Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 10
But this process is a necessity of that mutual devouring which we see to be the initial law of Life in Matter. Life, says the Upanishad, is Hunger which is Death, and by this Hunger which is Death, asanaya mrtyuh, the material world has been created. For Life here assumes as its mould material substance, and material substance is Being infinitely divided and seeking infinitely to aggregate itself; between these two impulses of infinite division and infinite aggregation the material existence of the universe is constituted. The attempt of the individual, the living atom, to maintain and aggrandise itself is the whole sense of Desire; a physical, vital, moral, mental increase by a more and more all-embracing experience, a more and more all-embracing possession, absorption, assimilation, enjoyment is the inevitable, fundamental, ineradicable impulse of Existence, once divided and individualised, yet ever secretly conscious of its all-embracing, all-possessing infinity.
EXPLANATION
Destruction by death is a necessity of the mutual devouring (eating) which is the initial Law in Matter. Upanishad says, Life is Hunger which is Death. The material world has been created by this Hunger which is Death (asanaya mrtyuh).
Life here assumes material substance as its mould. This material substance is Being infinitely divided. It seeks infinitely to aggregate itself. The material existence of the universe is constituted between these two impulses of infinite division and infinite aggregation.
The attempt of the individual, the living atom, to maintain and aggrandise (to become more powerful) itself is the whole sense of Desire. It is a physical, vital, moral, mental increase by a more and more all-embracing experience, a more and more all- embracing possession, absorption, assimilation and enjoyment.
This is the inevitable, fundamental, ineradicable impulse of Existence. This Existence which is divided and individualised, is yet ever secretly conscious of its all-embracing, all-possessing infinity.
The impulse to realise that secret consciousness is the spur of the cosmic Divine, the lust of the embodied Self within every individual creature; and it is inevitable, just, salutary that it should seek to realise it first in the terms of life by an increasing growth and expansion. In the physical world this can only be done by feeding on the environment, by aggrandising oneself through the absorption of others or of what is possessed by others; and this necessity is the universal justification of Hunger in all its forms. Still what devours must also be devoured; for the law of interchange, of action and reaction, of limited capacity and therefore of a final exhaustion and succumbing governs all life in the physical world.
EXPLANATION
The impulse to realise that secret consciousness is the urge of the cosmic Divine. It is the lust of the embodied Self within every individual creature. The fact that it seeks to realise it first in the terms of life by an increasing growth and expansion is inevitable, just and beneficial.
It can be done in the physical world by feeding on the environment; by increasing oneself through the absorption of others or their possessions. This necessity is the universal justification of Hunger in all its forms.
That which eats must also be eaten. Because the law of interchange, of action and reaction, of limited capacity which results in final exhaustion and death governs all life in the physical world.
PARAGRAPH 11
In the conscious mind that which was still only a vital hunger in subconscious life, transforms itself into higher forms; hunger in the vital parts becomes craving of Desire in the mentalised life, straining of Will in the intellectual or thinking life. This movement of desire must and ought to continue until the individual has grown sufficiently so that he can now at last become master of himself and by increasing union with the Infinite possessor of his universe. Desire is the lever by which the divine Life-principle effects its end of self-affirmation in the universe and the attempt to extinguish it in the interests of inertia is a denial of the divine Life-principle, a Will-not-to-be which is necessarily ignorance; for one cannot cease to be individually except by being infinitely.
EXPLANATION
There is vital hunger in subconscious life. It transforms itself into higher forms in the conscious mind. Hunger in the vital parts becomes craving of Desire in the mentalised life. It becomes the Will stretching itself to achieve something in the intellectual life.
This is the movement of desire which is caused by the self-limitation of the individual. Till he becomes the master of himself and one with the Infinite possessor of the universe, the individual is moved by the desire.
Like all other movements in the evolution Desire is also an intermediary movement. It is essential for the divine Life-principle to bring about its self-affirmation in the universe. Desire is a dynamic movement. It should not be put to an end by inertia. It amounts to denial of the divine Life-principle and Its Will to realise to itself. One can cease to be an individual only by being one with the Infinite.
Desire too can only cease rightly by becoming the desire of the infinite and satisfying itself with a supernal fulfilment and an infinite satisfaction in the all-possessing bliss of the Infinite. Meanwhile it has to progress from the type of a mutually devouring hunger to the type of a mutual giving, of an increasingly joyous sacrifice of interchange;—the individual gives himself to other individuals and receives them back in exchange; the lower gives itself to the higher and the higher to the lower so that they may be fulfilled in each other; the human gives itself to the Divine and the Divine to the human; the All in the individual gives itself to the All in the universe and receives its realised universality as a divine recompense. Thus the law of Hunger must give place progressively to the law of Love, the law of Division to the law of Unity, the law of Death to the law of Immortality. Such is the necessity, such the justification, such the culmination and self-fulfilment of the Desire that is at work in the universe.
EXPLANATION
How desire can end? It ends only by becoming the desire of the infinite instead of being the individual desire. Then, it would satisfy itself with a divine fulfilment. It would get an infinite satisfaction in the Infinite bliss.
In its progress it has to move from the type of a mutually eating hunger to type of a mutual giving. Here there is a joyous sacrifice of interchange. The individual gives himself to other individuals and receives back in exchange. The lower gives itself to the higher and the higher to the lower fulfilling each other. The human gives itself to the Divine and the Divine to the human. All in the individual gives itself to the All in the universe. The individual becomes universal in compensation.
The law of Hunger must progressively give place to the law of Love; the law of Division to the law of Unity; the law of Death to the law of Immortality. This is the necessity, the justification and the culmination and self-fulfilment of the Desire which is at work in the universe.
PARAGRAPH 12
As this mask of Death which Life assumes results from the movement of the finite seeking to affirm its immortality, so Desire is the impulse of the Force of Being individualised in Life to affirm progressively in the terms of succession in Time and of self-extension in Space, in the framework of the finite, its infinite Bliss, the Ananda of Sachchidananda. The mask of Desire which that impulse assumes comes directly from the third phenomenon of Life, its law of incapacity. Life is an infinite Force working in the terms of the finite; inevitably, throughout its overt individualised action in the finite its omnipotence must appear and act as a limited capacity and a partial impotence, although behind every act of the individual, however weak, however futile, however stumbling, there must be the whole superconscious and subconscious presence of infinite omnipotent Force; without that presence behind it no least single movement in the cosmos can happen; into its sum of universal action each single act and movement falls by the fiat of the omnipotent omniscience which works as the Supermind inherent in things.
EXPLANATION
We have seen that Death is a mask assumed by Life and is the result of the movement of finite (form) seeking to affirm its immortality. So is Desire which is the impulse of the Force of Being (chit-shakti) individualised in Life. It seeks to affirm itself progressively in succession of Time and extension of Space. It seeks to attain infinite Bliss and Ananda of Sachchidananda in the framework of the finite form.
Death, Desire and Incapacity are three phenomena of Life. Desire is the impulse which comes directly from its law of Incapacity. We know that Life is the outward aspect of Consciousness-Force (Chit-shakti) which by its nature is an infinite Force. It is working in terms of a finite form. By its nature it is omnipotent. But it appears that it has to work in a limited capacity and partial impotence of the form.
Every act of the individual may be weak, useless and stumbling. Yet there must be the whole superconscious and subconscious presence of infinite omnipotent force behind them. Without it not the least single movement in the cosmos can happen.
The action of the universe is the sum total of each single act and movement that takes place in it. Each act and movement happen under the command of the omnipotent omniscience (the all-knowing and all-powerful) which works as Supermind inherent in things.
But the individualised life-force is to its own consciousness limited and full of incapacity; for it has to work not only against the mass of other environing individualised life-forces, but also subject to control and denial by the infinite Life itself with whose total will and trend its own will and trend may not immediately agree. Therefore limitation of force, phenomenon of incapacity is the third of the three characteristics of individualised and divided Life. On the other hand, the impulse of self-enlargement and all-possession remains and it does not and is not meant to measure or limit itself by the limit of its present force or capacity. Hence from the gulf between the impulse to possess and the force of possession desire arises; for if there were no such discrepancy, if the force could always take possession of its object, always attain securely its end, desire would not come into existence but only a calm and self-possessed Will without craving such as is the Will of the Divine.
EXPLANATION
The life-force is individualised within a form. It is limited and full of incapacity on account of two factors. One, it has to work against the mass of other surrounding individualised life forces. Secondly it is subject to control and denial by the infinite Life itself. Because its own will and trend may not immediately agree with the total will and trend of the infinite Life.
Therefore, the third characteristic, namely the limitation of force and phenomenon of incapacity of individualised and divided Life happens.
On the other hand, the impulse of self-enlargement and all-possession remains. It is not limited by its present force or capacity. Hence there is a gap between the impulse to possess and the force of possession (which is limited). This gap leads to the birth of desire.
Let us assume that there is no discrepancy. Whatever we want to possess, we have the necessary force to securely obtain it. Then desire would not be there. Instead, we will have a calm and self-possessed Will without craving. This is nothing but the Will of the Divine.