I alone am! Nothing else. One could either have consciousness that is related to just these three states, a gross consciousness for which the material is supreme, an emotional mind, a thinker, analytical person who lives in ideas, or somebody who has been able to go beyond these two but is yet restless with this ‘I am'. One’s consciousness could rest in these three states or it could find a peaceful and relaxed home in just nothing. Call it either just nothing or call it absolutely everything — An all pervasive ‘I am', all pervasive ‘I am'.
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Questioner: I am beyond the three-fold bodies, I am beyond the consciousness, that is Brahm! ~ Ribhu Gita
Acharya Prashant: Consciousness, (chetana) in the context of wisdom literature, especially Indian wisdom literature, refers to a relaxed state of understanding versus a turbulent state of thought. Consciousness can refer to both. Consciousness can refer to the turbulence of thought that one usually experiences or consciousness can refer to a very relaxed state of understanding. It can denote both. Here when you are reading it, it refers to the ‘settled understanding'.
You said, 'Three-fold bodies'. We talk of the gross body, the subtle body, and the causal body— sthool, sookshm, kaaran. That does not mean that there are actually three bodies or ten bodies. It only means that when you look from a gross perspective, all you see is grossness. It’s in your eye, not in the object. The object does not have three layers. The object is in the mind, and all the layers that are attributed to the object are also in the mind. So, what do I mean; let’s say that you are sitting in front of me, what do I mean by your sthool (gross) body? If I am terribly body identified, terribly, I see nothing but material. Then, I will see only flesh in you, only flesh. What is in front of me? Flesh. Right? This is ‘gross body,’ coming from a ‘gross mind'. It is gross body coming from a gross state of mind.
