Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 18
If we pursue the process of self-manifestation farther, we shall see that each of these aspects or powers reposes in its first action on a triad or trinity; for Knowledge inevitably takes its stand in a trinity of the Knower, the Known and Knowledge; Love finds itself in a trinity of the Lover, the Beloved and Love; Will is self-fulfilled in a trinity of the Lord of the Will, the object of the Will and the executive Force; Joy has its original and utter gladness in a trinity of the Enjoyer, the Enjoyed and the Delight that unites them; Self as inevitably appears and founds its manifestation in a trinity of Self as subject, Self as object and self-awareness holding together Self as subject-object.
EXPLANATION
We have seen in the previous paragraph that each aspect of this trinity, Existence, Consciousness and Bliss determines itself into a certain power. Delight determines itself as love, joy, consciousness as knowledge and will and Existence as the Self.
At the level where these determinations take place we can note that there is always a triad or a trinity, a three fold operation.
Knowledge takes its stand in a trinity of the Knower, the Known and Knowledge. Love finds itself in a trinity of the Lover, the Beloved and Love. Will is fulfilled in a trinity of the Lord of the Will, the object of the Will and the executive Force. Joy has its gladness in a trinity of the Enjoyer, the Enjoyed and the Delight that unites them.
Self is founded in a trinity of Self as subject, Self as object and self-awareness holding together Self as subject-object.
These and other primal powers and aspects assume their status among the fundamental spiritual self-determinations of the Infinite; all others are determinates of the fundamental spiritual determinates, significant relations, significant powers, significant forms of being, consciousness, force, delight,—energies, conditions, ways, lines of the truth-process of the Consciousness-Force of the Eternal, imperatives, possibilities, actualities of its manifestation.
EXPLANATION
These aspects assume the fundamental spiritual self-determinations of the Infinite. All other determinates arise from these fundamental spiritual determinates. It means all other qualities arise from these fundamental aspects.
They are the significant relations, significant powers, significant forms of being, consciousness, force, delight. They are the energies, conditions, ways, lines of the truth-process of the Consciousness-Force of the Eternal. They are the imperatives, possibilities, actualities of its manifestation.
In short the origin of each of the forms, movements in this universe can be traced back to the fundamental spiritual self-determinations of Sat-chit-ananda.
For example, we experience love and various other movements associated with it, we experience knowledge and various other movements associated with it, our will directs all our actions and various other movements associated with it, we experience joy and its associated movements, our awareness about self creates its associated movements.
All this deploying of powers and possibilities and their inherent consequences is held together by supermind cognition in an intimate oneness; it keeps them founded consciously on the original Truth and maintained in the harmony of the truths they manifest and are in their nature. There is here no imposition of imaginations, no arbitrary creation, neither is there any division, fragmentation, irreconcilable contrariety or disparateness.
EXPLANATION
We find the manifestation of powers and possibilities in this universe. The deploying (putting into use) of powers and possibilities and their inherent consequences is held by the Supermind awareness in intimate oneness. It keeps them founded consciously on the original Truth. It maintains them in the harmony of the truths they manifest and are in their nature.
Here there is no imposition of imaginations, no arbitrary creation. Also there is no division, fragmentation, irreconcilable opposition. Therefore, we cannot accept the argument that the universe we see and the activities in it are imaginary impositions on the Absolute Brahman as contended by the Mayavadins.
But in Mind of Ignorance these phenomena appear; for there a limited consciousness sees and deals with everything as if all were separate objects of cognition or separate existences and it seeks so to know, possess and enjoy them and gets mastery over them or suffers their mastery: but, behind its ignorance, what the soul in it is seeking for is the Reality, the Truth, the Consciousness, the Power, the Delight by which they exist; the mind has to learn to awaken to this true seeking and true knowledge veiled within itself, to the Reality from which all things hold their truth, to the Consciousness of which all consciousnesses are entities, to the Power from which all get what force of being they have within them, to the Delight of which all delights are partial figures.
EXPLANATION
These phenomena appear in Mind of Ignorance. What happens at the level of Mind? At this level a limited consciousness sees and deals with everything. While doing so, they are dealt with as if they were all separate objects of cognition or separate existences. The Mind in Ignorance seeks to know, possess and enjoy them and gets mastery over them or itself becomes subordinated to their mastery.
What Supremind holds and sees in oneness, Mind holds and sees in separateness. Therefore there is ignorance in its way of seeing. But behind its ignorance, the soul in it seeks for the Reality, the Truth, the Consciousness, the Power, the Delight by which they exist.
The Mind has to awaken to this true seeking and true knowledge hidden within itself. Mind has to awaken to the Reality from which all things hold their truth. It has to awaken to the Consciousness of which all consciousness are entities. It has to awaken to the Power from which all get the force of being within them, to the Delight of which all delights are partial figures.
Here, Sri Aurobindo brings home the fact that the Mind in Ignorance has to awaken itself to Mind in Knowledge (Supermind) in order to attain the integral knowledge of things.
This limitation of consciousness and this awakening to the integrality of consciousness are also a process of self-manifestation, are a self-determination of the Spirit; even when contrary to the Truth in their appearances, the things of the limited consciousness have in their deeper sense and reality a divine significance; they too bring out a truth or a possibility of the Infinite. Of some such nature, as far as it can be expressed in mental formulas, would be the supramental cognition of things which sees the one Truth everywhere and would so arrange its account to us of our existence, its report of the secret of creation and the significance of the universe.
EXPLANATION
We have this limitation of mental consciousness. We also have a movement of awakening to the integrality of consciousness. Both are also a process of self-manifestation. They are a self-determination of the Spirit. This limitation of mental consciousness is not a hallucination or a dream.
They appear contrary to the Truth in their appearances. Yet the things of the limited consciousness have in their deeper sense and reality a divine significance. They also bring out a truth or a possibility of the Infinite.
What is Supramental awareness of things? It is something deeper and beyond the limited mental consciousness. It is expressed in mental formulas as far as it can. It sees the one Truth everywhere. Accordingly it would arrange its account to us of our existence, its report of the secret of creation and the significance of the universe.