The Bhagavad-Gita: A Case Study in Vedic Psychology - Maharishi ...

MODERN SCIENCE AND VEDIC SCIENCE
Unity Consciousness
The state of complete enlightenment identified by Maharishi Vedic Psychology
as unity consciousness is also described in the Bhagavad-Gita. (Please refer to a previous
article in this series on Maharishi Vedic Psychology, Alexander & Boyer, 1989,
for a detailed description of the state of unity consciousness and the state of refined
cosmic consciousness that precedes it.) In the state of unity consciousness, Maharishi
(1967) explains, the field of pure consciousness is realized to be not only the inner
Self, as in cosmic consciousness, but also the deepest level of every object of perception
and experience. In this state, the underlying unity of all of nature is a direct experience
(p. 442).
Maharishi (1967, p. 316) explains that Lord Krishn describes each state of consciousness
as having its own unique characteristics and its own integrity (e.g. p. 389).
He describes unity consciousness as unique on the basis of the quality of perception. He
says that the vision of such a person is "even," in the sense that diversity of objects of
perception have all come to be unified; all are experienced in terms of the ultimate
nature of the perceiver, pure consciousness, the Self.
He whose self is established in
Yog, whose vision everywhere is
even, sees the Self in all beings,
and all beings in the Self.
(VI. 29)
He who sees everything with an
even vision by comparison with the
Self, be it pleasure or pain, he
is deemed the highest yogi, О Arjun.
(VI. 32)
The state of unity consciousness is identified by Maharishi Vedic Psychology as
the full awakening of the individual's awareness to the unified field of natural law, in
which all specific aspects of natural law are directly experienced in terms of their underlying
unity. In this state of full enlightenment, as Maharishi explains, one has the most
accurate and full perception of reality, in which the unified field of natural law and all
its expressions are experienced in one unified wholeness, and one enjoys mastery over
natural law (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1985b). This unified understanding of natural
law, directly experienced in the full development of unity consciousness, is also verified
through the objective approach to knowledge of the laws of nature, as indicated by the
deepest discoveries of quantum physics (Hagelin, 1987).
In summary, this section has briefly outlined how the Bhagavad-Gita describes the
higher states of consciousness, or enlightenment, identified by Maharishi Vedic
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