Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 12
Man, in proportion as he develops into a self-conscious and truly thinking being, becomes acutely aware of all this discord and disparateness in his parts and he seeks to arrive at a harmony of his mind, life and body, a harmony of his knowledge and will and emotion, a harmony of all his members. Sometimes this desire stops short at the attainment of a workable compromise which will bring with it a relative peace; but compromise can only be a halt on the way, since the Deity within will not be satisfied eventually with less than a perfect harmony combining in itself the integral development of our many-sided potentialities. Less than this would be an evasion of the problem, not its solution, or else only a temporary solution provided as a resting-place for the soul in its continual self-enlargement and ascension. Such a perfect harmony would demand as essential terms a perfect mentality, a perfect play of vital force, a perfect physical existence.
EXPLANATION
As man grows and becomes a self-conscious, thinking being, he becomes aware of the discord and division in various parts of his being. He seeks to arrive at harmony of his body, life and mind. He tries to arrive at harmony of his knowledge and will and emotion and of all his parts.
In this process he arrives at a workable compromise which brings with it a relative peace. But this compromise is only an intermediary stop. Because the Divine within will not be satisfied with an imperfect harmony. A perfect harmony should combine in itself integral development of our many-sided potentialities. An imperfect harmony is an evasion of the problem. It does not give a permanent solution. It gives only a temporary solution which offers a resting-place for the soul in its journey of self-enlargement and ascent. A perfect harmony would demand a perfect mentality, a perfect play of vital force, a perfect physical existence as necessary condition.
But where in the radically imperfect shall we find the principle and power of perfection? Mind rooted in division and limitation cannot provide it to us, nor can life and the body which are the energy and the frame of dividing and limiting mind. The principle and power of perfection are there in the subconscient but wrapped up in the tegument or veil of the lower Maya, a mute premonition emerging as an unrealised ideal; in the superconscient they await, open, eternally realised, but still separated from us by the veil of our self-ignorance. It is above, then, and not either in our present poise nor below it that we must seek for the reconciling power and knowledge.
EXPLANATION
What we find in this world of body, life and mind is something quite imperfect and therefore we cannot find the principle and power of perfection. Our mind rooted in division and limitation cannot provide it; our life and body which are again, the energy and frame of our dividing and limiting mind cannot provide it.
The principle and power of perfection are there in the subconscient. But it is covered up by the lower Maya and emerging as an unrealised ideal. In the superconscient they await open and eternally realised. There also it is veiled from us by our self-ignorance. Therefore, we must seek for the reconciling power and knowledge in Supermind above, not in our present state nor in the state below (subconscient) us.
PARAGRAPH 13
Equally, man, as he develops, becomes acutely aware of the discord and ignorance that governs his relations with the world, acutely intolerant of it, more and more set upon finding a principle of harmony, peace, joy and unity. This too can only come to him from above. For only by developing a mind which shall have knowledge of the mind of others as of itself, free from our mutual ignorance and misunderstanding, a will that feels and makes itself one with the will of others, an emotional heart that contains the emotions of others as its own, a life-force that senses the energies of others and accepts them for its own and seeks to fulfil them as its own, and a body that is not a wall of imprisonment and defence against the world,—but all this under the law of a Light and Truth that shall transcend the aberrations and errors, the much sin and falsehood of our and others’ minds, wills, emotions, life-energies,—only so can the life of man spiritually and practically become one with that of his fellow-beings and the individual recover his own universal self.
EXPLANATION
As man develops, he becomes acutely aware of the discord and the ignorance that govern his relations with the world. As he becomes intolerant of this deficiency, he is more and more determined to find a principle of harmony, peace, joy and unity with his fellow beings in the world. This too can come to him only from his higher consciousness.
Man has to develop his mind which shall have knowledge of the mind of others as of itself free from ignorance and misunderstanding. He has to develop a will that makes itself one with the will of others. He must have an emotional heart that contains the emotions of other as his own. He must have a life-force that senses the life-energies of others and accepts them for its own and seeks to fulfil them as its own. He must have a body which is not imprisoned in its wall as a defence against the world.
All the above ideals have to be attained under the law of a Light and Truth that transcend the aberrations and errors; the much sin and falsehood of our and others’ minds, wills, emotions and life energies. Only then the life of man can become spiritually and practically one with his fellow beings. The individual would then recover his own universal-self from his present individual- self.
The subconscient has this life of the All and the superconscient has it, but under conditions which necessitate our motion upwards. For not towards the Godhead concealed in the “inconscient ocean where darkness is wrapped within darkness”,*4 but towards the Godhead seated in the sea of eternal light,*5 in the highest ether of our being, is the original impetus which has carried upward the evolving soul to the type of our humanity.
Foot Notes
*4Rig Veda, X. 129. 3.
*5The Waters which are in the realm of light above the Sun and those which abide
below.-Rig Veda, III. 22. 3.
EXPLANATION
The subconscient has this life of the All. We can realise it in Superconscient only under the conditions of our journey upwards. Towards what is the original force of movement which has carried the evolving soul upward to the type of our humanity moving? It is not moving towards the Godhead concealed in the inconscient ocean wrapped within darkness. It is moving towards the Godhead seated in the sea of eternal light.
PARAGRAPH 14
Unless therefore the race is to fall by the wayside and leave the victory to other and new creations of the eager travailing Mother, it must aspire to this ascent, conducted indeed through love, mental illumination and the vital urge to possession and self-giving, but leading beyond to the supramental unity which transcends and fulfils them; in the founding of human life upon the supramental realisation of conscious unity with the One and with all in our being and in all its members humanity must seek its final good and salvation. And this is what we have described as the fourth status of Life in its ascent towards the Godhead.
EXPLANATION
Mankind has to aspire to this ascent towards Supermind. This ascent has to be led through love, mental illumination and the vital urge to possession and self-giving. But only in Supramental unity these are transcended and fulfilled.
Human race has no other option. Either it has to aspire towards this ascent or fall by the way side and leave the victory to other creations of the Mother Nature.
Human life must be founded upon the supramental realisation of conscious unity with the One and with all in our being and in all its members (body, mind and life). This is the only way for it to attain its final good and salvation. This is what is described as the fourth status of Life in its ascent towards the Divine.