Mandukya_Upanishad

asmitva, aham-asmi, that can be a feeble apology forReality. A perpetual establishment of oneself in thisconsciousness would land us in the experience of theCosmic. When this consciousness relates itself to otherobjects and persons, it becomes the individual, jīva. Thebahihprājñata or the externality-consciousness of Īsvara isnot a binding factor to Him, because of there being nodealings of this consciousness with outer things, while thisbahihprājñata or externality-consciousness of the jīva bindsit to what is called samsāra, and this bondage is due, notmerely to its being aware of the world outside, but becauseof its evaluating the world, judging the world, wanting it ornot wanting it in some way. There is no desire in the Virāt,while in the jīva there is desire. This is the only difference, ifat all, between jīva and Īsvara. Jīva, without desire, becomesĪsvara; and Īsvara, with desire, becomes jīva.So, this waking consciousness, jāgaritasthāna, which isexternally conscious, bahihprājña, is cosmically saptānga,seven-limbed, and individually ekonavimśatimukha,nineteen-mouthed, and it is sthūlabhug in both ways,individually and cosmically. While in the case of the Virāt itis only an awareness of the physical cosmos, in the case ofthe jīva it is a desire for the physical objects of the cosmos.This is one distinction. While in the case of the Virāt thewhole universe is comprehended in its consciousness, thejīva cannot comprehend the whole universe in itsconsciousness. It is related only to certain things of theworld. While there are no likes and dislikes for the Virāt,inasmuch as everything is comprehended within itsconsciousness, there are likes and dislikes for the jīva64