Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 8 (2nd Part) Contd…,
Both methods repose on death, one as a means, the other as a condition of life. And both presuppose as the condition of world-existence a constant struggle of the divided units with each other, each striving to maintain itself, to maintain its associations, to compel or destroy what resists it, to gather in and devour others as its food, but itself moved to revolt against and flee from compulsion, destruction and assimilation by devouring. When the vital principle manifests its activities in Matter, it finds there this basis only for all its activities and is compelled to bow itself to the yoke; it has to accept the law of death, desire and limitation and that constant struggle to devour, possess, dominate which we have seen to be the first aspect of Life.
EXPLANATION
In both the methods (aggregation and destruction) death is relied upon one as a means of life and the other as a condition of life. Both presuppose as the condition of world-existence a constant struggle of the divided units with each other. Here each unit strives to maintain itself, to maintain its associations. It compels and destroys what resists it. It eats others as food but itself revolts against assimilation and destruction by others.
The vital principle (Life) when manifesting its activities in Matter takes this as the basis only for all its activities. It is compelled to bow itself to the yoke. It has to accept the law of death, desire and limitation. It has to undergo that constant struggle to devour, possess, dominate which we have seen as the first aspect of Life.
And when the mental principle manifests in Matter, it has to accept from the mould and material in which it works the same principle of limitation, of seeking without secure finding, the same constant association and dissociation of its gains and of the constituents of its works, so that the knowledge gained by man, the mental being, seems never to be final or free from doubt and denial and all his labour seems condemned to move in a rhythm of action and reaction and of making and unmaking, in cycles of creation and brief preservation and long destruction with no certain and assured progress.
EXPLANATION
When the mental principle manifests in Matter also has to face similar limitations. Because it has to work within the rigid mould and material of Matter. The Mind always seeks knowledge but is unable to secure its knowledge on firm basis. There is always a constant association and dissociation of whatever the mind gains and of the constituents of its works. The knowledge gained by man never seems to be final. His knowledge is always subject to doubt and denial.
The mind of man is conditioned in such a way that all his labour seems condemned to move in a rhythm of action and reaction. He makes things and unmakes what he has made. All his actions are fit into cycles of creation, brief preservation and long destruction. His progress is never certain and assured.
PARAGRAPH 9
Especially and most fatally, the ignorance, inertia and division of Matter impose on the vital and mental existence emerging in it the law of pain and suffering and the unrest of dissatisfaction with its status of division, inertia and ignorance. Ignorance would indeed bring no pain of dissatisfaction if the mental consciousness were entirely ignorant, if it could halt satisfied in some shell of custom, unaware of its own ignorance or of the infinite ocean of consciousness and knowledge by which it lives surrounded; but precisely it is to this that the emerging consciousness in Matter awakes, first, to its ignorance of the world in which it lives and which it has to know and master in order to be happy, secondly, to the ultimate barrenness and limitation of this knowledge, to the meagreness and insecurity of the power and happiness it brings and to the awareness of an infinite consciousness, knowledge, true being in which alone is to be found a victorious and infinite happiness.
EXPLANATION
The law of pain and suffering is imposed on the vital and mental existence by the ignorance, inertia and division of Matter. It is an action of decisive importance. There is unrest of dissatisfaction with its status of division, inertia and ignorance.
Why the ignorance really brings pain of dissatisfaction? Because, the mental consciousness is not entirely ignorant; it cannot remain satisfied in some shell of custom; it cannot remain unaware of its own ignorance; it cannot remain unaware of the infinite ocean of consciousness and knowledge by which it lives surrounded (Supermind). Man’s mind is fully aware that it is ignorant.
The emerging consciousness in Matter awakes precisely to this. It awakes first to its ignorance of the world in which it lives. It has to know and master this in order to be happy. Secondly the emerging consciousness awakes to the meagreness (inadequacy) and insecurity of the power and happiness it brings. Thirdly it awakes to the awareness of an infinite consciousness, knowledge, true being in which alone is to be found a victorious and infinite happiness.
Nor would the obstruction of inertia bring with it unrest and dissatisfaction if the vital sentience emerging in Matter were entirely inert, if it were kept satisfied with its own half-conscient limited existence, unaware of the infinite power and immortal existence in which it lives as part of and yet separated from it, or if it had nothing within driving it towards the effort really to participate in that infinity and immortality. But this is precisely what all life is driven to feel and seek from the first, its insecurity and the need and struggle for persistence, for self-preservation; it awakes in the end to the limitation of its existence and begins to feel the impulsion towards largeness and persistence, towards the infinite and the eternal.
EXPLANATION
Why the obstruction of inertia (of Matter) brings with it unrest and dissatisfaction? Because the vital sentience (sense perception) emerging in Matter in not entirely inert; it is not satisfied with its own half-conscious limited existence; it is aware of the infinite power and immortal existence (Chit-Shakti) in which it lives as part of and yet separated from it; it has something within driving it towards the effort really to participate in that infinity and immortality.
But this is precisely what all life is driven to feel and seek from the first; its insecurity and the need and struggle for persistence; its need for self-preservation. It awakes in the end to the limitation of its existence. It begins to feel the impulsion towards largeness and persistence, towards the infinite and the eternal.
PARAGRAPH 10
And when in man life becomes wholly self-conscious, this unavoidable struggle and effort and aspiration reach their acme and the pain and discord of the world become finally too keenly sensible to be borne with contentment. Man may for a long time quiet himself by seeking to be satisfied with his limitations or by confining his struggle to such mastery as he can gain over this material world he inhabits, some mental and physical triumph of his progressive knowledge over its inconscient fixities, of his small, concentrated conscious will and power over its inertly driven monstrous forces. But here, too, he finds the limitation, the poor inconclusiveness of the greatest results he can achieve and is obliged to look beyond.
EXPLANATION
Life becomes wholly self-conscious in man. We have seen the unavoidable struggle and effort of his vital existence, aspiration of his mental existence amidst the Ignorance, Inertia and Division of Matter. They reach their peak in man and he begins to feel the pain and discord of the world. As man is the most conscious of all living beings he is also the most capable of feeling the pain and suffering. They become so perceptible to his senses that he cannot put up with them with a sense of satisfaction. The more one becomes conscious of one’s limitations the more becomes one’s pain. The animals do not have this problem because though they have limitations, they are not conscious of them and they do not have mental aspirations as human beings have.
Man may quiet himself by seeking to be satisfied with his limitations. Or he may confine his struggle only to the extent of gaining some mastery over this material world in which he lives. Or he can achieve some mental and physical victories of his progressive knowledge over the inconscient fixities (the laws of Nature) of the material world. For example, with scientific advancement man is able to overcome the limitations of physical space, extend the longevity of life by conquering diseases etc. He is able to use his limited conscious will and power over inertly driven monstrous forces of Nature (e.g., Harnessing of Wind Power, Hydro Power, Solar Power etc.) But here too, man only meets with his limitation. Whatever great results he can achieve remain inconclusive. He is always driven by his aspiration to look beyond his present state.
The finite cannot remain permanently satisfied so long as it is conscious either of a finite greater than itself or of an infinite beyond itself to which it can yet aspire. And if the finite could be so satisfied, yet the apparently finite being who feels himself to be really an infinite or feels merely the presence or the impulse and stirring of an infinite within, can never be satisfied till these two are reconciled, till That is possessed by him and he is possessed by it in whatever degree or manner. Man is such a finite-seeming infinity and cannot fail to arrive at a seeking after the Infinite. He is the first son of earth who becomes vaguely aware of God within him, of his immortality or of his need of immortality, and the knowledge is a whip that drives and a cross of crucifixion until he is able to turn it into a source of infinite light and joy and power.
EXPLANATION
All that is present as finite in this physical world is in truth the representation of Infinite. All that is finite in man has its source in infinite. His mind has its infinite source in Supermind. His Life force has its infinite source in the Chit-Shakti.
The finite in him is either conscious of a finite greater than itself (higher states of one’s own being) or of an infinite beyond itself. The finite still aspires to reach towards the infinite or its greater Self. It can never remain satisfied with its present limited state.
The apparently finite being in man feels himself to be really an infinite. Or he merely feels the presence of an infinite within him; he feels its impulse and stirring within him. He can never be satisfied till the finite and the Infinite are reconciled; till the Infinite is possessed by him and he is possessed by it in whatever degree or manner.
Sri Aurobindo says, man though appears as finite, is in reality the Infinite. It is certain that finally he will arrive at a seeking after the Infinite. He is the first being on earth who becomes dimly aware of God within him; he becomes aware of the Divine Presence in him and his Immortality and his need of immortality.
This knowledge, this awareness is driving him like a whip and is his cross of crucifixion till he is able to turn it into a source infinite light, joy and power.