Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 6
The Divine descends from pure existence through the play of Consciousness-Force and Bliss and the creative medium of Supermind into cosmic being; we ascend from Matter through a developing life, soul and mind and the illuminating medium of supermind towards the divine being. The knot of the two, the higher and the lower hemisphere,*3 is where mind and supermind meet with a veil between them.
*3 parardha and aparardha.
EXPLANATION
The descent of the Divine from pure existence (sat) into cosmic being takes place through the play of Consciousness-Force and Bliss and the Supermind which serves as the creative medium. We ascend from Matter towards the divine being through a developing life, soul and mind and the illuminating medium of supermind. Sat-chit-ananda form the higher hemisphere, parardha. Matter, life, and mind form the lower hemisphere, aparardha. The knot of the higher and the lower is where mind and supermind meet with a veil (Overmind) between them.
The rending of the veil is the condition of the divine life in humanity; for by that rending, by the illumining descent of the higher into the nature of the lower being and the forceful ascent of the lower being into the nature of the higher, mind can recover its divine light in the all comprehending supermind, the soul realise its divine self in the all-possessing all-blissful Ananda, life repossess its divine power in the play of omnipotent Conscious-Force and Matter open to its divine liberty as a form of the divine Existence.
EXPLANATION
If the divine life in humanity is to become possible the veil separating the mind and supermind has to be removed. Only then the light from above will descend into the nature of the lower being; there will be forceful ascent of the lower being into the nature of the higher. Then mind can recover its divine light in the all comprehending supermind; soul will realise its divine self in the all-possessing all-blissful Ananda; life will repossess its divine power in the play of omnipotent Conscious-Force in the universe; Matter will be liberated into a form of divine existence. The present material forms would become forms of divine existence. These will be the conditions of the divine life in humanity.
(Where the Supermind meets the Mind there is a veil, that is the veil of the Overmind – the Golden Lid of the Isha Upanishad. And when that veil is broken, the truth of the Supermind burst upon and invades this lower hemisphere. Now it is these basic seven principles that are signified in the cryptic verse in the Veda which speaks of the infant of a year around whom they have woven seven threads. The infant of a year is ourselves. Sri Aurobindo remarks with a certain sarcasm that we are far from being adults in Nature, we are still infants! – Shri M.P.Pandit – Talks on The Life Divine, p. 171)
And if there be any goal to the evolution which finds here its present crown and head in the human being, other than an aimless circling and an individual escape from the circling, if the infinite potentiality of this creature, who alone here stands between Spirit and Matter with the power to mediate between them, has any meaning other than an ultimate awakening from the delusion of life by despair and disgust of the cosmic effort and its complete rejection, then even such a luminous and puissant transfiguration and emergence of the Divine in the creature must be that high-uplifted goal and that supreme significance.
EXPLANATION
The evolution has a goal. It is not an aimless circling (circle of birth, life and death) and an individual escape from the circling. The evolution finds here its present crown and head in the human being. It is the human being who alone stands here between Spirit and Matter. He has the infinite potentiality and the power to mediate between the Spirit and the Matter. His power and potentiality have a greater meaning on this earth than merely getting disgusted with this world in his efforts and rejecting it in despair.
The high-uplifted goal of this evolution is the luminous (with light) and puissant (powerful) transfiguration and emergence of the Divine in the human being. That is the supreme significance of this evolution.
PARAGRAPH 7
But before we can turn to the psychological and practical conditions under which such a transfiguration may be changed from an essential possibility into a dynamic potentiality, we have much to consider; for we must discern not only the essential principles of the descent of Sachchidananda into cosmic existence, which we have already done, but the large plan of its order here and the nature and action of the manifested power of Conscious- Force which reigns over the conditions under which we now exist. At present, what we have first to see is that the seven or the eight principles we have examined are essential to all cosmic creation and are there, manifested or as yet unmanifested, in ourselves, in this “Infant of a year” which we still are,—for we are far yet from being the adults of evolutionary Nature.
EXPLANATION
We have seen that the goal of human existence is the luminous transfiguration of body, mind and life and finally emergence of the Divine in man. This remains as an essential possibility in man. To change this possibility into a dynamic potentiality there are certain psychological and practical conditions needed. This means man must be able to realise his potentialities of divine nature in all his actions.
Before that, we should recognize the principles of the descent of Sachchidananda into our cosmic existence. Not only that, we must recognise the large plan of its order here and the nature and action of the manifested power of Conscious-Force (Chit-shakti). It is the power of Conscious-Force which rule the conditions of our cosmic existence.
We must first see that the seven or the eight principles are essential to all cosmic creation. Some are manifested in ourselves (body, mind and life). Some are yet to manifest in ourselves as we are still in the stage of year-old infants and we are far from being the adults of evolutionary Nature.
The higher Trinity is the source and basis of all existence and play of existence, and all cosmos must be an expression and action of its essential reality. No universe can be merely a form of being which has sprung up and outlined itself in an absolute nullity and void and remains standing out against a non-existent emptiness. It must be either a figure of existence within the infinite Existence who is beyond all figure or it must be itself the All-Existence. In fact, when we unify our self with cosmic being, we see that it is really both of these things at once; that is to say, it is the All-Existent figuring Himself out in an infinite series of rhythms in His own conceptive extension of Himself as Time and Space.
EXPLANATION
The higher Trinity, Sat-chit-ananda is the basis of all existence and play of existence. All cosmos must be an expression and action of Sachchidananda. The universe is not simply a form of being which had suddenly appeared out of nothing. Nor does it stand out against non-existent emptiness. Sachchidananda is the beginning and the end.
The universe must be a figure of existence within the infinite Existence (Sat) who is beyond all figure. Or the Universe must be itself the All-Existence (All is in Brahman and All as Brahman). In fact, when we rise to the level of Cosmic Consciousness, we realise that it is both within the infinite Existence and it is itself the All-Existence. That is Sachchidananda is both transcendent and universal. It is the All-Existent (Sat) figuring Himself out in an infinite series of rhythms. He extends Himself conceptively as Time and Space in the universe.
Moreover we see that this cosmic action or any cosmic action is impossible without the play of an infinite Force of Existence which produces and regulates all these forms and movements; and that Force equally presupposes or is the action of an infinite Consciousness, because it is in its nature a cosmic Will determining all relations and apprehending them by its own mode of awareness, and it could not so determine and apprehend them if there were no comprehensive Consciousness behind that mode of cosmic awareness to originate as well as to hold, fix and reflect through it the relations of Being in the developing formation or becoming of itself which we call a universe.
EXPLANATION
No cosmic action is possible without the play of an infinite Force of Existence (Chit-Shakti). It is that Force that produces and regulates all these forms and movements in the universe. That Force is an action of infinite Consciousness.
The Force is in its nature a cosmic Will determining all relations and apprehending them (meaning, creating and projecting those actions out of itself) by its own mode of self-awareness (Knowledge-Will). There is a comprehensive Consciousness behind that mode cosmic awareness to originate as well as to hold, fix and reflect through it the relations of Being (Sat)in the Universe. The universe is the developing formation or becoming of itself – the Being (Sat).