March 9, 2026
The “doer of deeds” in us is prakriti and the consciousness in us is purusha. The purusha is normally mixed up with the activities of the prakriti - which means that you do not know that you are reading this- the awareness of the action is lost in the action itself. In our everyday lives this reduces us to the level of instinctual beings, acting involuntarily and mechanically.There are many techniques for the cultivation of this inner faculty of self-awareness. Japa, the repetition of a mantra, is one. Vichara or inquiry into the self, is another. Devotional practices help too. Different methods suit different temperaments but there is an extremely simple “exercise” basic to all these - the method of watching the breath. As you sit watching the breath you are in effect breathing and watching yourself. You are breathing and you are aware you are breathing. Half an hour of this everyday enables you to acquire what is known as witness consciousness.
This witness consciousness can then be extended to other activities. You work and you are aware of the work. In witness consciousness, there is an inward alertness. This heightens the joy of living and sublimates all your emotions.