Vijñāna is the causal Idea or supramental Knowledge-Will, which means it is the highest and original form of consciousness. It is a complete and comprehensive awareness that holds the true image of all things in their essence, totality, parts, and properties. This vision is spontaneous, perfect, and belongs to the Supermind, while the human mind can only reflect a faint shadow of it in its highest intellectual moments.

Vijñāna is also called the supramental Real-Idea because it secretly guides and supports the confused actions of the mind, life, and body, ensuring the right order of the universe. In the Vedas, it is known as Truth because it directly sees reality beyond appearances, Right or Law because it acts with perfect wisdom and foresight, and Vast (Sasthyam, Ritam, Brihath) because it is infinite and universal. It leads divided human consciousness back to unity while still seeing truth in diversity.

Vijñāna is the divine counterpart of the lower human intelligence, which knows by separation and analysis. This gnosis is not just truth but truth-power; it is divine knowledge united with divine will, working naturally and joyfully. Through this gnosis, human nature is transformed into divine nature.

Vijñāna has three main powers: the first receives the infinite existence, consciousness, and bliss of the Divine; the second condenses this infinity into a dense, luminous seed-state of consciousness; and the third unfolds this divine knowledge, will, and delight into a harmonious universe full of forms and movements. For a mental being to rise into vijñāna, it must transform its ordinary thoughts, desires, and perceptions into divine knowledge, will-force, and delight. This process is described in the Isha Upanishad through three movements: arranging the rays of truth, gathering them into unity, and finally realizing complete oneness with the Divine. This experience leads to a perfect, luminous life guided by divine knowledge, will, and joy.

Vijñāna is often wrongly confused with buddhi, or human intellect, but they are not the same. Buddhi works by reasoning and logic, while vijñāna works by direct, self-luminous knowing. Another error is to think vijñāna is only silent, formless awareness; in truth, it is both pure unity and dynamic knowledge. It contains all ideas, but it is not limited by them. Unlike mental thinking, its knowledge is spontaneous, direct, and based on identity, not on indirect perception. Though mind comes from this higher consciousness, they function differently: the mind moves through division and reasoning, while vijñāna moves through unity and direct truth.