It should be noted here that even in Upanisadic India there are thinkers who do not share this line of thinking (of the emancipation of consciousness). There are even those who instead of taking a deified view of consciousness, want to understand it in the sober scientific sense. They are the pioneers of the scientific tradition in Indian philosophy. In a later post i shall investigate into the possible causes that save their consciousness from developing into the morbid consciousness of their idealist colleagues. (The most outstanding Upanisadic philosopher representing this ling of thought is Uddalaka Aruni).

Such a philosopher is the great Yajnavalkya who declares that reality is just a mass of consciousness (vijnanaghana). It can neither be grasped by the normal organs of knowledge nor described in normal language. The only way of talking about it is to say 'It is not this, It is not this'. While dreaming and further falling into the state of dreamless sleep, one gets progressively emancipated from the fetters of the material world and thus has a taste of this reality according to Yajnavalkya (and also other Upanisadic idealists).

It should be noted though that the idealist outlook in the Upanisads could hardly have made any sense to the early Vedic poets, not merely because they are comparatively ignorant but because they are much too committed to the active interraction with nature to afford such gambols of pure consciousness.