and this gross manifestation traps a part of consciousness within it just like a closed bottle traps a part of the air surrounding it. This trapped consciousness is referred to as the Soul of the object. This Soul now trapped inside the body and mind, uses the body and mind as its instruments to experience the material universe. In the beginning this instrument is very crude. The Soul through a long evolutionary journey refines this instrument and in the body of a human being gets a chance to free itself. Once in a human body the Soul passes through many human lives constantly refining and developing the mental instrument. Once the mental instrument is sufficiently refined the Soul can then express its full power and glory and also find its freedom from the limitations imposed by the instruments. 

Consciousness is, the basic reality underlying the universe, the subtlest principle in existence. Mind, Prana and Matter are its derivatives. Mind is a product of consciousness. It is a grosser manifestation of consciousness. Consciousness can exist independent of the mind. Consciousness is the background of all mental phenomenon (e.g.) thoughts, emotions etc. It is an expression of the Ultimate Reality. It is always associated on the physical plane with the body. Consciousness, Mind, Prana and Matter exist at many levels. On the physical plane it has the grossest and most limited expressions. 

Soul is a unit of consciousness. In a human being the soul is the conscious unit. Mind and body are by themselves unconscious. They derive their consciousness from the consciousness of the soul, just like the moon's light is derived from the sun. The soul can exist without the mind and body but the mind and the body cannot exist without the soul. Mind and body are two instruments the soul uses to experience the universe. Mind is the inner instrument and the body is the outer instrument. Through the body and its senses aided by the mind the soul experiences the physical universe. Through the Mind and its faculties the soul experiences the astral and the causal universes. 

This is the ultimate substance from which everything else in the universe comes in to existence.. The ultimate substance exists as an infinite ocean of pure consciousness. This ocean of pure consciousness is referred to as God. From consciousness comes mind, from mind energy and from energy matter. Consciousness in its pure state is motionless, vibrationless and without any activity. It however contains within itself potentially the power to get involved in motion, vibration and all forms of activities whenever that is required. A small portion of this pure consciousness remains trapped in the mind and body of any living entity. This trapped consciousness is called the soul of the individual. So the soul in all living entities is like the air that is trapped inside a bottle. As long as the bottle remains, the air inside is separated from the ocean of air outside. Moment the bottle breaks the air inside and the ocean of air outside becomes one. Similarly when consciousness is withdrawn from the body and mind then it becomes one with the ocean. 

Mind  
A part of soul's consciousness in its active, manifested state is known as the mind. When a part of soul's consciousness vibrates or begins any activity it is then called mind. So mind is consciousness in activity and when mind stops this activity it becomes consciousness. The