Book – II Chapter – IV : The Divine and the Undivine- Para 2

Study Notes

PARAGRAPH 2

     The distinction between the divine and the undivine life is in fact identical with the root distinction between a life of Knowledge lived in self-awareness and in the power of the Light and a life of Ignorance,—at any rate it so presents itself in a world that is slowly and with difficulty evolving out of an original Inconscience. All life that has still this Inconscience for its basis is stamped with the mark of a radical imperfection; for even if it is satisfied with its own type, it is a satisfaction with something incomplete and inharmonious, a patchwork of discords: on the contrary, even a purely mental or vital life might be perfect within its limits if it were based on a restricted but harmonious self-power and self-knowledge.

EXPLANATION

     There is a life of Knowledge lived in self-awareness and in the power of the Light and a life of Ignorance. The world is slowly and with difficulty evolving out of an original Inconscience. In such a world life presents itself as a life of Ignorance.
     All life which still has this Insconscience for its basis is stamped with a label of a radical imperfection. Though such a life may be satisfied with its own type still that satisfaction would be incomplete and inharmonious; a patchwork of discords. On the contrary a purely mental or vital life based on a restricted but harmonious self-power and self-knowledge would be considered perfect within its limits.

It is this bondage to a perpetual stamp of imperfection and disharmony that is the mark of the undivine; a divine life, on the contrary, even if progressing from the little to the more, would be at each stage harmonious in its principle and detail: it would be a secure ground upon which freedom and perfection could naturally flower or grow towards their highest stature, refine and expand into their most subtle opulence.

EXPLANATION

     When a life is forever bonded to imperfection and disharmony it carries the mark of the undivine life. On the contrary a divine life would progress from the little to the more; yet it would be at each stage harmonious in its principle and detail. It would be a secure ground on which freedom and perfection could naturally flower or grow towards their highest stature; they could refine and expand into their most subtle richness.

All imperfections, all perfections have to be taken into view in our consideration of the difference between an undivine and a divine existence: but ordinarily, when we make the distinction, we do it as human beings struggling under the pressure of life and the difficulties of our conduct amidst its immediate problems and perplexities; most of all we are thinking of the distinction we are obliged to make between good and evil or of that along with its kindred problem of the duality, the blend in us of happiness and suffering.

EXPLANATION

     To make a difference between a divine and an undivine life all imperfections and all perfections should be considered. Ordinarily human beings are struggling under the pressure of life. We have our own difficulties of conduct while facing the immediate problems and uncertainties of life.
     Therefore whenever we have to make a difference in things we bring it under the banner of good and evil. All our distinctions are based on the dualities which we carry in our nature like happiness and suffering.

When we seek intellectually for a divine presence in things, a divine origin of the world, a divine government of its workings, the presence of evil, the insistence on suffering, the large, the enormous part offered to pain, grief and affliction in the economy of Nature are the cruel phenomena which baffle our reason and overcome the instinctive faith of mankind in such an origin and government or in an all-seeing, all-determining and omnipresent Divine Immanence. Other difficulties we could solve more easily and happily and make some shift to be better satisfied with the ready conclusiveness of our solutions.

EXPLANATION

     What is the big challenge we face when we think of a possible divine life upon earth?
     We are governed by our intellect. Therefore intellectually we seek for a divine presence in things, divine origin of the world, a divine government of its workings. At the same time the presence of evil, the insistence of suffering by way of pain, grief in Nature appear as cruel phenomena which baffle our reason. We are overwhelmed by these negative aspects. Therefore we lose our instinctive faith in the fact that our life has its origin in the Divine and is governed by It; we refuse to believe in an all-seeing, all-determining and omnipresent Divine that is present within all that is in the universe.
     Apart from this suffering we can solve all other difficulties more easily and happily; we can make some shift to be better satisfied with our ready conclusive solutions.

But this standard of judgment is not sufficiently comprehensive and it is supported upon a too human point of view; for to a wider outlook evil and suffering appear only as a striking aspect, they are not the whole defect, not even the root of the matter. The sum of the world’s imperfections is not made up only of these two deficiencies; there is more than the fall, if fall there was, of our spiritual or material being from good and from happiness or our nature’s failure to overcome evil and suffering.

EXPLANATION

     But we must understand that this standard of judgement adopted by us is not sufficiently comprehensive. It is supported upon a too human point of view. If we take a wider outlook we will realise that evil and suffering easily attract a lot of attention; yet they are not the whole defect, not even the root of the matter.
     The sum of the world’s imperfections is not made up only of evil and suffering. We may consider that there was a fall of our spiritual or material being from good and from happiness; or there was our nature’s failure to overcome evil and suffering. But there is more than the fall.

Besides the deficiency of the ethical and hedonistic satisfactions demanded by our being, the paucity of Good and Delight in our world-experience, there is also the deficiency of other divine degrees: for Knowledge, Truth, Beauty, Power, Unity are, they too, the stuff and elements of a divine life, and these are given to us in a scanty and grudging measure; yet all are, in their absolute, powers of the Divine Nature.

EXPLANATION

     Our human nature demands satisfaction of ethical (what is perceived as good) needs and sensual pleasure which are found deficient in this world. There is paucity of Good and Delight in our world-experience.
     Apart from these there is also the deficiency of other divine degrees. There is deficiency of Knowledge, Truth, Beauty, Power and Unity. They too are the stuff and elements of a divine life. These aspects are given to us in a scanty (meagre) and grudging (reluctant) measure. Yet all are, in their absolute powers of the Divine Nature.