Chapter XXV : The Knot of Matter – Para 5 to 7

Study Notes

PARAGRAPH 5
     First, then, the fundamental opposition Matter presents to Spirit is this that it is the culmination of the principle of Ignorance. Here Consciousness has lost and forgotten itself in a form of its works, as a man might forget in extreme absorption not only who he is but that he is at all and become momentarily only the work that is being done and the force that is doing it.

EXPLANATION
     Spirit is the culmination of Knowledge. Matter is the culmination of the principle of Ignorance. This is the fundamental opposition Matter presents to Spirit.
     At the level of material workings, Consciousness has lost and forgotten itself in a form of its works. It is like man, when he is engaged in his work, in a total self-absorption, may forget who he is; he becomes the work itself that is being done and the force that is doing it.

The Spirit self-luminous, infinitely aware of itself behind all workings of force and their master, seems here to have disappeared and not to be at all; somewhere He is perhaps, but here He seems to have left only a brute and inconscient material Force which creates and destroys eternally without knowing itself or what it creates or why it creates at all or why it destroys what once it has created: it does not know, for it has no mind; it does not care, for it has no heart.

EXPLANATION
     The Spirit is self-luminous and infinitely aware of itself behind all workings of force and their master. But at the level of the material Force, It seems to have disappeared and not to be present at all.
     The Spirit seems to exist elsewhere leaving only a brute and inconscient material Force here below. This inconscient Force eternally creates and destroys. It is not knowing itself nor does it know what it creates or why it creates at all. It does not know why it destroys what once it has created. It has no mind and hence it does not know. It has no heart and hence it does not care.

And if that is not the real truth even of the material universe, if behind all this false phenomenon there is a Mind, a Will and something greater than Mind or mental Will, yet it is this dark semblance that the material universe itself presents as a truth to the consciousness which emerges in it out of its night; and if it be no truth but a lie, yet is it a most effective lie, for it determines the conditions of our phenomenal existence and besieges all our aspiration and effort.

EXPLANATION
     We may take a view that the material universe is not brute and inconscient as it appears; behind this false appearance there is a Mind and a Will and something greater than Mind or mental will. Yet the material universe presents itself as a dark appearance to the emerging consciousness in it. Even if that appearance is a lie, it seems to be the most effective lie. Because it determines our existence in the physical world. Our aspiration and efforts are overpowered by it.

PARAGRAPH 6
     For this is the monstrous thing, the terrible and pitiless miracle of the material universe that out of this no-Mind a mind or, at least, minds emerge and find themselves struggling feebly for light, helpless individually, only less helpless when in self-defence they associate their individual feeblenesses in the midst of the giant Ignorance which is the law of the universe. Out of this heartless Inconscience and within its rigorous jurisdiction hearts have been born and aspire and are tortured and bleed under the weight of the blind and insentient cruelty of this iron existence, a cruelty which lays its law upon them and becomes sentient in their sentience, brutal, ferocious, horrible.

EXPLANATION
     The material universe appears to be monstrous, terrible and a pitiless miracle. Out of this state of no-Mind, a mind or at least minds emerge. They find themselves struggling feebly for light. Individual minds are helpless in this state. But in self-defence they associate their individual feeblenesses in the midst of the giant Ignorance of the material Universe. By doing so they become less helpless. By a collective mentality they become empowered than being an individual mind.
     Out of this heartless Inconscience and within the rigorous jurisdiction of the Matter hearts (Life) have been born and they aspire. They are tortured and bleed under the inanimate cruelty of this iron existence. The cruelty of the material universe lays its laws upon the hearts and makes them become cruel, ferocious, horrible.

But what after all, behind appearances, is this seeming mystery? We can see that it is the Consciousness which had lost itself returning again to itself, emerging out of its giant self-forgetfulness, slowly, painfully, as a Life that is would-be sentient, half-sentient, dimly sentient, wholly sentient and finally struggles to be more than sentient, to be again divinely self-conscious, free, infinite, immortal. But it works towards this under a law that is the opposite of all these things, under the conditions of Matter, that is to say, against the grasp of the Ignorance. The movements it has to follow, the instruments it has to use are set and made for it by this brute and divided Matter and impose on it at every step ignorance and imitation.

EXPLANATION
     Behind these brutal appearances, what is this seeming mystery? It is the Consciousness which had lost itself returning again to itself. It is emerging out of its giant self-forgetfulness. This process of emergence happens slowly, painfully as a Life. Life at first is insensitive (would-be sentient -matter). It slowly acquires the capacity to perceive and feel (half-sentient -plant). Life becomes dimly sentient in animals. It becomes fully self-aware (wholly sentient – in humans). It tries to go beyond this self-awareness to become divinely self-conscious, free, infinite and immortal.
     It works towards attaining this perfection amidst the law of Matter which is the opposite of all these things, against the grasp of the Ignorance. In order to achieve its purpose, Life follows certain movements and uses certain instruments set for it by this brute and divided Matter. Ignorance and limitation are imposed on Life at every step by Matter.

PARAGRAPH 7
     For the second fundamental opposition that Matter offers to Spirit, is this that it is the culmination of bondage to mechanic Law and opposes to all that seeks to liberate itself a colossal Inertia. Not that Matter itself is inert; it is rather an infinite motion, an inconceivable force, a limitless action, whose grandiose movements are a subject for our constant admiration. But while Spirit is free, master of itself and its works, not bound by them, creator of law and not its subject, this giant Matter is rigidly chained by a fixed and mechanical Law which is imposed on it, which it does not understand nor has ever conceived but works out inconsciently as a machine works and knows not who created it, by what process or to what end.

EXPLANATION
     Whatever be the movements of Matter they are always bound to mechanic law. All the physical laws are mechanical and repetitive so much so that Science makes forecasts about future celestial events. The bondage to mechanic law results in a colossal Inertia which is the second fundamental opposition Matter offers to Spirit. Matter is under colossal inertia and it opposes to all that seeks to liberate from it.
     Matter itself is not inert. It is an infinite motion, a limitless action. Take for example how the Sun produces a limitless force and energy. We always admire the grand scale of its movements. With the advent of scientific instruments like Hubble telescope man is ever discovering the marvels of the universe.
     Spirit is free, master of itself and its works. It is the creator of law and not bound by them. But the Matter though giant in its scale of operations, is rigidly chained by a fixed mechanic Law which is imposed on it. Without understanding this Law, Matter works out inconsciently as a machine works. It is completely ignorant of who created this Law, by what process and what purpose it serves.