Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 2
The Truth-Consciousness is everywhere present in the universe as an ordering self-knowledge by which the One manifests the harmonies of its infinite potential multiplicity. Without this ordering self-knowledge the manifestation would be merely a shifting chaos, precisely because the potentiality is infinite, — which by itself might lead only to a play of uncontrolled unbounded Chance. If there were only infinite potentiality without any law of guiding truth and harmonious self-vision, without any predetermining Idea in the very seed of things cast out for evolution, the world could be nothing but a teeming, amorphous, confused uncertainty.
EXPLANATION
The universe is the manifestation of One into multiplicity. There is underlying harmony behind all multiplicity. It is the ordering self-knowledge (Ritam) of the Truth-Consciousness which ensures this harmony in multiplicity.
It is the infinite which manifests in this finite world. Therefore, the potentiality of this manifestation is also infinite. Left to itself this unbounded and uncontrolled play of Chance would lead to chaos and confusion in this world. It is this ordering self-knowledge which ensures harmony and order in the universe.
There is a law of guiding truth. There is a harmonious self-vision. There is a predetermining Idea in the very seed of things that are emerging out in evolution in the universe. Without these, the world would be full of shapeless and formless things characterised by confusion and uncertainty.
But the knowledge that creates, because what it creates or releases are forms and powers of itself and not things other than itself, possesses in its own being the vision of the truth and law that governs each potentiality, and along with that an intrinsic awareness of its relation to other potentialities and the harmonies that are possible between them; it holds all this prefigured in the general determining harmony which the whole rhythmic Idea of a universe must contain in its very birth and self-conception and which must therefore inevitably work out by the interplay of its constituents.
EXPLANATION
It is the self-knowledge that creates. It creates and releases only forms and powers of itself. It does not create anything other than itself. There is truth and law that governs each potentiality of created things. It is the self-knowledge (of the Truth-Consciousness) that possesses in itself the vision of this truth and law. It also possesses in itself the knowledge of its relation to other potentialities and the possible harmonies between the created things.
There is a general harmony among the created things in the universe. What is underlying beneath this harmony is the truth and law of this self-knowledge. The whole Idea of a universe must contain this general harmony that has to be worked out by the inter-play of various created things in the universe.
It is the source and keeper of Law in the world; for that law is nothing arbitrary—it is the expression of a self-nature which is determined by the compelling truth of the real idea that each thing is in its inception. Therefore from the beginning the whole development is predetermined in its self-knowledge and at every moment in its self-working: it is what it must be at each moment by its own original inherent Truth; it moves to what it must be at the next, still by its own original inherent Truth; it will be at the end that which was contained and intended in its seed.
EXPLANATION
The self-knowledge is the source and keeper of Law in the world. There is a real idea born with each thing in the universe. The truth of the real idea expresses itself as self-nature. It expresses itself as Law governing each of the created things. Therefore, the Law that governs the world is not arbitrary (meaning- acting without any reason). It is governed by the truth of the self-knowledge.
How the creation proceeds in the universe? Right from the beginning all development in the universe is pre-determined in the self-knowledge that is behind the creation. Every moment of its self-working is predetermined. What should be at each moment is determined by its own original inherent (inborn) Truth. It moves to what must be at the next moment still by its own Truth. It becomes at the end what is contained and intended in the seed of self-knowledge.
PARAGRAPH 3
This development and progress of the world according to an original truth of its own being implies a succession of Time, a relation in Space and a regulated interaction of related things in Space to which the succession of Time gives the aspect of Causality. Time and Space, according to the metaphysician, have only a conceptual and not a real existence; but since all things and not these only are forms assumed by Conscious-Being in its own consciousness, the distinction is of no great importance. Time and Space are that one Conscious-Being viewing itself in extension, subjectively as Time, objectively as Space.
EXPLANATION
We have seen that the development and progress of the world is guided by the original truth of its own being. Such an activity implies succession of Time and relation in Space. Also, it involves interaction of related things in Space. The succession of Time gives to this interaction the aspect of cause and effect – Causality. For example, when smoke is followed by fire, we say smoke is caused by fire.
Metaphysician (philosopher) says Time and Space are only concepts (ideas) and they have no real existence. All things in the universe are forms assumed by Conscious-Being in its own consciousness. Since Time and Space also are aspects of Conscious-Being, the distinction between Time and Space are of no importance. The Conscious-Being views itself in extension subjectively (something that we can feel but cannot see physically) as Time, objectively (we can see physically) as Space.
Our mental view of these two categories is determined by the idea of measure which is inherent in the action of the analytical, dividing movement of Mind. Time is for the Mind a mobile extension measured out by the succession of the past, present and future in which Mind places itself at a certain standpoint whence it looks before and after. Space is a stable extension measured out by divisibility of substance; at a certain point in that divisible extension Mind places itself and regards the disposition of substance around it.
EXPLANATION
How our mind views Space and Time? Our Mind is characterised by analysis and division. Our Mind views the Space and Time by its process of measuring.
Our mind takes note of Time as mobile extension. Mind measures Time by succession of the past, present and future. Mind takes a position at a certain standpoint and looks before and after that point of Time.
Mind measures out Space by divisibility of substance. Space is a stable extension for the Mind. Mind places itself at a certain point in that divisible extension of Space and regards the substance, near and far as they are arranged around that point.
We measure time by events. We have events in the past, present and future. We are situated in a particular moment in time with the past behind us and future in front, but our position keeps moving towards the future. Normally we think of time and space together. If we walk from one point to another, we say we have covered 50 feet in 20 seconds. So, Sri Aurobindo coined these words mobile extension and stable extension. We cannot think of movement without the backdrop of stability.