Arise, purify and subside

If all the mind did was arise, purify and subside, one would always be at Peace and aware of the Self at all times.

But because the mind arises, entangles (with the world) and loses awareness of the Self, it suffers.

The former aspect of the mind is the nature of Ishvara. Arising of mind due to rajas is associated with Brahma, the sustenance of mind with ViShNu as sattva guNa and the subsidence of mind with Shiva as tamo guNa.  The three being eternal jnAnis are not deluded or subject to moha.

The jIva however is the latter aspect of the mind, experiences pleasure and pain because Purusha gets entangled with the guNas of PrakRti and thus becomes deluded and unaware of the Self.

The arising of the mind (same as world or jagat) is itself the very nature of Brahman, being its Power or Shakti called MAyA. The jIva seems to take on the identity of different beings that seem to arise in the mind due to the differences in rates of prANa flowing through the mind. The faster rates of prANa flow correspond to lower (or grosser) forms of manifestation and the lower lokas (worlds of perception). Human embodiment results in the perception of time in units such as years, months, weeks, days and so forth, where an ideal lifetime may be reckoned as a hundred years. By lengthening the flow of prANa the yogi can access other worlds (lokas) such as Bhuva, Svar, Maha, Jana, Tapa, and Satya and in doing so takes on the 'bodies' of Consciousness pertaining to each of these worlds. All these are transient and thus Unreal or mAyA from the perspective of the Self. Cf. parIkshya lokAn from Mund. Up.

परीक्ष्य लोकान् कर्मचितान् ब्राह्मणो

निर्वेदमायात् नास्तिऽकृतं कृतेन ।

तद्विज्ञानार्थं गुरुमेव अभिगच्छेत्

समित्पाणि: श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठं ॥

Having examined the lokas (worlds of perception) that are created by works (karma, or equivalently thoughts, for deeds arise only from thoughts), may a Brahmin become firm in the knowledge that nothing in these lokas (worlds) is not attained or formed from thoughts or actions. In order to know That (the Self that is beyond the lokas), let him approach a Guru who is (defined as) a Shrotriya (one so well versed in the Vedas as to be deemed worthy of being listened to) and BrahmaniShTha (eternally established in Brahman) (in a proper manner) with samidh (fuel sticks) in hand. [The samidh signify the samskAras or mental tendencies that the aspirant seeks to burn in the Fire of Knowledge, jnAnagni]

Transcending these lokas and 'bodies' results in mergence with the Self. That is jnAna resulting from the nivRtti marga. Recognizing the Power of Brahman to arise as the mind on different time scales from a thought to a Kalpa and still being able to rest in the Self is vijnAna. When that becomes permanent it is sahaja samAdhi or jIvanmukti and results in the union with Ishvara, where all perception is Pure unalloyed Self. Thus, the jIvanmukta becomes indifferent to both nivRtti and pravRtti and is unmoved from the awareness of the Self at all times.

The experiences of the lokas (worlds) in the interim are only for purification of the mind to attain this state. And even 'attainment' is an incorrect characterization, for it is only mis-identification of the Self as the non-Self. The Self being Eternal is not attained anew.