Microsoft Word - Taimni - The Science of Yoga.doc

The second point to be noted is that though the Seer is pure consciousness, and
not consciousness as modified by the vehicles, still, when he manifests through a vehi-
cle he seems to be lost in the Pratyaya which is present at the moment in the mind.
Just as a mirror reflects or assumes the form of anything placed before it and seems to
be that thing, in the same way the pure consciousness assumes, as it were, the form of
the Pratyaya, and appears indistinguishable from the Pratyaya. Or, to take another
example, when the pure light from the electric bulb in a cinematograph falls on the
screen it assumes the form of the picture being projected, though in itself it is pure and
quite distinct from the picture. Pratyaya, of course, as has been explained elsewhere,
is the content of the mind when consciousness comes in contact with any vehicle and
differs from vehicle to vehicle.
Not only is the Pratyaya indistinguishable from consciousness but as a result of
this mixing up of the two, the functions of the vehicles appear to be performed by the
Purusa. Thus when abstract thinking is done through the higher mind is it the Purusa
who does the thinking? No! The thinking is the function of the vehicle. The contact of
consciousness with the vehicle sets it in motion and enables it to perform its respective
function. When a magnet is thrust into a coil of wire a current of electricity is pro-
duced in the wire. To a person who is ignorant of the facts the magnet appears to pro-
duce the current. As a matter of fact the magnet does not directly produce the Current
though it is in a mysterious manner connected with the production of the current. If the
whole mechanism for the production of the current is there and all the necessary condi-
tions are provided then only the insertion of the magnet will make the mechanism
work to produce the current. How the mere contact of Purusa with Prakrti galvanizes
it into life and makes it perform its highly intelligent function is a problem which has
been much debated by philosophers. To the practical student of Yoga this question is
not of much importance. He knows that all such theoretical questions can be solved
only by direct knowledge.