Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 16
In Supermind being, consciousness of knowledge and consciousness of will are not divided as they seem to be in our mental operations; they are a trinity, one movement with three effective aspects. Each has its own effect. Being gives the effect of substance, consciousness the effect of knowledge, of the self-guiding and shaping idea, of comprehension and apprehension; will gives the effect of self-fulfilling force. But the idea is only the light of the reality illumining itself; it is not mental thought nor imagination, but effective self-awareness. It is Real-Idea.
EXPLANATION
In our mental operations, our thinking, our being, our actions, our knowledge are divided. Whereas in Supermind, being (Sat), consciousness of knowledge (Chit), consciousness of will (chit-shakti) are not separated. They are three-in-one. One movement in three aspects. Each has its own effect.
Being gives the effect of substance. Consciousness gives the effect of knowledge. It gives the effect of the self-guiding and shaping idea. Will gives the effect of self-fulfilling force.
What do we mean by ‘idea’? It is only the light of the reality illumining itself. It is not mental thought nor imagination. But it is effective self-awareness. It is Real-Idea.
PARAGRAPH 17
In Supermind knowledge in the Idea is not divorced from will in the Idea, but one with it—just as it is not different from being or substance, but is one with the being, luminous power of the substance. As the power of burning light is not different from the substance of the fire, so the power of the Idea is not different from the substance of the Being which works itself out in the Idea and its development.
EXPLANATION
In Supermind, the Idea (Divine blue-print for the creation) has both knowledge and will. They are one, not separate from each other. It is one with the being or substance and a luminous power of the substance. Like a power of burning light is not different from the substance of the fire, the power of the Idea is not different from the substance of the Being.
In our mentality all are different. We have an idea and a will according to the idea or an impulsion of will and an idea detaching itself from it; but we differentiate effectually the idea from the will and both from ourselves. I am; the idea is a mysterious abstraction that appears in me, the will is another mystery, a force nearer to concreteness, though not concrete, but always something that is not myself, something that I have or get or am seized with, but am not. I make a gulf also between my will, its means and the effect, for these I regard as concrete realities outside and other than myself. Therefore neither myself nor the idea nor the will in me are self-effective. The idea may fall away from me, the will may fail, the means may be lacking, I myself by any or all of these lacunae may remain unfulfilled.
EXPLANATION
Let us contrast it with our mentality. We have a mental idea. According to the idea we have a will or push of the will. The idea detaches itself from the will. We see both the idea and the will separate from ourselves. I am real. But the idea is a mysterious abstraction (unreal thing) that comes to me.
What is my will? The will appears another mystery to me. It seems a force nearer to material form but not yet a material form. It seems to be separate from me. Something I seem to possess but really do not possess. I make a gap between my will, its means and its effect. I view these things as something outside myself.
Therefore, neither myself, nor the idea, nor the will in me are self-effective. The idea will fall from me. The will may fail or its means may be lacking. Because of all these drawbacks I may not get the sense of fulfilment.
PARAGRAPH 18
But in the Supermind there is no such paralysing division, because knowledge is not self-divided, force is not self-divided, being is not self-divided as in the mind; they are neither broken in themselves, nor divorced from each other. For the Supermind is the Vast; it starts from unity, not division, it is primarily comprehensive, differentiation is only its secondary act.
EXPLANATION
In our mind there is a division between knowledge and will, will and force. In Supermind there is no division. Knowledge is not self-divided. Force is not self-divided unlike our mind where we have contrary wills working within us, dividing the force of action. We have a divided being; contrary pulls between the mental, vital and physical parts. In Supermind the being is not divided. Vastness is the feature of Supermind. It starts with unity (Sachchidananda), not division. Primarily it is comprehensive – meaning, an all-inclusive Oneness. Differentiation is the secondary act.
For example, there is always clash between ideas of freedom and discipline, individual and society, compassion and justice etc., in our mental world.
Therefore whatever be the truth of being expressed, the idea corresponds to it exactly, the will-force to the idea, —force being only power of the consciousness, —and the result to the will. Nor does the idea clash with other ideas, the will or force with other will or force as in man and his world; for there is one vast Consciousness which contains and relates all ideas in itself as its own ideas, one vast Will which contains and relates all energies in itself as its own energies. It holds back this, advances that other, but according to its own preconceiving Idea-Will.
EXPLANATION
In man, whatever idea he has, it does not correspond to the truth of his being. His will-force does not match with the idea. For example, a person may have an idea of participating in marathon race. But he may not have the sufficient force of will. There is a conflict of idea between one person and the other. There is conflict of wills between persons.
But in Supermind the idea represents the truth of the being. Idea corresponds to the will-force to the idea. Force is the power of consciousness. There is no clash of wills and ideas. There is one vast Will which contains all energies in itself. This Will deploys one energy, withdraws the other one, based on its own Idea-Will. Hence there is no clash between one force with the other.
PARAGRAPH 19
This is the justification of the current religious notions of the omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence of the Divine Being. Far from being an irrational imagination they are perfectly rational and in no way contradict either the logic of a comprehensive philosophy or the indications of observation and experience. The error is to make an unbridgeable gulf between God and man, Brahman and the world. That error elevates an actual and practical differentiation in being, consciousness and force into an essential division. But this aspect of the question we shall touch upon afterwards.
EXPLANATION
What are the religious notions we have towards the Divine? We regard the Divine Being omnipresent (present everywhere), omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipotent (all-powerful). It is the nature of the Supermind we have seen above that gives justifications to our notions about the Divine. Such notions about the divine are perfectly rational. They are in perfect line both with the comprehensive philosophies and with the experience and the observations witnessed by yogis and saints.
The error comes when we make an unbridgeable gap between God and Man, Brahman and the world. The differentiation between the being (Sat), Consciousness (Chit) and Force (Chit-Shakti) is only practical for manifestation of the world. It is not an essential differentiation.
At present we have arrived at an affirmation and some conception of the divine and creative Supermind in which all is one in being, consciousness, will and delight, yet with an infinite capacity of differentiation that deploys but does not destroy the unity,—in which Truth is the substance and Truth rises in the Idea and Truth comes out in the form and there is one truth of knowledge and will, one truth of self-fulfilment and therefore of delight; for all self-fulfilment is satisfaction of being. Therefore, always, in all mutations and combinations a self-existent and inalienable harmony.
EXPLANATION
Sri Aurobindo makes the following concluding statements of this chapter:
- Supermind is the creator of the universe. In Supermind there is oneness in existence, consciousness, will and delight.
- Yet, there is infinite capacity for differentiation of the One but there is no division.
- In Supermind Truth is the substance. It is the Truth that rises in the Idea (blue- print for creation). It is the Truth that comes out in the form.
- There is one truth of knowledge and will. There is one truth of self-fulfilment and delight.
- There is a self-existent and inalienable (inseparable) harmony in all mutations (changes) and combinations of forms in supramental creation.