Perception Depends On Consciousness

Hare Krishna!

Dear All,

Perception depends on consciousness. More elaborately, how much subtlety one perceives depends on how elevated that person’s consciousness is. Or, what one perceives and what not depends on the nature of the consciousness of that person. This is one of the many principles a practicing devotee knows subconsciously. However, what is required is to bring these principles more to the forefront by contemplating on them rather than just let them float somewhere in vast ocean of the subconscious. In this article, I will give form to my own contemplation on this principle and try to present how it promises to help me a lot both as a practicing devotee and as a preacher.

I read this principle recently in a diary of a devotee which he had written while in Vrindavan. He wrote something to the effect that he could perceive the sublimity of Sri Sri Radha Kunda better after he had chanted a few rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra because the chanting had raised his consciousness to a higher level. He remarked, “Perception depends on consciousness”.

However, one more event happened that led me into a contemplative mood and thus eventually led to this article. I was preaching to a person and he was very agitated about the cleanliness rule that one should take a bath after clearing the bowels. For devotees its quite a common sense practice. But that person was contending why the emphasis on a bath when any decently hygienic person would anyway wash his hands and legs after the activity. Why the insistence on the bath? This is quite illogical, unscientific, and bordering on fanaticism. That’s what he thought.

As a lover of philosophy and as a seeker of the Absolute Truth, I rarely think too much about the day-to-day practices we are instructed to practice as part of our devotional life. I am generally more prepared to answer deeper philosophical questions than the question “Why should I take a bath after evacuating? Isn’t washing hands and legs with soap enough?” However, I have subsequently realized that this is also a philosophical question, if not a very deep one!

Taking a bath, especially with cold water, cleanses the mind to a large extent. That’s why it is recommended that after any activity that pollutes the mind, one must take a bath. This obviously does not obviate taking a bath after physically sullying activities. After a nap, the mind is full of dreamy thoughts. Similarly, after evacuating, the mind and senses are prone to be polluted by unwelcome sights and sounds and smells. Those impressions won’t go away by washing the hands and legs by soap. But they will definitely go away after a cold water bath. This then answers that person’s question.

This thought process and the earlier thoughts about perception and consciousness combined together and gave me food for thought and contemplation that eventually led to some nice realizations. This also illustrates one very important aspect of our devotional life. That both things are equally important if one wants to realize the truths of the scriptures. One, read scriptures a lot. Two, preach by telling others what you read. The dynamics that ensue will definitely lead the contemplative to realizations.

So, how does perception depend on consciousness? Some examples will easily illustrate this point. Consider a person who is sleeping soundly at 2 am in the night. Will he perceive too many things happening around him? No, because his consciousness at that point is very much covered by the influence of the mode of ignorance, or in simpler words, by sleep. But when that person awakes, he will definitely perceive more things. This clearly illustrates how a covered consciousness allows only a very little perception. This is quite a gross, although appropriate, example but it sets the scene for the examples to come.

Not only is there difference in the consciousness of a sleeping person and that of a person who is awake, but also in the consciousness of two persons who are both awake. Suppose a family is going from one place to another in a car. The driver will definitely be more aware of what is happening on the road in front of him than the others. The driver will perceive more minute changes in the motion of the vehicles around him than will the others. Thus, in this sense, the driver is more conscious than the others. The others’ consciousness is covered by the sense of security that the driver will take care of the driving and that they need not worry about it.

Here is another example from day-to-day life. I was on the terrace of my office enjoying the beautiful Indian winter whether when I saw a person smoking. How will he perceive the crisp freshness of the air? He is surrounded by the smoke emanating from his own mouth! Even his senses are covered.

Similarly, consider that you are going to write an exam and in your hurry you trip over and fall. It hurts. But you don’t have any time to worry about it right now. You go in the exam hall, write the exam, and come out after 3 hours. And then it really starts to hurt! Why? Because now your mind is no longer engrossed in the exam. It has just realized that you are hurt and only then does it really start hurting. Quite a practical example of how perception (of the pain in this case) depends on consciousness (which was immersed in the exam in this example).

So, we have now established that our senses and consciousness can be covered by different gross or subtle coverings which determine the degree of our perceptiveness in various circumstances. We can also understand that not only can the consciousness be of different degrees (like sleeping versus waking), it can also be of aspects of reality (pain versus exam). As devotees, our choices are quite clear. We have to become more and more conscious of the Absolute Reality Krishna. This will automatically adjust all other combinations to their optimal levels.

Thus, as practicing devotees, we need to constantly endeavor to develop our consciousness in such a way that we ultimately perceive Krishna everywhere. That will definitely be the stage of total perfection, total Krishna Consciousness. The Supreme Absolute Truth Krishna is also known as Adhokshaja – one who is beyond sense perception! Therefore, it is clear that we need to raise our consciousness beyond the mundane sphere into the transcendental. This requires constant endeavor on our part and ultimately the mercy of Krishna that comes through His pure devotees.

As a preacher too it is important to remember this principle of perception and consciousness. One has to preach according to the level of consciousness of the audience. How bathing clears the mind off dreamy or unwelcome impressions cannot be perceived by a person who is totally on the gross bodily platform and who isn’t even aware of his own mind. First, we should try to raise the consciousness of the audience and then on that raised platform give the appropriate instructions. In fact, giving a higher instruction to a person of lower consciousness can quite often be counter productive. The listener might start considering the preacher as illogical, unscientific, and fanatic.

Apart from what all I have written above about perception and consciousness, I have also realized quite a few general principles from this recent contemplation of mine. Here is a brief summary. Read scripture and preach it. This will generate a lot of food for thought. Contemplate on it. This will lead to a lot of realizations. And most importantly, don’t forget to discuss the realizations with senior devotees. For those who rejoice in the knowledge of the Absolute Truth, this is the magic formula for success!

Hare Krishna!

Your in the service of Krishna,
Abhijit.