realms of the mind. As long as the cognitive aspect of consciousness acts through the
medium of the mind it is turned outwards, as it were, and cognizes other things in the
realm of the mind. It is only when it is released from the bondage of the mind and
turns inwards upon itself that it can cognize itself, as explained in IV-22.
- If cognition of one mind by another (be postulated) we would have to
assume cognition of cognitions and confusion of memories ako.
Here a philosophical objection may be raised. Instead of postulating the exis-
tence of the one Purusa whose consciousness illuminates the mind at all its levels, we
may suppose that each individual possesses a number of minds each subtler than the
one which has been transcended. These different minds instead of being illuminated by
one source of consciousness may be supposed to be independent of each other and the
Yogi in Samadhi may be supposed to be merely passing into the realms of these differ-
ent independent minds one after another. Such a supposition would dispense with the
necessity of postulating the existence of the Purusa whose consciousness according to
Yogic philosophy is the source of illumination for all the different grades of mind. But
this hypothesis while doing away with the Purusa will lead us into all kinds of intel-
lectual difficulties. For example, if we suppose that there are a number of independent
minds, each mind perceiving those which are denser than itself and being perceived by
those which are subtler, then there should be a corresponding number of Buddhis. Ac-
cording to the Yogic philosophy the mind is a mere instrument and the function of
cognition which is a reflection of the cognitive aspect of Reality, Citi, is quite differ-
ent from it though necessarily associated with it in all acts of mental perception. It fol-
lows, therefore, that if there are a number of independent minds then there must be a
corresponding number of Buddhis also, for each mind must have its own separate Bud-