Awareness   +   Second transformation of mayaSrusti Vibhakti Madhyama

Antahkaranaparimanatakes place   Only action organs are active       Sense organs are  dormant

(f) Bhooloka    :   Aham+IdamJagrat   Wakeful/awakened    State of  mental cognition     knowing/Expressing       

BahirmukhaDristi

                           Awareness +   Bhutakasa         Second Transformation of maya /Transformation of maya  into sound,    

gesture,  expression etc.,            Vibhakti Vaikhari   Both  sense  and action  organs are active

APPENDIX III:                

Measurement of   Time based on Surya Siddhanta.

1 Day= 60 Nadigas;

1 Nadiga=60 Vinadigas;

1 Vinadiga=6 Pranas;

1 Prana=10 DeerghaAksharas (Long Syllable);

1 DeerghaAkshara=4 LaghuAksharas (Short Syllable).

1 PRANA= Time taken to pronounce 40 LaghuAksharas (Short Syllables).

Length of the Day is divided into 864,000 paarts. This corresponds to 1/10^th of western second. 

 The   length of the day is equal to the time taken to pronounce   864,000LaghuAksharas( SHORT  SYLLABLES).

References:

1. Ramabrahmam, V., The physical structure and function of mind: A modern scientific translation of Advaita philosophy with implications and application to cognitive sciences and natural language comprehension, Paper presented at national seminar on Sanskrit in the Modern Contextconducted by Department of Sanskrit Studies and the School of humanities, University of Hyderabad between11-13, 2008.

2Ramabrahmam, V., Presentation at the Third Vedic Science Conference on Chemical Sciences and Technology in Ancient India held at Bangalore on 23^rd, 24^th& 25^th, January, 2009 by National Institute of VedicSciences, Bangalore.  Title:THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL NATURE OF THOUGHTS AND IDEAS: AN ANCIENT INDIAN INSIGHT

3. Ramabrahmam, V Proceedings of Presentations  at International Conference on Photonics, Nano-technology and Computer Applications (ICOPNAC- 2009), 25-28 February 2009 held at Center for Research and Development, PRIST UNIVERSITY, West Campus, Trichy Main Road, Vallam, Tanjavur- 613 403, Tamilnadu, INDIA. Title:THE INFRASONICS AND ELECTRONICS OF BIONICS, Volume II,  pp: 20-39.