Sri Amma Bhagavan's Response to this Fundamental Question - The Kind of Question that Keeps the Mind Busy
“Without consciousness there is nothing. Where are we? We are consciousness. But then can the eye which sees, see itself? No. Can the finger which points, point at itself? It cannot do that. So, consciousness can never know what it is. Consciousness by itself cannot know what it is. Of course, you could describe that in terms of medical science or other things you could describe that. That’s a different story but consciousness itself can never know what consciousness is. Just like the eye that sees cannot see itself and the finger which points cannot point at itself. So, there is no point in talking about it.