The Universal Mind

Swami Satyananda Saraswati

The universal mind is created by an interaction between time, space and object with the help of the three gunas. The universal mind is very subtle. When we say universe we mean something which is much smaller than an atom. We think the universal mind means something very big. But in fact, the individual mind is much bigger, only it is completely dissipated in every experience.

The universal mind is of the shape, nature, or structure of a point, which is called the bindu. It has the power of creativity and it creates the individual mind. When the universal mind begins to manifest, a process of solidification takes place. The universal mind is very subtle, subtler than space, much subtler than an atom. It is pure energy vibration.

There is a difference between creation and the universe, and many people make a mistake. “Oh, the whole universe,” they say, “it means so many solar systems, so many planets!” That is creation. Creation is gross, creation is visible, creation is relative and creation is empirical like the sun and moon, the stars and solar systems and the ninety-six elements, so on and so forth. This is called the creation of the universe.

Universe is an inner substance, and that is why it is said in yoga, “The whole universe is in you.” Another name for universe is cosmic mind. The mind which one is trying to control in yoga is not the universal mind, but the individual mind. When one is able to control the influxes of the individual mind, then one experiences the cosmic mind.