Universal Consciousness and Spiritual Intelligence

Abstract

No other words are needed to describe the Ultimate seed of life better than this verse. It clearly says everything and tells that I adore to the one in whom everything is, from whom everything comes, who is everything and everywhere, who is immanent in all things, eternal, one who is self of all. This verse is sufficient to describe the underlying one and the same principle of life in maximum brevity. This underlying principle can be called as Universal Consciousness. In the philosophical realm the ideal is enunciated by Kāśmīra Śaivism as Parama Śiva. Tāntrika dictum explains „sarvaṃ sarvātmakaṃ ii‟ i.e. everything is related to everything else. This awareness of interconnectedness and oneness of all things as an expression of the freedom of Parama Śiva, is extended to the ultimate degree. It implies an inner relationship which follows the principle of the reality and its reflection: bimbapratibimba. Just as in a mirror right becomes left and left becomes right, in the order of creation, the Ultimate reality is inversed, and in order to return to the source, this inversion has to be rectified. Hence the highest principle is related to lowest and so forth, in other words: transcendence is in immanence and immanence in transcendence. Thus universal consciousness manifests itself into diverse forms of bound individuals, and for reversal and recognition, this bound individual has to rectify one’s limitations in order to achieve the highest state of Śiva, both in life and liberation. The major curiosity and point of quest is the path to rectify those limitations and inversion. This has the answer in the realm of Spiritual intelligence or in other words it can be said that Spiritual intelligence is the utmost point of dissolving the limitations; making oneself worthy to attain the Śivahood. This spiritual intelligence is ‘prajñā’. With the rise of prajñā, the differential knowledge vanishes and person feels the continuum of the same ultimate consciousness within and outside. Everything is totally dependent upon the thought process, so when the knowledge of ‘vikalpa’ consisting of differences (this is this; that is that) disappears and a single thought of ‘I am Śiva’ (śivo’ham) persists, person sees the world in an inclusive manner having an experience of same force within and outside. This paper is going to enlighten the interconnectedness of Universal consciousness and Spiritual intelligence based on the process of ‘vikalpa-kṣaya’ and ‘sattarka’ doctrine of Kāśmīra Śaivism.