Process of Consciousness - Version 1

This diagram maps the eternal dance of consciousness as it moves from absolute unity through manifestation into apparent multiplicity, and the path of return to recognition of its true nature.

The journey begins at the summit with Paramaśiva, pure consciousness resting in itself - not empty void but fullness of potential, like space pregnant with infinite possibilities. Through its inherent power (Śakti), consciousness stirs into self-awareness, creating the cosmic womb that will birth all existence without requiring any prior seeds or impressions.

The first movement manifests as Nāda, the primordial vibration - not yet sound but the possibility of sound. Through the three fundamental qualities (Triguṇa), consciousness begins to both reveal and conceal itself, creating the very mechanism of manifestation. This vibration progressively densifies through four levels of speech from transcendent silence to physical sound.

The manifestation then flows through six cosmic paths, creating both internal worlds (in the mirror of consciousness) and external phenomena (through the senses). At the level of ordinary experience (Vyavahāra), consciousness appears to forget itself, experiencing subject-object duality. Here, flanked by the powers of creation and dissolution, beings experience themselves as separate from the whole.

The return journey unfolds through seven stages of deepening recognition, culminating in complete peace where all seeking ceases. Finally, in Pratyabhijñā, consciousness recognizes itself in its own mirror - "You Alone Are That" - not as achievement but as remembering what always was.

This is not a linear process but an eternal play (Līlā), continuously cycling yet timeless, where consciousness explores its own infinite nature through the appearance of limitation and the joy of rediscovery.

Glossary of Terms

Sanskrit Terms (Alphabetical)

Adyatana - Temporal, temporary; the time-bound aspect of manifestation

Akṣa - Sense organs; the instruments through which external reality is perceived

Āntara - Internal, inner; the subjective realm of experience

Asaṅsakti - Non-attachment; natural detachment from phenomena (5th stage)

Bāhya - External, outer; the objective realm of physical manifestation

Bhedābheda - Difference and non-difference; the paradox of duality within unity

Bhuvana - Worlds or planes of existence; one of the six paths

Buddhidarpaṇa - Mirror of buddhi; discriminative intelligence as reflecting medium

Cidguhā - Cave of consciousness; the heart-space of pure awareness

Cittadākṛtinirākṛtiḥ - Simultaneously with-form and formless; consciousness transcending all categories

Guṇa - Fundamental qualities of manifestation (see Triguṇa)

Jaḍa - Inert, apparently lifeless; how consciousness appears when seen through duality

Jagadbhṛtodarī - She whose womb contains the universe; cosmic creative principle

Jīvanmukti - Liberation while living; enlightenment in embodied existence

Jñāna - Knowledge, wisdom; direct knowing of reality

Kalā - Creative powers or phases; one of the six paths

Līlā - Divine play; spontaneous, joyful creativity of consciousness

Madhyamā - Middle or mental speech; thought before vocalization

Mantra - Sacred sound formulas; one of the six paths

Nāda - Primordial sound/vibration; first movement from silence

Pada - Words with meaning; one of the six paths

Padārthābhāva - Transcendence of object-ness; beyond things (6th stage)

Parā - Supreme, transcendent; highest level of speech/consciousness

Paramaśiva - Supreme consciousness; absolute reality beyond all categories

Paśyantī - Visionary speech; first impulse toward manifestation

Prakāśa - Light of consciousness; self-luminous awareness

Pralayakālī - The power of dissolution; consciousness withdrawing creation

Pratyabhijñā - Recognition; remembering one's true nature

Rajas - Activity, passion; dynamic quality of manifestation

Ṣaḍadhvā - Six paths through which manifestation occurs

Śakti - Dynamic power of consciousness; creative principle

Śāntatā - Complete peace, tranquility; final realization

Saptabhūmikā - Seven stages of spiritual realization

Sārvakālika - Eternal, existing in all times

Sattāpatti - Attainment of truth/reality (4th stage)

Sattva - Clarity, harmony; luminous quality of manifestation

Śubhecchā - Noble or pure desire for liberation (1st stage)

Spanda - Divine pulsation; subtle vibration of consciousness

Sṛṣṭikālī - The power of creation; consciousness manifesting worlds

Sthūlasṛṣṭi - Gross creation; physical manifestation

Sūkṣmasṛṣṭi - Subtle creation; mental/psychic manifestation

Svaprakāśa - Self-luminous; consciousness knowing itself by itself

Svātantrya - Absolute freedom; unconditioned creative power

Tamas - Inertia, concealment; dense quality of manifestation

Tanūmanāsā - Refined or thinned mind (3rd stage)

Tattva - Fundamental principles or categories; one of the six paths

Triguṇa - Three fundamental qualities (sattva, rajas, tamas)

Turīya/Turyagā - The fourth state beyond waking, dream, and deep sleep

Tvameva Sā - "You alone are That"; recognition of identity

Unmanī - Beyond mind; transcendent state

Vāc - Speech, word, vibration at various levels

Vaikharī - Gross, articulated speech; physical sound

Varṇa - Letters, phonemes; basic units of sound; one of the six paths

Vāsanā - Latent impressions, mental tendencies from past experiences

Vimarśa - Self-awareness, self-reflection; consciousness knowing itself (also 2nd stage)

Vyavahāra - Conventional reality; ordinary transactional experience

Key Concepts

Cave of Consciousness - The non-physical space where all experience occurs; awareness itself as the container of all phenomena

Cosmic Womb - Consciousness as the fertile source containing all potential manifestation within itself

Dual Manifestation - The simultaneous arising of internal (mental) and external (physical) worlds from one source

First Creation Paradox - The problem of how initial manifestation occurs without prior karmic seeds, solved by consciousness's absolute freedom

Form-Formless Unity - The paradox that ultimate reality is neither exclusively with form nor without form, but transcends both categories

Four Levels of Speech - The progressive manifestation from transcendent silence through mental speech to physical sound

Mirror of Buddhi - Discriminative intelligence as the clear surface reflecting both truth and distortion

Seven Stages - The progressive deepening of spiritual realization from initial aspiration to complete establishment in truth

Six Paths - The complete framework through which consciousness manifests the universe at all levels

Three Qualities - The fundamental mechanism through which consciousness simultaneously reveals and conceals its true nature

This glossary and narrative provide a conceptual map for understanding the profound philosophical framework depicted in the diagram, where consciousness is both the journey and the destination, the seeker and the sought.