Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 11
The same conciliation occurs everywhere, when we look with a straight and accurate look on the truth of the Reality. In our experience of it we become aware of an Infinite essentially free from all limitation by qualities, properties, features; on the other hand, we are aware of an Infinite teeming with innumerable qualities, properties, features. Here again the statement of illimitable freedom is positive, not negative; it does not negate what we see, but on the contrary provides the indispensable condition for it, it makes possible a free and infinite self-expression in quality and feature.
EXPLANATION
When we look with a straight and accurate look on the truth of the Reality we find the same conciliation of the essential side of the Divine and the dynamic side of the Divine. How do we experience Infinite essentiality? It is free from all limitation by qualities, properties, features.
Here again, when we state its illimitable freedom, it is on the positive side and not on the negative side. It does not negate what we see. Rather, the illimitable freedom of the Infinite provides the indispensable condition for it. It makes possible a free and infinite self-expression in quality and feature.
A quality is the character of a power of conscious being; or we may say that the consciousness of being expressing what is in it makes the power it brings out recognisable by a native stamp on it which we call quality or character. Courage as a quality is such a power of being, it is a certain character of my consciousness expressing a formulated force of my being, bringing out or creating a definite kind of force of my nature in action. So too the power of a drug to cure is its property, a special force of being native to the herb or mineral from which it is produced, and this speciality is determined by the Real-Idea concealed in the involved consciousness which dwells in the plant or mineral; the idea brings out in it what was there at the root of its manifestation and has now come out thus empowered as the force of its being.
EXPLANATION
Sri Aurobindo explains here what we normally call by the term quality. Quality is the character of a power of conscious being. The consciousness of being expresses what is in it. It brings out a power and makes it recognisable by a native stamp on it; for example, flower by its fragrance, gold by its shine etc. We call this native stamp as quality or character.
Courage is such a power of conscious being. It is a certain character of a person’s consciousness expressing a formulated force of his being. It brings out or creates a definite kind of force of his nature in action.
Similarly the power to cure is the property of a drug. It is a special force of being native to the herb or mineral from which it is produced. There is an involved consciousness which dwells in the plant or mineral. The speciality to cure is determined by the Real-Idea concealed in the involved consciousness. The idea brings out in it what was there at the root of its manifestation. This has now come out thus empowered as the force of its being.
All qualities, properties, features are such powers of conscious being thus put forth from itself by the Absolute; It has everything within It, It has the free power to put all forth;6* yet we cannot define the Absolute as a quality of courage or a power of healing, we cannot even say that these are a characteristic feature of the Absolute, nor can we make up a sum of qualities and say “that is the Absolute”. But neither can we speak of the Absolute as a pure blank incapable of manifesting these things; on the contrary, all capacity is there, the powers of all qualities and characters are there inherent within it.
6* The word for creation in Sanskrit means a loosing or putting forth of what is in the being.
EXPLANATION
All qualities, properties, features are such powers of conscious being thus put forth from itself by the Absolute. It has everything within It. It has the free power to put all forth srishti in Sanskrit (The Sanskrit word for this manifestation is not kr, to make, but srj, to let loose; what is held is loosed out, and the universe comes to be – Shri M.P.Pandit: Talks on the Life Divine, Part II, p. 17) Yet we cannot define the Absolute as a quality of courage or a power of healing. We cannot say these are characteristic feature of the absolute. Nor can we sum up the qualities and say “this is the Absolute”.
Also, we cannot speak of the Absolute as a pure blank incapable of manifesting these things. On the contrary all capacity is there. The powers of all qualities and characters are there inherent within it.
The mind is in a difficulty because it has to say, “The Absolute or Infinite is none of these things, these things are not the Absolute or Infinite” and at the same time it has to say, “The Absolute is all these things, they are not something else than That, for That is the sole existence and the all-existence.”
EXPLANATION
The mind is in a difficulty because it has to make statements which state partial truths that are contradictory in nature. It says, the Infinite is none of these things or these things are not the Absolute. At the same time it has to say, the Absolute is all these things, they are not something else than the Absolute; because the Absolute is the sole existence and the all-existence.
Here it is evident that it is an undue finiteness of thought conception and verbal expression which creates the difficulty, but there is in reality none; for it would be evidently absurd to say that the Absolute is courage or curing-power, or to say that courage and curing-power are the Absolute, but it would be equally absurd to deny the capacity of the Absolute to put forth courage or curing power as self-expressions in its manifestation.
EXPLANATION
Why does the mind face the difficulty? Because the mind is dependent on undue finiteness of thought conception and verbal expression. But in reality there is no difficulty.
Because it would be evidently absurd to say that the Absolute is courage or curing power or to say that courage or curing power are the Absolute. But it would be equally absurd to deny the capacity of the Absolute to put forth courage or curing power as self-expression in its manifestation.
When the logic of the finite fails us,we have to see with a direct and unbound vision what is behind in the logic of the Infinite. We can then realise that the Infinite is infinite in quality, feature, power, but that no sum of qualities, features, powers can describe the Infinite.
EXPLANATION
Here the logic of our finite mind fails us. We have to see with a direct and unlimited vision what is behind the logic of the Infinite. Then, we will realise that Infinite is infinite in quality, feature and power; no sum of qualities, features, powers can describe the Infinite.
PARAGRAPH 12
We see that the Absolute, the Self, the Divine, the Spirit, the Being is One; the Transcendental is one, the Cosmic is one: but we see also that beings are many and each has a self, a spirit, a like yet different nature. And since the spirit and essence of things is one, we are obliged to admit that all these many must be that One, and it follows that the One is or has become many; but how can the limited or relative be the Absolute and how can man or beast or bird be the Divine Being?
EXPLANATION
The Divine, the Absolute is One. The Transcendental is one, the Cosmic is one. But we see that the beings are many and each has a self, a like yet different nature. Spirit and essence of things is one. Therefore, we are obliged to admit that all these Many must be that One. One is or has become Many.
Yet the human mind refuses to believe in this Truth. The question comes to us, how can the limited or relative be the Absolute and how can man or beast or bird be the Divine Being?
But in erecting this apparent contradiction the mind makes a double error. It is thinking in the terms of the mathematical finite unit which is sole in limitation, the one which is less than two and can become two only by division and fragmentation or by addition and multiplication; but this is an infinite Oneness, it is the essential and infinite Oneness which can contain the hundred and the thousand and the million and billion and trillion. Whatever astronomic or more than astronomic figures you heap and multiply, they cannot overpass or exceed that Oneness; for, in the language of the Upanishad, it moves not, yet is always far in front when you would pursue and seize it.
EXPLANATION
But, this apparent contradiction between the Absolute Infinite and the relative finite is the creation of the mind. In doing so, it makes a double error. Mind thinks in terms of the mathematical finite unit. This finite unit is sole or a separate unit in limitation. This sole unit which is less than two and can become two mathematically only by division and fragmentation or addition and multiplication.
But this is not the mathematical one but an infinite Oneness. It is the essential and infinite Oneness which can contain the trillion, the infinite. Whatever astronomic or more than astronomic figures we heap and multiply, they cannot exceed that Oneness. In the language of the Upanishad, the Absolute does not move, yet it is always far in front when we try to pursue and seize it.