matter deprives it of this Self-knowledge in increasing degree and it is the privation of
this knowledge which is called Avidya. As the matter is one pertaining to the realities
beyond the scope of the intellect it is not possible to understand it through the medium
of the intellect alone.
- Asmita is the identity or blending together, as it were, of the power of
consciousness (Purusa) with the power of cognition (Buddhi).
Asmita is defined in this Sutra as the identification of the power of conscious-
ness with the power of cognition, but as the power of cognition always works through
a vehicle, in its wider and more intelligible meaning it may be considered as the identi-
fication of consciousness with the vehicle through which it is being expressed. This is
a very important and interesting idea which we should understand thoroughly if we
want to master the technique of liberating consciousness from the limitations under
which it works in the ordinary individual. The Samskrta word Asmita is derived from
Asmi which means literally ‘I am’. ‘I am’ represents the pure awareness of Self-
existence and is therefore the expression or Bhava as it is called, of pure consciousness
or the Purusa. When the pure consciousness gets involved in matter and owing to the
power of Maya, knowledge of its Real nature is lost, the pure ‘I am’ changes into ‘I am
this’ where ‘this’ may be the subtlest vehicle through which it is working, or the
grossest vehicle, namely the physical body. The two processes, namely the loss of
awareness of its Real nature and the identification with the vehicles are simultaneous.
The moment consciousness identifies itself with its vehicles it has fallen from its pure
state and it becomes bound by the limitations of Avidya, or we may say that the mo-
ment the veil of Avidya falls on consciousness its identification with its vehicles re-
sults immediately, though philosophically Avidya must precede Asmita.
The involution of consciousness in matter is a progressive process and for this
reason though Avidya and Asmita begin where the thinnest veil of Maya involves pure