Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 3
But where in us is this principle of Delight? through what term of our being does it manifest and fulfil itself in the action of the cosmos as the principle of Conscious-Force manifests and uses Life for its cosmic term and the principle of Supermind manifests and uses Mind? We have distinguished a fourfold principle of divine Being creative of the universe, — Existence, Conscious-Force, Bliss and Supermind. Supermind, we have seen, is omnipresent in the material cosmos, but veiled; it is behind the actual phenomenon of things and occultly expresses itself there, but uses for effectuation its own subordinate term, Mind.
EXPLANATION
We have seen in the previous paragraph that the fundamental impulse of Life is to seek for the delight. Now, the question comes to us, where in us is this principle of Delight? What is the corresponding term of our being through which does it manifest and fulfil itself in the action of the cosmos?
We know that the principle of Conscious-Force uses Life for its cosmic term. The principle of supermind manifests and uses Mind. There is fourfould principle of divine Being in creation of the universe. Existence, conscious-Force , Bliss (Sat-chit-ananda) and Supermind.
Supermind is all-present in the material universe but it is veiled. It is behind the actual phenomenon of things in the universe. It is occultly present and carries out its action through its subordinate term, Mind.
The divine Conscious-Force is omnipresent in the material cosmos, but veiled, operative secretly behind the actual phenomenon of things, and it expresses itself there characteristically through its own subordinate term, Life. And, though we have not yet examined separately the principle of Matter, yet we can already see that the divine All-existence also is omnipresent in the material cosmos, but veiled, hidden behind the actual phenomenon of things, and manifests itself there initially through its own subordinate term, Substance, Form of being or Matter. Then, equally, the principle of divine Bliss must be omnipresent in the cosmos, veiled indeed and possessing itself behind the actual phenomenon of things, but still manifested in us through some subordinate principle of its own in which it is hidden and by which it must be found and achieved in the action of the universe.
EXPLANATION
The divine Conscious-Force is omnipresent is the material universe but it is veiled. It operates secretely behind the actual phenomenon of things. It expresses itself through its subordinate term, Life. The divine All-existence also in omnipresent in the material universe but it is veiled. It is hidden behind the actual phenomenon of things. It manifests itself initially through its subordinate term Matter.
Then, equally, the principle of divine Bliss, being the aspect of Sat-chit-ananda, must be omnipresent in the cosmos but it is veiled. It is possessing itself (in full control) behind the actual phenomenon of things. It is manifested in us through some subordinate principle of its own. It must be found by the principle in which it is hidden and achieved in the action of the universe.
PARAGRAPH 4
That term is something in us which we sometimes call in a special sense the soul, — that is to say, the psychic principle which is not the life or the mind, much less the body, but which holds in itself the opening and flowering of the essence of all these to their own peculiar delight of self, to light, to love, to joy and beauty and to a refined purity of being. In fact, however, there is a double soul or psychic term in us, as every other cosmic principle in us is also double. For we have two minds, one the surface mind of our expressed evolutionary ego, the superficial mentality created by us in our emergence out of Matter, another a subliminal mind which is not hampered by our actual mental life and its strict limitations, something large, powerful and luminous, the true mental being behind that superficial form of mental personality which we mistake for ourselves. So also we have two lives, one outer, involved in the physical body, bound by its past evolution in Matter, which lives and was born and will die, the other a subliminal force of life which is not cabined between the narrow boundaries of our physical birth and death, but is our true vital being behind the form of living which we ignorantly take for our real existence.
EXPLANATION
The subordinate principle through which the principle of Divine Bliss (ananda aspect of Sachchidananda) is manifested in us is the soul. It is the psychic principle which is not the body, mind and life. The opening and flowering of the essence of our body, mind and life to their own delight of self, to light, to love, to joy and beauty and to a refined purity is contained in our psychic element. In other words, our outer being draws its sustenance from our psychic being. Every cosmic principle in us is double. Likewise, there is a double soul or psyhic term in us.
We have two minds. One is the surface mind of our expressed evolutionary ego. It is the superficial mentality created in our emergence out of matter. Another is our subliminal mind. Our subliminal mind is large, powerful and luminous. It enters into the universal mind and open to more infinite knowledge. It is not affected by our actual mental life and its strict limitations. It is the true mental being (manomaya purusha) behind the superficial form of mental personality. Generally, we mistake our superficial mentality as ourselves.
Similarly, we have two lives. One is outer, involved in the physical body. It is bound by its past evolution in Matter. It undergoes birth, living and death. The other is the subliminal life-force which is one with the universal life-force. This is not limited within the narrow boundaries of our physical birth and death. It is the true vital being (pranamaya purusha) behind the form of living. We ignorantly take our outer life in the physical body as our real existence.
Even in the matter of our being there is this duality; for behind our body we have a subtler material existence which provides the substance not only of our physical but of our vital and mental sheaths and is therefore our real substance supporting this physical form which we erroneously imagine to be the whole body of our spirit. So too we have a double psychic entity in us, the surface desire-soul which works in our vital cravings, our emotions, aesthetic faculty and mental seeking for power, knowledge and happiness, and a subliminal psychic entity, a pure power of light, love, joy and refined essence of being which is our true soul behind the outer form of psychic existence we so often dignify by the name. It is when some reflection of this larger and purer psychic entity comes to the surface that we say of a man, he has a soul, and when it is absent in his outward psychic life that we say of him, he has no soul.
EXPLANATION
Even in the physical matter of our being (body) there is a double aspect. Behind our body we have a subtler material existence – true subtle physical body. It extends itself into the universal material extension. It provides the substance not only of our physical body but of our vital and mental sheaths. It is therefore our real substance supporting our physical form. We erroneously imagine our outer physical body to be the whole body of the spirit.
Likewise, we have a double psychic entity in us. We have the surface desire-soul which works in our vital cravings (desires), our emotions, aesthetic faculty and mental seeking for power, knowledge and happiness. We have a subliminal psychic entity. It is a pure power of light, love, joy and refined essence of being. It is our true soul behind the outer form of psychic existence.
When there is a reflection of the larger and purer psychic entity comes to the surface of the man, we say he has a soul. When it is absent in his outward psychic life, we say he has no soul.
PARAGRAPH 5
The external forms of our being are those of our small egoistic existence; the subliminal are the formations of our larger true individuality. Therefore are these that concealed part of our being in which our individuality is close to our universality, touches it, is in constant relation and commerce with it. The subliminal mind in us is open to the universal knowledge of the cosmic Mind, the subliminal life in us to the universal force of the cosmic Life, the subliminal physicality in us to the universal force- formation of cosmic Matter; the thick walls which divide from these things our surface mind, life, body and which Nature has to pierce with so much trouble, so imperfectly and by so many skilful-clumsy physical devices, are there, in the subliminal, only a rarefied medium at once of separation and communication. So too is the subliminal soul in us open to the universal delight which the cosmic soul takes in its own existence and in the existence of the myriad souls that represent it and in the operations of mind, life and matter by which Nature lends herself to their play and development; but from this cosmic delight the surface soul is shut off by egoistic walls of great thickness which have indeed gates of penetration, but in their entry through them the touches of the divine cosmic Delight become dwarfed, distorted or have to come in masked as their own opposites.
EXPLANATION
Our external being (surface body, mind and life) is constituted by our small egoistic existence. Whereas our subliminal portion forms our larger and true individuality. Our individuality is in constant relation and is in commerce with our universality through our concealed subliminal part. There is constant interchange of forces between our individual existence and the universal.
The subliminal mind in us is open to the universal knowledge of the cosmic Mind. The subliminal life in us is open to the universal force of the cosmic Life. The subliminal body (subtle physical) is open to the universal force-formation of cosmic Matter.
Our surface body, mind and life are separated from their universal aspects by thick walls. Sometimes Nature tries to create opening in the wall with so much trouble and so imperfectly by skillful-clumsy physical means (Sri Aurobindo refers here the yogic exercises like pranayamas, concentration techniques on various chakras etc.) But the medium that separates our subliminal parts and the universal portion is so thin and negligible that they are always in communication with the universal though they are in separation from it.
Similarly, the subliminal soul in us is open to the universal delight. The cosmic soul takes the universal delight in its own existence; It also takes this delight in the multitude of souls that represent it and in the operations of mind, life and matter by which Nature lends herself to their play and development.
Our surface soul is shut off from this cosmic delight by egoistic walls of great thickness. These walls do have gates of penetration. The touches of cosmic delight enter through the opening of our egoist wall. But in their entry, they become dwarfed, distorted and have to come as their opposites.