Study Notes
Chapter XXII
The Problem of Life
This it is that is called the universal Life.
Taittiriya Upanishad.11.3
EXPLANATION
LIFE
All beings live because of the Life-force that activates them. Each living person is a focus for the individual activity of Prana, the Life-Force. But the Prana does not belong to the individual. It is a universal Force of which the individual Prana is only a current. And this universal Life is a projection of the Divine Consciousness-Force for purposes of manifestation. It is a formation under the conditions of terrestrial existence and as it is in man, it is not overtly conscious. It is only in the measure of his evolution that man realises the inherent nature of consciousness in the Life-Force.
Now this universal Life flows into myriad forms and makes them alive. The individual life is thus derived from the universal, but in the ignorance and egoity in which it functions, it regards itself as an independent force and sets itself against the universal Life. Consequently it fronts each impact of the larger Force with a certain opposition: it shrinks from the contact and tries to defend its precarious existence in it its shell of the physical body. But the fact remains that it is the universal Life that feeds the individual form while at the same time it swallows up something of the individual formation. There is a constant clash and friction till the individual Prana learns to embrace the universal and share its character.
Thus the problem of Life is one of harmonisation. There is only one Life and all lives are emanations of it. Each individual life remains in its habitation as long as it maintains a working with its parent Life, the universal.
The Lord is seated in the heart of all beings turning all beings mounted upon a machine by his Maya.
Gita.XVIII.61
EXPLANATION
INDWELLER
It is pointed out in the Gita that man imagines he is doing things. Actually it is not he but his nature, prakriti, that does pretty much what it wants. Even if he wants to do otherwise, his nature is seen to compel him in her own direction. But on that account man is not obliged to stay a slave or puppet of nature. Nature, prakriti, is only the force of consciousness and that consciousness is of the Divine Master who is seated in the heart of every being. Ultimately it is the will of this Indweller that prevails. In appearance this power is different from the consciousness that presided over it; it seems to be bereft of all consciousness and acting in a mechanical way precipitating the creature in its illusive rounds. It wears the appearance of a maya, a power of illusion, falsehood. When, however, man develops his consciousness and is able to link himself to the Being within who is at the acme of that consciousness, he discovers that the maya-power is operated by his Purusha for his own ends. To get control over his nature and her activities he has only to deepen his consciousness and grow into identity with this Master of his being. One with his Will, man shares the mastery of the Lord.
He who knows the Truth, the Knowledge, the Infinity that is Brahman shall enjoy with the all-wise Brahman all objects of desire. Taittiriya Upanishad. II.1
There is struggle and failure because man sets himself separate from all whom he considers as ‘other’ than himself. He is aware of only a part of his own being and this conscious part is constantly under threat of being invaded and over powered by the obscure parts. Even in areas where he is conscious, there is tussle between his mind and his life-force and between both these and the body. Ultimately the problems of life arise from ignorance which is many-sided. It is this pervading factor that limits his vision, his capacities and his effectivity.
The way out is to enlarge the range of his consciousness, to grow into knowledge of the truth of things instead of being shut up in his ego-shell and suffering, the inevitable consequences of this self-limitation. When he takes steps to look into himself and perceives the existence of a Self in the depths of his being and comes to realise its nature of infinity, eternity and freedom, his will becomes a channel for the divine Will and becomes self-effectuating. He learns that his self is one with the Self of All and thus arrives at the truth of the unity of existence. He realises that all is one Self and he himself is one with it. His being flows in waves of love to the entire world and he participates in the cosmic enjoyment of the Lord as a centre in the game of deployment of the universal Ananda.
He opposes none for he is identified with the Divine in All. He knows no failure because he acts spontaneously in full knowledge of the truth of things. The secret of his blissful life is in his identity with the blissful Master of existence, Brahman.
(Shri M.P.Pandit: Legends in the Life Divine, p. 66)
PARAGRAPH 1
LIFE IS, we have seen, the putting forth, under certain cosmic circumstances, of a Conscious-Force which is in its own nature infinite, absolute, untrammelled, inalienably possessed of its own unity and bliss, the Conscious-Force of Sachchidananda. The central circumstance of this cosmic process, in so far as it differs in its appearances from the purity of the infinite Existence and the self-possession of the undivided Energy, is the dividing faculty of the Mind obscured by ignorance. There results from this divided action of an undivided Force the apparition of dualities, oppositions, seeming denials of the nature of Sachchidananda which exist as an abiding reality for the mind, but only as a phenomenon misrepresenting a manifold Reality for the divine cosmic Consciousness concealed behind the veil of mind. Hence the world takes on the appearance of a clash of opposing truths each seeking to fulfil itself, each having the right to fulfilment, and therefore of a mass of problems and mysteries which have to be solved because behind all this confusion there is the hidden Truth and unity pressing for the solution and by the solution for its own unveiled manifestation in the world.
EXPLANATION
We have seen that Life is the outward manifestation of Conscious-Force. This chit-shakti of Sachchidananda is in its nature infinite, absolute and unlimited. It is possessed of unity and bliss.
However, in its cosmic manifestation, it appears to be different from its purity of infinite Existence and its possession of undivided energy. It is the dividing faculty of Mind clouded by ignorance which creates the circumstance for this false appearance.
The divided action of an undivided Force results in dualities, oppositions which seem to be the apparent denials of Sachchidananda. For our mind they seem to be realities. But there is divine Consciousness hidden behind the veil of our mind. For this divine Consciousness, the seeming contradictions (dualities) of Sachchidananda appear as phenomenon misrepresenting the manifold Reality.
Hence this world presents the appearance of clash of opposing truths each trying to fulfil itself. Each tries to establish its right of fulfilment. Therefore, a whole lot of problems and mysteries remain to be solved. Yet, behind all this confusion there is a hidden Truth and unity pressing for a solution. By reaching such a solution the Truth seeks for its unveiled manifestation in the world.