Science has built certain hypothesis about consciousness but is yet not certain about it. There are however two main scientific theories. One is that consciousness is an epiphenomenon of neuronal activities, which is a bit absurd since it supposes or assumes that there is no consciousness in plants and also because it limits consciousness to the operations of the mind or the mental consciousness. The second theory is that consciousness is a fundamental reality that pervades the cosmos and to truly understand the world one has to take into account and somehow find ways and means to study consciousness.
The yogic view of Consciousness is that it is not only a fundamental non-material Reality but also the creator and builder of this many-toned, many-hued cosmos. It is one of the three fundamental aspects of the triune Divine who is realised in spiritual experience as Sacchidananda, where Sat is Existence, Chit-tapas is Consciousness-Force, and Ananda is Bliss. Consciousness is therefore not only a power of awareness, through which we become aware of anything but also the power to create and build and destroy or rather absorb back all into itself.
This in short are the material and spiritual views on consciousness. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have given us detailed and exhaustive accounts of what consciousness means, which can be found in such works as Letters on Yoga, The Life Divine and Essays Divine and Human.
