- Thence are produced intuitional hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell.
Since intuitional perception transcends the mind, and the sense-organs are really
the outposts of the mind, it should not be difficult to understand in a general way how
the sense-organs are done away with in the exercise of intuitional perception. In the
normal course our sensuous cognitions take place through the instrumentality of the
sense-organs and we are therefore limited by the limitations inherent in these sense-
organs. But when knowledge of the Purusa has been obtained by performing Samyama
as indicated in the last Sutra these limitations fall away and it is possible for the Yogi
to perceive everything without the help of the sense-organs. In exercising clairvoy-
ance, etc., the Yogi merely extends the scope of the physical sense-organs but in intu-
itional Sravana, etc., he dispenses with the sense-organs altogether and uses his all-
embracing general power of perception.
It will help us to understand the nature of intuitional perception if we remember
that the Purusa is the real perceiver (Drasta). Whatever knowledge can be acquired on
the lower planes through external agencies is present in him already in its totality.
Whatever powers and faculties are developed in the course of evolution are present in
him potentially from the very beginning and are merely brought out or unfolded from a
latent state into activity by the external stimuli provided by Prakrti. It appears that in
the earlier stages of evolution it is necessary for the cognitive faculty to be differenti-
ated and to function through separate channels and the sense-organs thus come into
being. But after the mind has been evolved to a certain stage and the powers of con-
sciousness have been sufficiently unfolded by direct contact with the Purusa the cog-
nitive faculty can function as a whole without the aid of the five sense-organs. Intu-
itional perception is like white light which includes all colours and can therefore bring
out the characteristic colours of everything. Sensuous perception is like the colours
present in the spectrum which is obtained from white light by diffraction with a prism.