Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 12
If we would understand the difference of this global Overmind Consciousness from our separative and only imperfectly synthetic mental consciousness, we may come near to it if we compare the strictly mental with what would be an overmental view of activities in our material universe. To the Overmind, for example, all religions would be true as developments of the one eternal religion, all philosophies would be valid each in its own field as a statement of its own universe-view from its own angle, all political theories with their practice would be the legitimate working out of an Idea Force with its right to application and practical development in the play of the energies of Nature.
EXPLANATION
We have seen that the Overmental Consciousness is global. Our mental consciousness is separative and only imperfectly synthetic. That is, our mind is sectional in its approach and even the sections it combines do not form the true whole. This is why Sri Aurobindo terms it imperfectly synthetic.
Once we compare our strictly mental view of activities in our material universe with what would be the overmental view of them we can get some sort of an understanding of the Overmental view of things.
For example, to the Overmind all religions would be true as developments of the one eternal religion. All philosophies would be valid each in its own field as a statement of its own universe-view from its own angle. All political theories with their practice would be the legitimate working out of an Idea Force. Each Idea Force has its right to application and practical development in the play of energies of Nature.
In our separative consciousness, imperfectly visited by glimpses of catholicity and universality, these things exist as opposites; each claims to be the truth and taxes the others with error and falsehood, each feels impelled to refute or destroy the others in order that itself alone may be the Truth and live: at best, each must claim to be superior, admit all others only as inferior truth-expressions. An overmental Intelligence would refuse to entertain this conception or this drift to exclusiveness for a moment; it would allow all to live as necessary to the whole or put each in its place in the whole or assign to each its field of realisation or of endeavour.
EXPLANATION
Our mental consciousness is a separative consciousness. Unlike the overmind consciousness, it is individual, not global. We get only imperfect glimpses of catholicity (all-inclusive comprehensiveness) and universality. Only in rare moments does our mind get a sense of wideness and cosmic oneness. Most of the time our mind is a prisoner of its own ideas and impressions.
Therefore, in our mental consciousness these different religions, differing philosophies, political theories exist as opposites. Each claims to be the truth and taxes (accuses) the others with error and falsehood. Each feels forced to refute or destroy the others so that itself alone may be the truth and survive. At best each must claim to be superior and admit all the others as inferior -Truth expressions.
An overmental Intelligence would refuse to admit this conception. Nor would it drift to this exclusiveness for a moment. It would allow all to live as necessary to the whole. It would put each in its place in the whole. It would assign to each its field of realisation or its endeavour.
This is because in us consciousness has come down completely into the divisions of the Ignorance; Truth is no longer either an Infinite or a cosmic whole with many possible formulations, but a rigid affirmation holding any other affirmation to be false because different from itself and entrenched in other limits. Our mental consciousness can indeed arrive in its cognition at a considerable approach towards a total comprehensiveness and catholicity, but to organise that in action and life seems to be beyond its power.
EXPLANATION
Our individual consciousness has come down completely into the divisions of the Ignorance. Our mind can conceive only partial Truth. Here Truth does not assume the character of an Infinite or a cosmic whole with many possible formulations.
What we perceive as Truth in our mind is nothing but a rigid affirmation. We reject any other affirmation as false because it is different and deeply rooted in other limits.
It is quite possible that in our mental awareness we can arrive at a considerable approach towards a total comprehensiveness and catholicy. But it is beyond the power of the mind to organise that in action and life. For example we can mentally appreciate the fact that the various paths we follow take us to the One Source, the Divine. But when it comes to practice we assert that our path is superior to others.
Evolutionary Mind, manifest in individuals or collectivities, throws up a multiplicity of divergent view-points, divergent lines of action and lets them work themselves out side by side or in collision or in a certain intermixture; it can make selective harmonies, but it cannot arrive at the harmonic control of a true totality.
EXPLANATION
What is manifest in individuals or collectivities is the evolutionary Mind. The evolutionary Mind is still under the grip of Matter and Life. (Please refer: Chapter XVIII – Mind and Supermind, p. 173: — “we who are only the first shackled movement of the Mind which is evolving in Matter, we who are not yet liberated from the conditions and effects of that involution of spirit in form, that plunge of Light into its own shadow by which the darkened material consciousness of physical Nature was created”).
It throws up a multiplicity of divergent view-points, divergent lines of action. No two minds act on the same lines.
The divergent factors are allowed to work themselves out, side by side or in collision or in a certain intermixture. It can make selective harmonies. Selective harmonies means harmony arising out of a limited objective or based on a particular creed or belief etc. But it cannot arrive at the harmony established as a result of a true totality. Real harmony can come only if it is founded on Oneness.
Cosmic Mind must have even in the evolutionary Ignorance, like all totalities, such a harmony, if only of arranged accords and discords; there is too in it an underlying dynamism of oneness: but it carries the completeness of these things in its depths, perhaps in a supermind-overmind substratum, but does not impart it to individual Mind in the evolution, does not bring it or has not yet brought it from the depths to the surface. An Overmind world would be a world of harmony; the world of Ignorance in which we live is a world of disharmony and struggle.
EXPLANATION
Even in the evolutionary Ignorance, Cosmic Mind, like all totallities must have such a harmony; though the harmony may be of arranged accords and discords (we have seen that Overmind on one side is associated with Supermind and on the other side is associated with the triple world of Ignorance as a delegate of supermind.The division starts from Overmind. Yet the divisions are arranged in such a way that harmony is ensured). It is because there is also in it an underlying dynamism of oneness. In its depths, in an underlying support of supermind-overmind base, it carries the completeness of these things. But it does not transmit this completeness to individual Mind in evolution. It does not bring or has not yet brought this completeness from the depths to the surface.
An Overmind world would be a world of harmony. We live in a world of evolutionary Mind. It is a world of Ignorance and disharmony and struggle.
(All the movements in the world, political, social, economic, the overemental principle is to allow and pursue each possibility to its farthest limit, but there is always a global view: each one is valid in the whole. The normal mental view does not take it for granted that all are movements of the One; ‘Total’ to the mind is a collection of all, there is no sense of underlying unity. And yet there is no fall from truth as yet, because the sense of oneness is still there, it continues though in the background. Religion for instance: All the religions will be looked upon at the overmental level as truths, each religion having its own truth; at the mental level we feel that this religion is superior, that religion is inferior; even if by extending our mind and vision we admit the truth that all have their validities, all have their truths, still in working at the level of ignorance, the mind is unable to translate this conception in to a living practice – Shri M.P.Pandit: Talks on the Life Divine, p. 183-184)
PARAGRAPH 13
And still we can recognise at once in the Overmind the original cosmic Maya, not a Maya of Ignorance but a Maya of Knowledge, yet a Power which has made the Ignorance possible, even inevitable. For if each principle loosed into action must follow its independent line and carry out its complete consequences, the principle of separation must also be allowed its complete course and arrive at its absolute consequence; this is the inevitable descent, facilis descensus, which Consciousness, once it admits the separative principle, follows till it enters by obscuring infinitesimal fragmentation, tucchyena,* into the material Inconscience,—the Inconscient Ocean of the Rig Veda, —and if the One is born from that by its own greatness, it is still at first concealed by a fragmentary separative existence and consciousness which is ours and in which we have to piece things together to arrive at a whole.
* Rig Veda, X. 129. 3.
EXPLANATION
We can recognise in the Overmind the original cosmic Maya. It is not a Maya of Ignorance but a Maya of Knowledge. Yet it is the power that made the Ignorance possible, even inevitable.
We know that in Overmind each principle of Divine Reality is loosed into its separate action. Each must follow its independent line of action and carry out its complete consequences. The principle of separation must also be allowed its complete course and arrive at its absolute consequence.
This is the inevitable descent. Sri Aurobindo is using the Latin phrase ‘ facilis descensus’ meaning the descent to hell is easy; it is easy to take the downward path (from the Latin epic poem Aenid written by Virgil- a Roman poet).
It is called inevitable descent because the consciousness once it admits the separative principle plunges into material Inconscience by obscuring (hidden by darkness) infinitesimal fragmentation (tuchchyena). (Here Sri Aurobindo refers to the Inconscient Ocean of Rig Veda – ref Ch XXII – The Problem of Life, p.230 – “For not towards the Godhead concealed in the “inconscient ocean where darkness is wrapped within darkness”,- (Rig Veda, X. 129. 3.) but towards the Godhead seated in the sea of eternal light, in the highest ether of our being, is the original impetus which has carried upward the evolving soul to the type of our humanity.)
The Divine is still at first concealed by our fragmentary separative existence and consciousness. We have to piece things together to arrive at a whole.
In that slow and difficult emergence a certain semblance of truth is given to the dictum of Heraclitus that War is the father of all things; for each idea, force, separate consciousness, living being by the very necessity of its ignorance enters into collision with others and tries to live and grow and fulfil itself by independent self-assertion, not by harmony with the rest of existence. Yet there is still the unknown underlying Oneness which compels us to strive slowly towards some form of harmony, of interdependence, of concording of discords, of a difficult unity.
EXPLANATION
The Consciousness which had plunged into material Inconscience makes a slow and difficult emergence. This process of struggle bears semblance (similarity) of truth to the dictum of Heraclitus ( a Greek Philosopher who said “ War is father of all, and king of all. He renders some gods, others men; he makes some slaves, others free ) says Sri Aurobindo. It is by struggle something new emerges.
Because each idea, force, separate consciousness, living being is in ignorance. By the very necessity of its ignorance each enters into collision with others. Each tries to live and grow and fulfil itself by independent self-assertion and not by harmony with the rest of existence. Let us imagine a group of people moving about in a dark room. Each one is completely ignorant of the movement of the others. In such a scenario collision is inevitable.
Yet there is still the unknown underlying Oneness. It compels us to strive slowly towards some form of harmony, of interdependence, of concording of discords, of a difficult unity.