Chaitanya (consciousness)

Part of a series on
Hinduism
Hindu History
Concepts God Brahman Ishvara Views on monotheism God and gender Life Atman Maya Karma Samsara Purusharthas (Dharma • Artha • Kama • Moksha) Ethics Niti shastra Yamas Niyama Ahimsa Asteya Aparigraha Brahmacharya Satya Damah Dayā Akrodha Ārjava Santosha Tapas Svādhyāya Shaucha Mitahara Dāna Salvation Bhakti yoga Jnana yoga Karma yoga
Schools Six Astika schools Samkhya Yoga Nyaya Vaisheshika Purva mimamsa Uttara mimamsa (Vedanta) (Dvaita • Advaita • Vishishtadvaita) Other orthodox schools Pasupata Saiva Pratyabhijña Raseśvara Pāṇini Darśana
Deities Trimurti Brahma Vishnu Shiva Other prime Devis / Devas Modern Saraswati Lakshmi Parvati Shakti Durga Kali Ganesha Kartikeya Rama Krishna Hanuman Vedic Prajapati Rudra Indra Agni Dyaus Bhumi Varuna Vayu
Texts Vedas Rigveda Yajurveda Samaveda Atharvaveda Divisions Samhita Brahmana Aranyaka Upanishad Upanishads Rig Aitareya Kaushitaki Yajur Brihadaranyaka Isha Taittiriya Katha Shvetashvatara Maitri Sama Chandogya Kena Atharva Mundaka Mandukya Prashna Vedangas Shiksha Chandas Vyakarana Nirukta Kalpa Jyotisha Puranas Brahma Brahma Brahmanda Brahmavaivarta Markandeya Bhavishya Vaishnava Vishnu Bhagavata Naradeya Garuda Padma Shaiva Shiva Linga Skanda Agni Vayu Itihasas Ramayana Mahabharata Upavedas Ayurveda Dhanurveda Gandharvaveda Sthapatyaveda Other scriptures Bhagavat Gita Dharma Shastra Artha Shastra Yoga Vasistha Sutras Stotras Tantras Yoga Sutra Scripture classification Śruti Smriti Timeline of Hindu texts
Practices Worship Puja Japa Bhajana Yajna Homa Tirthadana Naivedhya Temple Vigraha Bhakti Penance Vrata Tirtha Meditation and Service Tapa Dhyana Dāna Samskaras Garbhadhana Pumsavana Simantonayana Jatakarma Namakarana Nishkramana Annaprashana Chudakarana Karnavedha Vidyarambha Upanayana Praishartha Keshanta Ritushuddhi Samavartana Vivaha Antyeshti Ashrama Dharma Ashrama Brahmacharya Grihastha Vanaprastha Sannyasa Festivals Navaratri Vijayadashami (Dasara) Diwali (Deepavali) Shivaratri Holi Kumbha Mela Ratha Yatra Vishu Bihu Baisakhi Mesha Sankranti Puthandu Ganesh Chaturthi Onam Rama Navami Janmashtami Raksha Bandhan Durga Puja
Gurus, saints, philosophers Ancient Gautama Angiras Ashtavakra Annamacharya Jaimini Kanada Kapila Pāṇini Patañjali Uddalaka Raikva Satyakama Jabala Valmiki Vyasa Yajnavalkya Nayanmars Alvars Medieval Adi Shankara Basava Dnyaneshwar Chaitanya Gangesha Upadhyaya Gaudapada Jayanta Bhatta Kabir Kumarila Bhatta Madhusudana Madhva Namdeva Nimbarka Prabhakara Raghunatha Siromani Ramanuja Srimanta Sankardeva Śyāma Śastri Vedanta Desika Tyagaraja Tukaram Tulsidas Vachaspati Mishra Vallabha Vidyaranya Modern Aurobindo Coomaraswamy Dayananda Saraswati Gandhi Krishnananda Narayana Guru Prabhupada Ramakrishna Ramana Maharshi Radhakrishnan Sivananda U. G. Krishnamurti Vivekananda Yogananda Ramachandra Dattatrya Ranade
Other topics Calendar Criticism Denominations Iconography Mythology Nationalism (Hindutva) Persecution Pilgrimage sites Hinduism and Jainism / and Judaism Hinduism by country
Glossary of Hinduism terms Hinduism portal

Lord Krishna-Chaitanya is the Supreme Soul (Paramatma) and Supreme Consciousness (ParaBrahman) both

The Sanskrit word, Chaitanya, means 'consciousness' or 'spirit' or 'intelligence' or 'sensation'.^[1][2] It is the pure Consciousness or the cosmic intelligence, the consciousness that knows itself and also knows others.^[3] It also means energy or enthusiasm.^[4] In the Rig Veda (R.V.IV.XL.5) Nrishad is the dweller amongst men; Nrishad is explained as Chaitanya or 'Consciousness' or Prana or 'vitality' because both dwell in men.^[5]

In the Upanishads, it is explained that the Atman, the Self, represents itself differently in the seven-fold movement of Prakrti according to the dominant principle of the consciousness in the individual being. These seven folds of consciousness are – 1) Physical consciousness, 2) Vital consciousness, 3) Mental consciousness, 4) Supra-intellectual consciousness, 5) Consciousness proper to the universal Beatitude or Blissful consciousness, 6) Consciousness proper to the infinite divine self-awareness, and 7) Consciousness proper to the state of pure divine existence. Sri Aurobindo calls the consciousness proper to the infinite self-awareness as the Chaitanya Purusha.^[6] The essential nature of Brahman as revealed in deep sleep and Yoga is Chaitanya (pure consciousness).^[7]

The Vedantists also speak about the Consciousness or Mayaopahita-chaitanya that is associated with the indescribable Maya which is responsible for the functions of creation, preservation and dissolution of entire Existence, and about the Consciousness or Avidyaopahita-chaitanya that is associated with Avidya which causes the wrong identification of the Atman with the body etc.; after negating both Maya and Avidya, that is, after all distinctions are obliterated, what remains is Pure Consciousness or Chaitanya.^[8]

The form of an object that the mind assumes, after coming into contact with that object or enveloping it, is called Vritti. The process of enveloping is called Vritti-Vyapti. Vyapti is pervasion and the pervasion by the mind of a certain location called the object is Vritti-Vyapti. The awareness that the object is there illuminates the object due to the presence in this moving process called the mind and is called phala-vyapti. It is only because of the consciousness attending on the mind that the object is perceived. Vedanta says that the object cannot be wholly material and there is no qualitative difference between the object and consciousness which consciousness by coming into contact with the object knows that the object is there which fact implies that consciousness is inherent in the object. This is the Vishaya- chaitanya or the 'object-consciousness' which does not mean consciousness of the object but the object which is a phase of consciousness which prevails everywhere.^[9]

References