Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 26
It is the Reality, the Self, that takes the position of the Conscious Being regarding and accepting or ruling the works of its own Nature. An apparent duality is created in order that there may be a free action of Nature working itself out with the support of the Spirit and again a free and masterful action of the Spirit controlling and working out Nature. This duality is also necessary that the Spirit may be at any time at liberty to draw back from any formation of its Nature and dissolve all formation or accept or enforce a new or a higher formation.
EXPLANATION
It is the Divine Reality, the Self that takes the position of the Conscious Being. It accepts or rules the works of its own Nature. This apparent duality between the Conscious Being and its Nature is created so that Nature can have a free action with the support of the Conscious Being and again the Spirit can be free and be the master of Nature.
This duality serves a purpose. It gives the Spirit the liberty to draw back from any formation of its Nature and dissolve all formation. Or it can accept or enforce a new or higher formation.
These are very evident possibilities of the Spirit in its dealings with its own Force and they can be observed and verified in our own experience; they are logical results of the powers of the Infinite Consciousness, powers which we have seen to be native to its infinity. The Purusha aspect and the Prakriti aspect go always together and whatever status Nature or Consciousness-force in action assumes, manifests or develops, there is a corresponding status of the Spirit.
EXPLANATION
The possibilities of the Spirit dealing with its own force can be observed and verified in our own experience. They represent the powers of the Infinite Consciousness. The Purusha aspect and the Prakriti aspect go always together. The Nature or Consciousness-Force in action assumes, manifests or develops different statuses. Whatever may be its status, there is a corresponding status of the Spirit.
In its supreme status the Spirit is the supreme Conscious Being, Purushottama, and the Consciousness-Force is his supreme Nature, Para-Prakriti. In each status of the gradations of Nature, the Spirit takes a poise of its being proper to that gradation; in Mind-Nature it becomes the mental being, in Life-Nature it becomes the vital being, in nature of Matter it becomes the physical being, in supermind it becomes the Being of Knowledge; in the supreme spiritual status it becomes the Being of Bliss and pure Existence. In us, in the embodied individual, it stands behind all as the psychic Entity, the inner Self supporting the other formulations of our consciousness and spiritual existence.
EXPLANATION
The supreme status of the Spirit is the supreme Conscious-Being, Purushottama; the Consciousness-Force is his supreme Nature, Para-Prakriti. For each gradation of Nature, the Spirit takes a corresponding poise.
In Mind-Nature it becomes the mental being (manomaya purusha). In Life-Nature it becomes the vital being (pranamaya purusha). In the nature of Matter it becomes the physical being (annamaya purusha). In supremind it becomes Being of Knowledge (vignanamaya purusha).In the supreme spiritual status it becomes the Being of Bliss and pure Existence (anandamaya purusha). In our individual status it stands behind as the psychic entity (chaitya purusha); it is the inner Self supporting the other formulations of our consciousness and spiritual existence.
The Purusha, individual in us, is cosmic in the cosmos, transcendent in the transcendence: the identity with the Self is apparent, but it is the Self in its pure impersonal-personal status of a Spirit in things and beings—impersonal because undifferentiated by personal quality, personal because it presides over the individualisations of self in each individual —which deals with the works of its Consciousness-force, its executive force of self-nature, in whatever poise is necessary for that purpose.
EXPLANATION
The Purusha is individual in us. It is cosmic in the cosmos. It is transcendent in the transcendence. The identity of the Purusha with the Self is apparent. But it is the Self in its pure impersonal-personal status.
The Self is impersonal because it is undifferentiated by personal quality. It is personal because it presides over the individualisations of self in each individual.
The Self in its pure impersonal-personal status of spirit in things and beings deals with the works of its Consciousness-force, its executive force of self-nature. It deals in whatever poise that is necessary for that purpose.
PARAGRAPH 27
But it is evident that whatever the posture taken or relation formed in any individual nodus of Purusha-Prakriti, the Being is in a fundamental cosmic relation lord or ruler of its nature: for even when it allows Nature to have its own way with it, its consent is necessary to support her workings. This comes out in its fullest revelation in the third aspect of the Reality, the Divine Being who is the master and creator of the universe.
EXPLANATION
In whatever status the relation between the Purusha and Prakriti is placed, the Being is always the lord or ruler of its nature. That is the fundamental cosmic relation of Being to Nature.
When the Being allows Nature to have its own way, Its consent is still necessary to support her workings. This is revealed in its fullest form in the third aspect (Ishwara) of the Reality. The Ishwara, the Divine Being is the master and creator of the universe.
Here the supreme Person, the Being in its transcendental and cosmic consciousness and force, comes to the front, omnipotent, omniscient, the controller of all energies, the Conscious in all that is conscient or inconscient, the Inhabitant of all souls and minds and hearts and bodies, the Ruler or Overruler of all works, the Enjoyer of all delight, the Creator who has built all things in his own being, the All-Person of whom all beings are personalities, the Power from whom are all powers, the Self, the Spirit in all, by his being the Father of all that is, in his Consciousness-Force the Divine Mother, the Friend of all creatures, the All-blissful and All-beautiful of whom beauty and joy are the revelation, the All-Beloved and All-Lover.
EXPLANATION
In the Ishwara aspect the supreme Person, the Being in its transcendental and cosmic consciousness and force comes to the front. He is omnipresent, omniscient, the controller of all energies, the Conscious in all that is conscient or inconscient. He is the Inhabitant of all souls and minds and hearts and bodies. He is the Ruler or Overruler of all works.
He is the Enjoyer of all delight; the Creator who has built all things in his own being. He is the All-person of whom all beings are personalities, the Power from whom are all powers. He is the Self, the Spirit in all. By his being he is the Father of all that is. He is in his Consciousness-Force the Divine Mother, the Friend of all creatures. He is the All-blissful and All-Beloved and All-Lover.
In a certain sense, so seen and understood, this becomes the most comprehensive of the aspects of the Reality, since here all are united in a single formulation; for the Ishwara is supracosmic as well as intracosmic; He is that which exceeds and inhabits and supports all individuality; He is the supreme and universal Brahman, the Absolute, the supreme Self, the supreme Purusha.8* But, very clearly, this is not the personal God of popular religions, a being limited by his qualities, individual and separate from all others; for all such personal gods are only limited representations or names and divine personalities of the one Ishwara.
8*Gita
EXPLANATION
Ishwara aspect becomes the most comprehensive of the aspects of the Divine Reality. Here all are united in a single formulation. Because Ishwara is supracosmic as well as intracosmic (beyond cosmos as well as within cosmos). He is that which exceeds and inhabits and supports all individuality.
He is the supreme and universal Brahman, the Absolute, the supreme Self, the supreme Purusha (Purushottama as described in Gita).
But, very clearly this is not the personal God of popular religions. Such a personal God is limited by his qualities, individual and separate from all other Gods. All such personal Gods are only limited representations or names and divine personalities of the one Ishwara.
Neither is this the Saguna Brahman active and possessed of qualities, for that is only one side of the being of the Ishwara; the Nirguna immobile and without qualities is another aspect of His existence. Ishwara is Brahman the Reality, Self, Spirit, revealed as possessor, enjoyer of his own self-existence, creator of the universe and one with it, Pantheos, and yet superior to it, the Eternal, the Infinite, the Ineffable, the Divine Transcendence.
EXPLANATION
At the same time, Ishwara aspect does not mean the Saguna Brahman active and possessed of qualities though that is only one side of the His aspect. The Nirguna, immobile and without qualities, is another aspect of His existence.
Ishwara is Brahman the Reality, Self, Spirit. He is revealed as possessor, enjoyer of his own self-existence. He is the creator of the universe and one with it and yet superior to it. He is the Eternal, the Infinite, the Ineffable, the Divine Transcendence.