manonasha

In brief, manav is manas and man is the third state of evolution from the earliest anna and prana; the fourth state is jnyan and and the fifth anand. Both these are yet to evolve out of this manas. Only when manas is destroyed the jiva will gain true knowledge (jnyan) and bliss (anand). Sage Vashsishtha makes these points clear in the secret of manonasha or annihilation of the mind.

   The five kosha or layer that covers the atman (soul) are thus, anna, prana, manas, jnyana and ananda. All these have to be discarded in order to attain to the brahmn.The evolution of life from the plant, aquatic, amphibian, arboreal and the reptiles and the mammals are the representative species. Most of these have tried to evolve and attain to divine status within their ambit and have come to be worshiped by man. However,only a few of the million have attained to such divine status by annihilation of mind within human history. Even if ten out of the seven billion attain to divine status, it is more than enough for the next manvantara will start again with the Sun, its paraphernalia of planets and satellites, air, fire, water and earth followed by the great seven sages (saptarshi), devatas and the like. 

   What is this mind? And, how to annihilate the mind? 

This secret is revealed to Ramachandra here. Sage Vashishtha says,

  "Consciousness is immutable and eternal; it can never be tarnished. However, it is called 'mind' when it is blemished, covered, or tainted like a colored crystal decked by a colored flower; remove the flower, the crystal appears in its true form. Hence, what  is perceived by the mind is the colored one! It is the blemished mind. Remove the blemishes like attachment (moha), anger (krodha), desire, etc. Bhagavan Krishna, too, teaches Arjuna the same thing. He says, "Arjuna, you are covered by moha; get rid of this foolishness, you and I are the same."

  Sage Vashishtha teaches Rama (Ch. IV) how to annihilate the mind. He says, "Anything that is produced by something is also destroyed by that, just as the fire generated by air is also extinguished by air. This Samsara (sensuous world) created by the desire (iccha) and resolve (sankalpa) to experience is also destroyed by the burning of desire and resolve to experience the sensuous."

   The entire life of the jiva in human form is managed by the manas (Mind). The soul (Atma) remains unattached to it and the physical body does not think or act on its own. The pranic sharira will maintain supply of energy and thus plays its vital role; it is ultimately the manas that makes a hell or a heaven of the jiva's life. Unless the mind is controlled by buddhi with the help of light received from the prajnya, it is bound to go astray due to the ego ruling its whims and fancy using the senses for its purposes.  

  "O Raghava, considering non-Self as the Self is avidya, false knowledge. The manas only becomes samsara due to its capacity to imagine, dream and experience the unreal as real due this avidya. When jnyana and viveka dawns on it the sensuous world disappears along with the desire and resolve to experience the unreal. As soon as the jiva thinks that it is not the body, it is not the blemished mind, it is not the objective world, it becomes pure consciousness only. The mind is the world and the mind is the bondage since it is the creation of the images and imagination. The jiva suffers from all this weaknesses, such as, attachment (moha), mada (ego), matsarya (envy), irshya (jealousy), lobha (miserliness) and krodha (anger) due to this avidya. "Oh Rama," Sage Vashishtha says, "The mind creates bondage due to its avidya creating desires, and becomes free when its drops all desires due to enlightenment!" 

   The true nature of the sensate world is revealed as soon as the curtain of maya is removed by jnyan and viveka. The jiva realizes the transient nature of the jagrata, svapna and sushupti (the deep sleep) states and transcend to the fourth state of turiya. The true state of mind is thus experienced in this state of pure consciousness and the jiva realizes its true nature as pure consciousness and drops off the curtain of maya, the mind. The mind is the maya.!      

  Contemplate on these words of wisdom and attain to brahmn! This is within the reach of all jivas. This can be attained by dhruti, steadfastness, and unswerving faith.