The subconsciousness is there, but they are not manifest. But sometimes they are manifest. All of a sudden coming. There is no connection. Just like a bubble in the pond. All of a sudden a bubble comes up.
Prabhupāda: That is practically being done. Unconscious or subconscious states sometimes come out. They are not always present. But consciousness is always there.
Śyāmasundara: But if the consciousness is not the predominator, then sometimes a person's activities will be irrational or unconscious.
Prabhupāda: No. There is no question of unconscious. Subconscious, that is there. Yes.
Devotee (3): What is the exact meaning of the term "subconscious"?
Prabhupāda: Mm? Consciousness?
Devotee (3): I understand the principle of consciousness, but what is the exact meaning of the word "subconscious"?
Prabhupāda: Subconscious means is not acting at the present moment but it comes out sometimes.
Śyāmasundara: These psychologists say that quite often the unconscious is acting through the conscious, only we don't know.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That I say. The subconsciousness is there, but they are not manifest. But sometimes they are manifest. All of a sudden coming. There is no connection. Just like a bubble in the pond. All of a sudden a bubble comes up. You see. So the coming out of the bubble, the energy was there within, all of a sudden it comes out, "Pup!" Yes. And even you trace out why it came, but the, it is to be supposed that it was in the subconscious state; all of a sudden it has manifested.
Devotee (3): The bubble coming up is a sort of a proof that there is a subconscious which is holding that bubble and then it's released it, but where it's parted by these psychologists is that the subconscious nature is moving subconsciously. What it means is that we're not conscious of it; it's acting in a subconscious plane.
Śyāmasundara: Called a shadow.
Devotee (3): And so our consciousness can be modified by our subconsciousness without our being consciously aware of it.
Prabhupāda: Not necessarily.
Devotee (3): That is the idea.
Prabhupāda: Not necessarily.
Devotee (3): We're unconscious of the activities of...
Prabhupāda: Or sometimes subconscious state manifests which has no connection with my present consciousness.
Revatīnandana: Can we say that those subconscious states which sometimes reveal themselves are like stored in impressions in the mind?
Prabhupāda: That is stored impression.
Revatīnandana: (indistinct) potentially manifest...
Prabhupāda: Yes.