Sky, space, ether. (Glossary for the Vahinis)
Space; ether; the subtlest form of matter. (SSS Vol.1, p. Glossary)
Akasha is superior to Tejas. It is through Akasha that sounds are transmitted and heard. Love and play are products of Akasha. Seeds sprout on account of Akasha. (UV, p. 59)
‘Akasham Gaganam Soonyam.’ That which cannot be seen by the eye, or cannot be heard by the ear or cannot be expressed by words characterizes the realm of Akasha. It cannot be comprehended by the mind either. The sun and the moon, the clouds and the stars belong to the realm of Akasha. There are three Akashas: Bhutakasha, Cittakasha and Chidakasha. The Bhutakasha envelops the visible and the invisible phenomena. For example, some stars are visible in the sky; but there are many more that remain invisible. The distance between the earth and the sun is about nine crores and eleven lakh miles. The Bhutakasha spreads over an extent that is impossible to calculate. The sun is a star and there are countless numbers of other stars scattered in the cosmos. They match our Sun in size. Since they are so far away, they appear like tiny stars to us. Each star shines with the splendour of the sun. The light of these stars travels at an incredible speed of 1,86,284 miles per second! There are other stars whose light has not yet reached the earth.
The light emanating from stars is stupendous in its intensity. The brilliance cannot be withstood by anyone on the earth. Our sun imparts only a portion of its radiance to earth. Neither the huge stars nor the sun and the moon are capable of generating this effulgence on their own. There is a fundamental power that is the basis of all this. It is the basic illumination from which the rest of the brilliance originates. This primordial power is that of the Atma. It allows the stars, sun and moon to shine.
All these mentioned above are encompassed in the Bhutakasha. What is Cittaksha then? Since everything that is visible is Bhutakasha, it cannot be argued that those invisible belong to Cittakasha. There is a power that is invisible, silent imperceptible and eternal. This power is the Chidakasha. In Chidakasha is reflected or imprinted everything that is seen in Bhutakasha. The span of the Cittakasha is very small and subtle. On the other hand, the gross and visible Bhutakasha spans a terrific extent. Yet, the entire contents of Bhutakasha appear in Cittakasha as small blips! For example, you see a huge mountain from the Cittakasha. Similarly, the stars and sky and all that is seen permanently etched on the Cittakasha.
The exact physical extent and dimensions of Bhutakasha have not been estimated to date. But something can be known of the Cittakasha. The entire visible creation is stored in Cittakasha in a subtle form. Every form and sound in Cittakasha is a reflection of some entity in Bhutakasha. Bhutakasha is physically perceptible is Cittakasha.
The third is called Chidakasha. It is also called Atma. Atma has no form. It has no movement. Nirgunam, Niranjanam, Sanathana Niketanam, Nitya, Suddha, Buddha, Mukta, Nirmala Swarupinam (attributeless, pure, final abode, eternal, unsullied, enlightened, free and embodiment of sacredness). He who has seen this Chidakasha is one who has had the experience of Atma. No educational qualifications, scholarship or special abilities are required to see Cittakasha. On the other hand none can see even the reflection or shadow of Chidakasha, however strenuous the effort.
The distance of several stars from the earth is measurable. But there are many more, which are so far away that they are beyond any human estimation. Scientists have made several attempts to investigate such a phenomenon. They attempted to reach the Chidakasha with their scientific examinations. All their efforts can take them at the most till the Cittakasha only and not a step more. Even the Vedanta could not adequately describe Cittakasha. Science too fails in its efforts. However, pointers are to some extent available from Vedanta on Chidakasha. The reflection of Bhutakasha is Cittakasha. That which reflects Cittakasha itself is Chidakasha. The relation between the three is explained as follows:
The one you think you are, which is Bhutakasha because it contains all that you see, hear and experience.
The one that others think you are, which is the Cittakasha, because, it reflects in your mind’s eye whatever you contemplate on.
The one you really are, which is the Chidakasha or the principle of Atma-your true nature. It is Divine Bliss.
I, reflection of Divinity and Atma all mean the same.’ I’ is related exclusively to the Atma. ‘I’ is a single lettered word. The Vedas declare ‘Ekam Sat Vipraha Bahuda Vadanti’. ‘I’ is the Truth. Scholars interpret it in several ways. I may call ‘Anil Kumar’ and the reply comes ‘I’. ‘I’ may call ‘Girigaru- once again the reply comes from the other side ‘I’. In this way I may call out the names of several lakhs of people; the reply is always ‘I’. This unity in diversity is ‘I’. It is the Atmatatwa. It cannot be explained as being the sky or earth, etc. It is so infinitely expansive that it has measure at all. Scholars therefore say, ‘Akasham Gaganam Soonyam.’ There is nothing but empty space in which you may see a few stars and clouds. But, to what extent can you see them? Only up to a certain distance. Anything beyond that is invisible to your eye. That which cannot be seen but only visualized is Cittakasha. ‘I’ also cannot be visualized. None can give its true meaning.
However, Vedanta always propounds unity in diversity through all the teachings. For instance the phrase ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ translates to ‘I am Brahma’. The word Brahma follows the single letter ‘I’. Any other word has to follow Aham. Without the letter ‘I’ the word Aham cannot appear. Therefore the letter ‘I’ signifies the primordial principle.
The Vedanta advises that through one may have read scriptures and texts; he should still make every effort to find out his true nature. He should repeatedly ask himself: ‘Who am I?’ This question cannot be answered with your scholarship or practical applications. When asked ‘Who are you?’ your reply, ‘I’’ am Anil Kumar’. Your parents have given that name to your body. What was your name before you were so named? There is no answer. Therefore all names are only given; none of them is born with you. They were all added to you at the time of your birth or later for identifying you in this material world. They do not establish your true identity. Atma has no fixed name. It is its own identity. It has no other form.
Bhutakasha and Cittakasha can be discussed and studied unto some extent. However Chidakasha has no form or attribute. What form and name can you assign to the formless one? It is therefore its own identity. No one is able to comprehend the true meaning of the word ‘I’. Aham (I) should not be confused with Ahamkara (ego). Ego has form, but not ‘I’. Vedanta describes ‘I’ by negation. It is not ether, ego, sound, or any such thing. A master once asked his disciple to find out who he really was. The next day the disciple appeared and said, ‘Sir, I’ve found the answer. My name is Ramaiah’. The master once again asked him, ‘Who are you?’ After further enquiry, the answer came, ‘I am the son of Mallaiah and my mother’s name is Pullamma.’ These are names of various bodies. None of them is your true identity because names relate to the body. They are useful for you to introduce yourself in the physical world. Only one name was born with you and not given. It is ‘I’. Atma, ‘I’ all the same. Make efforts to realize the nature of ‘I; That is true Sadhana. There is nothing else you need to know further. There is no need for you to say, ‘I am Ramaiah’ when announcing your true identity, ‘I’ is itself enough. No other words need to follow ‘I’ to reinforce your identity. ‘I’ is unique and always single. Realising this is the secret contained in all of Vedanta.
Chidakasha has nothing to do with reflections, reactions and resounds. It is beyond all the three. It cannot be identified or comprehended with any name or form. At one point of time, in Uttar Pradesh, there was a bangle seller on the banks of river Ganges. One day a radiant form emerged from the Ganges and asked him, ‘ Sir, will you please sell me some bangles?’ The bangle seller complied and taking some bangles for her size, he made her put them on. However, I will give you an address and directions to reach the house. Go to the person and collect the money from him. He is my father. Tell him that money is kept in the locker.’ The bangle seller asked her, ‘Mother, what is your name? I will need to identify you at your house for collecting the money.’ The form replied, ‘You can tell them that my name is Ganga’ and then vanished.
As directed, the bangle seller reached the house and told the owner that he had come to collect the money due to him from the owner’s daughter Ganga to whom he had sold bangles The astonished house owner replied, ‘I am not even married. How can then have a daughter and how she would buy bangles?’ The bangle seller replied, ‘The lady was certainly telling the truth. How else could I have discovered and found my way to your house? She even identified your name for me. Is this your name or not?’ The person agreed that it was so. The bangle seller argued, ‘If all this true, the lady was certainly no lying.’ The house owner did not even know that he had the amount with him. He searched in his locker and was astounded to find the amount there exactly as predicted.
The person was an ardent devotee of mother Ganges. He was thrilled and told the bangle seller, ‘Sir! I worship mother Ganges. She is my patron deity. I have offered myself to her and have chosen to remain unmarried. I am eager to the sacred spot where you saw mother Ganges. Let us go!’ the bangle seller obliged and soon both arrived at the banks of the river. The bangle seller ardently prayed, ‘Mother! You appeared to me and took the bangles. You guided me to your devotee’s house to take the payment. Will you not appear again and show me your form? I have come to you with gratitude to tell you that I have received the payment due to me.’ A voice replied, ‘ Here is the blessing that I confer for your gratitude’ and a hand emerged from the river, with the newly bought bangles adorning it! The devotee saw the hand and was ecstatic. He exclaimed, ‘Mother! Will you not show me your true form and sanctify me?’ He thus kept pleading and praying. The voice replied, ‘Son! I cannot show my particular form. All forms that you can see are God’s forms only! God can appear in any form that a devotee prays to Him to appear in. God Himself has no specific form or attribute. I showed you my hand filled with bangles jus as a proof that I have indeed bought the bangles and you must pay the bangle seller.’ The devotee saw the hand; he was thrilled at the grace conferred on him and said, ‘Mother! I have seen at least your hand and have been sanctified! I do not want anything else in life.’ He then fell in Ganges and breathed his last.
Divinity always assumes the form that a devotee visualizes and prays for. None can actually fix and estimate what Divinity looks like, because there is no form at all! Ramakrishna Paramahamsa too had a similar experience. He was staying at Kamarpukur. He was gripped by a strong desire to have darshan of Goddess Kali. Unable to bear the pain of separation anymore, he jumped into the Ganges. Surprisingly, however far he walked into the river, he found that the water came only up to his knee! He prayed, ‘O! Mother of the Universe! Why are testing me so?’ Why do you not reveal your form to me? Why do you not allow me to merge in you? I am unable bear this tortuous pain.’ The Mother Goddess replied, ‘Son! I can show you my form if I had one in the first place! I have no form for you to see. My only form is that of Atma. So, contemplate on the principle of Atma. You can see God in any form that you think of. All forms that you attribute to God are products of your illusion. None of them can be taken to be the true identity of Divinity.’……..
There are various names and descriptions of the Atma. However, it has no form. Hence do not aim to see the form of God. Instead consider all the forms that you see to be of God. Do not fix various forms as unique to God.
The feature of Bhutakasha is that, it encompasses the Sun, the stars and all the galaxies in it. Do not take these to be the permanent attributes of God! They will withdraw themselves and disappear from creation itself at same point of time. There is only one thing that will always be with you, in you, around you, above you and below you and that is bliss. Bliss has no form.
There is one aspect that you can use to identify Divinity and show your gratitude. God is giving you so many things. How do you express your gratitude for all these things? You must give up your ego and spread happiness like He does. That will be the right thing to do. As it is said:
‘That heart which you have given me, O Lord!
I give it back to you, O mighty one!
What else can I offer you, my Master?
I offer my prayerful salutations with tears of gratitude, O Lord!
Accept them all with my heart.’ (Telugu Poem)
Offer your salutations to God. Without doing this, you will become an ungrateful wretch. You will collapse into the endless cycle of birth and death. Suffering and agony will cling to you. Yours tears of gratitude will liberate you from all such problems. You will always be blissful, with cheerful smiles. This is the result of constantly expressing your gratitude to God.
Forget the body, Contemplate on Divinity instead. This is true devotion. Ignore Bhutakasha entirely, though it is actually what you see. Cittakasha can be relied on to some extent. Once you assimilate everything in Cittakasha, you will reach Chidakasha. Hence, develop the capability to completely merge in Chidakasha.
Divinity that can be explained is not the true Divinity! These are only descriptions and pointers to Divinity. They can easily make you happy or even delude you. But you must go beyond these and aim to see the reality that is ‘Tat’. ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ — Thou Art That. ‘Thou’ means ‘this’ ‘That’ is ‘Tat’. Both should therefore become one.
True ‘Akasha’ is ‘Hridayakasha’- the heart. Chidakasha is vital and ultimate. Every attempt should be made to know its nature. (SSB 2002, pp. 131-146)
The five akashas
For the purpose of getting released by realising the non-difference between the witness and the witnessed we have to follow certain paths. These have been referred to as the five difference akashas in our Vedanta. These five akashas are (1) Ghatakasha, (2) Jalakasha, (3) Daharakasha, (4) Chidakasha, and (5) Mahadakasha.
Ghatakasha refers to the state in which man is engrossed in the body consciousness. He thinks of his physical bearing, his age, his appearance, and his form. For example, when you enquire from an individual as to when he arrived here, he would normally specify the day and the time of his physical arrival. This reply signifies his false identification of self with the body. Here the self remains chained to the gross body.
Whereas in the state of Jalakasha he makes a distinction between the body and the self. If an individual gets a stomach ache, then he will say ‘I am having terrible pain in my stomach’. It is apparent at that stage that when he says ‘my stomach’ he considers his stomach and as much his body as distinct from the mind. In Jalakasha the self remains chained to the subtle body.
On the other hand, when you reach the state of Daharakasha you start enquiring about the nature and origin of ‘I’, distinguishing it from the body, and ultimately apprehending that this ‘I’ arises from your innermost being. This kind of enquiry can be compared to an enquiry that one makes about worldly matters in the state of wakefulness. During wakeful awareness all your organs like the eyes and the limbs of the body and even your mind are active. You travel with your body, you see with your eyes, and you experience with your mind. Therefore Daharakasha corresponds to wakeful experiences.
Chidakasha corresponds to subtle experiences, wherein the Self remains the witnessing consciousness. In that state you are above and apart from your body and your life. It can be compared to a dream state. In a dream you ma feel that someone has come and cut off your head. You yourself are seeing the head being separated from the body. In that situation, you are quite apart from the body. Your life has not gone although our head has been separated. You are only witnessing the subtle drama. The same can be illustrated thus: if you cause a hurt with a knife to another person, it can be looked upon as an offence. But if you dream of having cut off the head of a judge and even after waking up you confess it to the judge he is not empowered to take any action. Therefore in the realm of dreams, you only remain an onlooker.
Lastly Mahadakasha signifies one’s ability for equalmindedness in the mental state; you develop the sameness of attitude towards heat and cold, light and darkness, sorrow and pleasure. This state is not above mind, as in deep meditation, the mind itself ebbs away whereas Mahadakasha is a state wherein you achieve mental equilibrium. Mahadakasha is also known by the name of ‘Kootastha lakshna’. This can be illustrated by an example. Yours are yourself singing a song and are listening to the sound, and if you meditate upon the origin of this sound then that can be referred to as ‘Kootastha lakshna’. (SA Vol.3, pp. 48-49)