THE CONCEPT OF SELF IN THE BHAGAVAD-GITA AND IN THE VEDIC PSYCHOLOGY OF MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI: A FURTHER NOTE ON TESTABILITY

Abstract

The concepts of self in the Vedic psychology of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and in the Bhagavad-Gita are fundamentally the same.Both describe two aspects of self, the limited individual self (ego) and its universal basis in a field of transcendental or pure consciousness ("Self").This transcendental self, as noted by Darbar (1989), can be experienced subjectively but not directly objectively measured.However, this subjective experience has physiological, psychological, and social effects that can be empirically assessed.The large body of scientific research on the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program is thus capable of testing the concept of self and the higher states of consciousness described in the Bhagavad-Gita and in Maharishi's Vedic psychology.Moreover, these procedures form a systematic subjective technology, capable of developing the consciousness of the knower, and thus of central importance for the fields of psychology and education.In a recent paper in this journal, Darbar (1989) presented the model of the self contained in the Bhagavad-Gita, a classic text of the Vedic literature ofIndia, and commented upon how it might be tested.In doing so, he questioned whether the Bhagavad-Gita's model of the self could be tested through objective measurements, and proposed that the subjective approaches presented in the text (e.g., various types of Yoga) may serve as viable means to test its model of the self.He also suggested that the empirical research on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program, which I had previously reviewed as testing the Vedic psychology of the Bhagavad-Gita (Dillbeck, 1983a, b), is not appropriate due to possible differences between the theoretical principles of this program and those of the Bhagavad-Gita.This suggestion, however, was based upon a misunderstanding of the theoretical basis of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program.The purpose of the present brief article is twofold: firstly, to correctly describe the understanding of consciousness and self found in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Vedic Psychology; and secondary, to comment upon the feasibility and importance of both objective and subjective validation of the descriptions of mental processes found in the Vedic literature.