Posted on: 03 Sep 2019
[Reply to a question by Shri Phani] Swami replied: There are three items that are part of the process of knowledge and they are called the tripuṭī or the triad of knowledge. (1) The first is jñātā or the knower. It is the soul learning spiritual knowledge from the Divine Preacher or Sadguru. (2) The second is jñānam or the knowledge explained by the Divine Preacher. It is the subject-matter in the process of knowing and it pertains to all the three items in the triad. (3) The third is the jñeyam, which is the item that is to be known. It is ultimate goal and, in the context of spiritual knowledge, it is God or the Divine Preacher Himself.
The knowledge can also be classified in to four categories based on the object of the knowledge (jñeyam). (1) The first category is external knowledge. It is the knowledge of the entire world, including human beings. The world is the imaginable domain, which has visible and invisible parts. The visible part of the imaginable world includes matter and gross energy. The invisible part of the imaginable world is subtle energy, which is space. Actually, even in the gross energy, energy having higher frequences such as X-rays, gamma rays and so on, is invisible. In any case, this external knowledge is thus the knowledge of the imaginable-visible and the imaginable-invisible. (2) The second category of knowledge is internal knowledge. It is the knowledge about the individual soul along with its modes of awareness or thoughts. As per the Gita, this individual soul is not visible to the eyes, but it can be visualized using sophisticated electronic instruments. The basic essence of the individual soul is the inert energy alone, and that inert energy too, can be visualized through powerful instruments. The individual soul is non-inert because it is a specific work-form of the inert energy working in the functioning nervous system of a human being. The basic inert energy is called Ātman and the specific work form of it is called jīva or the individual soul, which is a just a bundle of thoughts. This internal knowledge is thus the knowledge of the imaginable-invisible, which can be seen using instruments. (3) The third category is the knowledge about the first mediated form of God, along with His Energetic and Human Incarnations. The unimaginable God has entered and perfectly merged into the first energetic form created by Him in the upper world. That energetic form is the medium through which the unimaginable God becomes imaginable and visible to souls. The First Incarnation or the first mediated form of God is called Īśvara or Datta. Datta further merges with other selected energetic beings in the upper world and with human beings on earth to become Energetic and Human Incarnations of God, respectively. Note that the Energetic Incarnations, including Datta, are imaginable but invisible to human beings. They are visible only to angels, who themselves are energetic beings. The Human Incarnations of God are both imaginable and visible to human beings. This category of knowledge is also called as the central knowledge or kendra jñānam. Īśvara (Datta) is said to be at the centre of the universe, as He rotates this entire creation with His unimaginable power (māyā). This is stated in the Gita as “Īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānām…”. So, this knowledge is the knowledge of the unimaginable God present as Incarnations possessing imaginable-visible and imaginable-invisible media. (4) The fourth category of knowledge is the knowledge of the existence of the ultimate unimaginable God, who is unimaginable and invisible. This knowledge is also called turīya jñānam or mūla brahmajñānam. Actually, there is no difference between this fourth category and the above-mentioned third category because there is no difference between Īśvara and Parabrahman. The Parabrahman is the unimaginable-invisible God, who merges perfectly with energetic or human media, allowing energetic and human souls respectively, to see God through that medium. In other words, the unimaginable God becomes visible to souls through the respective media. Thus, this knowledge is the knowledge of the unimaginable-invisible God.
Triputi Jnaanam Jnaataa Jneyam Ishvara Eshvarah sarvabhuutaanaam Eshvara Brahmajnaanam Jiiva Maaya Turiiya Atman