Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 5
All life depends for its nature on the fundamental poise of its own constituting consciousness; for as the Consciousness is, so will the Force be. Where the Consciousness is infinite, one, transcendent of its acts and forms even while embracing and informing, organising and executing them, as is the consciousness of Sachchidananda, so will be the Force, infinite in its scope, one in its works, transcendent in its power and self-knowledge. Where the Consciousness is like that of material Nature, submerged, self-oblivious, driving along in the drift of its own Force without seeming to know it, even though by the very nature of the eternal relation between the two terms it really determines the drift which drives it, so will be the Force: it will be a monstrous movement of the Inert and Inconscient, unaware of what it contains, seeming mechanically to fulfil itself by a sort of inexorable accident, an inevitably happy chance, even while all the while it really obeys faultlessly the law of the Right and Truth fixed for it by the will of the supernal Conscious-Being concealed within its movement.
EXPLANATION
The nature of life depends on the fundamental status of its own constituting consciousness. Life is the manifestation of Conscious-Force. Therefore, as the Consciousness is, so will be the Force and the resultant life. Consciousness and Force are inseparable.
The Consciousness can be infinite, one and transcendent (beyond) of its acts and forms like the consciousness of Sachchidananda. It can be so even while informing (imparting its essential quality), embracing, organising and executing the acts and forms. Consequently, the Force also will be infinite in its scope, one in its works and transcendent in its power and self -knowledge.
The Consciousness can be that of material Nature. It can be submerged, self-oblivious (not knowing itself) driven by its own Force without seeming to know it. In fact, the nature of relation between the Consciousness and the Force is such that it is the Consciousness that determines the drift which drives it. Consequently, the Force also becomes a monstrous movement of the inert and inconscient. It will be unaware of the Consciousness that drives it. The Force acts under the mechanical impulse to fulfil itself by an unstoppable accident. Or it may end up in an inevitable happy chance. All the while, it is very much obeying the faultless law of the Right (Ritam) and Truth (Satyam) fixed for it by the will of the supernal Consciousness (Supermind) hidden behind its movement.
Where the Consciousness is divided in itself, as in Mind, limiting itself in various centres, setting each to fulfil itself without knowledge of what is in other centres and of its relation to others, aware of things and forces in their apparent division and opposition to each other but not in their real unity, such will be the Force: it will be a life like that we are and see around us; it will be a clash and intertwining of individual lives seeking each its own fulfilment without knowing its relation to others, a conflict and difficult accommodation of divided and opposing or differing forces and, in the mentality, a mixing, a shock and wrestle and insecure combination of divided and opposing or divergent ideas which cannot arrive at the knowledge of their necessity to each other or grasp their place as elements of that Unity behind which is expressing itself through them and in which their discords must cease.
EXPLANATION
The Consciousness can be divided in itself as in Mind. It limits itself in various centres. Each centre tries to fulfil itself in complete ignorance of what is in other centres and of its relation to others. It is only aware of things and force in their apparent division and opposition to each other. It is ignorant of unity between them.
Consequently, the Force also will be like that. It will be like the life we lead and see around us. Here each individual seeks for its own self-fulfilment without taking into account the other lives. There will be conflict of divided and opposing forces. In the mentality, this takes the form of interchange, shock and wrestle of opposing and divergent ideas. They do not have the knowledge of their necessity to each other. They are not aware that they are in fact, the elements of that Unity which is expressing through them and in that Unity their differences must end.
But where the Consciousness is in possession of both the diversity and the unity and the latter contains and governs the former, where it is aware at once of the Law, Truth and Right of the All and the Law, Truth and Right of the individual and the two become consciously harmonised in a mutual unity, where the whole nature of the consciousness is the One knowing itself as the Many and the Many knowing themselves as the One, there the Force also will be of the same nature: it will be a Life that consciously obeys the law of Unity and yet fulfils each thing in the diversity according to its proper rule and function; it will be a life in which all the individuals live at once in themselves and in each other as one conscious Being in many souls, one power of Consciousness in many minds, one joy of Force working in many lives, one reality of Delight fulfilling itself in many hearts and bodies.
EXPLANATION
The Consciousness can be in possession of both the diversity and unity. The unity contains and governs the diversity. It is at once aware of the Law, Truth and Right of the All and the Law, Truth and Right of individual. The two become harmonised in a mutual unity.
Here the One knows itself as Many and the Many know themselves as One. Consequently, the Force also becomes of the same nature. The life obeys the law of unity and each fulfil itself in diversity according to its proper rule and function. All individuals at once live in themselves and in each other. They are like one conscious Being (Sat) in many souls, one power of Consciousness (Chit-Shakti) in many minds, one joy of Force working in many lives and one Delight (Ananda) fulfilling itself in many hearts and bodies.
PARAGRAPH 6
The first of these four positions, the source of all this progressive relation between Consciousness and Force, is their poise in the being of Sachchidananda where they are one; for there the Force is consciousness of being working itself out without ever ceasing to be consciousness and the Consciousness is similarly luminous Force of being eternally aware of itself and of its own Delight and never ceasing to be this power of utter light and self-possession. The second relation is that of material Nature; it is the poise of being in the material universe which is the great denial of Sachchidananda by Himself: for here there is the utter apparent separation of Force from Consciousness, the specious miracle of the all-governing and infallible Inconscient which is only the mask but which modern knowledge has mistaken for the real face of the cosmic Deity.
EXPLANATION
The first position is the consciousness of Sachchidananda. It is the status of unity and is the source of progressive relation between Consciousness and Force. They are one in Sachchidananda. The Force works out itself in consciousness without ceasing to be consciousness. Similarly, the Consciousness is eternally aware that it is the luminous Force of being. It never ceases to be the power of light and self-possession.
The second status refers to material nature. In material Nature there is the great denial of Sachchidananda by Himself. Here there is total separation of Consciousness and Force. Here the Inconscient becomes the all-governing principle with its infallible (incapable of committing a mistake) action. But what seems to be Inconscient is only apparent and not real. The modern spiritual philosophy has mistaken this appearance for real cosmic Deity.
The third relation is the poise of being in Mind and in the Life which we see emerging out of this denial, bewildered by it, struggling—without any possibility of cessation by submission, but also without any clear knowledge or instinct of a victorious solution—against the thousand and one problems involved in this perplexing apparition of man the half-potent conscient being out of the omnipotent Inconscience of the material universe. The fourth relation is the poise of being in Supermind: it is the fulfilled existence which will eventually solve all this complex problem created by the partial affirmation emerging out of the total denial; and it must needs solve it in the only possible way, by the complete affirmation fulfilling all that was secretly there contained in potentiality and intended in fact of evolution behind the mask of the great denial.
EXPLANATION
The third relation refers to the status of Mind and Life. Life emerges out of the Inconscient. Life is bewildered by the opposites of Sachchidananda it comes across in the course of its progressive journey. Man faces innumerable problems in Life caused by dualities. Though he is not succumbing to them, yet he is unable to find a victorious solution. He is a half-potent conscient being emerging out of the Inconscience of Matter.
The fourth relation is the status of Supermind. Here there is fulfilled existence. All the complex problems created by the partial affirmation of Life in its emergence from Matter are eventually solved. There is something contained potentially behind the mask of the great denial of Sachchidananda (in the second and third stages). There is complete affirmation of all that is hidden behind in the course of evolution in this fourth relation. This is the only possible way to solve the problems of Life and is the absolute necessity.
That is the real life of the real Man towards which this partial life and partial unfulfilled manhood is striving forward with a perfect knowledge and guidance in the so-called Inconscient within us, but in our conscient parts with only a dim and struggling prevision, with fragments of realisation, with glimpses of the ideal, with flashes of revelation and inspiration in the poet and the prophet, the seer and the transcendentalist, the mystic and the thinker, the great intellects and the great souls of humanity.
EXPLANATION
Presently man is leading a partial life and a partial unfulfilled manhood. He is striving forward towards the real life of the real Man as we find in the fourth poise in Supermind. There is perfect knowledge and guidance in the so-called Inconscient within us.
But in our conscient parts there is only a dim and struggling prevision. We have only glimpses of the ideal with fragment of realisation. The revelation and inspiration are only in flashes as received by the poet and the prophet, the seer and the transcendentalist, the mystic and the thinker, the great intellects and the great souls of humanity.