gSTTTGt|CtPAEI'UA

C'F
WANqTRA

b!
SADHU SANTIDEV

VOLUME5
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CONTENTS
@ CosmoPublications
't. ThewakingStateandThe'why'
FirstPublished1999
ol the Samadhi-Plunge 1
- Whatis SamadhiorYogic
Trance?
ISBN 81.702t!86!7 (set)
81-702u86&8 (vol'tme5) TheCJitlqueoI theTrancesolution 21
TheCrilioueotlh
'Jivanmukti-Solution' 31
Thelssue: Statusol Dynamis
Themind-Consciousness :
Its Achievmnelsand Failures 53
TheInwa.dizationand the Ascension 71
7. TheConquest 93
Published by
8. Sureivara 105
MRS.RANIKAPOOR
PUBLICATIONS Div of - TheWorksof theAuthorof theVartika
t<.rrCOSMo
GJ'NESIS
PUBLISHING PVI.LTD. - Ih6 closeconnection betweenthe
24-B,AnsariRoad, BrahmaSiddhiandtheSambandhaVartika
DaryaGanj, - TheRavalDoctrines Examined in the
INDIA
NewDelhi-110002, SambandhaVartika
- Refutation
of Mandana's Posilionsin the
Vartika
- TheTretment of lhe Dockineot
Bhartrpraancain theVartika
- Nretaphysical
lgnorance in Suresvara
- Objectionsandanswersonthesubject
 of lvlelaphysical Ignorance
Thetrealment of lgnorance by Sri 9. TheMasreryol the Nighls 227
Sankara andSuresvara Compared - HowBestto Enterihe Stateol Sleep?
Enquiryintotheseatof ignorance and - Howto Relaan theAwareness
the objeclwithil conceals
of Dreams?
TheOperation ofthelvleansol Knowledge - HowtoGrowConscious in Sleep
Cancellalion ol lllusion - TheLureol theDream-Consciousness
Authorityot theVeda:Roleof
't0. TheVisionotlhe DivineBody 237
NegativeTexls
Preception, etcCannolContradicl 11. TheConquestof Sleep 243
theVeda - HowtoReducetheHoursof Sleep?
Treatment of theTopicof Cause - Howto Eliminate the Necessity
and Eifecl ol Sleep?
Thetrealment of Universal and '12. Attemptsai'Kayasiddhi'
Particular
Thetreahent ol theDiscrimination and Reiuvenation 257
of the FiveSheaths 13. TheMysteryof Lifeand Dealh
Teaching byexaminalion olThe - Deathat theServiceof Lile
ThreeStatesoJWaking, Dramand
Sleep 14. Metaphysical Factorsof Dealh 283
Dreamless
Cantherebean Injunclion tor - FirstFactor
Knowledge TheParlAgainsttheWhole
Compaison ol SriSankara and SecondFactor
Suresvara ontheTopicof Hearing The ParlAgainstAllOtherParts
andthe Rests ThirdFaclor
TheIniunclion lor Inne.andOuterConlrol AclionandReaction
andlhe otherdisciplines - FourthFactor
HowActionandMediiation Relale LiletheConsumer
- FifthFactor
Thereis nootherLiberation Excepl
Eradication of lgnorance Warollhel\rembers
- SixthFactor
All Dualityis lmagined lhrough
lgnorance lmpertect Poiseol Consciousness
Thetormot Non-Duality Approved andForce
in thevartika - SevenlhFaclor
Thetntiniteas a Summation of
lhe Finite
 viii

ThePhysiologyot Senescence and Death

- fi/eiaphysics
ol Lifeand Death

Chapter-1
'why'
TheWakingstateand The
of the Samadhi-Plunge
Chapter-1

Above us dwells a superconscientgod

Hiddan in the mystery of his own light:
Arcundus is a vastoI ignorance
Lil by the uncartain ray ol the human mind,
Below us sleeps the lnconscient datk ancl mute
(SriAurobindo, Sayttr;BookVll, Cantoll, p.484)
Since mind-consciousness is lhe sole wakingstate pos-
sessed by mental baing,...il cannot otdina ly quile enter into
another without leaving behind completely both all our waking
existenieand all ou inwardmind.This is the necessityof the
Yogictrance
(sri Aurobindo,The Synthesisol Yoqa,p.379).
To enler into Sahadhi is to passinlo a state of whichno
consciousmemoryremainson awakening...
When people speak ol Samadhi, I te them, "We , try to
developyoul innerindividualityand you can enter into these very
regionsinfull consciousness,with the delightof communionwith
the highest rcgions without losing consciousnessfor thal and
retuming with a zefo in,tead ol an expeience."
Bu etin,Vol.XlV, No. 3, pp. 43-45)
flhe N,lolher,
Yes,they[a the states ol higherrcalisation]can be aftained
even in lull activity. Tance is not essential.
(SriAurobindo,Lettercon Yoga,p.744)
A THOROUGHGOING psychologicalself-invesligalion
lar
kanscendingits presentartilicialbounds, an occull-spirilual
ex-
ploralionot the tolallieldol our boing,revalsthe truththatwhat
we normallyknowoi ourselvesis not all we are: il is no more
lhan'a bubbleon theoceanof our eristence,' lndeed,apartfrom
 Chaplef l

theveryinsigniJicanl andrestricled parloJourwakrng individual

consciousness, we arenormally perlectly ignoranl of thewhole s on the surlace,whal we know or lhink we know ol ourselves
ol the restof our being," lhe immensemore',lhat lieshidden and even believethat lhat is allwe are. is only a small part oi
in apparenllyinaccessible "reachesof beingwhichdescendinto our being , and by lar the larger part lies hidden"behindlhe
lhe protoundesl depthsol lhe subconscient andriseio highesl lrontalconsciousness behindthe veil,occtrltand knownonly by
peaksol superconscience, or whichsufioundthe littielieldol an occultknowledge."
ourwakingselfwitha widecircumconscienl existence ol which Whilein thisnormalwaking consciousness, a rnanbecomes
o!r mrndand sensecatchonlya lew indications." rxlerna ised and gazes outward and rarely il ever inward
As a matterof fact, followingthe ancientWisdomof the lparampasya nenlaralman). Hence the selt in this slalus ol
L.Jpanishads, we can broadlydividethe tolalityol our existence exlernal v,/aketulnesshas been described as wrse ol the oul_
into Jor.irprovincesor states:the waking siate' \jagrat).the watd (jegaritaslheno bahihprajfiah).Nospiiluallife or any higher
sublirninal or lhe'dream-state' (syapna), the superconscienl or or deeprrea isalionbecomespossibleif one remarnsietteredto
the sieep-state' (sr/suptland linallythe statebeyondor lhe lhrs wakrngslale
'ultimateslate'(lurjia,
Co(espondinglo lheselour stalesof our The Dream-Stab:fhisrepresentsthe subliminacondtion
existence,we havein us tour selvesor ratherlhe fourfold sta- ol our conscrousexislence,the largeluminousrealmol inlerior
lus ol the oneSelfthalis Brahman:the wakjngsellot Vaisvanara. consciousness, thal correspondslo lhe subller lile_plane
and
theWaker;thedream,se[or faiasa,ihe Dreamer;thesleep-setf mind planeand even a sublle physicalplaneor our being.ln
or P/e/,ia,the Sleeper;and tinallythe supremeor absotuteselJ deed. behindour outerexislence,our outer mind and lrleand
o t b e i n g , l h e F o u t t h ( c a t u r l h a ) ,t h e I n c o m m u n i c a b l e
(avyavahey@), lhe Ooewilhoulsecond(adyaia),ot whichthe
Our arger be ngs sits behindcrypticwalls:
threebetorearederivations, 'hprp
are grealnesseshrddenIn our unspFnparls
In less abstrlse and mysiicallerms,we may statethat the Thal wait their hour to slep into liles konl:
fourfoldscaleol beingdelineatedaboverepresenls,so to say,
lhe 'degrees of the ladderot being'that an embodied soulmust our inner Minddwellsin a largerlight,
successively atiainil he wouldseekio clrrnbbackhom hjs Its br ghtnesslooksal us throughhiddendoors;
phenomenaland ignorantslf-viewtowardsthe supreme
superconscience of thehigheststateof hissell-being. Butwhat A m ghly lile-sei wilh
are lhe essenlialtraits of theselour statuses? Supportslhe dwartishmodicumwe call life;
TheWakingState:Ow wakingconsciousness, theconscious-
ness lhal we normallypossssand that is dominatedby the Our bodys sublleself aslhronedwilhrn
physical mind,is a limping surlaceconsciousness shulupin the In rts viewlesspalaceol veridicaldreams.
bodylimitation andwilhinihe conlines o{thelittlebitol personal Thus,lhe subliminal reachoJour berngcomprrsesour Inner
mind.We are ordinarily awateonlyol our su ace selvesand -oxrslence, thal s to say, our inner mind, inner lile and inner
quiteignorant ot allthatlunctions behindlhe veil.Andvet.what physica wilh lhe soul or psychicentitysupporlingthem all. lt
s of lhe natureoi a secrelIntraconsctentano clrcumconscrenl
 Chapterl

awareness rnlullpossession
of a brillianlmindoower.a limoid in a sl'.silencora self-ecstasy.'
absorbedin its self-existence,
litetorceand un unclouded
subtlephysical senseol things. Aboutthe selfol thislourthortheTuriyastate,the Mandukya
It rs in th s subliminal realmof our interiorexistence. lhe UpanishaclsPeaks:
ream of subllesubjective supraphysical experiences and ot "Hewho is neitherinward-wise,nor oulward-wise, nor bolh
dreamsandvisionsandheavenly intimations, a vefltable word inwardand oulward wise, norwisdom seU-gathered, norpossessed
ol wondertul illuminations, thatour mindand vilalbeingretire ol wisdom,nor unpossessed of wisdom,H whois unseenand
whentheywilhdrawby inward-drawn concentralton fromtheirab, incommunicable u ,n s e i z a b l ef,e a t u r e l e s su, n t h i n k a b l e ,
sorplon In surlaceactivties, andunnameable, Whoseessentiality is awareness ol theSeliin
It s because ol ils inwardplungebringingn itsiraina wealth its singleexislnce, in Whomall phenomena dissolve, Who is
ol nnerexperiences, dreamsand visions,thatlhe selltn this Calm, Who is Good, Who is One than Whom lhere is no oiher,
statLrs has beentermedthe dream-self thatis wiseot lhe in, Himtheydeemthe lourth:He is the Self, He is the objectot
ward lsvapnastheno' ntahpajfiah). Knowledge."
The Sleep-State:This correspondsto a still higher Suchis lhen the fourtolddivisionof the totalityot our exist-
s r p e r c o n s c i e nsll a l u s , a s l a t e o l p u r e c o n s c t o u s n e s s ence,and true knowledge,that is to say,spiritualknowledge
\prajhanaghana), pwe blisslenandamayahyenandabhuk) andpwe aboulour seltbeingas well as aboutthe world-beingbecomes
naslety lsatvesvara).T his exaltedslateol seltabsorbedcon- availableto us onlywhenwe succeedin establishing a conscious
scrousness rs called'sleep'because all mentalor sensoryex- rapportwith the subliminaland the nowsuperconscient realms
peflencesceasewhen we enterthis superconscience. This oJ our being.But unforlunatelyour wakingslate is blissfully
'dreamlesssleep ignorantot its connectionwith or eventhe very existenceo t
state'{yatr supto...na kafrcanasvapnam
pasyall,), lhis statusoJmassedconsciousness and omnipotenl thesesupernalreaches.So the goalof Yogawhichis essentially
lnle )gerce(satvesvarasaNajfta),canlainsin it "alllhe powers an attemptat arrivingat an integrals6lf-knowledge, an entire
ot beingbula 1compressed withinitsetfandconcentrated solely conscrousness and powerot beinganda supremeLrnion or !nily
on lse I andwhenactive,thenactivein aconsciousness where withSachchidananda, the Existence-Consciousness-Bliss Ab-
a I rs the self."lt is in thissuperconscienl 'sleepstate'thaiwe solute,can be altainedonlyby a progressive ascension ot lhe
become"inherently and intrinsically conscious ot our sell and m nd lo higherandslilihigherplan6sor degreesoJconscious-
spirl, not as herebelowby a reflectton in silenlmindor bV
acquisrtion ol lhe knowledge oi a hiddenBeingwithinus; il is Butherea seriousandseemingleyinsuperable hitchpresents
throughil, throughlhateitherof superconscience, lhalwe can itseli.Formindis thesolewakingconsciousness pos,
aciLlally
passto a supremestatus.knowledge experience." sessedby rnanthe mentalbeingand thismindin its aclualily
TheTuriyaSlarc:fhis corresponds to the higheslstatuslar completelylails to remainawake,beyonda certainline,in lhe
lranscending reallyhigherstatesof realisalionwherethe heightenedand in-
thetirstthree,beingthestalusol puresell-exist-
enceandabsolutebeing,whereconsciousness tensiliedspirilualexperiences
are aothe natureot thingssought.
andunconscious_
nessas we acluallyconceiveol bothloselheir validily.lt is the Inrsalmostabsoluteincompatibililyof ourwakingmentalitywith
supremestateol Sachchidananda,'a he highestrangesol spiritualconsciousness is strikinglybrought
stateol superconscience
 out in thelollowingveryinteresling accountot Sri Ramakrishna,s
repeated lailuresto hain remainphysically awakeon thesum- therethe so!l experiencesin this way-'. Speakingso lar, as
mrlsol reaiisation. Swami Saradananda, soonas he startddtailingthe realjsationot the Supreme,he
one ol lhe closesl
direcldiscipls ol SriRarnakrishna wentintolhe Samadhislate. Attercomingoul ol histrancestate,
andthewriterof hisauthor! reporting
lative biography,is reporling: he recommenced again, bui againwntintoSamadhi.
Altetsuch repeated attemptsand lailurcsho spokoto us with
"ln howsirnpie lermslheThakur[i.e.SriFamakr]shnal used tearsin his eves:
lo expiarn lo L_ts
theseaJstruse lruthsol sptriluallile ' lvy sons,my intontion is to repo to youeverylhing wilh-
"'Well,something riseslrommyteelandclimbstowards the oui hidingthe l6astbit oi il: butlhe l\rotherwon'lallowme to
head.So longas it doesnotreachthe heao,reran consctous- speak- Shecompleloly shutmy mouthl'
ness; but as soon as it reacheslhere, an utter t'otgett'ulness
"Wewondered at lhisandthought:'How slrangellt is appar
ovenakes me- lhenlhereis no moreseeingor hearing, lar be
il to speakoltalking.'Who enl lhal he is kyingto reportand thathe is evensuffering be-
wouldspeakthen? _ Theverysense
causeof his lailurelo do so, but he seemslo be altogelher
oi l' and 'ThoLr'vanishesaltogether!| often decidelo speak
helplessin thismaller - Surelylhe Mothermusthavebeenvery
everylhing to yo!, all aboutthe visionsand experiences thal naughtyindeedlHe wantslo speakaboutholythings,aboutlhe
accompany lhisascension. So longas thal hasreachedso lar visionol God,andit is surelyoddthalSheshouldshuthismouth!'
Ipointingto his heart)ot evenso lar (pointingto his throat),jl
seemssomebodyshutsmy mouthand I fajltocontrotmv lorcet_ "Wedjd nol knowal timethatlhe mind'srangeis indeedvery
tutnessl tPonlng to histhloat)whenone ascenosstitituriier muchIrmitedand thal, unlessone proceedsfartherthen its
lhanihts level,no soonerlhanI conlemplate ior a mornenlto iartheslreach,one cannotexpeclto havethe realisationol the
speakoi lhe visionsand experiences there,the mindimmedr- Supremel ln ourinnocence we couldnot.understand ai lhaltime
atelyshootsupwardsand no reportjngbecomesanv mor-aoos- lhat out of sheerlovelor us lhe Thakurwas attemotino the
mpossiblel"
''Oh,innumerable SriRamakrishna himsellin hls inimiiabtestyleernphas sed
aretheoccaslons whentheThakur sought
to exerctse lhe utmostconkoloverhimsellso lhal hecouldreporl on morethanoneoccasion thislactof lhe inability
of our mind
10us aboutthetypesot experiences lhatonehaswhenthemind consciousness
to relainiis'poweroJconscious disceroment and
transcends thethroal-cenlrebuteachtimehe failedl... definngexperience'
whenit risesto thesuperconscient heights,
Onedav '1esaid:
he emphaticallv stated:
'''TodayI Whathappenswhenthe mindreachesthe seventhplane
mustspeakto youeverything , not a bil wouldI .
hide' and he startedto speak.He coutdverywe speakatl LanogoesintoSmadhilcannolbe described. Oncea boalenters
aboutthecentresuplotheheartandthethroal,andthenpoinl. the [blackwaters]ollheocean,il doesnotrelurn.Nobodvknows
whathappensto the boalallerthal.TheretoretheboatIi.e.Mindl
he said,.Whenever
inglo ihe junciionol his eye-brows the mrnd
ascendshere,lhe embodied udrlnolgrveus anyInformalionaboutlheocean,
soulhasa vjsionof lhe supreme
SellandgoesintoSamadhi. ''Ofce
Thenthereexistsbul a thintrans, a saltdollwentiomeasure ihedepthol theocean.No
parentveilbetween lhe individual
Selland the S!preme.And soonerdidit enterthewaterthanit melted. Now,whowouldtell
 10 Chapler-1
howdeeptheoceanwas?"
So it is seenthat jn the actualslate of our evolvedwaking
existence theascension andentryintothehigherrealmsol our
beingbecomesal all possibleonly by rccedingfartherand lar
lher Ircm the wakingmentality,by vtilhdtawingfrom and losing
touchwilh the dynamicsurfacelife and iakinga plungeinlolhe
immobileor ecstaticlrancaof absorbedsupetconscience.And
hereinliestor thespiritual seekerlhe necessily or eventhe in-
evilabilityol the Yogiclrancestate,so much Fo that n is em-
phalically asserled thatSamadhi is'notonlya suprememeans
ot arrivingal thehighesl consciousness, b!t...lheverycondition
andstatusof thathigheslconsciousness ilself,in whrchaloneit
can be completsly possssed andenjoyedwhilewe are in lhe
Butin lhal caseour goalotdynamicdivinisalion
oi lifebe-
comesforedoomedlo lailure. So we mustnow seewhether the
trancecanbe progressively intoa wakingSamadhi
transformed
andilsspirilualgains
mademanilest andacliveevenin ourwak-
In9extstence,
WHATISSAMADHI
ORYOGICTBANCE?
ln her owndepthsshehead the unuttercdthoughl
Thatmadeunrealtheworldand alllife meant.
'Whoart thouwhoclaim'stthycrownor separalebtrlh,
Theillusionol lhe soul'srcaity
Andperconalgoclheacl on an ignorantglobe
In the animalbodyof impedectman?
Onlythe blankEternalcan be true
All elseis shadowand flashin Mindbbrighl glass,
O soul,inventotof man'sthoughtsand hopes.
Thyselfthe inventianof lhe moments'stream,
illusions'centreor sublleapexpoint,
At lastknowthyself,from vainexistencecease."
($ Aurabindo,Saviil.,BookVll, CantaVl,p 535
rhewe!493919-34-I!9-9ry
Beyandthe realmof thought,trcnscendingthe domainol
duality, leavingMaya with all her changesand fiodilications
far behind,....shinesthegloryoltheEtenalBrahmanin the
Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Knowledge, knowet dissolve in the
mensttuumof One EternalConsciou'ness:bitth,growthand
death vanEh in that infinite Existence:and love. lovet and
belovedmeryeinthatunboundedoceanol SuptemeFelic,
tty... Breakingdownthe idge-polesol thattabenaclein which
the soul had made its abode lot untoldages-stillingthe
body, calming the mind and drowning the ego, comes the
sweetjoy ol Brahmanin thatsupetconsciousstate.Space
disappears in nothingness, time is swallowedup in Eter
nny...[and] it is all stillnessindefinable....
The Nivikalpa
Sanadhi is the highest fliqht ol Advaita Philosophy
(Llleof Sri Ramakrishna, AdvaitaAshrcm,Almoa, p. 181)
The acquisition ol the highestspiritual consciousness, at
leastslaticallyif nol dynamacally, is the goal of all spiritual
endeavor. But,as we havenotedbefore,the sDaritual reachesof
conscrousness lie taabehindand aboveour notmalwaking
mentality. Now lhe questionis: is it possiblelo possessthe
spirilualconsciousness whilestillremaining hbeddedin the
ordrnary menlalfunclioning? In otherwords, canlhe normalun-
regenerate sudac6consciousness andlhespiaitual onebecon-
comilant andsimultaneously operative? Seekers anallagesand
clrmes,who have ihe necessarycredentialsto pronounceon
this poinl,are universallyagreedto denylhis possibility.
So,broadlyspeaking,fourallernalivesmayopenout before
hose whoasprreafterspiritualily:
(i)Tocreatea division, a separation. a dissociataon of con-
scrousness and to be spiritual withinor abovewhilethe outer
conscroJsness and its ignorantmovemenls are Indiflerenfly
walched andfelltobesomething intrinsically
loreignanddrspa-
'ore lr s s thesolulion
ol the WitnessConsciousness .
(rr)To be satisiiedwiththe
indirectgloriesot the spiriiual
 rh. Wak'ng slale and The
12 Chaplerl

mavlunctlonin five dilferenllevelsor conditions(cilhbhhmayah).

consciousness as reflected and rellactedin lhe bosomol oul These.lrom down upwardsor lrom out inward,are (i) Ksiptaor
'spiritualmenlal lhe dissipatedconditionin whichthe mindis acliveand
normalmentality- This is whal hasbeentermed resltess,
reatsalron externalsedand runs aller objeclsol varioussorts;(ii) mtidha
(iii)Tostillandwithdraw lromthemenlalconscrousness and or lorprd,the stupeliedconditionin whichhe mind underthe in_
relire lo ihe supra-menlal reaches. This is whal can be called Iluence ot an excessjve larnas gravitales downwards and wal-
the'lrance-solulion- towsIn the obscuredepthsol ignorance:(iii) v,ksrplaordistracled,
a condilron in whichlhe mindbecomesrelatively paciliedand at
(iv)Totranslorm thenalureol thenormalwaking conscious- times somewhal concentrated but lhrown out again outwards
ness,to diviniseil as we wouldsay,by bringing downlherelhe becauseot lhe dislractingmovemenls; (iv) ekagraorconcen.
fullestweath and splendor of the spirilualheighls,so that its tfated,a condiliondominatedby sallvain whichthe mindis able
presentopacityand relractorinss maybe altogether rectiled to concenlfalelor a prolongedstretchot iime to the exclusionol
This is the solulionof'divinetransliguralion'as envlsaged by a I olhef lhoughls,upon some particularchosenobjector sub-
ourYoga. jecl ol concenlration;and lastly (v) niruddhaor slilled. a condr-
Evidently the'Wiiness Consciousness' and'spirilual_menlal lion n whrcheven the acl or r!nclion ol contemplation ceases
realisatio n' Jalltar shorlol ourgoal;for.beit onceagarnslaled, and.ail modilications ol the mind beingstopped. nothing whal
thisgoalis no lessthanthe establishment ol LiteDivineupon so ever s known or conceivedbv lhe latter.
earth,a dynamic wakingexislence embodying Sachchidananda The ltrst lhree conditionsolthe mind enumeratedabove are
in histu 1ymaniiesled glories. ol caLtrsenol al all conduciveto lhe praclice ol spirituaiity
Butsincethe yogickanceor Samadhiis so oilenheldup lyogapaksena vartate)til is only the lasl two o ihal make possi.
notonlyas a suprememeansol accessto lhe higherpossrb e ble afy spiritualilluminalion. As a matterol tacl,in the parlance
spiriluaconsciousness but'as the very condition and statusol ol lhe PalanjaliSystem,"ekegraor the state ol concentralion.
thalhighestconsciousness itselt,in whichaloneil canbe com_ when permanenilyeslablished,is calledsampfali eh Yogaot lhe
plelelypossessedand enjoyedwhile we are in the body,"we lranceol medilalion.in whichthreis a clearand distinclcon-
thenatureof Samadhi scrousness of the obiectof contemolation. lt is known also as
musldigressherelor a whileto examine
in the pursuitol lhe Integral samepalei or samprain ta samedhi in as much as citla or lhe
andfindoul its utilityor olherwise
mrndis. in lhis stale, entirely pul inlo the objecl and assums
yoga.
Ine lorm of lhe obiect itsell. So also lhe state o, niruddha rs
Samadtu a' Yagtc1ence.Sincemind-Co'lsciousneSS rS10 caled asampalnala Yoga orasampajneb samedhi... because
rnallyloundto be lncompalible wrlhthehighestslateot spiritual Inrsis lhe lranceof absorplionin whichall psychosesand ap-
realisaton, a verrlableyogaor unionmustalmostby detinitolr pearances o{ objectsare stopped,,,,'
connote lhe cessalion of all menlal lunctrons
or evenol themindilsell\manoneso generallerms we may say that Samadhror yogrc
(yogascittavrtlinirodhahl) rrarco s lhal
slale of super consciousnessin which the asprr-
anl.divingdeep or soaringhigh in the searchol ihe sout or the
Now.1olollowthe terminologyas usedby Vyasa,lhe greal
commentatoronthe'YogaAphorisms'ol ourrnindslull
Paianjali,
 14 Chapter-1

sell,enlers,whenhis consciousness, throughan inwardcon- rateslrom the lasl vestingof mentality- Then it becomesan
cenlration, withdrawstromlhe surfaceworldas perceivedby ihe absolute impossibility for anyrecords ortranscripls ot theexpe-
sensesand reliresto progressively deeperinleriorrealmsof r ences lherein to reach lhe portals
ol the normal waking con-
supersensus experiences.In thisprocessof inwardwithdrawal scio!sness. Thlsis lhe state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi claimed lo
or upwardascension,theconsciousness firstenlersthe 'dream- be the hlgheststatusof spiritualattainmeni and assidLrously
state'andthenproceeds to th'sleeo-state'.Whilejnthedram, soughtafterby everyseekerafterlrance.
slalae,the ouler mindol the Sadhakabecomesquiescenland In lhrsultrmate lrance-state ot puresuperconscienl exist-
his innarmind.separated fromlhe outerandnolongercovered this supra-mental immersion in lhe infinite
being and
ence.in
upbyit, rangeslh.oughawondorlulworldol richandvariegated theuncondilioned bliss,timeand space and hence the worldoi
Innerexpenences. ol mentalaware'
nameslandformsvanishinlonoihing, allaction
To obviateany possjblernisunderstanding that the nomen- resswhelherof outwardor ol inwardthingsis allogether abol_
cialuredram-stale'or'sleep-state'may engenderin an unwary ishedandeverything is drawnup inlothesupercosmicBeyond
spirit,we may{orthwithstate herethattheyogicdream,orsleep- Onceatlaining thissupremestaleof Nirvikalpa trance,the
slaleshavenothingto do wilhthe physicalstalesof dreamand \,1/ell"nigh
sou l ndsrt diilicull, impossible, lo return
agarn to the
sleep."lntheYogicdream-slate...lhe mindisinclearpossession aclveIfe-consciousness,tor"illoseslheholdonthecordwhi
ol itself,lhoughnot ofhtephysical world,workscoherently,... (is b ndsil lo the consciousness of life,andlhe bodyis leJl,main-
perlectlyl awake...notwiththe out-going,butwithan ingalhered ta ned indeedin its sel position, nol deadby dissolution, bul
wakefulness in which,thoughimmersed in ilseli,it exercises
all incapabie ol recovering the ensoluedlitewhichhadinhabitedit."
Wehavesolaranalysed in abskacllermsthe physiognomy
In thedream-state itselfthereis an infinite
serieso{ deplhs ol iheYogictrance.Iocomplele theaccounlwe wouldnowlike
startjngwith thal tor whichthe worldol physicalsensesis al- to reproduce in brieftheconcreie caiesof thesagesUddalaka
moslal the doorsthoughmomentarily shirtout,and reachingto andRamakrishna to showhowin laclthe consciousness with-
depthsnot likelyto be brokenin uponby the impact or cattof drawnginwardpassesthrough progressively deepening slaies
the sensuousphysicalworld.As a malter ol Jact,"beyonda 01be ng to rGposefinallyin lhe absolutesiale of inrvikalpa
certainpointlhelrancebecomescompletand it is thenalmost Samadhi.
quile impossibleto awakenor call back lhe soutthat has re-
cededintothem;ilcanonlycomebackby itsownwillorat most Fjrstthe scripluralaccouniol the lrance of Uddalakaas
oeplctedintothe grealwotk Yoga-Vasishtha Mahanmayana:
by a violentshock.olphysicalappealdangerousto the system
owrnglo lhe abruptUpheavalofrelurn." Theftanceaf lJddalaka:"One daythesagedeliberaled:'When
wrllyouatlainlo eternalpeaceby reachingtheslatusot mindless'
Withthe incrasingdepthsor heighlsof lhe degreesof con,
nes(.lo'sJchrsIndeedthecondrtron forgettinglreedfromlhe
sciousness altainedby the soul,the experiences obtained be- oondaqa
comeprogressively remoleandlessandlesscommunicable ol reoealed brrlhs?'
...Thenhe Brahmin Uddalakasat
to downto concentrate
the wakingmind,unlilthe trancebecomescompletein an utter and withdraw his mind.But he couldnot
sLcceeo al olce . alta,nrng
theSamadhi state.lor hrs?nrnd,
in
selfgatheringol the berngwhenlhe centralconscrousnesssepa-
 Chaoter.l

the tashionof a restlessbaboon,beganto tleet from objectto consciousness hasbeenequallylorcefully broughtoul by the
objeci...At a lalerstag6,the mind-monkey wouldat limesleave Yoga-Vasishtha in lhe tollowing accoilnt ol the Samadhiol
outsidecontractsand lelt eagerfor the enjoymentol lhe inner Shlkhidhvajal
Sattwicbliss;butthiswasindeedan intermillentmood.lor most wentto theforestandloundlherethe
"ThequeenChudala
ollenthe mindwouldrushlowardsoutwardobjeclsagain,as il it lree,in the staleol
klngShikhidhvaja saated, likea sculptured
was stungby a wouldrushlowardoutwardobjoctagain,as if it I mustnow seektore'awaken
\rrvrkarpalrance.she deliberaled:
was stungby a venomoussnak6.Al times,his innerstatewas his body very soon'Thenthe
beingclearedol thoobscurity the king,otheruisehe willleav
of ignoranc andUddalaka visioned theking'sbodyandshouted at the
the glory of a sun; but in no lime his Chittabecameres ess oueenChudalaapproached
againand flewoulwardin the mannerof a starfledbjrd.Again, too oi her voice.This loudsoundand thenthe soundot lhe
trumpetfrightened and slartledlhe sylvancreatures' but the
he withdrewinwardand oxperienced al limesa vacantspaceor failed to evoke any response lrom
queen'srepeated attempts
the Zerool an impenetrable darkness...As a warriorin bat e kanced and immobile like a gran_
killshis enemieswitha sword,Uddalakaslarleddestroyingone thekingwhosebodyromained
ile mass.Chudalalhen laidherhandsonthebodyof Shikhidhvaja
by onealllhe vikalpas gone,he thalwereappearjng inhiscon-
andslafledviolently agilating it.Thusshaken,the king'sbody
sciousness.lhe vikalpasl9on6,he saw into he innerspace a ground, but eventhenhe did not
lell down and rolled on the
green-black Sunbutproceed immediatly to eradicatethisinky recove-his waking consciousness Then the queenwonde'ed
darkness.Then the softnessof a massedlustrgreetedlhe sage be an easypropostlron to
and lhought.'lldoesnol seem lo
Uddalaka Butthattooheeliminated jn notimefotlowing theway gain desire
awakenmy KinglOnlyil he slillpossesses the ol a
ol an elephantcalf that gets into a lotuspondand tears away willhelphimto comeback
somewhere hiddenin seed'lorm,lhat '
anddevastates thelotuses allaround. Oncethismassedsplen- againto thewakingslale,In no otherwisecanhe bearoused
dourwasgone,Uddalaka's mindsuccumbed to a spellof dseo
sleepjustas manhighlyintoxicated loseshissobriety andthen TheTrance-Experience ol Si Ramaki'hna:Nowwe cometo
getsrntotorpor;butthesagewaspromptenoughlo annullhis thevervaulhentic hislorical caseol theSageol Dakshinesvara
stateof sleep.Then his mindwaslilledwiththeconscjousness whosetrance-experiences as depicled in hisauthoritative biog'
ol vyoma;puliustas thewindsweepsawaythedew-drops, raphypublished by the Ramakrishn Orderitself we reproduce
he
loo sweptawayfromhismindthisclearandstainlessconscious- below:
nessof vyoma.But,followingthat,somesori of dazeddullness -Sr Ramakr,shna s Samadhi covereda widetangeo' expe_
ovenookhimas if he was a heavilydrunkmanwho had just I encesfromhisDerceplion of variousvisions lo theannihilalion
comeoutol his torpidslale.Eventhistoo he vanquished. oi hismindin theintinile consciousness ot Erahman. lt hadalso
"Then,at longlast,lhe sageUddalakareachedthe slalusof rnanyforms....Thus heentered intoa'worldof powel, or'aworld
Nirvikatpa Samadhi, wherethe16wasneitheranvobscuritv of beauty',or'a worldof spiritual grandeur'... He wouldcofil_
nor
anYePhemeral luster." rnunewith invisiblebeingsJo rmsol theDivinity or DivineIncarna-
fons ot the pasl,
That, in the state of Nirvikalpalrance,the body becomes
immobilelik6a paintedimage(citdrpjtamivacalah) and evena "Suchvisionshowever belonglo thedomainol Personalily,
vrolenlsense-appeal tailsto bringbackthe soullo the waking whlchis notthelastwordin spiritual experiences So longas a
 18 ChaptFl

sadhakais salisliedwith lhis kindol samadhi.his a ainments Ramakrihan in theverysameposition in whichhe hadlelthim.
cannoibe side to be complele.He has not reachedunlathom- There was no manifeslalionof lile in the body,bul lhe counle'
abledepthsof the ocean,lhoughundoubtedly he hasgonelar nancewas calm,sereneand radiani. He sawthatthe disciple
bhindthe sudace,encouni6ring the lormsol life abounding wasstilldeadio the objective world,his mindabsorbed in the
lhere,but he has noty6t ransacked th6 pricelesstreasuresoJ Sell,w lhouta llicker-absolutelysteady!.
ihe deep,whichr6valthemselves onlylo thosewhohavethe
courageto diveandon tilltheyhavetouchedbo om. "Withthe utmoslcare he lTotapurildeterminedil lhe hearl
was beatingor il there was lhe slightestkace of respiration
"So we ,ind Sri Famakrishna takingup anothercourseot Againandagainhetouchedthedisciple's corpse_likebody.There
sadhana allogether lromhisprevious
dilterent ones." wasno signeitherof lileor ol consciousness....ll undoubl-
was
Then,a lewpagesluriheron,the biographer givesa vivid edy a caseof the Nirviklapa
Samadhi-lhe culminationol Advaila
d6scriptionof thefirstNirvikalpaSamadhi-siate of Sri Ramak-
rishnal ''Tolapuri immedialely look stepsio bringthe mindol Sri
"Sri Ramakrishna passedintothe ineJfable gloryof the Ramakrishna downto lheworldof phenomena.
NirvikalpaSamadhi.In ihal rapturousestasythe sensesand AflerTotapurilell Dakshineswar, Sri Ramakrishna decideto
'Mine'and live conslanllyin
mindsloppedlhei lunctions.Thebodybecamemotionless as a withdrawtrom lhe worldot 'l' and
corose.The universerolledawaylrom h's vrson.evenspace unilywilhihe Supreme.What lollowed thenisverymuchreveal'
itsellrneltedaway.Everythingwasreducedto ideaswhichlloated nglromour point of viewand worth reproducingintohe sainfs
llkeshadowsin th dimbackground of the mind.Onlylhe faint owninimltable words:
conscioLrsness ot'l'repeateditselfin dullmonotony. presently ''Islayedin thatineffable
thatloo stopped, andwhalremained wasExistence alone.Ihe StateJorsix monthsat a slretch,a
soulloslitselfin the Selt,andall ideaot duality, statefromwhichan ordinarysoul knowsno reiurn,his body
ot subjectand
objecl,waseflaced.Limitations droppingolj lifea witheredleaffroma treelTherewas no sense
weregone,andtinitespacewas
onewithinfinile oi lhe passageol lime,ol howthe daysandthe nighlswentbyl
space.Eeyond speech, beyondexperience and Fliesand insectsusedto getinlothe mouthandnostrils ol my
beyondthought, SriRamakrishna hadrealised theBrahman-had bodyas J in thoseol a corpse,but theyevoked no response
becometheBrahman.
fromme.OJtentimes lwould easenalureinvoluntarily withoul
"Tolapuri {SriRamakrishna'sGuruorthespiritual preceplorl berngn lhe leaslawareol itl trlybodywouldnot haveremalned
sal lor a ionglime,silentlywatchinghis discipte. Findinghim viablefor long,it wouldhavesurelydropped downdead,bullor
pertectlymotionless,he stoleout ot the roornand lockedthe lhecircumstance ol lhearrivalatthistimeol Sannyasin
a wilha
doorlestanybodyshouldinkudewithouthis knowledge.Then he heavystick in his hand.he realisedmy state at the very firsl
awajled thecalllromSriRamakrishna to openthedoor.The daV glanceandiell lhat il thisbodycouldsomehow be prserved,
passedon,thenightcame.Another dayandstillanother - three muchgoodwouldbe doneto the worldlhroughits agency.li
days passed andlhrewas nocall.Tolapuriwasastonished and thusso happened thal duringmeal-iimes he usedio beatmy
wenl to seewhatwas wrong. oodywilhthestickandnosoonerdidhefindthata taintglimmer
'He opened ol awareness hadcome,he wouldpushsomemorselsot good
the door and enteredthe room.Theresat Sri
 Chapter'1

inlo the moulh.In this way,on some days,littlebit ol lood could

reachmy stomachwhileon otherdays eventhat muchtailed.
'Six months rolled in
by lhis wise.Then I heard the Mothers
Voace:Come down a bit and stay in thdya-Samddl,i do stay in
Bhava-Samadhi lor lhe weltareol the world!'Thena seriousdis-
ease assailedmy bodilylrame-blood-dysenleryit wasl I had lhen
lrequent bouts ot gripingpains and unbearablecramps and
wrenchesin the stomach!After I had sufferedlrom such in lense
agony lor long six monlhs,my consciencescouldcome down
little by; lillle inlo my body and linally I regainedthe waking
slate ol orindarvmen,"
So we have seen what Samadhi means and how the stal ol
NirvikalpaSamadhi is eulgisedaslhe spiritual slalus pat excel-
/ence,Now w proceedto showthal trance-experiences, how-
Chapter-2
everlollyor howeverdeep,failto meelthe demandsol ourYoga.
and at lhe sametimeindicalehowourgoaloldynamicdivinisation
The Critiqueof the
ol lhe waking physical exislence can be realised. Trance-Solution
Chapter-2

The Voicercplied: "ls this enough, O Spirit?

And whal shallthy soul say whenil wakesand knows
The wo* was left undonetot whichit came?
Ot is this a for thy being bon on earth
Chatged with a mandato from eternity,

Ta passand leaveunchanqedthe old dustylaws?

Shalltherc be no new lable6,no new Word,
No greater light come down upon the earth
Deliveringher from her unconsciousness,
Man'sspititlrcm unalterablefate?

ls this then lhe rcporl that I must make,

My head bowed with shame beforc the Eternal's sea!,-
His powet he kindled in thy body has failed,
His labourcrrctuns, her taskundone?"
fsri Aurobindo,Sayili',EookVll, Canlo ll, pp. 475-76)
"l am concened wilh the eatth, not with wotlds beyondfor
thetrown sake;it is a lartestial rcalisationthat I seekanc!not
a flightlo distantsummits."
(Sri Aurobindo,On Himsef.p. 124)
TRANCE-experiences areundoubledly ot greatvaluein lhe
pursurtol the spiritual
goalas ordinarily undersiood, and the
NirvikalpaSamadhitaken sensein whjchtheterm
in thespecific
rsused,nodoubtrepresents a supreme heightol realisation
that
a seekermayaspireafter.Naturallyenough,this mostelevated
trance-slaleprovesto be adequatsif the goal is to passaway
lnlolhe Superconscient and nol to bringdownihe Powerand
 24 ChapteF2 TheCriliqueol theTrance-Soltttion

G ory ol the Supercoscient intoo!r normalwakingconscious- !ie Samadhiand cessaiionol all modiflcalions, therers no relurn
ness.B!l Samadhiexperiences cannotsulJice in the leasttor I r o m t h a t s t a t e ; a s t h e V e d a n t aa p h o rs m s a y s : a n a v l t t l
the objecloi ourYogaol TransJormation; 1or,our goaljs no less savdat........Bul the AvaIarc cherish a few desires lor the good
lhanthedynamrc divinisationol o!r totalxistenceincluding the al lhe wa d. By taking hold of that thread they come down hom
oulermost partsof Pradriti.Tobe morespecilic, viewedfromlhe the superconscous to the consciousslale:' (ltalicsours)
perspeclrve goal- lhe goalof embodying
off oulrspirilual and Narralionhis own personalexperiencethe Swamrsays in
manitesting lhe highestspiritualconscjo!sess hereuponearth the same conlexl:
itseli- lhe kance-solution lor ihe actualimperietionsof our ''| had
world'exstencesulJers, amongothers,Iromtheioliowing lust a lrcce of the feeltng af Ego, so I could again
defi- (/bld.,p. 139).
retur,to ihe worldoi relatvily lrom the Samadhi."
(lta cs oufs)
(i)Th. supremetrance-state represents a slateol conscious,
(iv)ln a moregeneralway we may statethatii the enlry into
nessor rathersuperconsciousness to whichonlya rareiewcan
ordinarilyaitain. the lr gherreachesoi our beingis elleciedonly in ihe absorbed
Thus,ii hasgotnogeneralvalldity so faras lhe
goalol a wide-based superconscienl staie ol trance,the experiencecannolbecorne
terrestrial
fealisation is concerned. realto the whole existence,beingvalid only for a remoleparl
(ii)Evenwhenattained, thereis no returnforthemajority ot o l i l . T h , J si l m i l i l a t e sa g a i n s t o u r g o a o J t h e c o m p l e l e
seekersfromlhissLlpteme heighlof splrituat consctousness. tt sprrlLra isalionof lhe tolalilyoi our existence,
rsonlytheexceplionaily giftedlswarakotis or ,,divine
souis,,
who
succeedin comingbackto the wakingstate. {v) TheYogiclrancehelpsus to fix lhe spiritualexperiences
rn our nner consciousness aloneiii cannotautomalicallyead
CI. SwamiVivekananda,CampleteWotks,Val.Vl, p. 4gg: to the sp rilualsationol the outerwakingconsciousness. so lor
"Whenoncethey[ordinary Sadhakas] somehow {rswho a m al a lotal spirlual and supramenlalchange,even,
allainto the
direclrealisalion of Brahman, theycannoiagaincomebackto and In partcular,oi lhe outerpans of our Nalure,Samadhias
the lowerplaneof rnaterial perception. an InslrLrmentat on provesto be altogetherinadequaleand fu-
Theymeltawavin Brah,
rran .' A5,reniavat - likewareri. milk. I e.

So thequestion ol the divlnisation (v ) Becauseof the aforesaidtnability10 exerciseanything

ot thewakinqexistence
becomes otioseand iftelevanl, 0ul a re at ve and rnoderaie e evationinfluenceon lhe oulercon,
sc ousness,t so happensihal when lhe Samadh ceases,lhe
(lll)Tradlionally,it is avefredthal evenlhose rareiew who ihreadrs brokenand the sou relurnsonceagainto the.,dislrac-
happenlo returnlromlhe supreme statecando so on y through I or '
lhe inlermediary ol a traceof egoanddesires. " ' o I p F . t l ci o n so l r h e o u t w a ' dl l ,
.lowerng Hencea cerlain
As a rnalteroi fact,sinceone cannotcontinlaly reman in
ol lhe key"becomes unavoidabte whichplacesit at a l h e t r a n c e - s l a l e ,w h i e l e a d i n g a n e m b o d i e de x i s t e n c e ,
removelorrnlhe perfecldivne realisatlon we aspireatter, vyufthanaat lhe 're|u.n"lromthe superconscious slatebecomes
Cl. SwamiVivekananda, Camplete Works,Val.Vl, l p. 140: unavoidable, and wilh lh s vyuthana"lhe lawet conscousness
"Theconclusion of the Vedanta is thatwhenthereis abso- romwh ch lhe ascenttookp
ace fallsbacklo whal it was, wilhe
 ion 27
Chapler-2 TheCriiqueottheTr nc

onlytheaddition of an unkeptor a remembered bul no longer (ii ) not onlylo experiencelhe Truthsubleclvelyand in ones
dynamicexperience," nneTConsciousness a one, but to manliestt even in full acliv_
Llyi
It rs becauseof this persistence o1the disabilities of the
wakingmentalityeven after attainmentoJ Samadhithat it is ( v) an inlegra possesslonol the iniegraity of the D vine n
somelimes asserted thatan absolute eradication of lgnorance lhe tfe ol this world and nol on y beyond I
or a compieleascension 'lt
of consciousness from the "mortal ln short, in the words of Sri Aurobindo: is the obieclof
mentality" becomeleasibleohlywhenthe bodyandthe bodily myyogalo iransformiileby bringingdowninto t the Light,Power
rfeceaseto lunctionat dealh.\Cf. Yoga-Shikhopanishad,l. i63 and B iss of the DivineTruthand its dynamiccerlitudes.This
pendapalena ya muktihse muktirnatu hanyate.) Yogals not a yoga of world_shunning asceticism,but ol d vine
Theforegoing discussion makesil clearthaltrance,exper - ife . .il aLmsal a changeol liJeand existence,nol as somelhng
encesmaybe all righlso lar as the traditionatYogas are con, subordlnate oi nc dental,but as a d stinctand centra oblect"
cerned;ior, afterall,according lo themthetruebondageis the ElsewhereSfi Aurobindopointsout that "not on y musl the
veryprocesso{ birthihe liability of the individual 1orebirthln m nd be ab e to r se in abnormalstaiesout of itselllntoa higher
this"unhappylransienlwo..ld"\anltyamasukham lokam).Libeta- consc oLrsness,brl iIs waking mentality also miust be entiely
tionachievedthroughthe altainmentof the knowledge of Reality
shoLrld thereforehavelor its practical consiequence lhe defini- a/ore
Th s then s ourgoal, and hencetrance-experlences
lrvesloppage oi lhis cyclicprocessoff birth-death-rebirth. cannolhe p us much in ach evingour objeclive.lvoreoverlhe
Andii thisis so,if the cessalion fromemboded existence Samadhstateas ordinarilyrealisedsutierslrom anotrlergreal
ls consrdered lo be the summumbonum,one needconcentrale disablily which may not be considereras such when viewed
onlyon an innerrealisaiion ol the innerDivineand not bother lrom the standpointoi the goal oJth lrad tionalworld-sh!rnning
oneself wilhthepossjbililyor olhelwise of an integral terreskial Yogasbut certainlyso from our pointof view.Thiss as regrads
rea sation. Also,thebody,allhough initiallya necessary instru- theabsenceof any consciousmemorj/of the tranceexperence
menl for the realisalionot our spirjtualdesliny\sariramadyam wl -r or " erLrns o lha wakrngmenlaL.IV agd 1.
khaludharmasadhanam), may be allowedto disintegrateonce As a rnalterof factthe aim of the old Yoga stopassaway
thaigoalis achieved. (Cf.Sfi Bamakrishna: "Takeoul thethorn rntolhe Superconscient and not to bringbackLlsdynamic[iches
with the helpot a thorn"tand Yoga-Vasishtha: "Renounceihat 11rthe wakingouler existencewith a view lo effectuatea spi.
wrlh whichyou rcnounce"lyena Iyajasitamtyala). ituallransformallon ther.Hence,as soonas theYogingoesabove
Butthiscan by no meansbe our altitude10the bodyand Ine evel ol the spirtuai mind, he does not seek lo retarnany
bodilylile. For the IntegralYogahas for ils objectve: contnuilyof awarenesslhere;instead,he passesintothe mys-
I c sleep ol Samadhi,a slale of superconsciousness in wh ch
(i)io makespiriiualexperiences reallothewholeconscious- Ine humamrnrndin ils actuallyevolvedconditioncannotremain
nessincluding thatof the outerbeing; awakeevenwith what has beentrmedthe " innerwaking"and
(ii)toestablishthehighest possible realisation ln thewakinq nencepasses nto 'the blankincomprehension and oon-recep
stateand makeit endurethere;
 2a Chapter_2

tionoJslumber." Andas a resull,becauseot the gull o, oblivion.

lhe spirjlualexpraences ol lhe superconscrenr rlance_stale lose is no morc unconsciousness,when you can ise to the same
all theirdynamjcvalu6lor the wakingconscrousness. regianswithoutenteing inlo a trance."
Britthisdisabilityhasto be remedied. Sincewe seeklo bring At the time ot the publication ol thesTalk,the Molheradded
downlhe Superconscjent intoournormalwaking lhefollowing remark:
consciousness-
we mustsornhow bridgethe gur, heighten .Thereare peopiewho enterinto domainswheretheyhave
and inlensify o[jr
sp{,tuat awakentng 6veninthenormally superconscienl reaches a consciousness, but betweenthis conscious stateand their
ol berngand trainour consciousness to bringbackin lull the normalwakefulconsciousnes ihereis a gap:lheirindividuality
dynamicmemory,,lromthe innerto the outerwakjng.,, doesnot existbetweenth wakingstateand th deeperstate;
ln thisconnectton we leeltemptedlo ,eprooJ ce tn extenso ihenin thepa66agelheylorgeLTheycannotcafiy theconscious-
wnarlhe Mothersaid In reptylo the question..ls the stareo, nessthevhadthereintotheconsciousness herebecaLrse lhere
lranceor Samadhia signol progress?, s a gap belweenthe lwo. There is even an occult discipline
"Toenter inlo Saftadhi is to pass into a state ol whichconsistsin buildingthe intermediary fields,so thal one
whichno maybe able to rememberthings.'
consciousmemoryremainson awakenirrg.
"ln ancienttirhesthjswas considereoas a very Buteventhisdoesnotsufficelor ourgoal.Forwhatwe aim
. haghcondi- al is nol the consciousb nging back of the impressions,the
tion. lt was eventhoughtthat it was the sign ot a jreai
reatisa_ reprolrngback lo lhe wakingconsciousness, in transcriptions
tion....-lhavereadin all kindsof so-caed spirituat titerratue
rnarvellous rnoreor lesspedect,whalon experiencesin statesal presenl
thjngsaboullhis stateof tranceof Sarnadhi;and il
happened superconscrent to al:we wantinsleadan integralsupramenlal
ihat I hadneverhadit. I didnotknowiJit wasa sign
lransformalion ol the wakingexistence itself.In lhe luminous
A"9 *i"" herelarpondicherry]. oneot riy
::^it:.:1I larnved
r,rs!questionsto Sa Aurob,ndo wordsot Sri Aurobrndo:
was..WhalAo you tnrnr.oi
5amadnt.thisslateot lracewhichonedoesnol remembe.? "lt lhecontrolof [th]highest spiritualbeingis to be brought
One intoourwakrnglile,theremustbe a consciousheightening
entersintoa condition whichseemslo be blissrullbut and
whenone
comesoll of il one neverknowswhathappened.,He wtderindinla mnensrangesof new being,new consciot/s-
lookedat ness.newpotentialities
rrle,he sawwhal lmeantand loldme.,ll is unconsctousness, ol aciion,a takingup - as integralas
...yes,oneenlersintowhatis calledSamadhi, possble- ol our pregenlbeing,consciousness, activities
and
whenonecomes
outol one'sconscioqsbeingandentersintoa pan a lransmulation of theminlodivinevalueswhichwouldeuecla
ol one,sbeing Iransfiguratton
whichis completelyunconscious or ratherintoa domainwheri of our humanexislence. Forwherever a radical
one_has no corresponding consciousness _ one goesbeyond lransitionhasto be made,lhere is alwaysthjstriplemovement,
lhe fieldul one'sconscjousness - ascenl,widening of fieldand base,integration..."
and entersintoa i"gton ,ri"re
one hasno morconsclousness. Oneis in the impersonal So we see that anordertohavea divinelytranslo.medwak-
slale.
Thatis why naturallyone remembers nothing,oecauseone has rngexrstence, and ascension to lhe trance-stale or eventhe
nor beenconscious ol anything'..... oL dr^qup ot a conscrous bndgebetween thatandthe waking
.So you slalersnolenoJghSomething
havelh6 reply.The signof progressts when there muchmorerevolutinary is needed:
 c
.e
+.=
:6
o ,,,|.
=!
^'82
6 oc
=(5
E'P.=
() F-J
Chapter-3

-
I he Passaoeclescribes lhe slale of consciousness when
one is alool frc; a thlngseven whenin lheh midstand allis
lelt lo be unreal, an illusion. Therc arc then no prefercnces or
desies becausethings are too unreal to desire orto prefer one
lo another.But,at the sametime,oneloelsno necessityto llee
kom the worldor not to do any action,becausebeingfrce lrcm
the illusian,actionot livingin the wo d does not weighupan
one, one is nol boundor involved.
fSri Aurobindo,Lette6 on Yoga,pp.682-83)
Whenone seesa mircgefotthefircttime,he mistakesit lor
a reality,and after vainly trying to quench his thitst in it, leans
lhat il is a miage. Eut wheneverhe seessucha phenomenon
in luture,in spiteol the apparcntrcality,the idea that he sees
a miage always preaonts itself to him. So is the wo d ol Maya
to a Jivanmukta (the libeftted in life)
(SwamiVivekananda, Co ected Wotks,Vol.Vl, p. 104)
I am neitherthe doet nor the enjoyer.Action' haveI none,
pasl or present or fulute. I possess ,o body nor does
todylessnesscharacteiseiry state.Howcan I say whatis mine

lDattal(aya, Avadhuta-G ita, 1.66]l

We haveseenin lhe previous chaplerwhytheYogickance
evenil it be of lhe supreme sort,the NirvikalpaSamadhi, failto
meetthe demandsol theYogaof Transformalion. As a matterof
tactwhalwe envasage tor our goalis verymuchwiderin base,
iar superior in scopeandloJtier in itsJlight
thanlhe attainments
ofleredbVihe Nrrvikalpa trance.In Sri Aurolindo's ownwords,
''the
realisaiion oi thisyogais noi lowerbuthigherthanNlrvana
 Chaoter-3
or N rvikapa Samadhi,"For,we do nol wantto be satisfiedwith
innerpsycho,sprilLalexperiences
alone,we seek loo the iotal
ano cornptelereallsatron
oi lhe Divinein lhe ouler;onscious,
ness and in lhe life of acl0n.
Bul rhe detractormay inlerjectat ih s po nt: .The waking
realsalgon thai you are aimingal-has 1 nol beenalreadypos,
sessed by those who have been varously lermediivanmukta
{ beratedwh e slill leadinga bod|y tile').s/h/tapralta(,estab_
shed in the lrue Knowetdgeand Wisdom),ativarnasrami(,be-
yond al standardsol conducl')ot brahmavid('onewho has known
and becomelhe BrahmanT )?" - 1heimplicallonof the question
belnglhat there is aller al nothingesseniiaitynew in lhe deal
BLrta rit e ref ect on w I sufficeio showthat the Jivanmukti
realrsatronor realisalionS of the Samegerr"elall iar shori of the
goal ol dividnisedwakingphyslcalexistencethat is lhe object
of our own Yoga.Alter all, who is a Jivanmukta?And what es_
sent ally characlerises his comportmenlvis-a-vtslhis world oi
dynamtcmanJeslation? For a suitableanswer et us lall back
uponthreec lalions,chosenai randomJromamongsta host ot
olhersand culledtrom ancienttextsas well as lrom lhoseof our
oay.
F rst lrom the great lvlonislictexl yoga-VasishthaBamayana:
"The Jivanmukiais one to whose consciousness only the
und lterentialedVyoma existsand this phenornenal world has
lost ail realiiy,ahhoughhis organs may appearto tunctionas
belore....He maintainshis bodywilh whateverlit e comesto it
naiurallyand effortlessly...
He is calleda Jivanmuktawho is no
more awaketo the wotld oi sensesalthoughhis sense-organs
appearto be awakeas ever,,.. He who has transceaded the ego_
senseanddoesnol gel involvedin actionis indeeda Jivanmukta
wfrelherhe is aclive or not.',
NowfromSri Famakrishna: ,,Hewho has
aiiainedthisknowl,
35
The Critiqueof the J vanmukti'Solulion
edge ol Brahmanis a Jivanmukta,liberatedwh le livingIn the
body.He righily underslandthat lhe Atman and the body are two
separatethinqs....These two are separatelike the kerne and
lhe shellof the coronulwhileits milkdriesup The Almanmoves,
as it were, withinlhe body. The kernelof a green almondor
beleL-nut cannotbe separaledlrom the shell;but whenlrreyare
rioethe luicedries up and ihe kernelseparalesIrom lhe shell
AJterihe altainmentol Knouieldgeol Brahman'the'milk ol
worldlv-mindedness diresuP.
Finallya long excerpifrom Swami;Vivekananda: - He has
reachedihe perfectionwhichthe Advailistwantslo atiain;atd
fallawayirom him'and he
at thatmament...Ihe veilof ignorance
will teel his own nature. Even in this liie, he wil leel thal he rs
one with lhe universe.For a dme,as it were,ihe wholeoJthis
ohenomenalworld wiildisappearfor him,and he wrllrealLse whal
he is- But so long as lhe Karna ol this body remains he wtll
have 1o/jve.This siate,when the veil has vanishedand yet lhe
bodv remans tor some tlme, is what the Vedantistca Jlvan
mukli,the livingfreedom.li a man is deludedby a mirageior
sometime ano one daYthe miragedisappears_ii il comesback
again nexl day or ai some futurelime, he will nat be deluded
Belore the mirageiirst broke,the man could not dlsiinguish
belweenthe realilyand the deception But when lt has once
broken,as longas he has organsand eyesto work with' he will
se lhe image,butwill no morebe deludedThal tinedislincton
betweenthe actualworldand the mirage,he hascaught,and the
lattercannoldeludehim any more.So when the Vedanllsthas
realisedhis own naiure,the wholeworldhasvanishedfor him. /1
wilt come back again, bul no mare the same wo d.
The abovethreeexcerptspurpodingto characiefise the sta-
tus oi a Jivanmukla make il abundantlyclear Ihal prima facie
Jivanmuktiin the specificsense in whichil is generallyunder
slood can be" by no meansmeasureup lo our idealof the di_
vinelvdvnamictransformation of the wholeol our wakingexist

ence. But belore we pass the finatjudgmentjt would be bellef lor
us lo examine,in howeverbriel a manner,some ol lhe princioal
lrails ol the Jivanmukti-realisation.
Jivanmuktiand Videhaml,k i Jivanmuktiis neverconsidered
lo be ihe goal in itselt;it is, so to say,no more lhan a slopgap
arrangemenl,waysideinn, - the ultimategoal, the gaalpat exceL
/erce, being always v/itehamuktlorthe liberationthat is attained
with the dissolutionol the body.But this vjdehamuktiot disem-
bodied liberation"is sorJghttobe eflected in two stages: the lirst
slage, the penullimateatlainmenl as il were, is reached when
throughthe gainingof ihe kue Knowledgeol Realityof one,sown
beingas wellas ol lhe world-existence, the propensitvto futLlre
brths In lhts phenomenaluntversets al(ogethersrampedoul;
the secondand linal stagebeingthe dropping oll of the current
body{ormation and the afiainmentto the stalus ol videhamukti_
Jivanmukti represents the status ol thal seeker who has at_
ready attainedSettKnowledgebut is still leadingthe presenl
bodilylifeawaitingthe day whenthis willceasetor goodand he
will become "liberatedjn bodylessness,'fyldehamukta)
h followsthenihal the Jivanrnuktistatus is the morevatued
the moreil approaches lhe characterofVideharnukti evenwhile
the Siddha is sti'l is his body.So lhe divine transtormationol the
bodrly exislence has here no relevance al all. As a mater ol
lacl, lhe famous VidyaranyaMuni, one of the reputedaulhors of
the l\ronislicWork Panchadashtwrote aJulllrealiseonJivanmuk-
t , calledJivanmukti- Viveka,only to proveat the end thal after
all Videhamuktiis the sum mun bonum and Jivanmuktiis a
slep towardsthissupremegoal.
But il this so, lhe queslion arises: why, then, even after the
allarnmentof Sell-Realisalion. shoutdthe Siddhaagreeat all to
remarnlor some time in lhe body in the Jivanmukti-status and
n0t pass immediatelyand direc y into VrdehamLrkti, when lhe
lalteris the realobjeciivesoughlalter?The answerthat is oen-
erallyolle'eo is in te.msof the Theoryof Karmawhrchwe ;ave
The Cfltrqueof lhe J,vanmukh_Solulion 37
alreadydiscussedin Chapterl. SincePrarabdhaKarmas(lhal is
to say, lhose that have started bearing lheir rrujts) have pro'
ducedour presentbody and sincethesecannotbe in kuciitied
exceptthroughtheirexhaustionby sufferance,even on the al_
ta nmenlol liberation,lhe body may continuelo remainviable
lor sometime,bul lor sometime only.Whenthe Prarabdhas are
over,the body automatically disintegratesand ihe Jivanmukir
stalusgives placeto Videhamukti.
Thus lhe Jivanmuktirealisationappearsalmosias lhe vrr-
lue ol a necessilyand lhe waking physicalexistenceIn lhrs
phenomenaluniversecannolbe consideredin ihis viewto be a
I eld speciallyworthyol spiritualisalion
the pointsthalwe havemadeabove,
In ordeflo substantiale
we adduce below a lew observalionsdrawn lrom dillerenl
_...Alterrealisingthat slate describedin lhe scrrplures,lhe
sarnlses the Self in all beingsand in that consciousness de_
voles h mself lo service, so thal any Karma that was yel lell lo
be warked oul thought the body may exhausf /lse/i ll rs lhis
statewhich has beendescfibedby the authorsol the Shaslras
(scriplures)as Jivanmukti,'Freedom whileliving'."
(llalicsours)
CompleteWorks,Vol.Vll pp ll2'
{SwamiVivekdnanda,
113).
A Devolee:Doeslhe body remainevenaiterthe realizalion
o'God?
Masler:'Thebodysurviveswithsomeso lhal lhey may worK
out lheirPrarabdhaKarmaor worklor the weltareoi others....Ol
course,he ..escapesfuture births which would otherwisebe
necessaryior reapng lhe resultsol his pasl Karma.His presenl
body remainsaliveas long as its momenlumis not exhausted;
but luture blrlhs are no longerpossible.The wheelmoves so
 38 Chapter-3 39

long as the impulsethal has set t tn molion lasts.Then tt comes

"Whenhetakesup hisabodein it, hegrievesnoi,butwhen
he set freelrom it, thatis his deliverance"l
is ("anusheya na
( t a l i c so u r s ) sacativimuktasca vimucyate"
: Katha-U panisad, V.l.)
(The Gaspelof SriRanakrishna,p.431 "TheJivanmukia, evenwhilehe is slillalive,has in reality
"The ullirnateliberationffromthe cha]nof birthslis attarned rc bodyalAll"\"jivato'piasairatvan siddham":Shankat).
w th the dawningof ihe Knowledgeitsetl.l'('tiaar asamakabmutah "Theliberailcn thaionegainsatthefalloflhebodyis indeed
k a i v a l y a m y e t i " r S h e s h a c h a r y a , P a r a m e r t h a s e r aa r the highestone, thlsliberation
for cannotbe negativedanymore"
Aryapafrcasili,Sl). ("pindapArcna ya muktih 6a muktina lu hanyate":
" O n c e a J v a n m u k t a ,o n e h a s n o r n o r ef u t u r e b i r t h s , Yogasikhopan isad,1.163)
'bhhyajanmavinirmuktamjivanmuktasya ''At
l tanmanah : yoga- Jheiall oi his bodytheYogi mergesin his supremesell
yesrsthaUpashama-Prakarana, 90.18). be ng, just as the space insidean ear thenpoi vanishes in the
'He that great-cosmic Space,whenthe pol is brokenand gone" (ghate
has Knowledge...reaches that goal whence he is
naI bam again"('yastu vijfiiinayanbhavati...satu talpadamepno[i bhinneghaEkesa, ekaseliyateyathe,dehebhAvetalha yogi
vasmrd bhRyono jeyate"rKatha-Upanisad, ///.8). svat upepatametnani":Dallateya,Avadhuta'G i6, 1.69\
'Even "Onceoneattains toVidehamukti, thereis no morereturnto
afteratlainingto the stalusi Jivanmukia,one conlin-
!es for a whie to remain in his body, merelyloexhauslthe ih s phenomenal wo(ld" \"punarevrtlirchitamkaivalyam
mementumol ihe Prarabdha"('prerabdhakarmavegeraiivanmukto i @tipadyale": Shankaecha rya, Vekyawtti).
yadii bhavet. Kahcil kalamathetabd ha ka rm av and h asy a "Thereis morecomingbackforthem"(tesemnapunatawftih":
BthadatanyakaUpanisad,6.2.15).
Shankaracharya,Vekyavrtti, 52). " N o m o r e w h e e l i n gi n t h i s h u m a nw h i r l p o o l("" i r r a m
'tle manavamavartam nevartante"I C endogyaUpanisad,8.15).
has to wait ffor h]s Videhamuktil
only so long as he is
not releasedtrornhis body.A1the fall ofthe body he atiainsto ll is clearirom what goes beforelhat, contraryto olr own
the supreme status" ("tasya Evadeva clram yevanna yimakse atltudeto thebodyandphysical existence, thJivanmukti ideal
aiha sampatsye":ChSrdagya-Upanisad,6. 14.2) does not altach much impoftanceto any terrestrialrealisation
"Oncethe Prarabdhasare expenencedand gone ihrough, as such;it onlytolerates lhe bodilylifeso longas il hasio be
one acquiresthe supremeliberation'(bhogera tvitareksapayitve borneandthuslries,if we maysayso,makethe beslol a bad
rarrpadydte: Vva.a,B2hmasnlra,4 1 19 . bargain.
''Oncethe Butwhaleverbethe natureol the idealsought,howdoesa
bodygels consumedbyTime,the Knowerleaves
h i s s t a t u s o l J i v a n m u k t i a n d e ni n
l et rosl h e s t a l e oVfi d e h a m u k t ' Jlvanmuktabehaveso far as his wakingstateis concerned?
ljivanmuktapadam tyaktva svadehe kalasetkrte, Doeshisdynarriclifesalislythecrilerion purposive
ol a divinely
vrsaiyadehamuktalvam": Yoga-VAslstha, ll. I 14 ) andactvephysicalexislence? Heretootheanswerisan unambig-
UOUS
NO
 40 Chaple.3 'JivanmuKi-Solution 41
The Critioue ol the

Jivanmuktaand the DynamicWaking State:Thegoalween- ticipatingconsciousness. The liberatdspiritwilnesseslhese

visagefor our sadhanais, as we haveslressedso manytimes action (Seksyaham) butdoesnottakepartthem("ksiyante cesya
beiore,is "notonlyto riseoul o, the ordinaryignorant world' karmeni:Yoga-sikhoparisa4 lV45).There is no senseof per'
consciousness intolhe divinconsciousness,but lo bringlhe sonalaclion lno ku e napi kaaye) hencelor the Jivanmukta
supramental powerol that divineconsciousness downinlo lhe there is no bondageor responsibility lna sa mudhavallipyate;
ignoranca of mind,lifandbody,to lranslormthem,to manilest mamekatturaleqasYa).
lhe Divinehereand creata divinelite in Matter."lt is ihus al-
As a matlerof facl, it is ihe organso, senseand actionlhal
mostanaxiomatictruthlhatYogabyworksshouldJorman indis- ol
becomeautomalicallY aclivefor the conlinued maintenance
Densable oartof our sadhanaandan essential elementot our
realisation lhe body (cak suredindriyamsvalah pavatlate vahihsva he )
iJwe wouldseeklo transplantthefullnessol the spirii
andtheJivanmukla himseif livingallthewhile"incommunaon ol
in ihefieldol lifeandaclion.,ButtheJivanmukla doesnotin the eye to be
oneness withtheTranscendent" soems 10 the oulward
leastmanifest thisdivinedvnamisandthusdoesnot measure he has
upto ourideal. actingas a somanbulist \suptabuddhaval ). Fot''although
eyes,he actsas lhe eyeless;allhough he has ears, he acts as
As a matterof lact he is altogether indifferenllo aclion 'rF ea4ess:allhoughhe has sDeech, he aclsas lhe speech
\kurvato'kutvatah).For,althoughapparentlysljll in his body,the less;andalthough he has lile,he actsas the lileless."'
Jivanmukiadoes not reallyparticipatein any of iis workings. purposive
Thustherecannotbe any dynamically actionin
Theworldstillapparsbeforohim,buthe is no longerdeceived pariicipates, at all,only in simple
thelifeol a Jivanmukta. He if
by whalhe wouldcallits mry6.Indoedhe looksuponh s body upkeep of lhe body
innocuousaclionmeanlsolelylor the
"as if a corpseseparatedfromhis Sell"('syavapuhkunapamiva
drsyateyatasladvapu rapadhvastam": Paramachmsa-Upanisad). lkevalamseiam karma),or in thosewhichareoccasioned byhis
prevlousSamskaras('lrurvacerakamegabm ecerumecannti" )
The resultis that a Jivanmukta is indilJereni
lo his bodlly or at the moslin lhoseapparently signilicant aciionswhichare
lile. Jusias a personinloxicaled wilhliquoris altogelher oblivi- broughl aboutnollhrough hispersonal initiationbutonlythrough
ousol theabsence or olhelwise of hisdress,so tslheJivanm!ka theagencyof the Prarabdha (yathepreptam hikarlyavyam, kutu
otlhe staltandlocationol hisephemeral body.Whetherthe body keryamyathegahm).
remainsstalionary al a placeor qetsdisplaced lrom lhereor
Theloregoing showsunmistakably
analysis lhatJivanmukti
evensturnbles downis equalto him."Also,"lheBrahmavid does to ourideal.
as traditionallv
conceivedcannotat all be equated
neverremember his body.ll continus lo be maintained by the Whatwe aim at is somelhingradicallydillerentlrom lhis status
Lile brcalh,pfina-veyu,just as a trarnedhorsegoeson pulling
ol rnnerliberation,
thecaflasevereven whenlhedriverhaswithdrawn a thisatien-
lron.'
Thusthebodilymechanism ol a Jivanmukta
mayindeed con-
iinue1oiunctionbecauseoi thegalhered forceol Prakriti
andhe
may apparentlywalk and speakand behaveas belore,but all
thisis likean emplymachinein no waysupported by any par
 .9
E
G
c
o
o
o
f
G
o
o
t;E
;o
()F
Chapter-4

I havemet Spiritwith spitit,Seffwithself,

BUII havelovedtoo the body ol my god,
(Sri Aurobindo,Savltfi,BookX, CantolV p. 649)
Natureshallliveto manildstsecrctGod,
The Spititsha lake up lhe hunan pla,,
This earthly hfo becomelif6 divine
(ibld,Book Xl, CanroI, p. 711)
Elernal statusand etenal dynamb dt6 both true of the Beal-
tty which it9elf aurpassesboth status and dynamis; the immo-
bileand the mobileBrahmanarc both;thesameRealitv
(SirAufobindo,TheLile Divine,p.459)
Wehave...topossessconsciouslytheactiveBnhmanwith-
au! losingpossessionot the silent Se , Wehavea presetye the
innet silence, tranquility,passivity as a foundation:but in place
of an alool indilfercnceto tha ti/orksol th6actjveBrahmanwe
have ta arrive at an equal and ifipattial delightin them:in place
ot a rclusaltoparticipatele6toul heedomandpeacebe lost we
navelo arriveat a consciouspossession ol theacliveBahman
whasejay of existencedoes not abrcgateHi6peace,not His
ladship al atl workingsimpah Hiecatm lrcedom in the midst of

fSriAurobindo,The Synthesisol Yoga,p.389).

Thediscussion inlhepreceding chapterhas madthepoint
c earthalsinceourYogaaimsat the realisation ol the Divinein
Iheouterconsciousness andlileas wellas in theinnerone,the
Jlvanmukhwith his aiool inditferoncoto or al the best a be-
nevolentlolerancelor lhe dynamicr,vaking
oxistencecan never
oeouf ideal_
 Chapter'4
8ut what are atier all the essenijalditficultiesot spirilual
realisalionon lhe grossphysicalplan?Whyis the liie ol action
andcreationviewedwithso muchmisgivingby mostol the kadt-
lional.spirilualseekers? Whatmakesourpre6enlworldlyexist,
enceapparently so incorrigible
in itsnatureas to induceevenSrl
Krishna,thepropounderofthe gospelofdlvineactton, to almost
admitaltheendthatloshunthistransientand unhappyworld in
perhaps afterallthebestpossible solution?
And what about that wonderfuldynamicsain Swami
Vivekananda? Didhe notat the snd givethe simileof a god,stail
In orderto represent tho impossibililyof transformation? Alas,
slraighlenil as muchas you like,but releasei! andthe momeni
after,lbe wretched thingbecomes curledagain!lt looksalmost
an ironyof s'tuationthat this dynarhicpersonalitywho did not
flinchlo declarein the earlierpart ol his Yogiclite:
"l havelost all wish lor my salvation,may I be born again
and againand suffersthousandsof miserjesso thal I maywor
shiptheonlyGodthatexists,th6onlycod I betieve in,lhe sum-
totalol allsouls,-and aboveall,myGodthewicked,mycod ihe
miserable, my Godthe poorof all races,of all peciesis the
specialobiet0f my worship."
-shouldalmostabdicateand confessjust two yearsbefore
his passingaway:
"l havebundledmythingandam waitingof thegreatdeliv-
"Shiva,O Shiva,cafiy my boatto the othershore/
"AJlerall, I am onlythe boy who usedio lislenwith rapt
wonclerment to thewonderlul wordsof Ramakrishna underthe
Eanyan at Dakshineswar. Thatjs mylrue nature:worksandac-
doinggoodand so forthareall superimpositions.
tivities,
NowI
againhsarhisvoice:thesameoldvoicethrilling mysoul.Bonds
are breaking-love dying,workbecomingtasteless-lhe glamour
-
s ofi life.Only the voiceol the [/aster is calling. | come Lord,
I come.'Let the dead bury the dead,followthou me.'''lcome,
l.iy be oved Lord, i come.
.Yes,I come.Nirvana is beforeme:I leelri at times-thesame
inllniteoceanof peace,withoula ripple,a brealh..-
"The sweetesl moments of my life have been when I was
dtillin$ I am difling agan-with the bright warm sun ahead and
massesoi vegetationaround-andin ihe heat everythingis so
still,so still,so calm-andlam driltinglanguidly_ in the warm
heart ol the tivetl I dare not make a splash with my hands or
feet-fat fear ol breaking the maryilous stillness,still ness ihal
makes you Je6l sure it is an //usion,
"Behindmy work was ambilion,behindmy love was person'
alny, behind my putky was lear, behind my guidance the thirst
forpowel/Now theyare vanishing,and I dritl.I comel Molher,I
comel In Thy warm bosom,floatingwheresoeverThou takest
I come-
me,in the voiceless,in the skange,inlohe wonder,and,
a speclalor, no mote an actor.'
Arelhen actionsand creationssuch greatbindingelernents
as to be obligatorily leftoul al lhe end? Did not Sri Ramakrishna
give the image ol a pregnantwoman whose work-loaddimin_
ishesday by day?
Bul the difficultyexperienced by a spiritualseekerin guard_
ingthe peaceof the silenlSelfwhileengagedin dynamicsactiv_
ily is more incidenlallhen intrinsic.lt arises oul of the menlal
being'sexclusiveconcentration on ils "planeol pule exislence
in which consciousnessis at rest in passivilyand delight oJ
exrsienceal rest in peace ol existence."Because of lhis exclLr
siveness,when the Mind seeksat timesto ally itselfto aclion,
Lnthe absenceof adequatepreparation
il plungesheadlonginlo
Ine old obscuringmovemantof lotce insteadol exercisrnga
consciousmasleryover it,
 4a ChapleF4 49

It is becauseof thisignorant relapsebroughtaboutby the palron.

dynamicplayihal lhe menlalPurushais so readyto condemn We havesaidlhaltheelernalstalus ol beingas wellas lhe
all actionand dynamism,. To ils judgment, all dynamism must eternal movemenl ol being are both real ol the supremeFlealily
be loreignto ihe supremenalureotlheAbsolutewhoseonlytrue 8ut lhe question arises: can lhese two staluses co-erisl?Are
and wholebringmuslbe a statussilentand immulable,fealure- lhese simultaneouslyrcalisable? Or, rather, one has lo withdraw
ess and quiescenl. Thuscancelling the dynamisof Brahman, lromoneol lheslaluses in orderto realise theolher'so muchso
lhe Mindgoeson to asserlthallhissupremeRealitycanat all lhal depending on theslaluson whichoneconcenltales al lhe
be rea sed onlylhrougha consciousness thal hasitselllalten momenl.one ol these may appear to be lhe inerlia ol repose
nonaclive andsilenland,whatis more,"liberalion musldostroy whiletheolhertheinertiaof mechanical repeiilion ot movement
all possibility ot mentalor bodilylivingand annihiatethe lndi-
vidualexrstence An rntegral spirilLlalrealisalion atlirmslhal the elernalsla'
for everin an impersonal infinity."
lus andlhe eternaldvnamis are notonlybolh/ealbutlheyare
Butwe shallpresently see that noneof the foregoing as- 'The
also simullaneous, statusadmitsol actionol dynamisand
sumplions is absolulely valid.As a matterof facl,all the ditfi- the actiondoes not abrogatethe status.'Thus"all lhai is in he
cullydisappears if alongwiththe planeot pureexistence one kinesas, lhe movemenl, theaction, thecreation, is theBrahman;
can embracelhe planeol consciousforceof exjslence,the Chit the becomang is a movement of thebeing;Time is a manilesta
Tapas,of Sachchidananda. in which"consciousness is aclive lion ot the Elernal.All is one Being'one Consciousness one
as powerand wjll and delightis activeas joy ol exislence." evenin inlinitemultiplicily, and thereis no needlo basectil Inlo
Andlhis is possible. EecauseBrahmanilseltis integral, ll an opposition ol transcendent Realilyandunrealcosmic May-'
hasan acliveaspectas wellasaslaticone and bothare equally Bul the dif{icultyis that il is oftentrenchantlyassededas a
r e a l .T h e i n t e g r a rl e a l i s a t i odne m a n d st h e r e a l i s a t i oonf lactol sDirituat experience thatthe Realityis inddleaiureless
Sachchldananda rnbothHisaspects, in theaspeclln whichH6 andimmutablo andlhe universeol mani{eslation is broughlaboul
is 'sovereign, free,lordot things,actingout of an inalienable by the illlsionaryl\,4aya'Power ol the SupromeAllhoughthis
calmpouringrlseltoul in inJinite actionand qualilyoul ol an assertion lhal the onlvactivePower lhe absoluleTruthpos'
eternalseitconcenlration, the one supremePersonholdingin sessesis lhatof creating illusion andlalsehood and'dissolving'
himselfalllhisplayol personalily in a vastequalimpersonatity, lhemin lurn lacksin vraisimilitude, the rejoinder is madeihat
possessing lhe infinilephenomenon oi the universe wilhoulat- or no,nor is il an issue
thisis nol a question of vraisemblance
lachmenlbutwilhoulany inseparable aloolness, wilh a divine lhat can be seitledby meansot logicalvalidalionor otherwrse'
masteryand an innumerable radialion of his eternalluminous lor this is the inetlablemysleryol Maya(aniNacaniye) nollo he
sejf-delight - as a manilestation whichhe holds,but by whichhe comprehendedby reasonor mind.
is notheld,whichhegovernslreely andby whichtherelore he is
-as wellas in that in whichHe is "sjlenlpassive Andlhisposilionis soundinded. For,whalever the merlts
nol bound." philosophl'
qui-.lisijc, ordemerits, theslrongor weakpoints, oi a parlicular
seifabsorbed, self-sufticient,...one, impersonal, with-
cal iormulalion. the spiritual experience lhal il sekslo repre_
out playof qualities,lurned awaylromlhe infinile phenomenon
senlremainsin ilselieiernally validandcanonlybe integrated
ol theuniverse or viewing it wiihindillerence andwithout partici
 50 Chapter-4 The lssue:Statusor Dynamis

in thecompassof anotherexpe encemuchmorewideandmuch t beganto disappearlrto a greaterSuperconsciousness tram

morelofty.For,as SriAurobindo hasso forcelully out,'a
pointed above.Butmeanwhile realisalionaddeditselfto realisation and
singledecisive spiritLral
experience mayundoa wholeediliceof fusedltselfwiththisoriginal experience At an early stage tte
reasoning andconclusions erecledbythelogicalintelligence." aspectof an ittusionary wotld gave place to one in which illusion
So,insteadol engagingin sterileintellectuai
debates,in this is onlya smallsu{acephenomenon wilh an immenseDivine
matterol lhe realilyorotheMiseot the dynamisof theAbsolute, Realitvbehindil anda supremeDivineRealilyaboveit andan
let us listento SriAurobindo lntenseDivineRealityin the heartof everything thai hadseemed
describing his ownpersonalspir-
lualreal;sation: a1lrrstonlVa cinematic shape or shadow. And thls wasno /eim_
Drisanmenl in the sense,no dininution orfalltrom supremeex-
"Thesolulionof the maltermustrest not uponlogic,but
perience, it camralheras a constanlheighlening widening and
upona growing, everheightening, widening spiritual
experience-
an experience oi the Truthiil was the Spirilthat saw objects,nol lne senses'
whichmustof courseincludeor havepassed keedomin InJinity remained al'
throughthatof NiruananadMaya,othewigeit wauldnotbe com- andthePeace,the Silence,lhe
wavswlththewold or allworlds only as a continuous incidenl ln
plete and wauldhave no decisive value.
lhetlmeless eternitY oi lhe Divine
"Nowto reachNirvanawasthefirst radicalresultol my own ''..Nrrvana turnedoLl Io be
n my liberated consciousness
Yoga.lt lhrewme suddenly intoa condition aboveandwithout
through, the beginningof my realisation,a fist step towardsthe com'
unslained by anymentalorvitalmovement; thefewas possibleor even a
ptetething,noi the sole irue attainment
na ego,no real wo d- onlywhenone lookedthroughlhe immo-
brlesenses, perceived cuiminat ngfinale."
something or boreuponilssheersilence
a worldol emptyforms,materialised shadows,lithouttruesub- Theworldis thusreal,theBecoming is as realastheBe ng'
slance-Therewas no One or manyeven,only just absolutely lhe dynamlsol Sachchidananda is as rnucha spiritLlal tacl as
Thal,Iealureless, relationless,
sheer,indescribable. Hislmmobile slatus.Indeed, theDivinedoesnolcontain allonly
unthinkable.
absolute,yetsupremelyteal andsolelyrealfhis was no mentai n'a transcendent consciousness. He is the one SelloJ all' saf-
realisalionnor somethingglimpsedsomewhereabove,_no vabheantaretma. He is Ihe All,vesudevasaryam, nol merely In
abstracl,on,-it
wasposilive,theonlyposjtivereallty,alihough the'unioueessence'bul in the manifold namesandforms "All
not
a spalralphysical wofldpervading, occupying or ratherllooding thesoul-life, mental,vital,bodilyexistence of alllhalexisisIis]
and drowning lhis semblance ol a physicalwortd,leavingno one ndivisible movemenl and activityol lhe Beingwho is the
roomor spacetorany realitybutitsell,allowing nothingelseto samefor ever." "Allis oneBeing,oneconsciousness, oneeven
seemat all actual,positive or substantial...Whatit [lheexper! in inlinitemulliDlicilv,."
encelbroughtwas an inexpressible peace,a stupendous Si_ Thusactionandcreation cannotin theverynatureoi lhings
ence,an infinity oi releaseandfreedom. I livedin thatNirvana be lncompaiible wilh the pedectand total realisalionoJthe Su_
dayandnightbeforeit beganto admitotherthingsintoitsellor preme;a reallydynamiclivingcannotgo counierlo ihe allain-
modilyilselfal all,andthejnnerheartof experience. a constant mentoi the supreme statusof being;lor "allthatisin kinesis'
memoryof it anditspowerto returnremaineduntil in theend lhe movement.lhe aclion,thecreation is Brahman."
 Chapter-4

Granled thatBrahman hastwoaspeclsequally real,equally

lrue: anacliveoneas wellas a passive one,Granted thatthere
is amplelheoreilcal jusljJication
why lhe two aspeclscan be
simuitaneouslyembraced Bulslillthequestion
andrealised. re-
mains:Whyis il lhat "1r,expeiencewe lind thal...ilis, normally,
a qubscence lhatbringsin lhe stablerealisation ol the eternal
it is in silenceor quietudethal we leel most
and the rnliniter
iirmlyihe Something thatis behindtheworldshownto us bVour
mindandsenss.?"
ll isihusreasonedihat, nprucllceifnotintheory, allaction,
all crealon,alldelermining perception must n theirverynatufe
mit andobscure lhe stablerealisalion, andhencethesehave
to diminish anddisappear if we wouldseekto enlertherndivis-
ibleconsciousness oi the Real.
Chapter-5
Heretoo,as wellshallpresently see,the reasoning s falla, : its
The mind-Consciousness
cious.Fcr it is not dynamism as sLrchthatbindsand invotves
the soulof lhe seeker;it is lhe intrinsicincapacity
ol our rnind- and Failures
achievements
conscrounsess thatis al the rootof lhe trouble.
Chapter-5

A bldck veil has been lifted; we have seen

The mighty shadou'|ot ths omniscientLord;
But who has lifted up the veil ol light
And who has seen the body ol the King?
(SriAurobindo, Saviti Eooklll, Cantoll. p. 311)
It is ce ain lhat you won'tbe able lo knowthe Atman through
lhe mind.Youhaveto go beyondthemind.As lhercis no tnstru'
menlbeyondthemind-foronlytheAtmanexiststherclhetethe
obiectof knowledgebecomeslhe same as the instrumentol
'Viineadmere
knowledge....ltis thereforethat the Shruti says,
kena vijeniyetlhoughwhal are you to knowlhe ElrnalSub-
iect?
(swamiVivekananda, CompldteWo*s, vol.vll, p.142)
lf the Mind6werethe lastwordand therewerenothingbe'
yond it except the purc Sphit, I wouldnot be avetse lo accephng
il [Mayavad wilh its sole strcss on Nivana] as the only way
out.. But my experienceis thal therc is somethingbeyondmind;
Mind is not the lasl t/od hele ol the Spirit...There is a Trulh
Consciousness, nol staticonly and sell-introspective, but also
dynamicand creative...
(SriAurobino,On Himsel,P.1a3)

we haveseen thai for the seekerof the lnlegralYogalhe

realisation
of lhe'passive8lahman',of thepurequiescenl selt-
existenceindependent cannolbe morethanlhe
ol aliworld-play,
necessarvJirst basis.We in
cannolrestwithan ullerwilhdrawal
consciousness lrom ihe univetsal
manileslation.We muslin-
sleadreturnuponlhe worldof actionandcreation andseeklo
 Chapter-5 The mind-Consciousness:

repossess and remouldour mind,lifeand bodywiththe lumi- ilual;and then lhe !,rillol lhe individualPurushaunilyingilsell
nousdynamisot the'activeBrahman'and identifyourselves, with thrspoiseknow;edgerieclslhe lowerand drawsbackto
freeiyand in the infinitesel'-delight ol lhe Being,withall the lh6 supremeplane,dwellsther6,lossmindand body,sheds
oulpouringol Chil-Tapas,ofConsciousness anditscreativeForce, litetromil andmergesilselfin the supremePurusha, is deliv-
inTimeandin Space- eredkom individualexaslence."
But lhe goalis easierstatedthan realised.For,almoston Bui a deeperandhigherspiritualexploralion revealsthelacl
universalevidence,any greatstressol dynamismgenerallyob- thallhe aboveassumptionis notcorfeclaftrall.Mindis notlhe
scureslhe innervision,bringsin a relalivelossof the Peaceand highestprincipleol cosmicetistence,wilh onlythe pure Spiril.
Sllenceol the soul,and olherwise lndsto lowerthe statusol lhe lmprsonalAbsolutbeyondilslf.As a matterottacl,there
spiritualatlainmnl. is a hierarchyol superiorprinciplslar transcending the normal
But his disabiliiyarisesfrom the lacl that attemplsto pos- mindconsciousness andconsequnlly al presentsuperconscienl
sessthe activeBrahmanhaveso lar beenmadeexclusivelv lo il. A supremeTrulh-Consciousness, Rita-Chit,whichSri
lhoughlhe I\rind-consciousness. AndsinceI\,4ind,ihe greatdi- Aurobindo lermsas Supermind, lops the seriesand this is a
vider,suflersfromsomeintrinsicandiffemediable limitaiion
lhese Powernotrnerelystaticandintrospeclive butsupremelydynarnic
allemplshavebeenlore doomedto lailure. andcrealive.lt is lhis Sup6.mindthat mustb consciouslypos-
sessedand macleto descendinto out ea h-natureil we would
Bul thequestion maybe raised:sinceMind,in lhe aclually havea translormedwakingexistence.Otherwisestaticrleas
evolvedexistence, is the highestpossible inslrumeni available remainslhe solepossibililybeforlhe spirilualseeker.
andsincethereis noolherstillhigherorganised powerthrough
l.Jnto(unately, lhe knowledge ol the exislenceot thes6
whichto realise lhe Sellor Brahman or to oossessdivinelvlhe
supernal planesol ourbeinghasbeenalmosiloslto thespiritual
world,is it not almoslaxiomatic thallhe transformation oi our
memoryol lhe racewithall the adverseconsequences atlend-
dynamic wakingexistence as we envisage in oursadhana is an
proposition? anluponil.Inancint lore."inlheUpanishad (usually
theTaillirya)
impossible
thereare someindicationsof lhesehigherplanesand lheir na-
Of course,if lhe aboveassumplion is correct,lheliberation Iureandlhe possability ol gatheringupthewholeconsciousness
and transformalion of our embodiedexislencewouldbe impos- and risingintolhem-Bul thiswaslorgotlenafterwardsandpeo-
siblenereuponea h, andinsteadof runningafietlhe jgnisfatuus plespokeonlyol theBuddhias thehigheslthing withthePurusha
ilwouldbe moresensibleto passawayinloSuperconscienl and or Se f jusl above,but therewas no clearideaol lhese planes.
notto seekto bringdownlheSuperconscient intothetieldof our
Now,so longas lhesehigherspirilual planesof lhe menlle
wakrngconscrousness, beingand linallythe planeol Supermind are not consciously
As a matlerof fact,thishasbeenso far ihe generaltrend. possessedand madeactiveand organisedin the norhal
For"intheordinary Yoga...itis onlynecessary lo recogniselwo conscrousness ol theembodi6d beino,so longas thespiritualised
planesot ourconsciousness, thespiritualand malerialisedmen- firindapproaches theSuprmdirecllyand notpassingthrough
1a1;the purereasonstanding belweenlhesetow viewsthem thisTruth-Consciousness, lhe supramonlal Gnosis,oneis bound
bolh,culs lhroughlhe illusions ol lhe phenomenal vrorld,ex- lo expel|encedilriculties
fromth pointot viewol the realisation
ceedsthemalerialised mentalplane,seestherealjlyoi thespir'
 Chapter'5
oi ourgoal,bothin themind'sascentandin itsattempted
reali-
salionof theacliveBrahman.
Lel us havea bird's-eyeview of sorneol the more salient
dilliculties
encounleredand,at the sametime,ot the achieve-
menlsof Mindas wellasof its failures.
TheAscentand lllusoiness.lJMindis takenlo be the high-
estpossible cosmicprinciple,sincelheAbsolute is notseizable
by lhe mind-consciousness, the seekerof lhe lraditionalYogas
lriesto getawayfromthemorlalrailings ol mindintothesuper
conscient In{inite,
by shedding all its activities flndformalions,
makinga biankof it andfinally'engulfing ii is in ihe Unmanitest,'
Darcmawaktam.
Inihis progressivewilhdrawallrommind-consciounsess, the
sadhakcomesto realisethe Sad-Atman,the 'pure, slill, self'
awareexistence, one undivided, peaceful, active,undisturbed
by the actionot lhe world."
Although thisSad-Atman is theuniqueOriginandSuslainer
oJeveMhing,saryari hyetadb@hma,beingitselfpassive,the
onlyrelation it appearslo havewiththrsworldof manileslation
is lhat ot'a disinlerestedWitnessnot at all involvedn or al-
lectedeventouchedby anyol its activilies.
Whenonepusheslartherlhisstaleof conscious_ess one
comslo realase 'an alooland transcendent Feal Exislence'
appearing to haveno conneciion or commerce at all w th lhe
world-existence.
Whenthe mentalbeingseekslo go stillbeyond,it negales
yet {urlherand arrivesal an Asal "a Voidof everythingthal is
here,a Voidol unnameabl peaceandextlnction ol all,evenol
lhe Sal,evenof that Existent whichis the impersonal basisol
individualor universalpersonality."
ll is thisAsatarrivedat by
theabsolute annulmnt of mind-existence andworld-exrstence,
thathasbeenvariously lermedasT!riyaorfeatureless andrela-
tion lessAbsolute by the monisticVedantins, the Shunyarn by
The m nd-Consciousness
:
tr e _ hr src r!4adhyamrka
Buddhists,theTaooromnrpresenlard
transcendenlNihilby lhe Chinese,and as the indetinable
and
nellab e Permanenl by the [,,lahayanists.
llany Christiian mystics too, notably Sl. John ol lhe Cross
wrth his doctrine of noche obscure, speak ol a complete igno,
'
rance, a divineDarkness'throughwhichthe spirtualsied lvlind
has to pass belore one can expect to attain lo the supreme
experience.And it s becauseof this incompalibility of mind-
consciousness Lviththe experience ol lhe Absolulethatso many
svstemsof sprritualdisciplinehave come to condemnthe cos-
mic p ay.As a matterot Jact.il is this very incompatibility
thal is
at th basis ol the lllusionistthat "lakes such firm hold oi the
humanm nd in ils highesloverleapingo{ itsell."
li wlthoulany rnlermediale transilions,
withoulawakeningin
the s!pernalreachesof ourexistence, of whichwe havealready
spoken,the Mindkies lo lake a short-cutand passsuddenlV the
'gaies
of the Transcendenfwherestands'themere and perlect
Sprnt lhe inactiveBrahman,the transcendent Silence,a sense
ol utterunrealityand illusorycharactero{ all cosmicexislence
sezes il n a mosl convincingand oveRhelmingexperience.
'The
unverseand all that is...appears(lthen]
to the mind as a
0'au1 1 o'e Lnsubstantial than any dreamever seen or tmag-
lred. so tfLaleven the worddreamseemsloo oositrvea thinosto
expressts entireunrealiiyl'
Bul h s universallllusionism is not a necessaryconcomitant
oi the supremespiritual experience.ll insleadol the mind'sabrupt
Sa.nadhi-plunge into the mysic sleep slate ol susuptithat is
now superconscient and thereforeinaccessible lo il, one suc-
ceeos n acquiringspirilualwaketulness in ihe supernalstales
nlervenng betweenlhe lrind and the Spirit,one does not pass
Inroughlhe perceptionoJ an illusionaryMaya, bui ratherhas
lhe experienceof ihe passagefromMindto whatis beyondii so
Inal our menlalslructLlre of lhe universeceasesto be validand
anotherreahlyoi 11is substituted for the rgnorantmentalknowf
 ChapleF5 The mind-Consciousness
:

edge.In lhis transilionil is possibleto be arvaketo al lhe slates co!rsetruelhat our normalconsciousness, evenat ils waking
of beingtogelhefin a ha.monisedand uniliedexperelnceand to moments,can becomeawareof Brahmanlhrougha processol
see the Realityevery where."'z Then we experience,as Sri inwardconcentration. But the pointto noteis that il is onlyihe
pul, that it is not an unrealor real' slaleand passive aspeclof Brahmanlhal is thusapprehended,
Aurobindohas so beaulilully
unrealuniverselhal is reposingon alranscendentRealily,but a nol its activeainddynamicside.
real universereposingon a Realilyal once universaland lran_ Theresultis lhat intoreturnuponworld-extslence the nental
scendenlor absolule. being Iinds a wall ot non-communication betweenthe passive
For even beyond the avyaktam,the Unmanitest,beyond lhe andtheactiveBrahman andall dynamicactivityappearslo its
divine Darkness,tamasahparcstat, is lhe SupremeOne Exist st lledandinaclrve consciousnss eilhetas a hallucination or a
ence, ekam advaitam, the Para Purusha who holds in His vasl dream,or like a puppetshou or evenas a purelyrnechanical
Inlegra'Realrtylhe lrulh ol cosmic consciousness as well as actionbroLightaboutby th8 playol Prakritiwithoulany activee
Nirvana o, world_consciousness. He is beyond the partiiicpation oi Purusha.The incommunicabilily maysometimes
lhal of the
duality and the non-dualily, paratah panh and,s aclityavana tn be so slrong,the gulf separating the innerconsciousness and
conlrasl to ttie darkness o{ the Unmanitest. He is ihe light of lhe dynamicouterbeingso widethatlo all outwardappearance
lighls, jyotisam jyotih, and lies in a supreme golden sheath. the seekermy a "moveaboul likea thinginerl in the handsol
hiranmaveparc kose.lndeed,"the sun in theYoga is the symbo
Nalure,/adayatlikea lealin the wind,or otherwisetinl a slateol
purehappyandfreeirresponsibility ot action,balayat...Theouter
oJ the slrpermindand the supermindis the tirst power ol the
Suorernewhichone meelsacrossthe boaderwherethe expen-
being[may] livein a God-possessed lrenzycarelessol itselland
mindceasesandthe unmodified divinecon- lhewotld,unmattavat, or withan entkedisregardwhelherol the
enceol spiritualised
convenlions andprop.ieties offittinghumanactionor of theha.
sciousnessbeginsthe domain ol the supreme Naiure. Para
Prakrlr. h is lhal Light of which the Vedic mystics got a glimpse
monyand rhylhmsof a greaterTruth. lt actsas the unboundvital
darknessol lhe Christian lrerngplsacayal,the divinemaniacor elsethe divinedemoniac."
and it is lhe oppositeof the interuening
mysiics,Ior the supermind is all light and no darknessTo the Butthissorlot'stalicpossession by theSelf'or'theunregu-
mind the Supreme is avyaktat parcm avyaktam' bul il we follow ateddynamicpossession whythe physicaland vitalNature,is
the line leading to the supermind,it is an increasingaffimation lar removed Jrornthe goalof the lnlegralYoga, forwhatwe aim
ralher lhan an incrcasing negationthrcugh whichwe mave al s ihe 'mastery ol the Prakritiby the Purusha landlthesubli-
lhal I;e m'no mairon of Nalureintoherownsupremepower,the intiniteglo-
We have so iar dwell upon lhe disabrhtres
lo lhe sum_
nesot the ParaShakti.'
consclousness sullersirom on its way ol ascensLon
Tils o' spirlual consciousness or ralher superco_scousness Conlrontedwith this inabilityto participateaclivetyin the
.
qynam
Now lel us turn oLlrgaze on the limitationsthat vitiateits at' c manilestalion withoulat the sametime losingthe
lempl at complelepossessionot the active Brahman,when rl possessron oi thekeedomandpeaceoflhesilentSel{,the mental
seeks10 returnJromthe summiland embracelhe lile oi action oernggels lemptedto adootlhe aliitudeof an indiflerentand
nactve witnessol the world-play andat lhe beslallowhis oF
ga'< ol senseandmotor-act,on a freeplayof lheirwo1unsup.
The tncomplete possessionof the aclive Brahman: llls al
 :
The mrnd-Consciousness

portedby any consciousinitiationon lhe part of the witnessing n e s s ,t h e r el e s a t h l c kv e i l ,a n a l m o s ti m p e n e t r a b l ied ,

sell The rdealoi courseis 10 reduceactionto the barestm n satyasyapihitam mukham,and unlessthis veil is liftedand lhe
mum possiblecompatiblewiih lhe maintenanceoi ihe bodily id rernoved, lhereis no possibility of knowing lhedivine,Jarbe
life. it to attan to it. Butthedilliculty is thisthateitherthroughardu-
Oi course,thereis anotherpossibility, an alternalrve chorce ousTapasya or by anactoJGracelromabove,whenthemental
T5'oLgt a proper disciplineone may come lo a slale where a beingsucceeds in pLrlting by veil,il seesthe0ivine"assomelh'
pelecr innerpassvity1\ayco-exlslwllh periect o.lIe'dynamisn ingabove,beyond, aroundevenin a sense,bulwllha gulfbet-
bul altogetherindependent ol each olher' In this situaton it rs weenthatbeing3ndourbeing,an unbridged or evenan unbridgea-
n01the willedmotiveof lhe consciousmind in lhe Sadhakathal ble chasm.Jheteis thisintlniteeristence; but it is quiteother
lniiialesand eiiectuatesthe activitv,but ralherthe universalin- than the mental being who becomes aware of ii....There rslhis
telligenceand will of naturethal uses the livinginslrumenland great,boundless, unconditioned consciousness andiorce;but
works flawlesslytrom centrssuperconscious or sublimlnalto ourconsciousness a iorcestandsapattltom)1,evenil withinit,
lhe consciousmind. m led,petiy,discouraged, disgusted wiihitselJandlhe world,
brl unableto patticipatein that higherthingwhichil has seen.
But thls loo js nol what we seek 1o realisein our Yogaol Thereis th s immeasurable and unslained bliss;bul our own
dynamc divinisation. Fo. in this particularslatusol inner pas'
be ng remains the sportof a lowerNatureoJpleasure andpain
sivitv and ouler aciion bV the mere organs, kevalair indriyair' anddullneutralsensation incapable of ils divinedelighi. There
"lhereis an evidentabsenceot integrality; lor thereis stilla gulf'
is thrsperfeclKnowledge andWill;butourownremains always
an unrealisedunityor a lelt of consciousness belweenthe pas
the menlaldeiormedknowledge and limpingwill incapable oi
sive and lhe active Brahman.We have still lo possesscon- sharngin or evenbeingin tunewiththatnatureof Godheadl'
s( rouslytne aclrveBrahmanwilroul loslnglhe oossessionol
ihe silentSelf.We haveto preseruethe innersilence,tranquLlity, Now,in an attempllo bridgelhischasmandhealtheriii,ihe
passiviiyas a loundalion;bu1in placeol an aloofindifference to mentaibeingseekslo risethrougha Herculea all-iorgetting et
lhe workso'lhe activeBrahmanwe have lo arriveat a_ equal Iorlout oi lsell nlo lhe Inliniteabove.Butin thisprocess"the
and mpartialdelightin them;in placeot a relusalto participate m nd hasto /eayeils ownconsciousness,Io disappearintoan-
lesl our freedomand peacebe lost,we have to alrive at a con_ olherandlemporarily or permanently
losellse/i.-in lhe trance
scious possesslonol the activeBrahmanwhose ioy ol exlst-
of Samdhi." Forobvrous reasonsthismindlessabsolule lrance-
ence does noi abrogaieHis peace,nor His lordshlpoi allwork
slatecannotbe ourobjective (videChap.V:TheCritique ol lhe
ings impairHis calmlreedomrn the midslol His works" But lhe
TranceSo ution).Our aim is to iransiorm the wakingmentalily
ilselJ,and10rthalwe havelo invokeanotherpossibilitv openlo
c r u c i a l q u e s t i oi sn: i s i t a t a l l p o s s i b lf eo r l h em e n t a l b en g i n h i s
t h em e n t a t b e i n g .
actuallvevolvedstalus lo embraceat once, eq!ally and lully,
boththe worldand the being,bothconsciousdess and action? As a matlerof fact,mindhasa greatreflecting capability,
rellecling
whaieverit knowsand contemplates. Th{rsI ii paci
The lnlrinsic lncapacityi To answer the above quesllon we
ol man rrestsel{and callsdownthe divineinto itself.it succeedsin
musl Iirst noie that belweenthe normalconsclousness
co_s'iolrs_
rellecting
lhe mageof ihe divlneandgetiingspirituallsed.But
Lqpmenlal bernga_d a lruly spinlJal sJprame'Ia
 Chapler-5 The nrind-Consciousness

the troubleis that in this operation"the minddoes not entirely hasperforcetogetridot mindallogelherand enterintothe abso-
possessthe divineor bscomedivine,but is possessedby rl or lule mindlesssusupti.lt is for this reasonthat so manyseekers
by a luminousrellectionof it so long at ils remansan... pure of the pasl have recommendedmanonasaot lhe annulmenl ol
oassivitv."The momenl it becomesactivemindbecomesturbid the Mind as lhe v,a/oyalto lhe supremespirilualexperience.
aqainandthe rellection ol thedivrnes losl. thuswe lind Sri Flamakrishnadeclaring:"The knowledgeol
Henceit is ollendclardlhat an absolutequielismand lhe Brahmancannotbe allainedexceptlhroughthe annulmeniol
cessalionol alloulerandinneraclionis lhe onlywayo!l of lhe A Guru lold his disciple,'Giveme your mind and I shall
[,4ind.
aboveimpasse. this,ailsto satisfythe demand
But evidently giveyou knowledge."'
soy lhe IntegralYoga. Whatwe seekas"a positivetransforma- The RajarshiJanaka of old declared,"NowI haveawakened
lionandnotmerely quiescence
a nogative ollhewakingmentali- and discoveredlhe thiefthat is l\.4indt I must kill it, musl scorch
ly. il lo death.For lvlindis the rootof this worldol rgnorance.'
Bul the basicdil{icultywiththe mind-conscaousness is lhal According10lhe grealsageVasishtha, a greal goodcomes
rl is an inveleraledividerol lhe indivisibleand dwellsuponone oul ol lhe deslruclion ol Mind, manaso'bhyudaya manonaso
aspeclat a time lo the exclusionol all others.For "mrndin ils mahadayah and lhe Mind ol lhe knower ol the Truth verily gels
essenceis a consciousness whichmeas!res.lamits.cuts oul annulled.lnantno nasamabhyeti.The Yoga Shikhopanishadtoo
tormsof lhingslrom lhe indivisiblewholeand containslhem as declaresthat mindlessnessis the supremestalus. ,a marah
il eachwerea separaleinteger...Mind maydivide,mulliply,add,
sublract,bul it cannot get byondthe limitsol this malhemat-
rcs.lJit goesbeyondandtriesto conceive a realwhole. it loses Thus. almosl on universallestimony,lhe ideal belorelhe
rtsellin a loreignelemenl;it fallslromits wonfirmgroundinto seekeratler the Truth is 10 gel lo lhe slale ot mindlessness,
lheoceanof theinlangible, inlolheabysmsof theinlinite where amaraslawherelhe m nd losesall itsJaculties , yade na manule
I caneilher perceive,concoive, sensenordealwilhits subject tnanahandbeaomesnon'mindso to say,unmanibhuyal.
lor creation cannotpossessthe infinite,
andenjoymenl....l\,4ind Whatis lhen the solutionJorus who asprrealterthe freedom
rt can onlysufferil or be possessed by il; it canonlylie bliss- oi drvne aclionas well as the liberationol divinerest? ll mind
tullvheioless undertheluminous shadowol theRealcastdown conscousnessrnclusve oi ils highestspiritualreachesproves
on it lrom planesof existencebeyondits reach." ils inadequacyas an instrumenland medium lof lhe divine
possessionol our wakingexistence,whal othercosmicprinc-
It is becauseol lhis inherenlpropensitylo divideand
p1e/s there that can help us to realiseour goal? For. lor the
overstresslhal lhe Mind cannothold at once Unityand Multi-
plicily.consciousness properlullillmentol our objeciive,"we have lo reviewand re'
andaction,beingand becomingt it can-
nol possesssimullaneously mo! d lhe lower livingin lhe light,lorce and joy ol lhe higher
lhe active and the passiveBrah-
rea ly We have to realiselvlatleras a sense-crealed mouldol
man.Andbecauseot Mind'sinability lo possessthe Inlinite. it
instead ol beingsalisliedwilhthe'luminous goldenlid, Sp r(. a vehicletor all manifeslation
of the light,forceand ioy o1
shadow',
hiranmayapatrc, one wouldseekto realisethe uttef Real,one Sachchdanandain lhe highestconditions ot lerrestral be ng and
aclivty.We have lo see Liie as a channe for the ni n te Force
 Chaple.5 :
The mrnd-Consciousnoss 67

divineand breakthe barrierofa sense-crealed and mind-crated APPENDIX

larnessand divisionlrom it so lhat divinePowermay take pos-
sessionol and direcland changeallour life,aciivities ASCENTFROi'THE
untjlour
vitality lransliguredceases in the end to be the limiled lile-force MtND-CONSCIOUSNESS'
which now supportsmind and body and becones ljgureol the '''Conseni to be nothing andnone,dissolve Time'swork.
all-blissful consciouslorce ot Sachchidananda. We have stmi- Cast otl thy mind, step back lrom form and name
laf y lo changeour sensationaland emolionalmentalilyInto a thatonlyGodmaybe.
Annualthyself
play oi dlvineLove and universalDelight;and we have to sur-
chargelhe inlellectwhich seeksto knowand will inus wilh the Thusspokelhe mighlyanduplilling voice,
ght of lhe divineKnowledge-Will until it is translormedn1oa AndSavitriheardi shebowed herheadand mused
f gure ol lhai higherand sublimeactivily.', Plunging herdeepregardinloherselt
Such is thenour high ideal,bul how to realjseil rn practice, In hersou's privacyin thesilentNight.
howto conquerlhe spiritualpenLtry of our wakingphysicalextst-
A looland standingbackdelachedand calm,
enceand embraceequallythe activeand passiveaspectsot the A rrllressol the dramaof hersell,
Divrne?li Mindlails,what etseis therethat saveslhe siluation. A studentol herowninlenorscene,
She wafchedthepassionand lhe loil ot lile
Andheardin lhe crowdedthoroughfares ol mind
Theunceasing lreadandpassage of herlhoughls.
Al she allowedlo riselhat choseto stir;
Calling,compellingnaughl,lorbiddingnoughl,
Sheleltallto the process lormedinTime
Andthefree nitlalive ol Nalure's
will.

Abovethe birih of bodyand ol thoughl

Ourspirit'struthlivesin lhe nakedsell
Andlromthatheight,unbound, surveystheworld.
Out of the mindshe roseto escapeits law
Thalil mights/eepin somedeepshadowof selt
Or fall si/erl in the silenceol lhe Unseen.

Thenall grewlranqullinherbeing'sspace,
Onlysometimessmallthoughtsaroseand fell
Llfequielwavesupona silentsea
' f-rom
Sr Alrobindos Sav l.i, Book Vll cantoVl, pp 538 49 ( la csours)
 68
Or ripples passingover a lonelypool
Whena straystonedislvtbils drcamingrest.
Yetthe mind'sfactoryhad ceasedlo work,
Therewasnosoundofthedynamo's throb
Therecameno calllromthe stillfields ol lle.
Therecameno callfromthe stillfieldoi liie,.
Thenevcnlhosestiffing' rcse in her no more:
Hermrndnowseemedlikea vaslemptyroom
Or liea peacetul landscape without sound.
This mencallguleludeand prizeas peace.
Butto her deepersightallyet wasthere,
Elfervescing likea chaosunderalid;
Feelings andthoughts criedoutlorwordandact
Bul foundno responsein the silencedbrcjn:
Allwas suppressedbutnothingyet expunged;
At everymomentmighlexplosion come.
Thenthistoopaused;lhebodyseemeda stone.
A I nowwas a widemightyvacancy,
Bul slill excludedtom elernily's hutsh;
Forstillwas{arthereposeof theAbsolute
Andlhe oceanSilence ol Infinily,
Evennowsomethoughtscouldcloss her soltlude:
lhesesurgednottromthedepthsor Jromwithin
Castup tromformlessness to seeka torm,
Spokenotthebody'sneednorvoicedmind'scall.
Theseseemednotbornnormadein humanTime,
Outol sone Jarexpanse theyseemsdotcome
As if carriedon vaslwingslikelargewhrlesails.
Andwitheasyaccessreached lhe innerear.
As yettheirpathlaydeepconcealedin light
thenlookinglo knowwhencetheinlruders came
Chapter-5 The mind-Consciousness
: 69
Shesawa spiritual immensity
Pervading andecnompassing theworld-space
As eiiherouriransparenttangibleair,
Andthroughil sailinglranquilly
a lhoughl.
As smoothly glidesa shinearing aporl,
ll came lo lhe bilenl city of the brain
Towardsil accustomed and expectanlquay,
Bulmeta barringwill,a blowof Force
Andsankvanishingin the immensity
Atleraiongvacantpauseanotherappeared
Andothersoneby onesuddenly emerged,
,4ind's
unexpected vislorsfromlhe unseen
Lrielar'oflsialsupona lonelysea.
Butsoonthatcommercefailed, nonercachedmind'scoast
then allgrewstill,nothing movedanymore:
lmmobile, seltrapt,timeless, solitary
A silenlspiritpervaded silentSpace.
lnlhal absolutestillnessbareandformidable
Therewasglimpsed anall-negaling
Voidsupreme
thatclaimedils mysticNihil'ssovereignright
TocancelNaturcand denythe soul.
Eventhe nudesenseot selfgrewpaleandlhin:
lmpersonal,signless, ieatureless,
voidol lorms,
A blackpurc consciousness had,teplaced themind.
Yelst li her bodysawand movedand spoke;
It understood wilhouttheaidot thought,
It saidwhatever neededto be said,
It drdwhateverneeded
to be done
Therewasnopersantherebehindthe act,
7A Chapter-5

No mmdlhai choseor passedlhe fittingword:

AlLwroughtlikean unerringapt machine.
As I contrnuingold habilualturns,
And pushedby an old !nexhaustedforce
lhe enginedid the work for whichit was made:
Her consciousness lookedon and look no parl;

This seeingwas identicalwilhlhe seen:

It knewwithoutknowledgeal{thatcouldbe known,
ihe worldgo by,
li saw imparilally
But in the samesupremeunmovrnggtance Chapter-6
Saw 1oo i1s abysmal unreaItY.
It watchedthe ligureoJihe cosmicgame, The Inwardizationand the
Bui the thoughland innerlifein Jormsseemeddead
Abolishedby her own collapseof ihought; Ascension
A hallow physical shell persisted,still.

Once sepulchred alivein brainand flesh

She had risenup from body,mindand lile;
she was no rnorea Personin a world,
She had escapedinto infinitY.
,.,

Only sone lasl annulmentnow remained,

vagueindefinablestep"
Annihilation's
Chapter-6

Hisknowledgean inviewcaughtunlathomable,
An outviewby no briefhorizonscut:
He thaughtand feltin all, hisgazehadpower.
(SirAurobindo,
Sayll4Bookll, CantoXV,p. 301)
Thethingto begainedis the binging in ol a Pawerat'Con-
sciousness(the Supramenlal)not yet oryanisedor activedi-
reclly in eatth-natute,even in the spirituallife, but yet to be
orcanisedand madedircctlyactive
{SirAurobindo,On Hinself p. lag)
Theaverheadascensionis not indispensable for the usual
spirilualputposes,- far the putposesof
but itisindispensable
this Yaga.For its aim is to becomeawarc of and liberuteand
transfamanduniteallthebeinginthe lightof a Trulh-Conscious-
nesswhichis aboveand cannotbe rcachedil tbereis no en
ttrelyinward-goingand notranscendingand upward-goingmove-

(tbid..pp. t79-A0
I he l_le'gralYogaol nansformation naslor hs objectrve
nolmerelylhe supreme realisation ol Sachchidananda, butHls
0lvne seli-expression, thellawlessmanifestation of the aclive
Brahman, inourdivinely tansiigured embodied earthly existence.
Bulthequestion is:howlo realisethisgoalol ourYogaand
whalit is ihai my possibly bethemediumof theserealising as-
censions and world-possessing descents? For,in the aclually
elaborated evolullonary statusol humanconsciousness, rnind
represenls thehighest cosmicprinciple andpowerol conscous
n e s ss o l a r o r g a n i s e idn a m n t h e m e n t a b
l e i n g .B u 1t h s
rnndconsciousness, evnin itshighest llights,is no morethana
 Chapter-6 The Inwardizalion
and the Ascension 75

movemenl inthe lgnorance: il is nolinherentlyTruth-Conscious- Absolule,it can only disappearinto il in a swoonor extinclion-
And henceit is allogeiher incapable of possessing or evenal_ rnloSt.Johno{ the Cross's'divine DafknessoflhemyslicNight-'
tainingto the Divine;at bestil can immobilise itselfand rest Also, as a mediumof divineexpressionand aclion,the mrnd
satisfiedwithRetlections of the sunln watercsll planecannotin its very natureallowot the supremeworklngs
wlh "brightor natlveto the d ivineConsciousness- Force.'The m ind spiritualised,
But ii is far kom our goalto be contented
pholog lhatthemrnd purilied,liberated,perfectedwithinits own limitsmay come as
shadowy raphsor filmsof a disla0lReality"
canat mostachievefor us:we wantto ascendto the supreme near as possibleto a faithfulmentaliranslaiion,but-..this is
andbringdownilsdynamic glores and atter all a relatve lidelityand an imperfectperJection...The
Realiiyiniullawaireness
in the playoi our waking siate. mind...cantake iis llhe Inlinite's]suggestrons and act ihernout
splendours
in its own way, a way always fragmentary, derivative and sub-
Bul we cannotbuttakenoteof the lact ot sp ritualexperr- iect lo a greateror less deformalion,but it cannotbe ilsellthe
encece ifiedby mosiseekersoi the Truthihal an immense directand perlecl instrumenlof lhe infiniteSpiritacting in its
hialusseemsto exislbelween lhesupramentalTrulh_Conscious_ ownknowledge."
nessand the l\rind-consciousness we normay knowol, And
unbridgeable gulf inierveningbelween the It becomesimperaiivethen lor the fullillmentot our divine
unlessthisseemingly
bridged, we haveio torego
our dream dest nv uoon earth thal man should be able to raise hrmsellmuch
two is satisfactorily
abovethe planeoi mindand normallyand permanent{y, evenin
...to planton earthihe livingTruth his wakrngstate,live in the supernalheightsof the Sprril,also
Or makeol lvlatter'sworldthe homeof God. to manifesland organisein his embodiedexistencenew plances
In thatcase,we shallhaveno otherchoicethanto takea and powersof consciousness otherlhan and superiorio mind,
super-consclent leaplromthestationol MindintotheUnknowab e so that these may offer lhemseivesas ihe proper media and
beyondandlo agreewilly-nilly to thelollowrng conclu-
lrenclrant insirLrmentalronthroughwhichthe divineWill and Wisdomcan
s on oi theincredulous Darkness persuadingSavitrlioabandon lreelvact and self-exoress,
herlaskoi world-translormationl But betweenthe l\,,lind
and the Spirit,arethere other superior
He "vhowouldturn.loGodmustleavetheword; p aces of spiritualconsciousness-not merelyslalic and ntro-
speclive,bul creativeand dynamic-which man can possibly
He whowouldlivein lhe Spirit,musigiveup life;
hopeto ascend?And is il al all possiblefor manlo developand
He whohasmetthe Sell,renounces selt.
o-o ,ricp hese supernalplanes In his wakrngconscioLs-essso
Thevoyagers of the m;llionroutesof mind
muchso lhat he may outgrowand lranscendhis presenimenla
Whohavelravelled lhroughExislence to is end.
statusand becomesomethingmorethan human?
Sagesexploring theworld'ocean s vasts,
Havefoundextinction thesoleharbour safe. The anweiand hopelie in the processof evoluiionaryelabo-
.at on ol manifesiedexislencehere uponthe face of the earlh.
lndeed,m ndfailsas an inslrument andmediLrm bothforour The resullsso lar achievedby Evolutionare indeedtruly slrik-
conscousascension intothe Iniinite
as weLl
as for the dynamic ng: rl is surelyalong march from the insentientN,4alter
powersof io the
descentand manileslationof the supreme the Spirit- sell consciousmlndoJman,But who can savlhat the evolutton
As hasbeenso wellsald,mindcannolarriveal ideniilywilhthe
 76 Chapter6
ary nisushas exhausleditsellwith lhe emergenceof man the
mentalbeing,so thal the only possiblecourselelt tor the em-
bodiedsoul is how lo make an exit lrom lhis not loo perlecl
world-exislence a n d t a k e t h e t r a n s c e n d e n lte a p i n i o i h e
Unknowable and Unmanitest?
As a maller o{ fact, the evolutionaryoestrusis e'/en now
very much at work and il is nol liableto annul itselfuntil and
unlessthe divineSachchidananda is fullymanifesledhereIn our
embodiedexislenceand'thisearthlylitebecomethe liJedivine.'
For such is the originalintendedmeaningol crealion,lhisis lhe
secrel spirituaisense of the evolulionarymarch.Thus Savitri
answeredto retulethe conjectureoJlhe sophislPowerol do!bt
and denial:
How sayslhouTruthcan neverlightlhe humanmind
And blisscan neverinvadelhe mortals heart
Or God descendintolhe worldhe made?
ll in the meaningless Voidthe creataonrose,
li frorna bodilessForceMallerwas bron,
ll Lifecou d climbin lhe unconscioustree,
li greendeLighlbreakintoemeraldleaves
And its laughterof beaulyblossomin the flower,
ll sensecouldwake in lrssue,nerve and cell,
And Thoughtseizethe gregmatlerof the brain.
And soul peep {romits secrecylhroughlhe llesh,
How shallthenamelesslightnot leap on men,
And unknownpowersemergefrom Nalure'sSleep?
Evennow hintsot a luminousTruthlike stats
Afisein the mind-mooned splednourol 'gnorance;
Evennow the dealhlessLover'stouch we leel:
It the chamber'sdoor is evena lillleatar,
Whatthen can hinderGod from stealingin
Or who lorbidhis kisson the sleepingsoul?'
But the skeplicmay sti I rejointhatthe pasl is no sure guide
to the tutureand plausibiltys neverequivalentlo cerlainly.So,
The Inwardzationand lho Ascension 77
aller establishingthe plausibilityol our goal ol divinetranslor
malion of the wakingexislence, we musl now speciallypoinlout
the slepsfollowing which lhis goal can be realisedin practice.
And lor this we must relt surelynot on philosophical specula_
I on or logicalsurmisings,bul solelyon the verdictol ihe ever-
ascendingand ever'deepening spiriiualexploralion
of our being
For,this alonehas any realvalidityin lhjs tield.
and becorning-
Now. lhere are two lypes ol movemenls oi our conscrous-
ness lhroughwhich il becomespossiblefor us lo have access
Io lhe deeperand sLrperior reachesof our being,a movemenl
tnwardand an upward ascension.
By the firsi movementol inward penetration,we seek to
breakasunderthe wall separatingou. subliminalselt from our
Dresentsurfaceexistence. leavethe surlaceconscrousness and
lLVeenlirelyin the realmol our innermind,innerlile, innefsub
lle'physrcaland finallyin the in most soul ot our being-This in
moslsoulorthepsychicbeingis the Purushain the secrethearl,
hrdye guheyem, a potton of lhe Divine Sell supporting the indi-
vrdualnature,
Now,an enlargemenl andcomplelion ot our aclualevolulron-
ary slatus becomes the very lirsl consequenceot such an
nwardizalion oi consciousness. For,our Innerberngis toundlo
possessa dynamismand potenlialities much superiorlo those
ol our sLrrfacemind and liJeand body.As a mallerot fact,"il rs
capable of a direct communication wilh lhe universal forces,
movements,objecls of the cosmos, a dircct feeling and open-
l9lalhefi. a direcl action on thernand even a wideningol lsell
beyondthe limitsol the personalmind, ihe personal fe, the
body.so lhat il feels iiselfmore and more a universalbeing no
onger limitedby the existingwalls oJ our loo narrow mental,
vilal physicalexislence.This wideningcan extendilsell to a
compleleenlryinlolhe consciousness of cosmrcMind,inlounrly
w lh the universalLife,even into a onenesswilh unlversaMal_
 and lhe Ascension
The Inwardization 79
Chapter-6

Butthisfirstresuliis nolallthatcanbe deslred. For,howe- our mind,the latierlailsto tema n awakethereand hencecon-
ver cosmicin scopeand perfected in dynamism, our beingre- siderstheseascentsas only luminouslyblank Thus,our mind_
mainsslillembedded in the lieldol diminished cosmiclruth,if consciousness is lempiedto eflecluatea short_culand lake a
notin totalcosmiclgnorance. ll we wouldlranscend lhe limita- straght jump to the Transcendent. On this line,"the firsl mosl
tions of our presert evolulionarystatus,we musl seek 10 be- ord nary resu t is a discovery of a vast staticand silenl Self
whichwe feel to be our real or our basic existence...There may
come consciousin what is now superconsceint lo us and as-
presenl be evenan exlinction,a Niruanabothof our aclive being and ot
cendtothenativeheights ol lhe Spirilnotat accesslble
to ourwakingconsciousness, Thus,"thepsychicmovemenl in- t h e s e n s e o f s e l l i n t o a R e a l i t y t h a t i s i n d e f i n a b l ea n d
wardio theinnerbeing,...must becompleled by an openrng up- nexpressible...lt ls posslbleto remainin a Nirvanaoi all ind -
wardto a supreme spiritualstatusl' v dualily,to stop at a siaiic realisation or, regardingall ihe cos_
rn c movemenl as a superficial play or illusionimposedon the
Now.lhisislhe second-andlrom our pointol view,much more
sient Se I, 10 pass inlo some supreme irnmobile and lmmulabe
momentous-consequence ot an accomplished inwardliving.For, statusbeyondihe universe,
il is loundthatoncetheentryinlotheinnersublimirlal realmsls
pres_ Butforlunate yth s is notiheonlypossiblelineof supernormal
successfully underlaken, lhe innerbeingexertsa growin9
sureonthe"strong hardandbightlidof mind,-mind constricling, spifllua experience: the withdrawalfrom all pariicipaton n lhe
dividing andseparative" thatcloudsthesuperconscienl 1(omour wor d-ex stence and the immergenceor exlinctloninlo the
wakingconsciousness, This ptessure be comes in the end so Llnmanifest is not lhe only spiritualdestjnydecreedfor lhe hu
greatthatthe lidol mindwearsthin,opensanddisappear. and mansou , A supremedivinereturnf romthe vergeoJNirvanaLnto
the world-playis eqLrally possibleand thrswiththe und minished
our consciousness becomesprivileged to havea visionof the
supernal things.Whatwe seebythisis upwardopenrng 1s"anin- splendorsand potenciesof all the spiritualwealihamasseda1
finityaboveus,an eternalPresence or an inlinileExistence, an the summits.The choice is indeedhard and dlif cult For, lhe
infinityo{ coflsciousness, an infinilyol bljss,-aboundless Sell, u timateand definitivewithdrawalintothe Infiniteand Eterrrilys
a boundlessLight,a bou|ldlessPower,a boundlessEcslasy." too a uring a prospectto be easilyrejeciedby the ascending
soul.To have nstead'thesupernalbirth'onemusl have
Buteventhis'wideawareness trombelow'isnotsuliicient.
We mustmakean actualascension lo the heightol the spirit narlowedge
..trodalongextinclion's
above,Fortunaiely, this too is an alternativeor subsequentre- Neafthe h gh vergesoi eternlly.
sultof lhe inwardliving.Our consciousness risesup towards Th s doublealternative ot choosingbetween
and the dilJicull
thereaches of ourbeing,muchbeyondthe presentmentallevel. the two havebeen beautiiully depicledin lhe lo lowrngpassage
and unless of Sri Aurobindo's Savlllrli
But herea very seriousdilticultysupervenes
thisis successfully
remedied in time,one maybe verywellled She had risen up lrom body,mindand life;
awaylrom lhe palh of divinelransformationol Natureinto the She was no morea Personin aworld
silenlimmobility
o1theTranscendent and L,nmanilest She had escapedinto inlinity.
10 whichour consciousness
lndeed,sincethe heights at-
are in generalsuperconscient
to Only same last annulmenlnow rematned,
tainsin its upwardascension
80 Chapt6r-6 and the Ascension
The Inwardrzalron a1

Annihilation'svagueindefinablestepi gradedseriesol planesandpowersof consciousness-an inler-

A memoryof beingstillwasthere venlng spiritualmind-range-serving as links and bridges belween
Andkeptherseparate fromnothingness: l h e n o w n o r m a lw a k i n gm i n da n d ' t h e n a t i v eh e i g h l so l
She was in Thatblt stillbecamenotThat. supramental andpurespiritual being.
Thisshadowof hersolfso closeto noughl It is in these'radiant altitudes'of the Spiritthat"welindthe
couldbe againseli'spoinld'appuilo live, secretwe are seeking, the means of thelransiiion, theneeded
Relurnout of the lnconceivable steolowardsa supramental transJormaiion ; for we perceive a
Andbe whalsomemysierious vastmightchoose- gradualily ol ascent,a communication wltha moreand more
Evenas theUnknowable dcred, deep and lmmenselightand powerJromabove,a scaleot
Shemightbe noughtot new-becamethe All, inlensit es whichcanbe regarded as so manysiairin theascen-
Or if thecmnipolenl Nihiliooka shape sionof Mindor in a descent into Mind fromThalwhrch is beyond
Emergeas someone andredeem lheworld.
Even,shemightlearnwhatthe mysticcipherheld, gradation whichourcon_
ln lhisincessanl ascending through
Thisseeming exitor closedendot all Truth-Consciousness,
passage sciousness risestowards lhesupramental
Couldbe a blindtenebrous screnedfromsight, Thesegradations
lour pr nc ple ascentsmaybe distinguished
Herstaletheeclipsing shellol darkenedsun of the
mav be broadlvdescribed as'a series of sublimaiions
On its secretway to the Inetlable. haslermed Higher
consciousness' through whalSriAurobindo
Evennowhersplendid beingmightflame back "thereis a suc_
Mind.lllumined lVIind,Intuition and Overmind;
Out ot the silenceandlhe nullity,
cesson ol selt'iransmutations at the summilof lvhichliesthe
A gleaming portionof lh alfwonderful,
degreesare9nostlcIn
Supermind or Divine-Gnosis....Allthese
A powerof someall-affirming Absolute,
thelrorinciDle andoower;for even at the filsl we beginto pass
A shiningmirrorof the eternalTruth
lroma consciousness basedon an originalIn consclence and
To showto the One-in-allits rnanitestJace,
actingn a general lgnorance or ina mixedKnowledge-lgnorance
Tothesoulsol mentheirdeepideniity. Knowledge
to a consciousness basedon a secretself'existent
Or shemighlwakeinloGod'squietude grades grades of energy'substance
and..ln lhemselves these are
Beyondthe cosmicday and cosmicnight
oi lheSpirit...theyaredomains oJbeing,gradesof thesubstance
Andreslappeased in hiswhiteeternity. whrchare
andenergyof the spiritual being,iieldsol existence
Butoncewe setasidetheexit-solutionas noiconforming to eacha eve ol theuniversal Consciousness- Forceconsttuting
ourgoalandlry insteadto becomeaware!nthoses!pernalreaims andorganlsng itselfntoa higherstat!s..Each stageol ihisas_
wherewe couldnotremainawakebefore,we findthatourcon- centrsa general,if nota tolalconversion oi the being ntoa new
sc ousnessrisesto thoseascendingheighlsof theSpiritwhere lrghtandpowerof a greaterexisience.'
rtsimmobilestalusis butthe necessary
foundation fora greatly
Forthe characlerisatlon ol thisiourlod asceniandthe dy'
potenlandluminous dynamism. Oncethepowerto remain awake namc'sorrtualimolicatons thereof,the readeris releredIa Chap'
developsin us,onc6we riseout ol the sphereof mortalmind ter XXV\, Book lwo ("The AscentlowardsSupetmind")al Sti
and ookdeepandhighandfar,we discover the splendorsol a
 82 Chapter6
Aurobindo'sTheLifeDivine.Fo(1he continuityot our discussion
we conlenlourselveswith only some broadhinlsaboutthe na-
ture ol thesefo!r highergradesof our being.
The lirsi ascent out of our normal menlality is inlo a Highel
M/rd ot automatic and sponlaneous Knowledge,where knowl-
edge assumeslhe nalureof Truth-Thoughi. lts mosl characler
slic movemenlis "a mass idealion,a systemor totalityof iruth-
seerng al a srngleView;...this lhought is a sell-revelatlon ol
elernaiWisdom, nol an acquiredKnowledge.
Beyond the Higher [4ind ol Truth-Thoughiis the Illumined
M/rdol Truth-Sight,
a Mindwhere
thereafe vaslsol visionand eternalsuns,
Oceanso' an im.rortallumrnoLsness,
Flame-hills
assaLrlllngheavenwith theirpeaks,
Theredwellingall becomesa blazeoJsight;
A bufningheadof visionleadsthe mind,
Thoughtlrailsbehindil its longcornetiail;
The heartglows,an illuminaleand seer,
And senseis kindledinlo identi\,.
Thus the characteristic powerof the illuminedlvlnd is not
Thoughlbul Visioniii is the fieldol "theoutpouringsof massive
irghlningof flamingsun-stull." And on the dynamicside thereis
here 'a goldendrrve,a lumtnous'enthousiasms'ot innerforce
and power,...almosla violentlmf,elusol rapidtransformalion.'
Next in the order oJ ascension in the lntuttive Mind whose
characterislrc powr is an intimaieand exactTruth,perception
whichis muchmorethan sighland conceplion.Iniuitionis in us
''a projecling
blade,edge or point of a tar-olt superrnindlight
enterng inloand moditiedby someinlermediate
truth-mindsub-
stance above us,,,lntuiiionhas a Jourloldpowef.A oower ol
revelalory truth-seeing, a powerof nspiralionor lrulh-hearing,
a
power of truth-louchor jmmediateseizingoJ signilicance,...
a
power of true and automalicdiscriminaiion ol the orderlvand
and ihe Ascension
The Inwardizalion 83
exaclrelationol truihto lruth.'Thus
Intullion'slighiningrangein a brighlpack
'lu-lrng all nrddenlrulhsout ol lheir lairs.
Its liery edge of seeangabsolule
Cleaves inlo locked unknown retreatsoJsell,
RJ.nmagesthe skv-recesses ol the brain.
Lighlsup the occullchambersof lhe hearl;
lls spearpoinl ictusol discovery
Pressedon lhe coverol name,lhe screenol torm,
Slripsbare the secretsoul ol allthat is
Thoughllhere has revelalion's sun-brighleyes;
The Word,a mighiyand inspiriling Voice,
EnlersTruth'sinmostcabin ol privacy
And lears awaythe veiltromGod and lile.
Beyondlhe planeol the Intuitivel\rindis a superconscrenl
cosmicMind,a principleof globalknowledgewhichcarriesin rl
'a delegatedlighltromthe supramenlalgnosis,'The Overmindis
in direciconlactwiththe SupramentalTrulh-Consciousness and
representsthe'highesl possiblestalls-dynamis'ofihe Spirit n
the spirlual-mindrange-'Thecosmicempireol the Overmind'
represenlsthe boundlesslinites lasl expanseand
Trrne'sbutterslateborderingElernity,
Too vasl lor lhe experienceof mans so!l:
Allhere gathersbenealhone goldensky:
The Powerslhal buildthe cosmosslalrontake
n its houseof inlinrlepossibility;
Eachgod irom therebuildshis own nalure'sworldi
ldeasare phalaniedlikea groupof sums;
Thoughlcrowdsin massesseizedby one regard;
AllT me is one body,Spacea singlebook:
Thereis lhe Godheads universalgaze,
And therethe boundariesol immonalI\rind:
The Overmindmay be consideredlo be lhe delegaleoJ
Superrnind il
to lhe lowerhemisphereot Knowledge-lgnorance;
 84
linksthe lallerwiththatsupramental GnosisorTruth-Conscrous,
ness, ...whileyetatthesametimewithils brilliantgoldenLid it
veilslhe faceol the greatertuth fromour sight..This
lhen is the
occultlinkwe werelookingfor;Thislhe Powerthat at oncecon,
neclsand dividesthe supremeKnowledgeand the cosmiclgno,
rance.
With the Overmindwe thus reach the line lhat paris and
joins ihe lowerand the upper hemispheresof exislence.Here
two possibililies open up beJorethe soul. Eitheril may seek lo
reachthe supremesupracosmic Sachchidananda
sprrilualased mind-rangeand in that processdepart out oJ its
c o s m i c f o r m a l i o n i n l o l h e e t e r n a l l Vs l a t i c o n e n e s s o f
Sachchidananda or ralher pure Sat (Existence),
elernalor elsea pureNon-existence, absoluteand elernal."
But evidentlythis is nol our line.Sincewe seek to possess
drvinelyourworld-being as wella sourselt-being,
we muslcross
the borderhne,pass inlothe upper hemispheretranscendingeven
the highestreachot spiritualmindand seek to rea se Sachchi-
danandaon the planeof Supermind.For,supermindis Sachchida,
nanda's "..power of selt-awarenessand wo.ld-awareness,lhe
world being known as wilhin itselfand not outside..lltisl the
Trulh'Consciousness whelheraboveor in the universeby which
the Divineknows not only his own essenceand bring bul his
manifestationalso. lts fundamenlalcharacter is knowledge by
identity,by lhal lhe Sell is known,lhe DivineSachchidananda rs
known, bul also lhe truth of manileslationis known.because
lhis loo is That."
Hence il becomesimperativeior the soul to pass lhrough
the supramenlalralisationjl, insteadol departingintotheTran,
scendence,rt wouldsimullaneouslV live in the lranscendnceol
lhe supremeSachchidananda and Dossesstts world-vew too.
Bul even thesesupremeascenisaccomplLshed
n tull sprF
rlualawarenessdo not provesufficientfor our purpose.These
cannotcureourwakingconsciousness
ol its apparentlyirreme-
ChapteF6 The Inwardization
and the Ascension
diablyspiritualpenury.For ihat suprememovemenlol descent
shouldlollowihe suprememovemenlol ascensionand Heaven
shouldconsentto come down CHAPTEBXupon Earth.But is
that al all possible?
THE DESCENTOFTHE SUPEBMIND
I know lhat I can lift man's soul to God,
I know thal he can bting the immortal down
lSriAurobindo,Sav/lfi BookXl, Canlo l, p.687)
directlromthe
The integralperfectioncan come only by a mounlinqascenl
of the lowest into lhe highest and an incessant descent of the
highest into the lowest tillall becomes one at once solid block
absoluteand
and plastic sea-stuff of the Ttulh infiniteand eternal
(Sri Aurobindo, The Synlhesis ot Yoga,p. 478)
There arc dilferenl staluses of the diwne consciousness-
There arc also dllerent statuses ol trcnslormation.Fitst ts the
psychic trcnsfotnalian, in which all is in contact with the Divine
lhraugh lhe individualpsychtcconsciousness.Next is lhe spir-
ilual transformationinwhichall is merged Divine in the cosmic
cansciousness.Thirdis the supramentaltransformationin whlch
all becames supnmentalised in lhe divine gnostic conscious-
ness. lt is only with the latter that thete can begin the complele
tansformation of mind, life and body-in my sense of complele-
(Sr Aurobindo,On HlmseL p. I I8)
In our attemplto chalkout lhe slepsfollowingwhichan em'
bodiedbeinghereuponearthmay hopeto transligure hiswaking
existenceso muchso thal a divinelydynamiclilecan llowerout
in lhe earthlygarden,we have come to lhe lindingthat an es-
sentialpreliminarycondrtions for our soul to consciouslyas-
cendlo the supernalgradeso{ beingand powerot the sell-mani-
{estng spirit,lhat intervenebetweenour normalmind and the
TruthConsciousness ol Supermind.
 Chapler-6 The Inwardizaiion
and the Ascensaon 87

Of course,it is truethatwilhoutactuallyascending lo these Peace,Knowledge, infiniteWideness, and that muslbe pos-

highersp fitualmental planesand permanently livingthere,if we se'sed and descendintothe wholebeing. Otherwiseone can
canopenourselves frombelowto theirknowledge andsplritual get muktibutnot peiection ottnnsformation(excepta relative
influences,wecansomewhal ournormalwakingbe-
spirilualise psycho-spirilual change)."
ingandconsciousness. Butlhe spiritualchangeeffected in this Thedescentofthespirilualpotencies andforcsofthshigher
way s neverprolound or widein ils scope.lt louchesonlythe places(homthe HigherMindto theOvermind) is thuslhethird
fr nge of our dynarnicexistence, In orderio havean entrre necessary motiontollowing theothertwool ascension andperma-
consciousness andpoweroi Being,ii s allogether indlspensa- nenlstaiioning above.Inthisprocessof pe.colation, downpour
ble that we gatherup our consciousness and riseout ol the or influx.occur"anrncreasing inflowfromabove,an experience
sphereol gnorantmindintothe radlanthigherallitudes of the ol receptionand retentlonof the descendingspiritor its powers
Spiril. and elemenlsof consciousness." Whenthisphaseis moreor
Andtheseascentsmustbe madein fullawareness and not lesscompleted, we saylhatlhebeingandnalurehasundergone
merelyin the immobiletrance-siale of absorbedsupercon- spiritualtransfotmation, a lransformationlhat links the mani-
science. Forin ihe latlercase,on lhe relurnto thewakingcon- festedexistencewith whatliesbeyondand aboveit.
sciousness lromthesetemporary sojourns,onlyan rndetermi- Bui eventhis is not;nough for ou. goal.For,the processof
natespiritual impression mayabidebut not muchol dynamic spirtualisationbringsaboutmostlya subjective transformation,
elfect.Inordertohavethedynamis otthehigherspiritualgrades theinstrLrmental Natureremaining as beforefullof manydisabil-
of beingactiveand organised in ourwakinglife,we mustfirst itiesanddeficiencies. EventheOvermind, thesummil-reach of
ellecluale"a consciousheighlening andwideningintoimmense our spiritualmind-range, failslo eflecluale a complte change
rangesof newbeing,newconsciousness, newpotentralities
of of Nature,ior this too is "subjectto limilaijonsin the workingof
action." the eflectiveKnowledge,limitationsin the workingol the Power
Butthisascension oi ourconsciousness to ihesehigherlu- subiectto a Dartialand limitedTruth."
m nousplanes, eveni{ permanently centred lhere,doesnolsuf- Forthefullandradical transformation whalis indispensable
licefor thespiritual translormalion of our beingandnature.the isthedirectintervention andthe unveiledactionof thesupramen-
permanent ascentfromlhe lowerto the hrgherconsciousness tal Gnosisin our earth-existence and earlh-nature. Butlhat can
muslbefollowed by thecomplementary process of a permanent comeaboutonlywhena priorascentlo lhe planeof Supermind
descentol the higheri,rlolhe lower.The iransmutalion of our rslolowedby the supramental descentin thelieldol teffeslrial
presentmodesot beingandactivities intospiritual valueslead- manifeslation.
inglo the trans{iguration ol ourwakingexistence necessitates
then nol merely an ascension 1othe planes abovenoreventhe Butwhal preciselyare the difticultiesofferedby our presnt
berngand naturs,lhal cannotbe salisfactorilymel evenby the
exertor]iromthereof an indirectpressure and inlluence upon
nlgnestspiritual-mentalpowers?Whalare the lacunaeir+velved
oLrrlowerbengbulthebrining downol thePowerandL ghtof the
in the processof spiritualtranstormation? Th6 esseniialdilfi-
supernal reaches intheveryiieldof ournormal being,conscious'
properlo ihespirilual culty comesfrom the lact that we are evolutionarvcreatures.
nessandaction. For"lhereis adynamism
OLrevolLtion hasslartedlromtheapparently blankbosomof ln
c o n s co u s n e s sw h o s e n a t u r ei s L i g h t , P o w e r ,A n a n d a ,
 88 Chaple.6
con screnceand this dark herrtageol orrginalNescienceis st
we ghl ng very heavilyuponour nalure.Our normalbe ng is al-
mostwhollyrnoLrlded oul of the Inconsceince and "it s lhis sub
stanceol nesciencelhat has10be_transformed nto a substace
ol sLrperconscience,a subslancen whrchconscrousness and a
spirtual awarenessare alwayslhere even when lhey are nol
aclive,nol expressed...Tilllhal is done,lhe nescence rnvades
or encompasses or even ceilsup and absorbsinto ts oblivrous
darknessa thal enlers inlo it; il compelsthe descnding tht
to compromisewilh ihe iesserlght il enlers:thereis a mrxlure,
a diminuton and iilution oi itsell,a drminution,a rnodilcailon.
an nconrpcte authentlcriyol its lrulh and power.'
ll s becauseol this blind opposingNecessrty,th s dark
altach,nenllo Ihe a readyestablshedan seemingy nexorabe
Lavr'so1lhe ignorancethatlhe h ghersp rilua Lghlsand powers.
even lhoseol lhe overmind,com ng down nto the obscunlyol
our physrcalconseiousness Iosemuchot lheirtranslormrng po'
tencyand becomeinsteadmuliated,circumscfibed and nol al-
iogetherdynamicallyefiective.
Thus a peffecilranslguralon oi our lowernatureis a far cry
f we u/ouldrely on the sp ritua menlalpowersalone.We may
ll rndeedour innerconsciousness luminousand beratedand
e c s l a l i cb ! 1 o u ro u t e rb e i n ga n dn a l u r ew i l l s ll l g o o n n t h e i ro l d
u n f e g e n e r aw l ea y ,b r i n gn g n p e r i o d s o l d u lol b s c u r a t o nas n d
!n\lanled reaclionsdue to lhe play ol the guras The powerof
d v ne y rllumirred mind may be rmmensecompareow th ordi-
nary powers. bul t will st b sublecllo incapacilyand lhere
can be no perleclcorrespondence belweenthe force ol the el-
fectve w and lhe ght oi the dea which nsp rcs L The tnftntte
Presence may be lhere tn slalus, but dynamis af the operatians
of nal)rc stillbelangsta the lowerPruk lt. riruslfolow i1s1rple
modes oJ workingand cannol grve any aclequalelorm 1o lhe
greatness$ilhin il Ths is ihe lragedyol rn eilectv ty. ol ihe
h , a l ! sb e l u / e e nd e a la n d e i f e c i v e w r l ..
The Inwardrzalion
and the Ascensron 89
Th s is the reasonwhy it has been alwaysJoundthal a sub,
lectve spirtualty concentrated on lh6 changeof the innerbeing
a one, leavng the outernalureto go its old way,is mucheaster
to accomplishlhan to objectiviesthis spirituality in lhe dynamic
I|lecl a lree wor d,action.In the courseol our SpirituatSadhana.
our lola|ly of existencevery soon and very easilydissociates
nto iwo I elds,an innerone and an ouler one,The jnner being
and nalure has always a much less letteredgait: it awakens
as y enough,receiveslreelythe higherspiritualiniluences and
gels moreor lesstranslormed, Bul ihe externalsurfaceselj and
natureare mosttymouldedby the iorcesof the established lgno_
ranceand the originalNescience.And hencethey are tardy in
awakenrng,sluggishin receivingand imperviousto uninhiblted
ass mrlalion.lt is, for this reason,"alwayseasierto spiritualise
the innerselt sullicientpartsthan to transformlhe ouler aclion;
a perieclionot introspective, indwelling_..spiritualily
atoottrom
the worldor selt protectedagainstit is easierthan a perlection
ol lhe wholenaturein a dynamic,kineticspirituality objeclivised
n the ie, embracingthe world,masterol jls environment, sov_
e.e qn In ts comrnercewathworld-naiure.,'
Bul whethereasy of fulfillmentor nol, this is what we have
p ace0 bel0reus as our goal:an inlegraltranslormation ol our
culer betngand nalureas wellas thatof the innerone, entailing
the drvnrsaltonoi our wakingphysicalexistenceand ot the dv_
.amic llleol aclion.And as lve have menlionedbefore,it is
onlv
lrreoverlinterventionof lhe divinesupermindin our earlh-nature
lhal .an negativethe dark Necessityol downwardpull ol our
presenlevolulionaryexistenceand usheranthe eslablishmenl
oi the L fe Divine
And for thal an ascenlout ot the lowerhemispheretopped
by lhe Overmindontothe planeol suprarnenlal Gnasisbecomes
Ine I rs1necessily.For, the dynamicas well as the stalic reah-
sa1on oi Sachchidanandacannolbe inseparcbly and simultane-
.!s/v fad exceptthroughlhe Supermind,the T.,Jth-Conscious-
f-as5.)l the drvineReality_"The universeis uynamrsm.move-
 90 Chapler-6
menl-theessenlialexperience of Sachchidananda apartlromthe
is
dynamrsmand movemenl slalic.The full dynamiclruth ol
Sachchidananda and the universeand its consequencecannol
be graspedby any olher consciousness than the supermind,
becauselhe inslrumentation in ail olherllowerlplanesrs inlef or
and there is thereJorea disparitybetweenthe fuilnessof the
stal c experience and the ncompleteness ol the dynamc power,
knowledge,resultot the interiorIght and power ol otherplanes.
this is lhe reasonwhy the consciousness of lhe other spirlual
p anes,even if ii descends,can make no radicalchangein the
earlh-conscousness,I can only modilyor enfich t."
So we see lhal th s sublirneascenlfrom be ow. lrom out ol
the sp ritualmrnd'ssphere,inlo lhe supramenlalp ane oi being
and consciousness, is lhe lirsl radicalslep on the way to lhe
iullillmentwe havebeen seekingin ourYoga.Bul h s ascension
rs nol enough:it has lo be completedby a supremedescenl
irom above, ihe descentot lhe Supermindin earth natufe For,
rl is only in the divineTrulh'Consciousness or Supermnd lhat
lhe powerof dynamiclransformalion can be integralandabsa-
As a rnalterol fact, on y lhe supermindcan lhus descend
wnhautlasing ils lull poweroi aclionifor ils action s a ways in
trinsic and automatic,its will and knowledgeidenlicalal-ldlhe
resull cornmensuratei ils natureis a self achievingTruth-con-
scrousness... on y lhe supramenlal Forcecan enlirclyovetcame
[the] d fticuI ol the fundarnenlalNescience; for with t entersan
opposiieand luminousimperatve Necessly whichunderliesall
lhingsand is lhe or ginalandlinalseltdeterminrng trulh lorceol
lhe se l-ex slenl Inlinile.This greaterlumtnoussp r l!a neces,
s ly and rts sove.ergnimperativea/onecan dtsplaceof enlirely
penelrale.transforminlo ilse i and so iapracethe blfd Ananke
of lhe lnconscience "
So. this is lhe secondcap tal movemenl:ihe descentol lhe
Supermindin earlh-exrsience and earlh nalure B!l somelhrng
The Inwardizatlon
and th Ascension 91
much more has to be achievedbelore our goal of divineand
dynamiclile upon earlh becomesa realisedfact ot existence
The involved Supermindas to emerge to meet the descendtng
As a malterot iact, even now,the supramental principleis
here secrellylodgedin a I existence,even behindlhe grossest
malerality.lt is lhe S!perrnindthat rs sustajningand governing
ihis maniiestedlower worldsby its self-concealed power and
law ELrtal presentlhe Supermindis tnvolvedand hiddenbehlnd
th s ower tflplicilyol mind,life and matter:it cannotacl overlty
or in ils won nlrinsicpower,becauseoi lhe absenceof proper
Instrumentat on n lhe earth-nature. lls "powerveils 1tselland
Itsl law works unseen through the shackled ltmtationsand timp-
ng deforrnatons ol lhe lesserruleof our phystcal,vilal,menla
Nalrirel
Now il the supramentalchangeot the who e substanceol
our beingand ol all its modesand movementshas al al to be
made perlecl and integral,thls involvedSupermindin Nalure
m!sl [reI berateduponearth,joinwiththe descending Supermnd,
prepareihe groundlor lhe divinedynamicplay oi Supernalure
\.paraprakrti) and acI as "an overlly operattvepower n lh ler-
restra vr'orkings..., - n the sameway in whichlh nkingi\,4ind has
0eeneslabiished throughthe humanevoluton as an overllyop
eratve powerrn Lile and Maller.This wou d mean lhe appear-
ance n the evolulionol a gnoslc beingor Purushaand a gnos-
1 c P f a k rI a g n o s l i c - N a t u r T
e .h e r e m u s t b e a n e m e r g e n l
sLrpramenlal Conscousness-Force lberatedand act ve withrn
the lerrestriawholeand an organiseds!pramenlaInstrumenla-
t.n cf lhe Sprrii n the lile and the body...
It is n th s way thatlhe sp rilualpenuryot our wakingex st-
enceca4 be radrcallyremeded and one can enjoya dlvrne Ie
nereuponearlh tseif,even n the physcal embodiedex stence,
w thoutany needto shun exislenceor plungeiniolhe ann htta
I on oj lhe spirtua Personin some sell extrngushingNirvana,
 o
o)
ct
r\C
t-o
9o
*or
:-
OF
Chapter-7

The Spirit'stopsand nature'sbaseshalldraw

Neatto the secretof their'eparate truth
And knoweachothetas one deity.
the spiritshalllookout thtoughMatter'sgaze
And Maftershallrevealthe Spitit'slace
Thenmanand supermanshallbe at one
And alllhe ea h becomea sngle lile.
(SriAurobindo, SayltilBookXl, Cantol, p.7092)
A manrtestation of the Supermindand its truth-conscjous-
nessis.,,inevhable:it musthaDDen in thjswo d sooneror later.
But it has two aspecls,a descentfromabove,an ascentlrom
below,a self-revelation ol the Spirit,an evolutionin Nature
(SriAurobindo.TheSupamentalManifestation, p.80)
As the psychic change has to call in lhe spiritual to com-
pleteit, so thefist spiitualchangehasto callin thesupramental
translarmatian to completeit...Thisthenmustbe the natureof
thethirdand finaltnnslotmationwhichfinishesthe passageaf
the soul thraughthe lgnoranceand bases its consciousness,
its life, itspowerand formof manifestation on a compteteand
completelyeffectiveself-knowledge..So must be createdthe
supramental and spiitual beingas the firstunveiledmanifesta-
ttonal the truthol the Selfand Spiritin the materialuniverce.
(SrjAurobindo,TheLifeDivine,pp.917-18)
It,
YY e havealmos(cometo theendol our longo.sse,tal,o-
on howto remedythe spiritual penuryot our wakingphysical
existence. Notan escapeorattheleastaquientisttc withdrawal
tromlheworld-consciousness, butralherthe integraland vlctori-
ousembracingof the lifeof actionand creationa andthe divlne
IransfigLrration of the wholeof our existence.is whal we have
 Chapler-7

placebeloreus as our goal. Theanalogy of sleepandwaking is averyaptonehere For,

Buta furtherpointremainslo be elucidatehere.Awellestab- whatwenormallyiind isthatin ourwaking stateweforgetaboul
lishedlineol spiritualexoerienceshowsthat wheneverour soul our sleepstatus and while in lhe sleep-stale we becomeoblivi_
gels involvedin action,itlosesholdand becomesnescientof ils ousoi ourwaking exislence, Butihis is so only because a small
rmmobile,passiveand so-calledttue slatus,whereasa with- parto{ our beingmakesthe transition and oscillalesbelween
drawallromdynamismand an involulionintopassivilymakesit the lwo slales oJ awareness.And since this part cannotem'
totallyobliviousof it is activestatuswhich thus appears10 be bracethetotalityo{ourexistence, il becomes nescient ol oneor
just a false supenmposition upon lhe lreedomand bIss ol the the otherol thelwo statuses, depending on ;tsparticularstation
soul. Now,if this experienceis the only or the ullimateexpefi, ai lhelime.Butlhrough a proper sell-discipline on canso wrden
ence possible,lhenwe havepertorcelo admitihat an acirvelife thescopeol one'sconscious discernment thal one hasno more
cannotbe compaliblewiththe consciousexperienceand enjoy- lo makethisabruptand all-torgeiting change'over, bul can In_
menioi ihe soul-status. Bui fo unatelythisis noi so.Thisallerna, sleadho d boththe stalesin a singleuninterrupted gaze
lion in the nescienceof the activeand lhe passtvestaluses It is the samethrngwiththeexperience ol BrahmanAclion
occursbecauseii ls only apartof our beingna dot lhe totalityot andcreation neednot and should not externalise lheconscious_
rt lhal shiits it cenlre and makes the alternattvemovements. nessandmakeonelosethesilent treedom of thepassiveBrah
But in realitythereare not two distinciand separateslatuses: mannorshouidtheexperience of the immobile Brahman be in-
thereis insteadonly a uniquedual slatus,a stalusembracesal compatible withthe tree possession of ils mobilestatusThe
lhe sametime boihthe aspects,the staiicone and the dynamic apparent ariseslromlhe{actthat
incapabilily ordinarilywe iden'
tify ourse ves with only apart ol the totality of our conscious-
We haveakeadyspokenofthe activeBrahmanand the pas- ness-ihe mentalor at its highestthe spirituaLmental parl ol it -
sive Brahman,bul thereare nol lwo independentrealilies,one andseekto realise parl
the Divinethroughthislimited alone
imrnobile,the other mobile."The Flealityis neitheran eternal And sincethis iustaparland not lhe integralconscious-
passivilyof immobileBeing nor an eternalaclivilyof Beirlgin ness,it cannotsimullaneously embrace boththeaspecls.Thus
movemenl,nor is il an alternalionin Tirnebetweenihese lwo dynamisobliterates the sellof statusfromils awareness and
ihrngs.Neitherin fact is the sole absolutetruth ol Brahman's passvitvloosensiis holdon lhe sellot aclion.Whenlhis pas-
rea ily...Thereis not a passiveErahmanand an activeBahman, sivilybecomesenlire,our mind-consciousness fallsasleep,so
but one Brahman,an Existencewhich reserves lts Taoesin whal to say,enterslntothe trance-state o{ Samadhi or elseis liber-
we cal passivily and gives itself in what we call its acttvily.Fort atedinlo a spirilualsilence.Bul evidently this is not the line
he purposes oJ aclion, there arc two poles of ane being or a whichwe wouldliketo lollow.For"thoughit is a liberation from
double power necessary for creation,__Brahman does nol pass theignorance oi thepariralbeing in ils fluxof il
action, is earned
aliernatelylrom passrvtlyto aclivityand back to passivityby by pltling on a luminoLls nescienceo{ the dynamicReality
cessationof its dynamicforceo{ being....lntegral Brahmanpos, orauminousseparationlrom it:thespiritualmentalbeingremains
sess Lolh the passivityand the activity slmultareouslyand does seli-absorbed in a silenlessenlialslalusol exislence an be_
not pass alternatelyfromone1olhe other as from a s eep 1o a comesislhe incapable of activeconsciousness or repugnanl lo
wakino." all activitvl'
 98 ChapteFT The Conq!est

8ul our goalis the integrallultjllmenlof our inteorat exist- drlveandg!ideallconcelvable

seenlo constitute, and
activities
ence,lheInlegral andsimullaneous possesston ot bothtnestatic iocreatea mVflad
formsvisiblelousandinvisibleanduselhem
and dynamicaspeclsol the Divine,as rs rne case wrth as slablesuooorts fluxot aclionandcrealion."
torlo incessanl
Sachchidananda Himself.But this is possibleontyif we pos-
Apparently,Purushaand Prakriliseemto be lwo differenl
sess lhe Inlegralconsciousness. And this integralconscious_ Principles.
and drstrnct Nolonlythal:in the ordinaryslalusol
nesscomesonly with lhe attainmentol the supramenlalGno_
conscious exislence, lhe actionand inlluence ot Prakritiseem
sis- For,as we havemenlionedbelore,this cnosis is twolold
to bedeleteriousto theprogress ot thesoul.As a mallerof lacl,
Truth-Consciotisness, an inherentandintegralself-knowtedge and as Sr Aurobindo hasso beautifully putit,lhe wholeproblem ol
al lhe sametimean intimate andintegral consciousness ot the
manilestation. liferesoves itsellinlothisone question:
As a malterol lact,Sulermind is noneotherihan
Sachchidananda's powerofsel,awareness andworld-awareness. "Whatarewe to do wilhlhissoulandnaturesei laceto face
andihusthe dynamically inlegralliberationandfutfimentthat w th eachother,lhis Nature,thispersonal and cosmicactivily,
we are seektngaflercan be achieved onlyin andthfoughthis wh ch lries1oirnpress iiselfuponlhe soul,io possess, conlrol,
suptamenlalvijnanna, determine it, andthisoulwhichfeelsthatin somemyslerious
wayil has{reedom, a controloverilself,a responsibility
totwhat
We haveseenhowto retainthe consciousness of the oas_ t rs and does,andtries thereforeto turn upon Nalure,ils own
srve Brahmanwhileal the samelime parlropationgtn lhe
andthe worlds andto conlrol, possess, en,oy,or even,rt may
consciousness ol the activeaspectof it. Bui thatdoesnol auto_
matrcally be,reieclandescaoefromher?
signilythatour nature-part as distinctlromour inner
soul-exislence willalsogettransrormed andbe moulded in the ll is becauseol lhisapparenl tendencyol the Purusha lo el
irnageof the Divine.Butthisis whalwe precisety needlor the nvolved andselllostin th6obscuringactionol the
Prakrililhat
lull llmentof our goal.For it isn,tmerelythe liberation of our s6li'recovering soulleelsa sod oJalooldelachmenl if noltotal
soul,bLrltheliberation andthedivinetransiiguration ot ihewhole repugnance fortheplayot NaiLrreandseksto standbackkom
ot our Nature,p,?kftirnuktj,pakit-rupantan, enabjingthe es- il anddestroyall earthward so thatil maysecurely
tendencies
tabljshment of a LifeDivineuponearth,thatis thetolatcontent possessils slalic nfinity.
ot our aim.Letus nowproceed to showhowthisprakrilitvlukti Bulthisantagonism between SoulandNaiureis moreappar
and Prakrili-Rupantara can be integrally achieved throuqhthe enl lhan real.lor in realily,lhey are not distinctand ditlerent
Supermind. Principles;t;helrenchanldualityis tictitious,theyrepresent in
8ul whalis meantby soulor by Nature,by purushaandhis {acl,lheTwo-in-One or ratherlhe One-in-Two. thus,
Prakrili?
Anyrelativelyprolound psycho-spiriiuat
inquirymakes ''TherearetwoshowareOnceandplayin manyworlds:
us awareol lwo elemenlsof ouf being,a souland a Nalure. In Knowledge andlgnorance lheyhavespokenandmet
Purushaor soul,individualor universal,is lhe observinoand Andlighlanddarkness aretheireye'sinterchange.
erperiencingconscousexislence seentrgryInactive bLt;nre- Thushavetheymadelheirplaywilhus Jorroles:
ationwithitsbecoming, whileprakritior
Nature, againindividual
or universal,
s theprinciple Authorandactorwilhhrmsell as scene,
andthepowers{ thebecomrng, ap_
peaflngas an executiveForceor an energyof processwhichis
 100

He movestheras the Soul,a Natureshe. the Sat

veaisHimseltor Hersellin the divineSachchidananda,
This wholewideworldis onlyhe and she." Chilananda, lor Satis the Being,the Purusha' Chit is the con'
Thus,lhePurusha-Prakriti dualily, although separate in ap. sciousexecutivelorce or Prakritiand Anandais the halo and
pearance, aromaot iheirindissaluble union,
is in factinsparabl6. Wherever lhereis prakriti,
there
is Purusha;wherever ih6ris Purusha, threis prakriti.
Evenin B!tthisessentialunityand unionot Purusha andPrakrill are
hisinactivity he holdsin himself allherforce andeneroies readv -ot overlyreal'sed on lhe lower planes ol existence' the lower
lor projection:eveninlhdrjveolheraclion shecarrr; withher planesol manifestation of the Spirit.The tru inkinsicrelalion
all his obseNingand mandatoryconsciousness as TO whole ha beenpervertedth16anda pramaticdivisionandseparalron
supportandsenseol het creativeouroose." withall theirundesirable consequences havedevelopedalong_
Bul why is thisso? Because, srde.
in lheir6ssenlial nalureand
onginalaspecl, Purusha and Prakritiarise tromihe beincrol di, Alterall,whalis a planeof consciousness, a planeot exisl'
vrneSachchidananda. As a matteraflecr,Se .conscro;sex- ence?A planeis nothingelsethan'a gneral settledpoiseor
istenceis lheessentialnaturol the Being;thatis Saior pLrrusha: worldot relations' betweenPurushaand Prakriti, belweenthe
lhe Powerof self-awareoxislence,whetherdrawninto itsetfor Souland Nalure.Nowwiththe progressive involution or sglf'
acting in the worksol ils consciousness and force,its knowt- concealmentof Sachchidananda, has ensuedthe progressive
edge and its wiil, Chil and Tapas,Chaland its Shaklj,-thatis sell-hiding ol SoulandNature, onetromheolher,thereslll be-
Prakriti.Delight of boing,Ananda,is theelrnaltruthof theun- ingthatlhe self-possession andthe world-possession, svaraiya
ionof lhisconscious beinganditsconscious lorcewnetherab_ andsAmdjya,havebecom difficultlo achieveat thesametime.
sorbedin itsellor lsdeployed in theinseparable dualityot iis Now,depending onthe nalureof thedominanl cosmicPrincipJe
lwo aspects,unrolling the worldsand vi6wingthem,actingin andpoweroi beingaroundwhichtheSoulandtheNature decide
themandupholding theaction,execuljon worksandgivingthe to weavetheirgameof hideandseek,we havedifterent planes
sanctronwithoutwhichihe forceof Naturecannotact,executing ot consciousness and existence.Thus we have,in ascending
and conlrollingthe knowledgeand the will and knowingand order,a malerialplane, alife-plane andtheplanesof mind.
conlrollingthe delrminations of th knowledge-lorce and But even on the highestrangof spiritual-mind planes,the
welfares, ministering 1oth6 njoyment and enjoying,,the Soul absoluteharmonyof lhe unionof Purusha-Prakriti is not fully
possessor, observer, knower, lordol Nature, Natureexpressing recovered. Thusevenlhoughthe separate lib6ration andstatic
thebeing,executing thowill,satislying thesetf,knowtedge, min_ release of thesoulbecome feasiblethere,thelattercannotlreely
isteringto thedelightol beingof lhe soul.Therewe have,founded possessNature,becomeits conscious Lordand lransformil
on lhe verynalureol being,lhesuptemeand theunive5alrela- Into an etfectiveand flawlessinskumnlot divine manifesta-
tion ol Prck ti with Purusha.Theabsolutejoy of thesout in itsetf lion.
and baseduponthat,lhe absolute joy of the soul in Naturearc Forlhatwe havelo reachtheplaneol supermind,,Ihe
divinelulfillmeni vij+and
of the relalion.' orgnosisot Sachchidananda,whichis notonlylhe concentraled
Thuslheapparenl dualityvanishes andtheTwo-in-One re. consciousnessoflhernfinite
Essence,[but]alsoandatthesame
t meandiniinrleknowledgof themyriadplayol the Infinile.
 142
In the gnoss lhe dualismoi purushaand prakriti,Soutand
Nature d sappearsin their biuneunity,the dynamicmysieryoi
lhe occullSuprerne. The Truth-being
is the Hara-Gaurioi lhe In-
d an rconologrcal symbol (the biune body ol the Lord and his
Spouse,lshwaraand Shaki, the rght half male, the ett hali
iemae); ii s the doublePowermascultneborn Jromand sup"
pofledby the supremeShakliof the Supreme.,,
Bul evenihena lasl po nl remans. FoT,we do nol wanl lo
w tirdrawlromthe matera planeof exislence
inioihe Supermrnd's
sei-exisienlream: we want insteadthe supramenlaun on oi
Sou and Naturein the very bosomoi the physcaly embodied
exrslencehere upon earth. Thus, what js essentia ior the
iuli lmenl ol our objectiveis not rnefelythe asceni nlo the
supramental
Gnosisbutthe evenluallranslorming
Conscrousness Forceintoour enlirebeingano naiureano a con-
com lant or subsequenl emergenceol the concealedSupermrnd
al presenl nvolvedhere be ow,This tniluxirom aboveand lhe
unveilng Irombelowwillbetweenihem removewhal s leitoi lhe
natureol the Ignorance. The rule ot ihe inconscienlwtll disap-
pear:lor lhe e the In consciencewillbe changedby the ouibursi
ol the grealersecretConsciousness withinlt, the hiddenL ght,
n t o w h a t i t a l w a y s w a s i n r e a l i t y ,a r e a s o r r n e s e c f e l
Superconscience".
The supramentalbe ng, the gnoslicsout,lhe Vijfianamaya
Purusa,lhrs appearingin earlh-existence wr be lhe list un-
ve ed manlieslation ol Sachchidananda in the malerialuniverse.
Noi a self oblivionin the lnfinite,but an integratseI possession
and worldplssession rnthe Infinitewillbe its charactersticrnove,
menl lt will be the I rsi to participatein world aci on not only n
the Ireedom but in the powerand sovereignty
ol the Terna. For
t rec ves the iullness,it has the senseof plenitudeoi the God
head n ts act on t sharesthe lorce,sp endidand roya marcho1
the n|nile, is a vesse oi the orrginaknowledge,the mmacu-
ate power lhe tnviolabe bltss,iransmutesall ie inlo the eter-
The Conq!est 103
nalLrghlandihe eternalFire andthe eternalWinde of the nectare.
ll possessesth infiniteof lhe Self and jl possessesthe infinile
ol Nalure...The gnosticsoul is the child,butihe King-child; here
rslhe royalandeiernalchildhoodwhosetoysarklheworldsand
a un versal Natureis the miraculousgardenot the play that
t res never....This biunebeingof Purusha,pfakriti is as if a flam,
rng Sun anybodyoi DivineL ghts sellcarriedin its orbit by iis
own nner consctousness and poweral one with lhe universe,
atonewilh a supremeTranscendent, lts madnessconsciousness
and powervibratng withan infinitesenseof freedomand inten-
slty ln iis divineliie-movement....-a dance this also, a whirl ol
m ghly energes, but the Masterol the dancehoidsthe handsot
Hrs energes and keepsthem to the rhythmicorder,the self-
tracedharmoniccirces of His Rasa-Lila,,'
descenlof ts
Thus,wrthlhe supramenlattransforrnation ot our beingand
nalure,lhrs earthly lie wiil flowerinto the Lrie divineand our
wak ng phystcalex stencewill be adivinisedexistenceol tnie,
grarconsctousness and dynamis,Neitherwill one then have lo
p unge Inlo tlre superconscient trance-statein orderto experi-
ence the AbsoluteExislenceor non -Exislence,nor to conlent
onesellwith the J vanmukti-status waitingall the whileior the
linal releasein Videha-lVuktt. Because,then
Nalureshal ve to rnanifestsecretGod,
The Sp rit shalltake up the humanplay,
This earthlylife becomethe tifedivine.
ln the wordsol lhe lvlotheri
'ln
the supramental crealrontherewillbe no more__.whal
men
n o wc a l g o d s .
''Thesegreat
dlvtnebelngsthemselveswtll be able lo par-
Ircrpaten lhe new creation,bul lor ihat they us pul on what we
may cal/ the supramenialsubstanceon earlh.And I there are
sorne!!irochooseto remainin lheirworld,as lhey are, if lhey do
dec de not to rnanilesithemselves physically,Iheirrelattonwih
lhe oiher beingsoflhe supramenlatworldan earthwillbetela
104 Chaptdr-7

tion of lriends,of collaboralors,ol equalto equal,becausethe

highestJivineessencewillhavemanilestedin thebeingsol the
newsup@mentalworld on earth.
"Whenth6physicalsubstancewillbesupramentalised, to be
bornon earthin a bodywill not be a causeof inleriority,rather
thecontrary,therewill be gaineda plenitudewhichcouldnotbe
obtainedotheNis6".
Butlhe question is:Whenis thisdivineSupermind goingto
descendintothe earlh-exislence orthe involvedSupermindgo-
ing to emerge?Th answeris thal it is no longera questionof
when in lhe future,it is akeadyan establishedfact.The divine
Supermndhas descendedn the year 1956and a new world s Chapter-B
alreadyborn,althoughnoi yel manifest to the grossphysical
consciousness ol man.ThelrotherwhoalonewilhSriAurobindo
has 'luminouslylaboured'Ior d6cadesfor the descentof the
Sure5vara
Supermindher Hersellvouchasafted us this assurance:
"The greatestthingthat can ev6r be, the most marvelous
thingsincethe beingof creation,the mifaclehas happened".
"Themanifestation ol theSupramentalupon earlhis no more
a promisebut a livingtact,a .eality.lt is at work here,and one
day willcomewhgnthe moslblind,the mostunconscious, even
the mostunwillingshallbe obligdlo recognizeil."
Only,the involvedSupermindhas nol yet ernerged."The
emergence is lot the future,but,ol course,now il is merelya
auestionof lime:the orocessis naluraland inevitable."
Chapter-8

The Works ol the Author ol the V6rtika

We nowbeginthe examinalron ot theVeftikaschool.Allcntics
a g r e e t h a t t h e V a r t i k a s o n S r i S a f r k a r a ' sT a l l i r i y a a n d
BrhaderanyakaCornmentarieswere composedby Sri Suresvara,
as wel as ihe Narskarmya Siddhi.Our sludy herew ll thereiore
be confinedlo iheseworks.Thecornmentaryon lhe Daksinamurtl
Slolraca ed the [/anasollasaand the Balakar]da Commenlary
cn Yejnavalkya Smrii,whichare saidto havebeencomposedby
a personcalledv svafrjpaAcarya,cannolbe acceptedas be
onginglo the Vadika school,nol only becausescholarsare
d vrdedaboullheir authenlrcity, but also becausethey advance
vews n contradiclionwith lhe teachingot the Varlikas The
PairckaranaVArlikais also eft oul of accounttor the same
feasonsTheretorewe shalllry to delerminethe natureo1the
Varlrkatachingwith the help ot lhe earliestmenlionedlhree

The close connection betweenthe Brahma Siddhiand the

SambandhaVirtika
We havealreadymenlionedal lhe beginningoJthe chapler
on [4andana(M.V.91) how, in lhe matterof the retutalionoj
oppLrnenls'views, thereis much simila ly in !he lineol lhoughl
of the BrahmaSrddhiand Suresvara's Varlika.This is especialy
lrrre n lho case oi the BrahmaSiddh and the nkoduclorypor-
tlonof SLresvara s Brhadaranyaka Vartrka,calledthe Sarnbandha
Verrka.Thls ihemewill be developeda lililelurlherhereto help
thosewho would like to make comparisonof the two schools.
Tfe co!rse .i try ng lo explainhow lhe Absolutecan onlybe
anouNlhrough lhe Veda,sketchesin vanouslheoriesol the re,
108 Chaptef-8 SL]lsvata 109

lalionbetweenthe ritual-sectionand the knoveledge-section

ol (7) TwoViewsaccordingto which Ritualgarc eithet for Pu-
the Vedaand .efutesthem.Thosesamelheoriesare also sum- rificalion or else Patts of the Discipline ol Knowledge: Ac-
marrzedtor relutationin the samewayin the Vertika,mosllyon cepledat B.Sid.pp.27-8,36. Doclrinethat ritualsare lor
lhe samewords.Forexamole: awakening thedesire lor knowledg,butlhattheymusibe
\1j TheDoctine of theEliminalionofl the Univerceof Des- givenup tortheactualaliainmenl lortheAbsolute:S.V14,
lirationsrEverywherein the Vedalh6re is taughtlhe elimr- 322.Acceptance that rilualsare lo. purilica-
of th doctrane
nationol somedistinction somewhere. Thusthe ritualislic t i o nS
: . V8 7 . 1 9 2 . 3 0 1 .
in iunctionsare heldlo be auxiliariestowardsaplitudelor (8\ Relutationof DifferenceiB.,Did.The wholeot Section
knowledge ol the Sell throuqhthe visibleresullot eliminat- Two (TarkaKanda): S.V 917-86.
ingdifferences. B-Sid. p.27;S.V(verss) 378-a3. Therefu-
in these.andin olherplaceswhererivalschools areexam-
lalion:B. Sid.pp.28-30; S.V 384,389,424-6.
ined,thelwoworksshowa strikingsimilarily, notonlyof mean-
12)TheDoct ne thatPleasure-desieis eliminaledthrough ingbul evenol words.
/Ddulgercerll is heldthatlhe ritualisticseclionol the Veda
promotes aptitudetor knowledge ot the Sellby makingevery The Rival Doctrines Examinedin lhe SambandhaVattika
pleasure'desire available.B.Sid.p.27;S.V343-4.The relu-
Thelollowing is a listol someotherviews described lor pur-
lalion:B.Sid.p.30;S.V 345-54. posesoJrefutation antheSambandha Vartikawhicharenol noticed
\3) TheDoctine of the Discharyeol the ThreeDebts:ll is in lhe BrahmaSiddhi.
hed thatritualistic prepare
injunclions onetorknowledge ol
(1)Thedoctrine thatsymbolic medilalions areenjoined for
the Selflhroughsecuringdischargeol the lhreedebis,
ihe sakeof liberalion. S.V20. (2)The doctrine that libera-
beginning wilhlhatto lhe gods.Statemenl and relulalion:
tion,unde6loodas abidingin one'snatureas individual soirl,
B. Sid.p. 36i S.V.436.
arisestromfitualistic action.S.V32. (3)Variousformsol
\4) VEw tha! knowledgeof the.Self entersthe Sphercol lhe doctrinethat knowledgeand actionare lo be combined
Ritualthtoughpurilyingthepedo nerol Bitual:8.Sed-p.28. in lhreewaysfor liberation. S.V 357. (4) Doctrinethal there
B. Sid.p.31; S.V.427-35.
The reiutalion: i s a n i n j u n c t i o ni o p e r t o r m r e p e a t e dm e d i t a t i o n
\5) The Dactine that the Whole Vedais concernedwith (prasankhyana). S.V761.(5)Thedoctrine thatknowledge
Actsto be Done:B.Sld. p.23andthe wholeot SectionThree is torthe sakeol meditation whichwil lurn leadto libera"
(Niyoga Kanda); S.V477-541. Therelutation: B.Sid.pp.25- lion.S.V.438.{6) Doctrinelhal knowledge lhat all is lhe
6: S.V 540-760. oneSelfis onlya pieceof symboiic meditation. S.V439.(7)
(6) DoctrinethatRitualmayhelpthe Riseol Knowledge be- Doctrineof uppressionof the impressionsof the waking
and olherslates.S.V441-2.(8) Doclrineof ihe suppres_
cause its Results differ accordingto Motive with which it is
perforned:B.Sid.p.27.AccepledS.V.322.Acceptedwith sronof the mind.S.V443.
a oua ticatron.B.Sid.o.36. Andthereareolherdoctrines ol thesameking.Whylrandana
ooesnot relerto lhemwhileSuresvata doesis nol clear.
110 Chapter.8 Suresvara 111

Relutationof Mandana'sPositionsin the Vartika theonedesirous oi liberationto practise a combination ol know_

The quesiionol whetherMandanaand Suresvarawerethe edgeand actlon(inihe tormof repeated affirmalion of knowl-
samepersonis muchdisputedthattheywerebothAdvaitinsand edgeihroughmeditaiion, [r.V 38,4,ad tn.).Therefutalion was
lhaltheyeachquotedfor theirownworkthansamearguments accomplished by showinglhat knowledge andaclionwerein iotal
againstthe dualiststhatare lo b9loundin the worko1the other. conlradiction.
It is also noticeablethat in lrandana'sbook one occasionally Tvpicalol theteachings thatSuresvara combaledin thiscon_
linds the argumontsand evenlhe wordsof the reveredCom- textwereihe tollowing two poinis. Knowledge derivedlrornwords
mentatorSankara.Fromthis one may conjecturethat the is ineviiablv indireci, andonlyheallainsliberation whohasrisen
Advaitinshad been usingthesesameargumeniswith slight to immedlate awareness ot lhe Sellthroughmeditalion andother
changes fora longtim6.ThencameSuresvara [s3.ya.whoac- act ve measures (lV.V. 101, 5, nole);the lalse appearances that
cepledandborrowed the arguments usedby N4andana andother persislevenalterknowledge offiheSelfcanonlybe broughlio
lorerunners againstolherschoolswhetesuchargumentsdid not an endby repeatedmeditation on one'svisionof the realityallied
contradicthis ownsystem.Buthe relutedthe contractions even 10pedormance ol sacrllices andothercasteduties(B Sid p.35,
of memberso, his own school if they did contradicthis own M.V.100,1)Thishadalreadybeencontradicled by Sri Sankara,
system.And it appearslikelythat he did so at lhe comrnandoi as the Jolbwinglexi shows.
hisGuru.Thiscanbe substantiated by a glanceat his Narskarmya (2)Theknowledge thaloneis (intruth)everliberatedcomes
siddhi.
lromthe holyiexlsandlrom no olhorsource.And knowl_
(1) lt is anobdience to lhe comrnand ol my curu that I edgeo1the meaning of a textis not possible wlihoulfirst
expoundthe secretdoctrinehiddenin lhe heartoi the callingio mindthe meaningol its component words ll rs
Upanishads, whichendslransmigration and takesone lo certarn thatlhe meaning oi a wordis calledto mindon the
jmmortality. I am awarethat il has also been explajnedby basisof agreements anddillerences (inthe way one has
others.{N.Sid.l.3) heardthe wordusedand in the meanings for whichit is
This bookis writienneither1ogainfame,nor wealth,nor madelo sland).In thiswaYonecomeslo know oneselas
delerentialtreatment,but in orderto test lhe metalot my own lhe puretranscendent Seli,boyondpainand actlonThe
knowledge al the touch-stone
ol the God-realizedsages.(N.Sid. clearest fromol authoritative knowledge of lhe inmoslSeli
t .6 ) (i.e.immediate awareness basedon identity-leeling) arlses
lromsuchtexts as'That lhou art',just as it didlrom'Thou
Froma considration of lheselwo versesone mightconjec- art the tenth'(cp.Nl.V59, 14).(U.S (verse)XVlll.190-2
ture lhal when AcaryaMandana'sfame had spreadwide
SuresvaraAc6ryacomposedan independent lreatrsecalledthe It was by quotingthesewordsof his Guruas his authority
NaiskarmayaSiddhi.lts name was a faithlul rellectionol ils thal SuresvarereiLrtdd lhe docirineof repealedmeditalion
contents,sinceit was writlento helppeopleto establishthem, (Prasankhavana Vada;N.Sid.lV 31-3;S.V 206-8)andalsothal
selvesin lhe actionlessSell thoughknowledge alone.lt was ol liberation lhrougha combinaiion of actionand knowledge in
composedalso witha viewlo reluteMandana,who counselled hisVartika andNaiskarmva Siddhi.To re{ule thisdoctrine ol com-
binationhe wrotesomeversesin his Brhadaranyaka VAdika,
 S!resvaTa 113

beginningwilh on sayingthat onlyhe whowas withoutattach- is alreadyknown.And the meaningof 'non-existence' is also
mentfor lhe en,oymenlof anythingin thisworldor the nextwas known. The non'existenceof plurality
is the newlruthcommu-
a fil candidatefor liberation. nicaledas a sentence-meaning by the associationlhesejwo
(3)'Children runalterextrnal pleasures. . .'(Kalhall. i.2) word'meaning (B.Sid.p. 157,cp. M.V 99,1).
and again?He whodesires pleasures and dwellson themis Theselwo lheoriesare tefutedby Suresvara.He remarks
reborn'(Mund. lll. ii.2)andagain'Hewho hasno desires. againandagainthatthereis noassocialion or exclusion ol word'
. . (beingnothingbut th6 Absolute,he dissolvsin the Ab: meaningsin textsteachingth idenlityof the true Seli withthe
solute', Brhad.lV iv.6). (Havingthusdoclaredlhal onlyhe Absoluie. because lheinmoslnon-dualSelf cannolbethemean-
who is indillerentto the enjoymentol objectsin this world ingexpressed by anysentence (N.Sid.lll.25, 26;76. S.V902,909-
andlhe nextqualifisfor metaphysicallgnorance,nothing 10;B.B.VL iv.1406-8, 1431;lll.iv.29,33,46; lll.v.100,184,190).
is requiredbut metaphyscial knowledge, SriSuresvaracon- In explaining the text'TheInfinite, verily,remains(Brhad.Vi.1)
tinues: ) To removemetaphysical knowledge.And lo give he expresses himselfthus:
riseto suchknowledg,nothingelseis requiredexceptihe (4) Reallity,
whichdoesnotadmilof anydistinction between
virluesbeginning withinnerand oulercontrol.In orderlo Godandthe individualsoul, appears throughlgnorance to
acquirethesevirtues,nothingis requiredbut purification ol incl!dethisdistinclion.
Whenlgnorance is abolished lhrough
the mind,andfor purificalionof the mindnolhingis required theknowledgo thatsays"neitherthis northat',onlytheSelf
butthe pedormanceol the obligatorydailyritualas a duty. remains.Thereis seento be no association or exclusionot
Sincethoughl,wordand bodilydeedarisosolelyfromigno- word-meanings to lorm a senlence-meaning, no evena
ranceof the Sell (readatma-ajnana), whenthal has ben -
negation whenlgnorance, the rootof all thesefalseno-
canclledby knowledgeol lhe S9lf,howcouldlherb d6-
tions,is abulishedthroughauthoritalive knowledge derived
pendence on actionafteMards? (8.8.V l. iii.97-100)
fromthe Vedain the mannerexplained. (B.B.VVi.21-2)
One may nole lwo turtherdoctrinesof the BrahmaSiddhi
thatwererelutedby Suresvara- lvlandana arguesasfollows.Every The Treatmentol the Doctrine ot Bhartrpraancain the The
meaningful sentence communicalos a particularnol previously Vartika
knownto the hearerIn the Vedicterts proclaiming lhs Absolute, We havespokenso lar as il the principle doctrine
lo be re-
we findihe universal notion'catlse'andthe universal nolion'being' futedln theNaiskarmva SiddhiandthetwoVerlikas waslhatol
conveyedby phrasessuchas'Thatfromwhich(thesecreatures lVandana [,4isra.
Bui il shouldbe remembred thatwhathasbeen
areborn)'(Taitt.lll..1)and'Nolgross.. .'.The6eideas(inthem- describedabovecouldequallywellhavebeenintended10refule
selvesunrversal)acquirea particular meaningnotknownthrough Bharlfprapafrca. Andthereare somestrongreasonsJorsuppos'
olher meansof knowledgwhnthoiruniv6rsalmeaningis nar- ingthisto haveactuallybeenthe case.BecauseBhartrprapafrca
roweddownby themeaningol olherwordsinthe sentence, eithr was an exponeniof the doctrineof Dualilyin Nonduality, he
by wayof association or of exclusion;and thispalticularmean- accepledthe doclrinethatlhe meaningevonol the supreme
ing is the burdenol the texl (B.Sid. p. 157,cp.M. V 99, 1).Or texts oi the Veda was based on the mulualassocialionand
againthe elirnination of plurality
may be elfectedthroughrevela- exclusion o{ the word-meanings to forma senlence-mearrng.
tron-Themeaninbof the term 'plurality'
(readprapafrca-pdartha)
I14 Chapter'8
'There
When,in lhe passagejusl quoledabove,lhe Varlikasard
s seen to be no associalionor exc usionol word meanrngslo
iorrna sentencemeaning,nol evena negation' (B.B.VV 22) -
lhal a occurredin the courseot a relulationihat tolloweda
summaryol Bhartrprapaiica's interpretalionoi the lexl Thal is
n l i nt e . . .
Likel\/landana, Bharlrprapaicaadvocaleda combinalon ol
knowedgeandaclionfor liberalion (l\,1.
v 87).AlsolikeMandana,
he accepledlhal lor liberationthere had lo be a new lorm ol
mmediateknowedge,dilferenilrom lhat conveyedofaly by the
lexts (lvl .v. 84). Again, it s lrue lhal Suresvararelers (as I
speakrngoi ft/andana)lo lhe doclrne ol those who say The
knowedge I am the Absoule ar s ng lromthe upanshadrclexls
depend son the assocaiion oi lhe meaningsof ts d tterenl
componentwordsand hencedoesnol penetrate to the real{non
dua ) natureol lhe Self (N.Sid. l.67, prose inlro.). Neverlhe-
less. he atlributeslh s leachlngto lhose who sel store on lhe
injuncton Once the w se man has acqurredknowedge of lhe
Seli alone.he shoud pracliserepealedafirrmatron(Brhad V
rv.2l ). And he does to anywheretake noliceol the allernatve
to obedence to ihis lexl advocaledby l\,4andana rn lhe words
'Or allernatrvely it cou d be mainlaned llral an iniuncton would
be uselesshere,as lhe desirableend which it promlsedwould
alreadybe atla ned.Prolongedbroodng on somelhingin one's
m nd may grveriseto rmmediateapprehension of rl and thal is
a fesull alreadyatla nabe in this very life'(B.Sid.p 154, M.V
98.4).
And lhere s anolherpoint.The wholelenor of Sri Sankaras
cornmenlaryon the Brhadaranyakatjpanishadis ior h m to
eslabish h s own methodol interpreialion
whilerel!ling lhal oi
Bhartrpranca.Thereis everyreasonlo suspecllhalaccornplsh-
Lngthis was lhe main reasontor lhe composlion bolh ol the
commenlaryand of Suresvaras Vartikaexplainingil. And we
havedescrlbedat engthin ChapterV aboveon Bhartrprapaica
how both the commentaryand lhe Verl ka estab|shthe r own
SLrresvara I t5
vrew oi lhe meaningol lhe lexl ot the Brhadaaranyaka
aiter
relutingthat of thartrprapaacaal every slep. But we t nd no
elaboraterelulalionol IVandanaot this kind eitherin the corn
menlaryor lhe Varlika.And we find lhe lollowingremarkrnlhe
commentary,relerring10Bhartrprapanca:'therefore, allthose who
are c everal thinkrngup dillerenlinterpretatonsoi lheVedaexp a l
the meaningol lhe upanshadiclext diiierenlly. Evenso, I wou d
accepl anylhrngthat relexldillerenlly, Even so, lwould accepl
anythinglhal represented the true meaningof lhe Veda have
nothrng a g a i n s tl h e m p e r s o n a l y( B r h a dB. h . l l . r i r . 6 ,c p . M v .
1 0 , l l l , n o l ,p . 2 6 )
(l) They say (lhat is, Bharlrprapaicasays,) One shoud
alwaysmed lale ntenselyon the Absolute the rea . n ts
supremeformas the whole,bothas a collectrve wholeand
as a syslemoi nler-relaledparls'.somelimeshe speaks
ol the Abso utes constlutinga wholeas implyinga series
ol stales,alongwrlha cerlainbeingassumingthosestates,
sometrmeshe describesthe Absoluiein lerms oi a cause
assocraledwilh ils efiects.Sometimesthe great lh nker
descrbes il as a whole dividedinto dllierentparls. as a
wheel s drvrdednto hub, fe y and spokes.Dd he learn
Ihal, I wonder,t.om the true tradilion?(B.B.V l. iv. 948-
s 0 ). .
There s a (so-called) greatexpertin the tradilionwho ho ds,
ior sooth,thal p uralilyand |rnilyare one and the same.He
sa d lhal name,lorm and aclionare bothditlerenland non,
dillerenlirom lhe Absolute(8.8.V.L v. 46) . . .
And thereare rnorepassagesin this vetn,such as: There
is anotherol lhesegreatluminaries(Bhartrprapanca ) who
explaineh d e f e l a l i o na s t o l l o w s. . . ' ( B . B . Vl l . r2 1 ) . S l u
denlsmusl examinethesetwo views(thoseof Sankaraand
Bhartrprapaica ) and acceptwh cheverseemsto thembest'
iB.B V. ..255). A certainpersonwho regardedh msellas
a greal -oxpeftinlheupan shadsinvenledan inlerprelaton
 ChapreFS Suresvara 117

ol own, with great ingenuily,and spokeas iollows,qu le so we I known n lviandana'sday,why is il that rneticulousphiloso'
of whal the Upanishads actually pher drd nol so much as vouchsaleil a glance?As I am nol
wilhoutany underslanding
mean'(B.B.Vll.ii.90).'There is another Absolulist (brahma- mysel able lo settlethis doubtJulquesiion,ljust raise il and
vadin)who explainsthe example(of the spokes hub and oller t lo philoogistsand historians,
whilewe ourselveswrllcarry
fellyof a well givenat Brhadaranyaka ll. v.15)diffefentlyn on wilh the malterin hand.
orderto suit his own dogmasaboutthe Self constituting a
(B.B.V.11.v.67,cp. N,r1.V.86,4) Here, a Secause the unity and sole realily ol the sell expresses itself
whole and so forth'
greal genious a spec al piece ol wrsdom by nalure as awareness, il is self-evident
certaln taught,as
supp ed lree by Vaisvanara, lhai a personis not I nallylib_ The reveredCommentalor porntedout thal the Selfwas seli
erated even when he has been liberatedfrom his lwo bodies trevident.He sad, The Sell is not a thing lhal a supersedes
"Theretore
(B.B.v.lll.ii.41). the wholedoctrinethatlhe Abso anylhng e se; tor il s self-eslablished and sell-manitesl. The
lute s both one as a collectiveunity and many as the meanso{ knowledgebe ong lo it. ll does nol dependon lhem to
d fferentiatedparts is a rneresuperstllronll may Dea spec al eslablsh 1sexislence(B.S.Bh.ll.iii.7, M.V.28,3).'We do not base
preceol wisdomsuppliedlree by Vaisvanara,but il does our doctrineol the unilyand solerealitvof the Sellon lhe aulhor
n01obeythe rulesol reason(8.8.V lV. ii.1187) Dependlng ilativemeans oi knowledge,since ihe Self is bare irnmediale
(not on reasonbut) on a free donationof wisdom lrorf awarenessby very nature.so we shallshowlaterthal no means
Vaisvanara... (B.B.VlV iv-391).This was lhe explanaton ol knowledgeapp y to t. The meansot knowledgelhemselves
givenby that augustsage,lhe greal Bharlrprapaaca, sup resl in and dependon awareness'1hrs textof Suresvara(N.SLd.
porledneitherby the Vedanor by reason (B.B V lV v 4l2) .8S)shows thal h s teachrngiully agreedwilh sri sankaraon
He explainedit olherwisewith marvellousingenurty lh s po nt ln rnanyp aces in the Vartlkait is poinledoul lhat lhe
(B.B.V.V..28). presenceand a so the absenceoi meansof knowledgecan on y
be eslablshedby the seli as awareness,and lhat the sel s
In lhese and otherpassages,the doctrineol Absolutismas
selt-evdnt For instanceihereis the verseKrrowef, knowledge,
nfectedwith plurality,and ihe doclrineof liberationthfougha
knownand cerlil!d a dependior their establshmenton the
cornbination ot knowledgeand activilywere t relessy rnocked
presencecl the Self On whal,lhen,cou d lhe Sel{dependlor rts
and criticizedin hundredsof ways.When Suresvararepeatedly
o!^rneslab shmeni?{B.B.V,Liv.870),and thereare manyolher
specifiedthe irue naiure ol the Self or Absolute as ne lher s r n a r t e x t s ( e q . B . B . V 1 1 . i . 5 5 2l ,l l . i v . 9 1 ,l V i i . l 9 l 6 ,
lranscendenlnor immanenthe probablyhad Bharlrprapahcan r v . 8 9 1. .) .
mind-Bhartrprapaicawho heidthal the Absolulewas a un 1y
as a colleclivewho e and a pluralty as a systemol nterreate ad llletaphysicallgnorancein Suresvara
p a r l s ( B . B . Vl.. i v .5 2 9 ,6 5 6 , 1 4 4 5 ;1 i . i . 8 83,6 1 ; l i i i i l 2 ; l l v l 8 ;
i v . 4 1 1 , 4 7 3l lil . i x . 1 5 6l V; . 1 . 3 6 81; V i v 5 6 9 , 8 4 6 - 7 , 1 2V9 8110 ) The reveredComrnentalor, it is weil known,said: Superim'
post on lhus delindlhe wrsecal lgnorarrce' (B.SBh.l..l . ntro..
Puttinga this together,it seernsmofe reasonabe to sup c p l , / 1 . V . p . 1 9M) .a n d a n a ,l o r h i s p a i t , s p o k e o l n a l u r a l
poselhat Bhartrprapanca was s ngledout as lhe chielopponent {begnnrngless)melaphysicallgnorancen lhe ind vidualsouls
to be refuted.And lhere is anotherrelatedpoint lhal requres
l{ Bharirprapa6ca's
investigatlon. was
vrttion the Brhadafanyaka
|8 Chapter-8 Su.esvara 119

{B Srd.p.12).But he posedthe allernalive, erthernon-apprehen- Conscousr1ess' (B.B.V 1.iv.1329). .As metaphysical

lgnorance
sion or false apprehension (B.Sid.p.9),and then expresseda is establishedthroughtmmediateexpenenceonly,jusl like lhe
p r e f e r e n c e b y s a y il n
ggn o r a n c se p o s i t v e e r r o r ( B . Spi d. 1. 1 , c p . imrnediateexperience"l am the Absolute,', so, when deslroyed
[,4.V.92).He aso said, Becauseboth lgnoranceand the nd]' throughthe 11seol an authontalivecognttion,it dissolvesand
v dua soul are beginningless,likelhe cycleol seedand sprout, turnsintothe Seii'(S.V117).Thesetexisshowthat lgnoranceis
il fo ows lhat the questionof circularargumentdoes not aase occasonallydeclaredby Suresvarato be subjectto cancellation
(B.Sd. p.10,cp. M.V94,1).Bhartrprapaicasaid,'lgnoranceis throughtheauthoritative meansof knowledge.We shallherequote
ia ure to realize"l am all"' (l\,1.V820. lt ar ses ol lts own accord, some lurlher versesfrom the Vartikasto throwlighton this.
p
like desert aces on parls ol the surlaceoi the eart (1v1.V.. 79, (1)The sole causehere is impermanenllgnorance,which
l noreJ. means l do not know'.lt is established{nol by any authori
The senlencesrcferredta in StiSankara'sCammentarywhen talivemeansoi knowledgebut)onlythroughone,sown ex_
he was cansideringBhatttpnpahca's daclrtne have been given pefienceol it, I ke the owl'sexperience
of nightof day.(f B.V
in very summary form here, But they are clearly reporled tn 176)
Suresvara's Vartika and quated in the sub commentaty there. The phrase'cause here'means the cause or appare
'lgnorance is a pawer of the Lard, even thaugh natural oe-
limitationssuperimposedon the Self.
luncaused)".Thercfore,when it is manifest,it affects anly a part
(2) He who wouldwish to see lgnorancewit the sightpro,
of the Lord and has its seat in this individualsoul' qfiandagirion
ducedby the authoritative meansol knowledgeis keone
B B.V. ll. iii.122).'As deserls and the like occupy same places
an the earth only,and are nat universal attributeschanclerizing hoprnglo see the darknessin the depthsoi a cave w th a
lamp.Whateverappearshere in the worldas ,not_selt,is a
the whole surt'aceof the earth everywhere,sa Ignorancets nat
resultof lgnorance.Henceit is also calledlgnorance.But
a. at!.tbutcat ha <uptemePr'n 'pte t4nd'd"g', a" B.B.V
knowledgehas only one lorm, lhat of ihe SeJl.lgnorance
has no othernaturebut failurelo apprehendthe Sell.lgno_
Suresvara,however,says that metaphysicallgnorancers rance s non-knowtedge' in the sense oi.the oppositeol
absenceol knowledgeand the efiectsoi thal. lt is established k n o w l e d g ea' s, a ' n o n J r i e n jds' t h e o p p o s i i e oaff r j e n d . T h e
throughones owndirectexperience, nolthroughrneansof knowl- conceptionwi alwaysbe intelliglble in this sense.(T.B.V.
edge or prooi.S nce it js established throLrghimmedate experi- u.177-9)
ence aLone, t escapes ihe grip of the variousmeansol knowl'
-"dge For I is 'established only through lack ol rel eclron. The nature of lgnoranceas not-self js simpty nan_percep-
Suresvarasaysth s repeatedly. Failureto realisethal one'sown tian af the Self. Non-perceptionol the Self is catted lgna_
Seli rs the sole realilyis calledlgnorance.lts seal s the Self,as rance (avtdya,Iiterallynon-knowledge)becauseit is thecon
immedaie experlence.ll is the seed of transmigraton. lts de- tradictoryof knowledge(as'non-cat', in logjc, js the cantra
structionconsttuieslhe rberatron oi the soul' (N.Sd. .7).'The dictory af'cat').
eilectsof lgnoranceare "established onlythrough uckol rellec' ,3 \or ca. lhe theorVrhal lgno.alce
afisessponlanaoLsy
ton'even likelgnorancetself.Thefefore, when lgnoranceisde- from the supremeSell, ljke deserl placesappearinghere
slroyed,the whole world is deslroyedand rs turned inlo p!re
124
and lhere on the surlaceol the earth, be correct.ll lgno_
rancearoselrom lhe supremeSell,lt wouldmeanthat lib_
erationwouldbe impossible. weredeslroyed,
Or it lgnorance
ol lhe Selt.,
lhenon thislheoryit wouldirnplythe destruction
the erroneousdoclrineof lhe Buddhisis.(B.B.V.ll.iii.130_1)
Thesetwo verses werc compasedto rclule Bhartrprapaica.
Objections and answers on lhe subjeclof Metaphysical lgno'
rance
In lhe courseol reilectingon the lopic ol lhe cessalionoi lgno_
rance,the iollowinghypothelicalobjeciionwas raised I the
B r a h m aS i d d h .
r 1) Srncethe Absoluteis elernal,ils essencets ndeslrucl_
ible.lgnorance,lheretore,(whichrequireslo be deslroyed)
canncl be of lhe nalureol the Absolute.lgnorancemust
eilherbe or nol be diffefentlrom the Absolule.ll it is not
diitereni,whai couldtherebe in it thatcouldbe deslroyed?
ll
So lel us say that lgnoranceis mere non'apprehenslon.
ule. . . .
couldnol lhen be anythingdifierent {rom ihe Abso
puts
Bul knowledge which an endto lgnorancers elernally
preseniin the Absolute.And nothingelse aparl irom lhe
lgno-
Absoluleexisls.. lt, on the olher hand,metaphysical
rancewere posilivewrongapprehension. lhen how couldil
be broughlio an end? For we have now pointedout how
such a theoryhas defecls,whelherlgnorancebe laken as
be ng olthe nalureoftheAbsouleornolol its nalure (B.Sid.
pp. 8-9,summarzed)
The answergivento ihis objeclionwas as Iollows
(2) gnorances nol partot the nalureoi the Absolute,nor rs
I a secondthingover aga nst il, nor rs I a togelherunrea.
n o r s i t r e a l . T h a ls w h yt h i sl g n o r a n c1esc a L e dM a y aa n d
a Ialseappearance.lf il were lhe nalureol anylhlng.lhen.
whelherdillerentlromthal thingor nol,it wouldbe periectly
chapter.S
Suresvara 121
rea and so would not be lgnorance_ But il it were tolally
Ltnreat, trkea llowersupposedto be growng in the sky, il
wouldnoi enterintoexperience. So it is indelerminabte (ei-
lher as reat or unreal,LSid. p.9)...lf the matter is con-
cervedthus, lgnorancemay be taken as belonging10the
indivdual souts,regardedas dirtrentlrom the Absolute,
wrthoulthe deieciscomplainedot by the opponent,(B.Sd.
p . 1 0 s, u m m a r i z e d )
On the same lopic, an objectionis quotedlrom lhe Sloka
Vartlkaoi Kumarita.
(3) ll rgnorancewerelhe true natureoi anylhing,il couldnot
be exlrrpatedever.For what exists naturallycan only be
deslroyedby the advenlol some dilferentexternaitactor.
Bu1lhose who claimlhat all is the one Seli cannoladmt
the advenl oi any dillerent externatfactor (S.V.
Sarnbandhaksepa PariharaSS,6;cp.tV.V95, inlro.)
The relulalionof the objecllonby l\randana
is throughappea
ro lhe rn delerminabilily ol lgnorance.But lgnoranceis never
lound reierredto as indeterminable anywherein Suresvara,s
Varl ka. I rs lhereaccepledas betngof the narureor non appre-
nenson, expfessedas the feellng,ldo nol know,.So we musl
if nk how lh s objectionwouldhave been met by Suresvara.In
r'r s aonneclon Ihe loilowtngverses are worthyol considera,
l.lrThoughth/smelaphys/cal ignoranceis nalurat,it is mani
festonlyon accounlof the Selfas immedtateexperence.lt
rs ousledand destroyedby knowledge,as darknessis de
slroyed by lhe riseol the s!n. Begrnningiess lgnorancers
seen lo be destroyedin an instanlby metaphysicat knowt-
edge u.hichhas begrnningin time.We do nol acceptthal
sLJcn(nowtedgerequiresrealfirmaton.Thoughhis our in_
nrosl Sel{ is thus self-uminousand is the Witnessof atl
lnorance and ils eltects,yet it is not propery known be-
f o r e n r e t a p h y cs a l k n o we d g e h a s a r s e n t h r o u g ht h e
122 C h a p l e r8
Suresvara 123

upanishadicdisc pline,as our won rmmedate experence we see sornething

lhal tormerlywe drdnotsee, (theremusl
(ot ldo not know') ndicates.(S.V 1088-90) have been experienceof nol seeingsince)we knowaller,
Here rs what the passagemeans.lgnoranceis nalura, tor wards Formery I did not knowit'. (S.V.993,
995,6).
we havethe immedate experience'ldo not know. And we see ln lhings thataretolally beyondthe rangeof expeience, ane
everywhere in experience how priorabsenceol knowedge s re knaws from ane s own experienceof'lda not know'lhat they are
movedonceand lor all lhroughadventitious knowedge,without not known.This is establishedlitst, and lhen suresvard gaes on
there beingany questionol the need for re-affrrnatonoi such ta shaw how a persan may say of samethinghe naw eyes, 'Up ta
'Howcou d there
knowledge,Norshouldone ra se the oblecton now, I did not knaw il . The idea ts the show that all ignoranceE
be lgnorancein the Absolute,which is knowledgeby nature?' e stabrshes by experience.
For beiore lhe rise ol metaphysicalknowledgelhrough the t6 gnoranc. s e-ldblisqedby one r own e\oerienca .ven
!panrshadictexts as adm nrsieredby a Teacher,the Se I can
thoughthe Se I is free trom lgnorance.Belorethe rise ot
appear(lhroughlgnorance)both as the ignoranlone and as un
lhe knowedge lhal all is the one Self.we have the exper
k r o w n . l h o u g hr l s e l ti h e W i n e s s o f a 1 lk n o w e d g ea n d l g n o -
e n c e l d o n o t k n o w ' (. B . B . Vl . l V . 2 l 6 ) .
rance Andso in lhiswayourmetaphysica lgnorance. eventhough
nalural(andso beginningless), is broughtlo an end buy lhe ad- ln lhat tyhtch.because l6 of the very nalure cf immediale
venlitrousmelaphyscal knowledgear singfrom lhe Vedictexts. 2t',/ateness.lhere can be no lgnorance, there is nevertheless,
Nor shoLrd one .aiselhe objection,How ca. lhis be so. f nolh- ielore lhe rise of metaphysicalknowledgeof lhe Self the nation
n! apart lrom lhe Absoluteexisis?'Forwe acceptall experi- estabhshedthraugh immediale awareness l do rot knaw my
ence as lcomes beiorelhe riseof metaphysical knowledge
Very wel . Bul how do we exp ain how lgnorancecould be l7) That pr nc ple (theSeli) s sell-revealed. Thereforet is
eslablshedby rmmedate experience?And il t can be shown everfreeirom lgnorance,Thatwh ch s everireefrom lgno
tiral t s so eslab shed, how coud il be lhat defclsare nol rance s iree aso from the impurtes thal spfingfrom lhe
ftrodLrced intoIhe Absolutethroughcontactw th gnoranceand a t l s r ( B B . V .l i v . 2 1 3 )
ts ellecls?And how could t, i estab shed by immedraleexpe' The neaning is lhat the Absolute is nol lauched by lgna
r ence,be broughtto an end?On thrssublectwe havelhe Io ow- rance at its effects because it is ever sell"evtdentta lself.
ng vefses,
(8) He who has knownlhe Seli n its lrue nalureknowsthat
(5) Everyone,evenchildren,w I expresstherrnaturallgno' i1sconnecton with lgnoranceimpossible in past,presenlor
rancebasedone experiencewhenaskedaboulsomething luture ll rs then seen lhat the nolionlhai the pre Sell was
oi whrchthey have no knowledge.They wiLL say. Ido nol connectecj with anylhingelsewas onlyestablished through
know anylhrngaboul rl. . ln regardlo th ngs lhat are en ack of retleclion.(B.B.V Liv.217)
likethrngson the rool
t re y beyondthe rangeof experience. The enlighlenedone whoknows theSell in immed@ieexpe-
ol lhe Hrmalayas, wakingexperienceslhLrsno d flerenlfrorn leFce hes the convictian lgnaranceis tmpassiblein me in pasl,
.lraamess sleep There s no break here n experlenceil- p'Esenlor fulurc-The nalionof connec onwi!h lanatance\/as
sa i as $ie ha'/elhe experieace io nol ii.\'r Arrdlirhen
 124 Chapler-8 S!resvara 125

eslablish only through lack ol rcllection - that is the meaning. threeIorms- wrongknowledge, absenceol knowledae or doubl.
Thefacttha! lgno?nce and itsellectsarc estabtished ontylhrough [ro ol lFes6.{w,ongknowledge and osubtj,b.rrg p;srtrverea I
lack ol rcllection i6 often mentioned in the Varika, lor exampte lies,are explrcatrie as due to somedelectin thetactorsof knowl,
in such places as: B.B.V.l.iu1170, 1529, t341: .iii.t92, 224: edge (Kumarila,S.V CodanaSutra54). Basingths...1r...|1
lll.iv.131; lll.vi.42: lll.viii.31; lViv.3O7. th s texl from an acknowledged authorjiy,lhey hotdthat errone-
ous knowledge,beinga positivereality,can functtons a cause.
(9) Merelyhom the rise ol the correctidea kom the iexl
'Thal bul thalmere ackol knowledge cannotbe regarded
thou a 'one findthat lgnorance,togetherwith ils ef- as the cause
oi tranmigralory experience, becauseil is nol a postllverealily.
lects,neverexistedin the past,does not existnow,and wtll
Th s was probablylhe reasonwhyAcaryaMandanalaidthe ma;
neverexistin the luture.And so il is not possble lo show
emphass on posttiveerroneousknowledgeas lhe nature ol lq,
by aulhorilalivemeansol knowledgelhat lgnorance betongs ' r o r o _ L er e m a r kn g . N o n - a p p . e h e n s r o n .
lo the Self,or to explajnits natu.e or indicaleits source. b e i n ga n o n - e n r . i y
(abhava).cannol be the cause ol anythjng'(|Vj.V.92. intro.i.
For its sole exislenceis our experienceoi it. He who is
Agd _srlhrs SsLresvaraargJeoas Iollows.
afflicledwith lgnorancecannotdeterminethe lruth about
that lgnorance,lt is only one who has experienced (l0) Afe you sayingthat,in the case of error,
lhe final what is ne_
realiiywho can make the discovery,by relerenceto that, gatedby an authoritalive meansof knowedgeis rcality?ll
'lgnorance realiiywere negatedthus,whatwoutdbe tefitor an authori-
does not exils'.(S.V 1e3-4,179).
lalrve means of knowledgelo knou/?...How could fa se
The cessationof lgnoranceis onty intelligibleit lgnatance is t o w e d g et o b e ' e d l t t yT? l e l a t s es " o r t n p r a , t t ^ q n a - L
seen to be established only thraugh lack af reftectjan. is anty -JJ;
(htough the vision of ane wha has knawn the Setf that ane can o, hnowlpdoebeing lalse and 'l o"'"g ,"at,t;- lh;
on y come irom a greatgeniuslike Kurnarila.Even ri the
say, ll cloes to exist', because only after such visian will one
erfoneo!snottonot a snakeor lhe lk
have seen tha!, unlikethe Self, tgnoranceis not se| estabtished.
And so, from he standpointof vtsionof the fjnattruth, questions
were
raken
asarearity
'" n""n,
n*",ioll,inflt"l,:.li"jr:
pearancewhenidentified withthe rope,and,as such,would
such as'What is the nature of lgnorance?, ar ,Wheredjd it come
be contradjcled and cancelled by knowledge o, the latter.lf
fram?'are simply not raised (as it is known that Ignatance had
erroneousknowedge hada cause,as it doestn Kumanla,s
tfreory,then he oughl to be able to stalethat cause. L he
ln the viewol Suresvara,lackof metaphysicat knowtedgeis were lo say il was a real etlectbut had no cause. thal would
the causeoi lransmigfatoryexperience.Therefore he lays il down: be laughedoul of courl evenby children...
'Failure The iact is lhal
to realizethai one s olvnSell is the sole realitys called n the tnad absenceol knowtedge,, ,wrong
'doLol knowtedoe,and
melaphyscai lgnorance.lts seat is the Self as immedialeexpe, . absence(B.BV.t.tv.423.425.7,1368)
rence. lt s the seed ol lransmigration. lts deslructionconsli- Wl at s arquedhercis thatetrons7us4nsr1.^.a;.2n tt^rc-
tules lhe liberaiionol the soul' (N.Sid.1.7)_ .,t | ,L,sth^c t that non.ent y) ot knowtedge n",
,r"*nii i"
On th s proinl,lhe M mamsakasand othersraisean objec canttadictedand cancel absenceedby authoriAtive "",
knowledge.
llon. Absenceof authorilaliveknowLedge may assumeone ol ntnce erroneous knowledge can anly a se as
a resul! of ab-
126 ChapleFS
sence of knowledge,the Mimemsakas'obiection was incoffect.
The treatmenl ol lgnorance by Sri Sankara and Suresvara
Compared
In the inlroductionto his Brahma Sitra Comrnentarv.Sri
Sankaradeclareslhal erroneouscognitionis superirnposil on.
He says: ;'Andyet, thoughlhese two principles(Selfand non-
self.pures!bject and object)are utterlydislinclin nature,there
s a failureio dislinguishone lrom the other,and each,logether
wilh its atlribules.is suDerimoosed on and identifiedwilh ihe
other.Andlromlhat thereresulisihis naturalworldlyexperience,
basedon erroneousknowledgeand involvinga synthesisof the
rea wlh the ialse, whlch expressesitsell as "l am this" and
"Thisis mine" (N4.V22,4).He also says'Superimposition is oi
the natureoJ a lalse idea' (8.S.Bh.1.i.1, inlro.ad tin.).And he
deciaresmetaphysical lgnorance10be thal very erroneouscog-
nition,synonymouswith superimposition.
ln Suresvara's Vanika,however,metaphysical lgnoranceis
said10be non-discriminalion, ol the nalureol lackot or absence
oi knowledge,For example,we havei'Therelationbelweenthe
Self and lgnoranceol the Self is held to be that between the
Sell afd 'beingconslilutedby the Self withoutbeing awareof
lhe facl'.This lundamental
lailureof discriminalion,calledlOno-
ranceot one'stfue Self,is said to be lhe causeof (theapparenl
existenceof all) lhe creaturesof the world'(B.V Liv.381).A
luriherversewas addedto indicaleihal absenceol knowledge
was ihe one core ol erroneousknowledge. 'Absence
of knowl-
edge, constantlypresenl as il is, is identicalwith erroneous
knowledge;as causeand erfecl,they are constantconemilanis'
(B.B.V.Liv.386).An he makes his view clear wiih the verse,
'Fromdoubtwe
deduceabsenceol knowledge.Fromwrongknowi-
edgewe deducethe same.lf we are asked,'Whatis the essence
ol doubl and wrongknowledge?'wereply'Theiressenceis ab-
sence ot knowledge'(B.B.V l.iv.440).
Suresvara
The reveredCommentalorSankarahad declaredopen y thal
the sole purposeof the Upanishads was to pu1an end to super'
imposition,saying,'Andihe entireupanishadic leachingis be-
gun lo communicateknowledgeol the sole realityot ihe one
Sell,and lhus lo put an endto thissuperimposition, the causeol
inlro.ad fin.) But Suresvarareversedthis
all evil'(B.S.Bh.l..'1,
viewand slaledhis own viewvery clearlyas follows:'When righl
knowledgearisesit cancelsand conlradiclsabsenceoi knowl
edge.Whenthat has beencancelled, thereis no neediorfurther
eiforts1o cancel posltve erroneouscognition.The facl lhat a
fa se cogniiloncan be cancelledis only so becauseil lmp es
absenceof knowledge.How can ia se cognlltonharm us when
is rool has beendeslroyed?' (8.B-V Liv.437'8)So the queston
ar ses whichview is between,and I shallexplan whal appears
to rneto be the truthin this maller,
The reveredCommentatorsaid that lailureto discrminale
i h e S e l f a n d t h e n o t - s e l fw a s t h e c a u s e o f t h e i r m u t u a l
superimposition. But in sayingthis he was only concernedwilh
the m nd funclionng as the basisot empiricaiexperience. For he
says,'throughthe fa lurelo dislinguishone fromthe other(Sell
and nol self)...there resulisthis worldlyexperiencebased on
wrongknowedge'(B.S.Bh.l.l.1, intro.).In his Gila commentary
'a
too,we i nd lhe words, "coniunction" whichis iniact(nota leal
conjuncton but)a meremutualsuperimposilion of ihe Fleldand
the Knoweroi the Fie d (M.V p. 35) togelherwlththeirallribules,
a superimpos t on that is condilionedby a ialiurelo discrimnate
lwo ullerlydistnct entitiesone ifom the othef (Bh.G.Bh.Xll-26,
cp. Ml.V.251,6). In ordinaryworldlyexperience, superlmpostion
ol silveronio a piece oi shell occurs when there is lailureto
d scriminale belweenthe lwo phenomena, shellandsilver.When
the reveredCommenlalorsaid lhat our mulualsuper,mpos iron
of Sell and noi'seJ was condilionedby a iailureto distrnguish
belweenthe lwo, he was assumingfor p!rposes ol exposilion
that lhe same lhing thal happensin the case oi the shellsilver
error happensalso in ihe case ol that superimposition of Self
124 Chapler8 Suresvara 129

and nol sell lhal conditionsall empiricalexperience- Bul lhe two
casesare noi lhe same.In lhe case ol the worldlyexarnple,the
one who saw lhe silverwas alreadyestablishedas indrvldual
empircal expefiencebelorehe saw il. In the caseof lhe mutual
superimposition oi the Seil and not-self,however, the Sell is nol
alreadyeslablishedas an individual experence belorelhat su-
per mposrtronrs nrade.The sell, ai thal slage is not (yel an
ndivdua experiencerand so nto) yet in a posilionto'lail to
d scrrminateSell and not se l'. So we cannotspeakol any such
{ail!rrelo discrimrnale as the causeot the mulua supermposi-
t on ot Sell and not selt. For lhe teachingis that becomingan
nd vrdu?lexperencercan on y occurthroughthe sa d supenm-
posrlon. lt lo ows lhal (rnlhe caseof lhis in I al superimposilion
that makesall olherspossible)it was not inlendedto assertreal
Iemporalsequencebelweennon-discriminalion and superimpo
sition,but onlylogicalsequenceaccordingto the conceptions
lhe humanrnindlhe COnceplion of superimpositlon impliesthe
conceplon ol non-discriminalion as rls ogicallypriorcondilion.
As lor the objectron lhal lhere are no exceplionsto lhe rule
thalabsenceoi knowledge is lhe causeof all emp ical phenome-
na, becausewrongknowledges ts eilect-1h s obleclionmay
be answeredon srm aT nes as lollows.The whoe nolion ol
causeand ellecl,we may say,lallswithinsuperimpost on. For
unirlsupermposilionhad lselfalreadycome nto being,il cou d
n o t s e i u p l e m p o r a ol r c a u s a ls e q u e n c ew
, h i c h d e p e n do n
Hence our own view is that, n relalionto lhe Sef, all ap,
pearancgof non apprehension, doubtand Wrong-apprehenston
riseI superimposlton, and thal in this conlexlthere s no occa-
sion to enquireintothe natureof its materialor eff crentcause.
as lhere mighlbe in lhe case of lhe rncidental
superimposilions
thatoccurin lhe courseOlempiricalexperience. Forthereversed
Comrnenlalor says. Thus lhis natural(i.e.uncaused)beginnrng
lessand endlesssupermposrton, whjch s of the nalureol la se
s u p p o s i t r o n(. B
. . . S B h . l . i . 1i ,n l r o a
. dJin.)
And Suresvaraacceptsthissarneview,butexpressest n a
dilierentway by sayrngAbsenceol knowledge,constantlypresenl
as I s, s dentcal wilh erroneousknowledge'(8.8.V,1.iv.386,
cp. N.f.V. p.311). So one should not supposelhat there is any
tundamenlaldifference belweenlhe lwo systemson lhrshead.
W h e n t h e m a l l e r s e x a r nn e d i n l h i s l g h t , i l s I a r t o s e e
Suresvara's trealmenlot non-apprehension andlalseapprehen-
sion as d rectedonly lo reiutinga pariicularform of the lheory
that metaphysicalgnorancewas erroneouscogntlon-lhe Iorm
n wh ch that doctrinewas advancedby anolherschool(ihatol
Mandana). Bul wrongapprehension, non-apprehension andcloubl
can on y occur n lhe caseof an ndividualexperiencer (r.e.w ihin
lhe realmoi superimposition). Such is our own view o{ the mal'
ler.
oi
Enquiry into the seat ol ignorance and the obiect wilh it con-
ceals
The Brahmas ddhi raiseslhe question'Towho does nrela
physcal Lgnorance belong?'andanswer'Wesay "it be ongs to
the indrvidualsouls"'(B.Sid.p.10).We have alreadyexamined
th s v ew (M.V.94;95). Bhartrprapaicaheld thal rneiaphysc a
gnorancesprngs sponlaneoLrs y fromthe Abso ute,and,modi-
fy ng a pori on oi the latler,has ts seat in the indlvidualsou . lt
s, however,a characterisl c oi the nofsef- Lislen now to lhe
wordsol Suresvara.
(1) Now,lgnorancecannolexislrn the void.ll musl always
be lgnorance ol somecneaboutsomething. Furtherwe have
alreadyeslablished thatiwo calegoriesexist,and on y lwo.
the Selfand lhe not'selt.Fromlhis it followsthatthe seatol
lgnorance(lhe consciousbeingwhich lgnoranceailecls)
cannolbe the nol-seli For the very nalureol the not'sef rs
lgnorance,and lgnorancecannolaf{ectlgnorance.Even i
whal dillerencewouldthe tiseot lgnorancen lgno
it coLrld,
130
rafce bringaboul(thatwe couldsay thal il was an eventat
a l?l
Nor s the atla nmentoi knowedge possiblen the nol'sei,
thaton-acouldarguelhattheremusthavebeensomecontradc-
tory lgnorancein the nol-sell(for it to negate).Furlher,lhe not_
seii is born oi lgnorance.ll is absurdto supposethal wh ch is
ogrcalyand causaly pr or can only ex st supporledby and de
pendenton is own efiect.Nor,again,has lhe not se I any form
ndependeniof and d Iferenilrom lgnorance.wherebyil could
serveas ls seatand supporl.
Thesearguments(wh ch retuleihe possibilily ol lhe nol sell
serv ng as the seatoi lgnorarce) alsc,showihal t cannotbe the
objectconceaed by lgnorancee lher.Thereforethe nol-selfls
ne ther the seato{ lgnorancenor the obleclconcealedby lgno
Hencewe conclude,as the only femaningallernatve lhat i1
s the Seli a one wh ch is both lhe seat of and the obleclcon_
c e a e d b y l g n o r a n c eA.l l o i u s h a v et h e e x p e r i e n c eI d o n o l
kfow . and in the Vdawe hear'l am on y a knowelol lfre man
, y c r d ;I d o n o l k n o wt h e S e l f ' ( C h a n dV l l l . 3 ) .
1 r a sm
l\or oo -.r'gLrenl.! tsrhle ?gain-l rF
01lgnofanceapp y to the Seli.)TheSel{, ndeed. s not rdenlca1
!,r'th gnoranc,s nce its natureis pureConscousness.[/oTeo
ver, (lhe flse ol) gnorancen the Se f producesa d fierence n
the formol an obstruction ol knowledge. And atialnrnenloi knowl-
edge s poss ble becausethe Se i s lhe source oj know edge
Nor has the Se I the characlerlslic oi being an eliecl oi lgno-
rance,(which,as we haveseen,prevented lhe not-sef iromiunc
t oningas ils seat):for t is rock ilrm and raisedh gh abovea
changeby nalure.And I na ly,the conscoLs Se i has a formand
existence lndependento{lhoseoi lgnorance, wherebyii canserve
as a seat ior the laller.Hence we conc ude that t s ihe Sel
a one that s aiiectedby gnorance.
Chapler8 131
What.then. s the oblectconcealedby this lgnoranceper
larningio the Sei/The Selfis thal objecl.Bll is rt nol a lacl lhal
gnofancers ncompatble wilh the Seli,srncethe latteris ot lhe
very natureo1knowedge,and is withouldifferentlation (sothal t
cannotserveas a seat lor lgnorance,whichwouldimp y a dls-
tincton belweenthe seatand the thingseated)?And is it nol lhe
case lhai the Sell givesr se to knowledge,and s contradiclory
to lgnorancein olherway too?
To this oblecton we rep y that lgnoranceis compaliblewith
the Seli. For in realltythe Self remalnsund Ilerentialed.t ap
pearsto becomed lfereniialed inioknower,knowledge
andknown
throughmere gnorancealone,jusl as il is throLrgh mere igno
rancethat the rope appearsto becomea snake-the Seli and
in really quiteunaiiected.Hencewhen gfo-
the roperemainrng
ranceis shakenoll lhere s completeabsenceol alllhe evilsof
d L i a l i l lyN. S d l l 1 n t f o . )
AnciSuresvara'sview is lhat from lhe standpoint of the
highest truth there is no lgnorancelor anyone.
(21No.Thenotionihal lgnorancehas ils seat in the Abso-
ute anc!belongsto rt is itselfonly magned in gnorance.
Fronrthe standpon1oi lhe Absolute,lgnorance can intoway
o q.rdssacl
e xs t ( s . v r 7 6 j .
Whal s heresaidis ihal lhere s no olhermiaphysicagno-
rance,wilh ls seatin the noi-selfoverandabovelhe lgnorance
s,.eledin the Se I thalobscuresthe Self Bul lhis does not mean
llral one can rlterprelSuresvaralo be sayinglhal there s no
otlref gnoranceat the empificalevel,suchas lgnoranceol she
rnlhe shell s ver error.Thatwoulddrsagreewith h s arguments
menl ofed severalt mes jn the prevous secton (M.V112) and
supporledwilh the usualexampleslike the rope-snake,aboul
absen.e ol knowledgebeinga iacior (andthe iundanrental iac-
tcr) n error,over and abovelhe erroneouscogniltontsef But
Iiori the stafdpo nt of the highestlruth lhere is on y one lgno
t32 Chapter8
rance,which has the Self lor its seat and aiso lor the object
whrchil conceas. Thereare not reallyiwo dilferentkindsoi lg_
norance.And that Lsallhewishedtosay.Ths w be madeclear
at lvl.V1T5 (wherehe deniesa realilylo lhe s ver ereor).We
have alreadyreferredat [1.V.69,9 to his refutaton ol the doc_
lfine o{ two klndsof lgnorance.Thai was said in the courseot
inlroducng a refutation ol lhe Prasankhyana Vadins(exponents
ol the doctrinethat I beralon cornesthrough repeatedmeditation
on lhe lexts),whosedocirinewas as iollows:
(3)They (the Prasankhyana Vadins)hold that thre are a
two k nds of lgnorance,nat!ral and adventitlous. The ad
venritiouskind appliesto worldy obiecls,the naturalk nd
lgnorancedisappearslhroughthe
lo the Self.Adventitious
riseoi knowledgeoccurring once,as in lhe caseol the prince
broughtup as a ioresl-dweler and th nking himsei to be
such.and who rememberedhe was a pnncewftena mLnrs-
'Youare to a toresler,you are a pr nce .
ter camelo 1e him,
Nalura lgnorance, lhough t may be removedthroughthese
oi knowledgeoccurringonce,nevertheless relurns,as we
see irom exampes of attachmentand olher deleclsarising
lrom gnoranceonce more,even in the cas ol thosewho
have knownlhe metaphysical truth.(B.B.V.lV.v.881-3)
This coni rms our thesis,as it shows lhat Suresvarawas
awareof the dcctrlneoi two kindsof lgnoranceand rejecledii.
In lhe sameway in the systemol the reveredCommentator
himseli,by whom ignorancels dentltiedwith supenrnposition,
the Se f is the seatoi lgnorancejusl as lt s le I to b n practcal
experence ( n lhe Iorm'l do not know). Bul thereis no occaston
for subte lheores about t, Fof the who e noi on ol knowledge
and gnoranceilselibelongsto the sphereol ignorance.On thls
\i/emightquotethe Iollowing.
(4) li you ask'To whom does this lgnorancebeong?'we
feply'To you who ask this queslion'.lf you lhen ask, But
Suresvara 133
does nol lhe Vedasay that I arnthe Lord?'werep y,']i you
are awaketo this (you will see that)thereis no lgnorance
iof anybody (B S.Bh.lV.i.3.)
(5) ll may be asked,'Whoseis th s lgnorance"/Thereplyrs,
'It belongsto him to whom it
appearsio belong'.(Bh.GBh
x| 2)
(6) The Teachersays:Youtake that which rs the supreme
Se I and which s notsubjectlo transmtgration
wronglyand
have the conviclon 'l am subjectlo lransmigration'. You
take lhat wh ch does not per'ormactionas a perlormerol
aclion,you take one who does not enioyemp rica exper.
-anceas lhe emp r ca experiencer,youtakethatwh ch alon-o
y
rea exisisas f I werenon existent.Thats melaphysica
lgnorance(U S. (prose)seclion5tl)
Hef aso we see lhat the leachrngsol Sr Sankaraand
S!resvaraare esseniially
the same Bolhtakeabsenceoi knor('1,
edgeand erroneoussupermposrtion as lundamentaly o ne.
The Operationof the Meansol Knowledge
The facl ol obleclsbeingunknowns not estab shed by !he
means ol kno!|/edge (perceplion,inlerence.reveation, elc. l
becauseit is the invariabe pre-condtionbelorea meansol know,
edge can be appled. li t couldbe eslablishedby a validmeans
ol knowedge that an objeclwas unknown,this wou C irnpy the
absurdresut lhal the stateof a thingas unknov/nwoLrd persisl
ior everlwhereaswe knowthatlh ngsprevtoLls y unknownsome
t r f e s c o n r e1 0 5 e k n o w n c p . M . V 1 1 4 , 2a n d 3 ) F o r t h e s a m e
reason t cannolbe eslab shed by lhe valid meansol knovrl-
edgethal tl ngs ar,oIn doubto. erroneouslyrepresenled(s fcr
va d kro\r edge rernovesIhe doubl and m srepresentalcrl
S V.688).Indeed.the meansol knowedgeonlyapJ:r y 1ovrhai s
i o l a l l y! f k n o w n 1 B . B . VL,v . 2 5 8 l P e r c e p l i oar n d t h e r e s t a r .
meansof knovr'ledge precisey becausetheypLrian end to r!tIo
134 Chapter'8
ranceof potsand otherobjecls,wh ch lalterare themselveste
vealedas unknownoniy in and through(theSe I as) immediale
experence Therefore the meansol knowledge neverlrearon lne
nol self withoutalso bearingon the supreme Sell (S V 1002)
Potsand otherwor dly objectsare known on y througnan au
thoritativemeansoi knowledge,and do not ose lhe r condition
of beingunknownwithoutone.TheSelf,however,be ng lhe seli
establishedrea lty, may be understoodto lose lts condilon of
be ng unknowndirectlythroughthe nreansol valid knowledge
(the Vedc texl) and withoutan act of cognilionproducng as
resutantcognition.(S.V.1004).
Anandagiri explains this verse af Surcsvara diffetently He
says: The Self cannot be knoatn wiihaut the help of a cagnilian
thrcugh the meansaf validknawledge(i.e.theVeda) an account
af its vety nature as inmost Self and realny. Far I E anly
consclorsness in the farm of a cagnitton lhraugh a means ol
vahdkno^tledge(as oppasedto the Self as pure Conscloustess/
thatcontradrclslgnorance.Consciousnessin itspure larm does
ta clasa (since it co exists with il as its Witness)
This is nat in contradrctionwith the true teaching af the sys
lem. Nevertheiess,I submit that what Surcsvarats rcally saying
h the present verse is as t'ollows.Pals and ather waldly objects
establishedby the empiricalmeansof knawledgedepend onthe
self-luminouscognitianrcsulljng fram the meaus af valtclknorr'll-
-"(lge ta lase thetr state of being unknawn. The Selt',hawever'
].)ses il direclly thraugh lhe Vedic text (M.V.l16). lt does not
depend on a self luminous resultantcognitian'fram lhe applrca
tian al ane af the means of knowledge ta lase its slate cl being
unknawn. For it is non dift'erentfrom right'knowledgeby nature
ln 1rulh,hon'ever,what was reallynol_selfcou d not even
reachthe stageof be ng !nknown.Thegrealphilosophers oi al
schoos hold thal in practicalexperence obiectslike pots are
-rfknownbeforethe r se ol the cogntionlhroughwh ch tireycome
1obe known(B.BV lV.lii158) Howeverthereare nc d st nctrons
Su.esvara
in rea ty.Hencelhe word be ng' on referto only one ent ty ancl
t r s t h a t a n d l h a t a o n e w h i c h t s L r n k n o w nT.h e i n d i vd u a l
experencerandthe meansol knowledge at h1sd sposalare bolh
experencedas appearances of a selJ-uminousentily.And n ts
that ent ty wh ch ts Be ng and (becauseii is lhe on y realty) I s
t h a ta n dl h a ta o n ew h c h i s u n k n o w n( N . Sd . l l l . 7 - 8 ) .
Aga n, a meansoi knowledgeestablishesan obiecl, ke a
pieceof she lhat is alreadyexistentbelorethalmeansot knowi
edge is app ed. lt does nol estabtishthe existenceoj anything
lolallynon ex sienl. But it wouldhave been wronglo have sa d
tlrat the usory s vef for wh ch the she I was mislaknwas
ex slentbut unknown,rkethe she was.And t wouldhavebeer
','/rong to have saidthat the siiverwas elernalyex stentblrtun-
knov/nirkelhe Selt Thereforeit is wrong,tn the case oi lusory
srlver,to say that a meansof knowledgeis app ed io removea
s p e c a l n c r e m e n l o ig n o r a n c ceo n c e a t n g
l h e s i l v e ro. v e ra n d
abovelhe ignorancethat conceatslhe Self (B.B.V.lV.r|.j66-7).
It is the !nknownshe ihat is wfongly nierpreted as sIver.ln the
sameway the Selfis wrongy interpreted as the not-seliby lhose
who have not gainedmetaphyscal knowtedge. In the exampe
knowedgeol the illusorysilveris not knowledgelhrougha va d
meansoi knowledge,as herethe ex slenceof silverindepend_
eft of the illusorycognilon s never eslabtished.Nof is lhe
si ver' I usionbasedon lhe app icattonol a vaId meansof knowl-
edgeto the she I as lgnorance ol lhe shell s not removed(B.B.V
v v.904).
In the caseot erroneousknowedgeof the Sell,lhe phenom
enon that the srlver-lusionexampiewas intendedto illustrate.
no cognt on bearingon the nofsell are examplesot the applca
t on oi va d cogn t on. The nol sell can nertherbe known ncr
unkncwn any morethanthe illusorysr ver can lbecaLtset does
not-aexlsi).Nor can lhe Seli be knownthrougha va d cognI on
beafng on the not,sef; ior a cogntionbearingon the nol-sell\/ |
n.t deslroyihe gnorancefelatng to the Sett.Ffomthe emprfcal
136 chapler-8 Sursvara

slandpoint,however,the variousmeansol knowledgegive rise neouscogntttonand doubtcan no morebe knownthrough

to validknowledg in theirrespective spheresThe app cationoi vaId cognitionthan ignorancecan. (The rule,namey, that
a validmeansol knowledgeresultsin cognition(pramd)'which, whatis braughfioan erdbya validcogniltoncannotbe a,
becauseit is ot the naturo ot immediateexperience,is ilsell abtectrevealedby lhal vatidcognition).(A.B.VLiv.2S7).
identicalwiththe Selt.Hence (fromthe empiricalslandpointIn (5)Pats and otherobjeclsinthewo darc knownonlythrcugh
whichthey havethirplay)allthe meansol validcognitlon(ap the valtdmeans ol empitcal knowledgesuch as perceplion.
pearto) communicaleknowledgeol lhal Selfwhich is revealed elc Until they are so known, they remain unknown.But the
in the Upanishads. Butthat,being selt-established neithercomes Self becauseil is a self-evidentrealily,musrDecomeknown
nor goes. lt does not stand in deed ol a valid means ol knowl_ wtthautthe hetp at an act ol cognitian.(S.V1A0O4)
edgetorevealit(lB.V 11.526).We arelamiliar' however, in prac
'l do nol know'inrelalionlo rl' ln (6)Thal (the Selt)withoLrt takingcognrsance oi whicheven
ticalexperlencewilhthe leeling
the emptricalmeansol knowlsdgecouldnot righltydeleF
ihis sensewe are ignorantof il, andthe validmeansoi cognlion
Thus whenlhe mine lhe not-self-howcan the rilualtstsdeny lhal the
calledthe Vedaliberatesus Jromthis lgnorance.
praclical experience ol an Lndivdua Upanshadscan cornmunicate knowledgeol it? (S.V 551).
lgnorancethat causes
experlencerand his meansof knowledge has been deslroyedby (7) S nce everyobiectis unknownbeiorethe idea01it Irsl
lhe knowledgearisinglrom the Veda'all lhe means ol vahdcog ar ses in oLlrminds,and since(evenas unknown),il exlsts
nilionceaselo be such any longer'And lhis meansrLe realrza by the powerof lhe one reatity(sat),il is thal reatrtywhich
tionoi man'slrue end (S.V 162,10007) rs {ullrmalely) the lhing that is unknown.The Sett,wh ch rs
lne reartymanilesting itseltrnbolhtheknoweranorne means
Here we subioina lew verseslrom the VaftlkasI uslrallng
ol knowedge whenan ernpircal cognilionts be ng soLlghl,
Suresvara's way of examininglhe validrneansof knowedge
andwh ch s revealedby ts own power- thatis (atways)the
( 1 ) T h e m e a n s o t v a l i d k n o w l e d g ed o n o t p r o d u c e ent ty concealedby lgnorance(N.S. .7,8)
' u n k n o w n e s s1' o r t h e v e r y r e a s o nt h a i t h e y p r o d u c e
'knownnessil lhey produced'unknonness. !!ha1luncton {8) In the case of the tttusorycognitionoi s|ver rn whal is
rea y a pece ol shett,the vald meansoi knowtedgeex,
woLrldva ld knowedge fullll?1BB.V rv 295) pressesils validriyby reveaIngthe she and showrngthat
(2)Ourrgnorance samatlerol mmedlateaware'
oi anl,4hing lhe atter ex sted belorethe means of cognittonwas ap-
ness,and invariablyprecedes\ta d cognilionand ceases p ed.BLltno validmeansot knowledgebearson rne s ver
with t. ll cannol,thereiore,be eslablishedby lhe rneansoi wn cTrrs nol st'townlo have existedat al. when illusory
valldcognltlon.(S.V.686). sl|verrs erroneousty perceved jn a pieceot she , there s
(3) li ignoranceof a thingwere accessibleto the ineansof no s ver be ng revealedby valtd cognttionto exisl n lhe
knowledge,like obiectssuchas a pol it wou d be real,and same'r"/ay thal the shelldoes.Thereis no silveras a rea ty
whal was al any time u4knownwouldbe unknownior ever al a erlherprevio!slyunknown,like the shell.or prevr
(s.v.687). oos y kno\!n (though mperfectly)like the Setf. lhe rea.
iBBVtv.166-7)
(4) We havealreadystatedlhe rulewhi'h showsthal erro
 Suresvara 139

(9) The illusorysilveris only knownwhen ihe she ls nol

knowtedge and knownis cancelledby enlighlenment, whichis of
known,In the same way,lhe not-seI can only 0e Known the natureoi identitywiththe one inljniteSelf,arisinglrom upa,
when ihe Seli,as immediateexperience'ls nol known (ln nrshadrc lexls tike.Thalthou art,.(s.v 1006)
ils kue nature).lllusorysilvercannotbe the objectoi a valld
(l3)Therelorethe Vedais a validmeansof knowledge
cogniiion,as iis exislence,unlikelhat ol lhe shell,cannot in that
apartfromthe cognitionby wh ch il is known' rl destroyslgnoranceof the Selt.And this is man,shigh;st goal.
be esiablished
Such is the view of the wise_(S.V10OO7)
since it is never eslablishedas known in other circurn-
stances,Sincethe illusorysilver-cognllion does nol reveal
CANCELLATION
OF ILLUSION
lhe shellas an objectoi validcogniion' it cannolbe a means
of valid cognitlonal all, for lack of an object The llusofy In 1necourseol refutingthe (Mimamsaka)theory
thai per
sllvercogniiioncannotbe a meansot validcognitionlor lhe ceptual,efforsarise from failureto perceivea dislinction(akhyati-
shell any more than it can for sllver'as it does not cancel vada) Acarya[,4andana goesontostatehisown doctrineas fol-
lgnoranceof the shellor assurneits iorm And it shouldbe
-
understoodthat,as in the case oi the illusorysllvercogn (1) Therecould not be the correcting_cogniiion ,this
is not
tion,all apparentmeansol validcognitionthat bearon the si vel tf errorhad beenmefe non_apprenenston, srncenolh_
nol seliare notvalidmeansof cognilional allfromthe stand_ ing.positive can resultfroma non,apprenenston;
poinl ol the highesttruth) The only exceptionis thal (i-e a non_ap,
prehenson cannotgive riselo any idea,as tr ts
iexls oi the Veda)wh ch bears a non-extsl_
the suprememetaphysical ence.On lhe otherhanda positiveerroneouscogniirori,re_
o_ rae innost Sell. A porsons inmost Conscou\ness is vealing'sitver, that did not in iact exisl,In a nearbypercep_
experienced hereinthe worldas LJnknown untllhe is enl ght-
t ble object,or a cognition.fevealtng,(cltstance) silveras tl
ened by the (appropriate)meanso{ knowledge(lhe supreme rrwere ctose,woutdgivea positiveresuii(in ihe
vedic texrs).(B.B.V.lV.iv.901-6) form of an
dea subiectto canceilation)... We do not hotdthat lhe cor,
('10)But whereihe cognitionis (nol of the not-selibut) ot rectrngcognition.thisjs not silver,merelynegates
the ex_
the {ormand natureof the Seli,beingpureConsclousness slenceol silveror of an objectIn coniactwiththe
senseo,
excludingall else,there is no dependenceon any turlher srght.We hold that ti eiiherdentesthai the thing in
contacl
meansoi cognilion. Onceihisknowledge rises,t neversels !1/th the sense oj sight is silver,or else denjes
that il ts
(r8. .526). s ver thal ts rn contactwith the sense ol sight.
A non ap-
prehenstoncannotsiand as the object
(11) lt is noi the case (that if the Upanishadsiaught 1rle oi eiiher o, these
Sell the Vedictexls enjorng negalons, :rom the mefe factoi beingno more
sole realityof the transcendent tnan a tatt_
Allvalid meansol knowl' ure1oapprehend.one mustthereJore necessarilyfesortto
in ritualswouldbe contradicted).
oi lhe Se i' For all the theoryol positiveerroneous
edge relainihek validitytill knowledge cognition(vjrprita-khyati) if
(S V162) or e rs io accountfor the facl thai therels anythingpositive
culmllratein, but end with' that.
r o n e g a r e(.B . S i dp. . j 4 3 )
(12)Thelgnorance thatgivesriseio lhe wholeplayot knower' d r r y ' n 6 3 1 4r e 3 n i ,
- , -, r ' t s o u s a y sr n a l r e s h e . t, ) . r e o D l e Lor t l h e
.rlvercoqnitron.
 Suresvara 141

andunitarylightol thesupreme Self.In lgnorance lhreis

(2) In erroneous cognition, il is notin itstruelormas shell
lor onlythe individualexperincor andhisexpenonce_there is
lndl lhe shellstandsas obiectol lhe srlver_cognrtron no reatobjectof validcognitionbeyondthem.Hencelono-
the shellwouldpromptno activityin its lrue Jorm lt stands ranceand its indivrdual experincer are obiectsol fh;im_
in the formol silver,as thereis an activityol pickingup med'ale apprehnsion ol theWitness.There couldnoteven
founded on lhat.(8. Sid.P.147) be an individualexperiencerand his empiricalexperience
In Suresvara's Variklalgnoranceis laken as a non_enllly wilhoutthe supportol pureconsciousness (samvit).For.jn
(aDhava). Neverlheless, thecloclnneol erroneous percepl'on posi_ theirtrue natur,lhe individualknowerand his knowledoe
lrveerroneous cognition is clearlyapproved undera dilJerent lorm, and its objects,whichtogelher constitulethe not-sef,a;e
quoled 'The
as is shownat lhe beginning ot lhe verse above nothingbutpureConsciousn6ss. (B.B.V1iv.279,02).
' (B B V
rllusorv silveris onlvknownwhentheshellis nolknown Thus lor Suresvaraihe pointof introducingthe exampleol
1V.1v.901, t!4.V251,6). perceptual rllusions
tikerllusory silverwasto showthatthewhote
Noclearstaiemenlisforthcominglrom Mandanaonthe ques' visionof lhe worldwasa mereillusion.The illusoryappearance
lionwhetheror nol lhe illusory silveracluallyexisis.Butthere oi theworldrisesup in the Selfwhenlhe laherramatnsunKnown.
areversesintheVartikaclearly showing thatlhesilveris a mete Evenlgnorancecannotmanitestexceptthroughthe supportof
aooarition whichhasno realexistence anywhere- self-evidenlpureConsciousness. Suchmaniteslation occursin
r3rThe nolionthissilver'does not referto any realentily theabsenceol deepmotaphysical reflection.On lhis pointthere
anywhere. lt lurnslherewas genuineknowledge ol silver are the followingversesin the Vartika.
exrstrng In lhe shell and thal the silverwas lo a genuine (5) Theretoreall our familiaritywith vajidempiricalknow!
'this'(nota genuineobjectexistingin trontol us) Some edge.with apparen?ly valid empiricalknowledgeanclwith
sayihat,in the silverillusion, becauseneither'silver' nor invalidkoowledge (error)- as alsowjthmetaphysicat
'ln,s (asassocrated lgno_
wrlhsilver)canbe sHownlo anywher rance-ts madepossibleby that specialmeansoJ knowf
elsethevmusiexislin theWitnessor in the mind Buthis edge(theSelf)whichrequiresnothingelseto ifiumin its
also we denv There is no knowledgeoi any object at all objecl_ Thiswholeuniverseol objeclsthatcomeinlo beino
here.There is a mereapparition causedby talseknowleclge' dndpassawaycanonlybe knownthroughthisspecrat ini
(B.B.V. 1.iv.275-6). ternalverifjableprinciple,
whichis self_svjdent andindpend_
rne exrslence anywhere ol a lalsenoliono'obiec' cannot entoi anyothermeanso knowledge. (B.B.V1.iv.272_3)
be proved byvalidcognilron.The illusoryobjecl' lheillusory cog- The intenal veiliabte principte is the 'Self-oot-yetknown,.
on-alr ,Ananyamam'
-
nilron,lgnorance the
itself, lndividual experiencer and so means,selt-established and independentol any
tnesea e eslablished notby validmeansoi cognrtion oLlby lhe athermeansol knowledge'.
'r redialee'(pe'|enca o{chanoeless consciousne5)
(6)Thiserroneous cognilion cannotbe correctknowledoe
(4) Therefore an appearance likea memoryarisesin the , onesponding to anyobjecl,as il doesnolretatetodayo;.
m ndlhaibearslhe lmpresslons oI previous experiences ol iec'ol vatidcognttron. Becauseil is known,it cannotsaid
silver.Butit manilesls onlylhrough the elernal, changeless
142 ChaplerS Sutssvara
r43
notlo existal all.Because perceived
it is directly as some- Whatis lhe needot any fLrrther tactorsuchas Vediclexls?,For
thing actually present,il is nol admittgdto be a memory.
(B.B.v.1.iv.274) tgnorance?tr is atwaysa vatidrneansot cognr-
::-"t..1:1:*.
r,on.whrchprovides a resullant.cognitionwhtchrnturn,emo;es
The erraneouscognition is not an iclea coftespondingto a rne uh(nownsot ils object.Butthe Sellrs notcontradiclory
real object, nor is it absence ol knowledge,hot is il a memory. metaphysicallgnorance, to
toras conslantanoeternalawareness
Theleachingol thisverseis hke SriSankara'sphrase'lhefalse rl remainsimpermanent co_existencewithlgnorance.So what
appearanceat one place of whathad previouslybeenseen al destroysmetaphysical tgnorance-and it is ttreontythtngtn;t
anolherplace,al lhe natureof (butnot identicalwith)memory' destroysit.lsthe Selfwhenit hasbeenimmecliately
experi;nced
lB.S.Bh. ll.i.1. intrc..). in itstrueformthfoughtheVedaas meanso, cognition.
Norshouldonethink,,Thelrue natureof the
Authoriryot theVeda:Roleot NegativoToxts Seilhasto be
selltedlhroughiogicalargumenlaiion, employing
ln thiswav.becauselhe Sell hasthus beenshownlo be the lhe methodo,
agreemenl and driterence.
Whyappeatto the Veda?.Forrl rs
onlyentilythatis unknown, it mustundeniably be accepted as onryIn retalton lo lgnorancethaltheSelfappars
beinglheonelhinglhathas10be known. ThustheVedanta phi- to rnanilesl as
causeandsffect.lt lrunalurecannolbotscovered
losophyhas a seltledand well-demonstrated objectof enquiry, in ils mani-
lestationeilheras effeclor cause.So logjcal
enquiryby the
whileotherohilosoohies do nol.Thefacl thal the Sell as imme- methodot agreementanddjfference, whichkeatsotefiectsand
d ale experienceis a verifiablerealityis demonstraled by all lhe causes, willnotawakenus to a knowledge ol thetruenalureof
meansoi cognition.Thal veryConsciousness whichisaccepted theSelf
followinguponperception
as the resullanl-cognilion andiheother
Agarn, theSe[ is theAbsolute ancttheAbsolute
valid meansol knowledgebeingappliedto exiernalobjects- . is the Selt,
l"er'idenlrlyis t,respecialthern6ol theupanrshad,c
that veryConsciousnoss is accepledas the subject-mafler ot '" _0ra subjecl te\ts,T.at
the Upanishads, whichtheycommunicate to thehearerwithihe thatcanbe approached by anyothermeansol
Knowreoge aparltromthosetexls.Norshouldoneraiselhe
aulhorilyof a validmeansof knowledge. ob-
leclon I themeani^gs of ihe words"Absotute,.and .,Sett.,
ll is forthisreasonthatwe do nolacceptthevedictextslo w-t n are
hLr ancomorehenston,l meanslnaltheymusroe
be aulhoritarive jusi becausetheyare Vedictexts.They are a own.o'rnal
rnrough sorleolhe,meansot knowledge
acceptedas authoritative becausedoubtand wrongknowledge aparllromver.
od .evetalonandlhenverbalrevelatton couldnolbeanaulhonla.
andso forlhareimpossible;n theSelfas immedialeexperience, rve rreansot knowledge-or etsethemeanings
knowledge o, lhewordsnLsr
oi whichtheyeffectively communicate.Srncemeta- !e oevond-ormarhumancomprenension,
rn whichcasethe
physical lgnoranceandils effectsareonlyeslablished through wo.Os'absoiuteano"56l, woutd
be ine,lecttvetor tacKot any
lack ol deep melaphysicalrerlection',it can be removedsolely ,n"lr meanins.In elher casetheirmeanins
by knowledge arrsrnglromlhelexts. ::::::11:::_
Ld 1',1ttse
lo co_stlLle themeol the upanishadjc leacF,1g..SJcn
Norshouldone rarsetheoblection, Becauselhe Se'i ts ol o ooleclro..s not righr Fo.
infactlhe meanrngot the word.seJt.
lhe natureot knowledge il can eliminate on ils own
lgnorance ,drrrar,asreternngto lhe
,- essenceor lrue natureol anylhtng.
{rheAbsoture)rsramir,ar
asexp.g5s,ng
;::]i"^1"':.?.i^"""
'| icgr',rroeA Ved,c
lexl can thereforevery we emp,ovlhose
 Suresvara 145

wordsto communicalea meaning thatlranscends nolmalhuman worldlrom lhe Vedaand from no othersource.(B.B.V.
comprehension, namelylhe oJtheAbsolute
identity andlheSelt tiv.339).
We have knowledgof the deili6sand heaven anothr supor- (2)Thalwhichhaslo beknownhere,andknownlhrough the
naluralmatterslhroughth texlsol the Vedain justihe same Upanishads as th6 meansot validcogniiion, is pureCon'
sciousness, whichmanilests alsoas the resullanl-cogni-
ln lhisconnection we findtexlslike'Thatthouarl'and'l am lionwhenthe empkicalmeansof cognition are appliedlo
theAbsol!ie'having ofwordsin subiect-predicat
pairs relation. external obiects.(s.v1 59).
Fromlhiswe conclude thatthe meanings o{ the words in each (3)Nordo we maintain thatthereasonlortaithin theVeda
suchoairslandas qualilied and qualilier. Bythe process ol quali- is its ownstatement thatit is of suporhuman origin(atBrhad.
ficalionlhe element'th sullerer'(the individual expenencer) ls thereasonis theimpossibility
ll. iv.10); of the usualcauses
ol lheword 'thou', andtheelement
eliminated homthemeaning of invalidity
ol slalments (humanorigin,whichimplies fal-
'notdirectlyknown'iseliminated lromthe meaning ol lhe word libilily,
beingaccessible to othermeansot knowledge, elc.)
'that'.Hncetheproperlyprepared siudnlacqukeslhroughthese in the statements ol V6da.(B.B.Vll.iv.325).
textsknowledge ol the identilyof ihe Selt,indirecily indicated
'thous' and
(4) N4etaphysicallgnorance andiis elfeclscannotbe proved
as the meaningof the word throlgh knowership
to exist,eitheril take as idenlicalwil the Absoluteor as
egohood(whichpointto lhe Consciousness o, the hearer),with
ol theword'1hat" diflerent.Henewe say that it is only establishedai all 'for
lhe Absolule, ihe indirectly indicatd meaning
(transcendenl lackol reflection'.Th oplionlhat the etherof lhe sky is
Thisknowledge is immediate exporience ol that
(i.e cannotbe dr' bluelikea lotus-petal by dayandthenchanges lo become
principle)whichis notthe meaning ol which
ealher blacklikethebellyof a bumbl6-be al nighlis onlyaccepied
rectlydenotedby)any sentence; it is notcommunicated
lor lackof rellection.Oneshouldseethallhe wholenotion
bv lhe exclusion or association of word-meanings to lorma sen'
oi any ot the existenceol metaphysical lgnoranceand ils eltecls
tence-meaning. Herolhereis no needof the applicalion
'Jrrherreans ot knowledge has ptoperly ls an illusionol lhe samskind.(B.B.V1.iv.332-3).
{once lhe lext been
understccd),sincethereterence is to Consciousness as the Real, So we see that nelaphysicallgnoranceand its affectsare
and consciousness in its tnle natureis super_lerrestrral (alau- indeleminableeitheras the rcal ot as anythingdilferent,and
kika),and Realilyis of the natureol absoluleawarenessThere theyarc established(accepted)onlyfor lackof deepciticalreflec-
canonlybedependence on knowledge lromsomeotherquarter
or on sornething otherthanthe Vedic lert in a casewherelhe (5)Though enlghtenedby nalura,lheSelfacceplsandiol-
thinglo be knownis withinihe scopeol someoiher meansot eratesnotbeingknown,beingth6onlyentityableto do so,
knowledge. Inthisconnection, lhefollowing versesfromtheBlhad- sinceit is ihe onlyentitythat is real.lt doesnot desiroy
aranyakaVartikaare relevant. lgnorance wilhouttheaidol a validcognition.TheSelJde'
(1)Thaiwhichhasullirnately to be known,whichis initially stroysitsownlgnorance onlywhenmo!ntedonlhepedes-
unknown andwhichtranscends the individual knowerand ta ol a meansof validknowledge, andnotolherwise. The
his knowledge -
and its objects thatcan be knownin thls meansof validknowledge destroys lgnorance, In al ance

146 Chap]er-8
wrththe Se 1,when it bearso nreality.
(B.B.V.lV. .181-2)
The Self as immediate experienceis not of itself in cantra,
dictian with melaphysical lgnorance. Nor is a mere means al
valid cognitianan ils own able ta conlradict lgnorance, unless tt
ts applied ta ls object and issues in a rcsultantcognitian (cp.
M.U 29,5). That is the meaning.
(6) Becausecauseand elfectowe theiroriginto meTeTela-
I ve cognition,
onecannotfindrealltyin eilherol them.Hence
reasoningby agreementand diilerence,whichoperatesin
ihe realm of cause and effecl,cannotlhrow tighl on lhe
rea ty laught in lhe Upanishads. The linal rea ty can be
knownonly throughthe upanishadc texts,ihe sole means
{of knowing t. (B.B.v.lV.lli.400-1)
The Self is non-dual,so cause and et't'ectare nol real. Hence
there cannal be knowledgeafthe Self thtcugh reasantngby the
method of agreemenland differcnce,
(7)The iactthalthe a lrue Se 1is idenlicalwiththe Abso ute
and the Absoluleidenlicalw th lhe tfue Se { s the spec a
topicoi lhe metaphysicaltexts n the [Jpanshadslike'That
thou art';and it cannotbe knownihroughany othermeans
ot knowedge...The use ol lhe work 'se f'ts currentin the
word and nol restricledto that ol the metaphysicalerm
Seli'.Equally,iheideaol'magnrtude',conveyed bytheterm
usedlor the Absoute (Brahman,lrom rool brh.lo swe l), is
lam ar lrom cufient use,Thus the meaningsoi lhe nd -
vidualwordsof lhe texl'l am the Absolute'areknownlrom
wor d y experience. What,then is the obstace to lhe iorma-
lron ol a senlence'Tneaning thal lranscendssense experi-
ence lrom lhese wordsas jlxlaposed in a sentencein the
Veda?Eventhe meaningsol suchlechnicaterms used by
the r tua isis as Lrnprecedenled'
( .e.the occLrlt
powerol the
riiual),deily and'heaven'areknownirom wortdlyexper-
ence. Bui in their case, loo, a specialmeanlnglhe kan,
Suresvafa '147
scendssense'experience is learntromlheVedictext.(B.B.V
lViii.115,iollowedby S.V 861-3)
(8) On our view,thal whichis nol lhe difeclmeaningof any
sentence(ytz. the Selt or Absolule,which cannol be di
rectlydenotedby any sentence),is knownthroughimmedi-
ate apprehenson as lhe meaningof'thal'and'ihou'through
the exc us on (ofthe mutuallyconiradrcloryparts ol lhe word-
meanings)ihat arisesthroughthe words being placedin
sublect-predicate relalion.lt is ihe same processas that
wf|ch occursin the sentence'Verily,lhe e lher in the pot s
the same as the etherinto sky'. (N. sid. lll.9)
'The lhere in lhe pot is
the same as the ethet in the sky . ln
lhts senlence the words'pot elher' and 'sky-ethet' are placed in
subject predrcale relatian, so that lhei meanings qua fy ane
anather and the mutuallycontndictary elementsare eliminated.
The sentence-meaningthat results is a referenceby indirect in-
dtcatonta bare ether (not limitedeithetas patotheror sky-ethe4.
the text'That thou art'should be underctoadin the same way.
'Not the direcl meaning
of any sentence' means that what the
sentence indirectly indicates is (something infinite and) nol a
sentence-meaningthat arises frcm exclusionor assactalianand
sa an (amonglhe ward-meaningsinthe manneral nonalspeech
dearng with finite defects).
(9) the lact that the meaningoi the word'thou'is not the
individualsoul (lit-'thesuflerel) is conveyedby ils being
qualifiedas lhe Absoluie,whichis the meaningof the word
'thaf; and the fact
that the (lranscendeni)
Absolute,the
meaningof the word'lhal',is intimatelyknownas one'sin
mosl Selt is conveyedby the presenceof lhe word'lhou'
n e x tt o i t . ( N . Sd . l l l . 1 0 ) .
Because al the mutual qualification of the meanings, the
conlradiclary elemen!sare eliminated.
(10) The Conscousnessand inferiorityof the Sell, raised
148 Chaplr.8
S!resvara 149

hrghaboveall changelike a lixed mounlainpeak, are not

accidenlaicharacterislicsintroducedlrom without They are lhe realmot lhat whrchhaslo be negated.The upanishadicne-
w h a t e n a b l e si h e s o u l l o l e e l i l s e l l a s a n i n d i vd u a l gation'neilherlhrsnor lhal', however,exlendsuniversally,
rl ne,
experiencerand an ego.There{ore qates whaleveris found,excepllhe Absoluteor Selt,the Wii
the Selfis ind[ect]yindi-
caled by appeal(throughthe use of the word thou')to the nessol all,whichlatlerpersistsunlouched(B.B.Vll.iii/183-207)
soul'ssenseof beingan individual expenencerand an ego. Butthe text'neitherthisnorlhat'isalso exolainedbv Sures-
( N . S i d .l l . 11 ) vara in anotherway.On lhe secondview,allhoughlhis lexl has
the lorm ol a negation,I is not acluallya negatlon.For before
Explanalion
of lhe IVechanism
of lhe NegativeTexlGivenin the the occurrenceol lhe texl'Andso thereis lhe teaching"neilher
Varelrka thrsnor that"'(Brhad.ll-rii.6), the Absolulehad alreadybeenes-
Herewe may takeup the explanation givenin the Va ika ot tablishedas transcendingthe gross and sublleelemenls(the
lhe meaningol lhe wordsin the negativernetaphysicaltexts oi entirerealmol the empiricallyknowable,cp. T.N.al M.V 79,1).
the Veda.lnitiallywe have an accountof a theme lound in Sri And in lhe texl 'There are lwo lorms of the Absolule
Sankaras commenlaries, lhe theme,namely,thal all lhis realm (Brahad.ll.iii.1l. the word'ol'imDliesthat lhe Absoluteis dilfer
ol name,lorm and aclionwill have to be negated.And lhts is enl lrom (transcends) lhe two lornrs.Fromthe mereiact lhai the
lollowedby its actualnegationthroughthe word 'inot ln lhis not-seliis noi regularlypresenttogelherwilh ihe Self (e.9. n
contexl,we shouldnol supposethat onceform,elc., havebeen dreamlesssleep),il on-exislencein the Sell has alreadybeen
negaledol the Selftheymightpersistelsewhere, as 'existence', proved(so that the purposeoi the lexl'neitherthis nor lhal
ior instance,
whennegaledof'pot'maypersistin relalionto'clolh'. cannotbe a reDeallhal Droof.which wouldamountlo a mere
This agreeswithworldlyexperience, loo,whereno lorm is iound laulology).And thereare olher reconsideralion wh ch showlhal
lo subsrstrn separation fromthat oi whichit rs a torm.And when lhe lext neitherlh s nor thal'neednoi and shouldnot be laken
metaphysicalgnoranceol the supremeSell has been negated, as a negalion.Therers a sensein whichthe nol-sell,sinceil is
none of ils effeclsand lound to persistanywhere Again,the eslabishedby percepiron anothermeansoi va ld cogntion,can-
thingsthalhavelo be negatedare notlnvariably presenttogelher nol be negaled.Evenri we accepllhat in somesensert cou d be
withone anolher,whereasthe presenceot the inmostSelfnever negaled. a mere negation is lhe itself lruilless. ll lhe terl
lails.Henceit is tirsttaughtthat all thisworldol name,tofmand (Brhad.l. .6)were lakenthus, rt wouldnol iuliilllts promiseol
aclronrs erroneoLlsly superposed on the Sell,and then its exist- positiveleaching(adesa),a formalionof lhe Abso ute. So the
encein th Absoluteis denied,lhe Absoluteitselibeing(unenvi, correctwas to analysesthe meaningol'neli (= na + rti) rs lo
ab e because)selleslablrshedas immediateexperience.Theword lake na (not)as an rndirectreference lo self-eslablished Selt(as
'nol can on y negate lhat n whLchlhe empiricalknowei,knowledge and knownare not
whal has to be negaledon the basisof
acceplrnglhe existenceot ihe Sell. For the Self as pure Con present,B B.V,l1iii.229),and lo lake'lt'as hav ng lhe forceof
sciousnessis inseparable lrom any negation.All that has to be dently 11glhe inmosl Selt wilh lhe Absolule(lherebybringrng
negatedis dependentlor its (apparent)exisienceon the SelJ, lhe Absolutewithinlhe scopeJorlhe possrbleexpenenceol the
whrchcannolbe negated.Negalion,therefore,does nol implv h e a r e r l nt h e s a m ew a v a s ' T h a t t h o ua r l , B . B . Vl . . 2 3 3 ) . T h s
totalnon-exslenceol anylhing,as non,existence itselflallswtthin rs Suresvaras teachno al Brhadaranvaka Vartika | .214-34
150 ChapleFB Suresvara 151

Herewe quotea few moreversesrlluslratron

go theirpoints Absolutea void?The merefacl that it is bevondthe scooeot all
made in lhe Vartika. otherfieans ot knowldge wouldnol renderit a void,sinceil
sell-revealed.
Eventhoughit is self-revealed,mightwe nolwon-
(10)Thatthe Absoluteis ditferentkom the grossan subtle deril lheVedictextswouldnotbe neededto cancelmetaphys-
aspecisoi theworld (lhe'lwo lorms')has a ready beeneslab' icallgnorance? 8ul the Vedictexl'netther thisnorlhat',which
lishedbelorethe promiseofpositive teaching(adesa,Brhad. existsprecisely
negatesall thatis superimposed, lor thispur-
lhis teachingis givento enablelhe hearer
ll.iii.6).Therefore oose.
to havedireclapprehension lhat he is the Absolule(B.B.V.
|.iii.214). Buthasnotlgnorance beenprovdto bea distinct principle,
lhe causeof whathasbeensuperirhposed, so thatit cannotb
The negatve text'neithefthis nor lhat'is not pr mar y con- thus negated? No,we do not acceptlhis.Th6 methodlor ex-
cernedwith negalingwhal hasto be negated(suchas the gross poundng the Absoluteis thatof negating everything thathas
and subtleaspectsof lhe universe)bul wiih an rndrrectmethod beenimagned in regardlo it. h is likecommunicaling theirue
ol communicalingthe true nalureol lhe hearer.li the lext merely natureot the ropeby negating the snakeand all elsethathas
negaledthe universein ils gross and subtleaspects,and the
imagined in il.Knowledge otlhelruenature oftheAbsolute arises
Absolulewere nol eslablished by someotherposilivecognition. simutaneously withlheunderslanding thenegations, sowecan-
the resullwouldbe a vold...iB.B.V ll.iii.2l5)
noladmillhatanylhing furlherrequirestobedone{orknowledge
The element'na' (not) in 'na + iti = neti'indicatesindireclly ol theAbsolute oncethenegalions anyunderstood.To us,there.
thalprincipleol Conscrousness whichis seli establlshed without Iore,it seemslo be mereobslinacy to claimthatthererequires
need oi a separalemeansol cognilion,rn wh ch the ind vidlal lo bespecral furthernegation
of lgnorance overandabovenega,
knower,his knowledgeand its objeclsdo nol exist,and whichis lionof wrongknowledge.
k n o w n t h r o u g h a w a k e n i n gt o o n e s o w n l r u e n a l u r e . .
O'agan. we couldhapprly concurwilhAnandagirisg osson
(B.B.V..iti.22S).
Brhadaranyaka Varlikall.iii.233,
whenhe says,'theexpression
The word na (not)indicatesthatwhichhas ultrmalely to be ''net" s theproolto
showthaltheWiiness, indicated
bylheword
known(the Se f) is self-established by its own power.( t is thal ''nol"( .e.notlhe individual
knoweror anyfaclorinlhe empirical
whichis /rol knownthroughthe empiricalprocesses). The word personality), s theAbsolut'. Butenoughol allthesesubtleties;
'na (nol)is augrnenledby'ili'(this)to lorm neti to showthatthe Alllhevafiouswaysheredtscussed toraccounting
lorthevalid-
Self s the Absolute.The Absoluteis here ndicaledby lhe lerm ityol lhesuprerne negative textslollowthemethodol lalsea ri
'it (becauselhe lerm 'lhis'
allied10not'negateslhe grossand bulionfollowedby subsequent retraclion,
and henceareaac-
sublle aspectsof the world which appearto characlerizelhe cepia0le.
absolule,leavrngthe Absolutein rls p!re torm denticalwilhlhe
Wiiness' so Anandagiri). (B.B.Vll.iri.233). Percepiion, etc., Cannot Cont.6dict theVeda
Hereit mightappearthatan objecion couldbe ralsed.lf lhe We have already menlionedabove (M.V 105) that, like
lwo lorms of lhe Absolute,lhe subte and the gross aspectsol N'landana,
Suresararetutedthe notionoi dilierencein orderio
the un verse,are denied,why souldI lhat be lhoughlto leavethe answerlhe objeclionlhat the melaphysicaltexts of the Veda
152 Chaplr.8 Suresvara

couldinlobe an aulhoritalive meansol knowledge sinceihey reallyinlendedto say.No realexistenceof causeand eilectis tn
stoodn contradiction withothervalidmeansof cognilion that lacl admilted,as a sl!dy of cerlainparts ot Suresvara's
works
conveyed a knowledge ol duality.Ourownviewis lhatSuresvara would show.lndeed,he stales it openly,and also reluteslhe
onlyraisedlhisobjection whenarguing hisposition onthebasis wholeconceplio,r of causeand effect.
ol deliberaie concossions to lhe viewoJ oihrs,For elsewhere (l ) And lhe wholeuncritically acceptedworldof dua ity is
he reiulesin cleartermslhedoclrin6 thallhe ditlerent meansol per se erdless,in lhat it restson barelgnoranceol lhe non
knowledge couldcontradicl one anolher(S.V.1076'81rN.Sd. dua Sell, as the lanciedSilverresls on lgnoranceol lhe
lll.86).He alsoreluiesthe doctrine lhal the variousmeansol shell Henceit is lgnorance01the Se J whichrs ultrmalety
knowledge couldconlradict oneanolheronthelopc ot lheunity l h e c a u s eo f a e v i l . ( N . S dl.. 1 , i n t r o . )
andsolerealrty oftheSelfinthecourse ol explainingSriSankara's
Hete t mtghl appeat at firsl glance as thaugh lgnorance at'
Erhadaranyaka Commentary (B.B.Vll.i.588-94;cp N.Sd. 11.96)
'Suchan authorcouldnolseriously the Self were bejng taken as the malerial cause of duality. ln
admiilhallhemelaphysrca
realily,hawever,il is clear from an examinatianof such lexls as
textsoJthe Upanishads couldstandin conlradiclion withthe
l1narance,whrchmeans 'l nal know"'(TB.UIL176,cp.M.U 11O,
deliverances ol olhermeanso{ knowledge. He alsoheldthat
1 ) 222.1 nale thal lgnaratrceis a nonentity(abhava)and cauld
eventheVedawasan authoritalive meansof knowledge ol the
nat posstblybe a materialcause.
Selfonlythfoughnegating lgnorance, it
nolthat couldcommunr'
cateit directly-
For,as reexplained al Sambandha Varlika999. ( 2 ) F u r l h e rt.h e n o t - s e l1t sb o r no l l g n o r a n c e( N
. . S r dl l l . 1 ,
hisviewwasthattheexislence of lheindividual exoeriencer and r n r f o .c. p .l ! . 4 . v 1 1 1
3 ), .
his knowedgeanditsobjecls,alongwithtimeandolhercond' Here agatn,ane might make lhe mistakeof suppostngthat il
t ons,depended entirely on ihe imrnediate experience supplied was beitg said that lgnorancewas the maleflal cause of the nal-
by the Sell.Howcouldanyof themaffctlhe Se I in anyway? sel{. 8u! infact the preceding senlence has clearly denied the
' (Cp. NSID.lll.96,intrc.:'Wespeakthus (of lhe passibility :txtsl-anceot any lgnarancecontradtclingknawledgetn lhe wards,
of a canfliclbelweenVedictevelationand perceptton)an lhe Nar 's the attainmenl of knawledgeiasstble in the not-se]l thal
basisal a delibenteconcession. Otherwise,we havemarethan a.e could atgue thatthere musl have been some contradrctoty
once remarkedthat one meansof cagniliancannotbe conlrc- lgnctance ttn the not-self lat such knowledge ta negate, cp.
dictedbv anolher'.TN.) 1M13 1)
(3)For 9norances nolhng butabsenceof knowiedge, and,
Treatmenlof theTopic of Causeand Elfect srncethe laller s a non-entilyby nature,t cannolstandas
AsinSanka's Brahma SLrtra Commenlarv, so jn Suresvaras llre causeo1lransmrgratofy experience. The existenlcan-
BrhadaranyakaVartika,thesubjeclcauseandeiiectis intraduce nol spr ng irom lhe non'exislenl.(N.Sid.11.7,
inlro.)
onlyinorderloreJutethewhoLe notionol causeandettect.There Hete an oblectarsu99eststhatgnorance cannotbe lhe cause
areplacesintheVarlikawhereSuresvara appears lo lakelgno-
ranceaslhemateral causeoJtheworld,bullhisis onlya super-
i cialviewlhal mighloccurai lirslsightto one unableto grve L:1)
Srnceeveryobjectis unknou/n
belorethe ideaot ils anses
n our mrnds,and since(evenas unknown)il ex sts by lhe
dueconsrderaiion 1owhaltheVartikas and Naiskarmya S ddhl

powerot ihe one reality(sat),it is thal realitywhich is ultl-
mately the lhing lhal is Lrnknown. (N Sid lll.7, cp [l V
114.7, ad init.)
This verse is composed lo explain against the previous
abpction, in which sense lgnorance is a cause althaugh ls a
non-entity.The essence of lhe rcply is that the obectton ts be-
stde the poinl, because the actual cause is reality lhe Absalute
as unknown, One should tgnorethe altetnattveexplanalrcnsay'
tng The Selfi; concealed by lgnoranceas a pos ive t'orcedi'
ferenl lram mere absenceaf knowledge'offeredby the cammen'
tatorjfre naltam because in contradiclsSuresvaras meantn9
(5) lgnoranceof the Sell s the precondilion
ior the appear_
anceoflhis magicshowoidualty,andtheAbsoluleis ca led
lhe causeirnmedalely lhroughthat.(B.BV 1rv 371)
Duahtyis here taken as a magjc show tn the sense al bein9
an erraneoussupeimposition. lgnoranceis its cause only in Ihe
mannet above explained The Absalute alone ts Ihe cause
thloughthe mediumof tgnotance;thatts lhe meanng Oneshould
rccall here what has been said earlier about the sense in whrch
lgnotance is lhe cause of etroneaus knowledge (M V. 111' 10:
112; 113,2, note; 113,3).ll is clear that lhe explanatrcnol lhts
verce gtven by Anandagttiin his sub'cammentary an thts verse
gaes agajnst the originalmeaningwhen hesays"Duality which'
hke a mass hymnodisls magtc shaw ts accepted as teal only
far tackol ret'lection,musl have lor its cause samething whtchts
nat a non entity (as a nan-enlily cannol lunctian as a cause) ll
tequtresa materialcausecorrespandingta ilseif (in realtty'gtade
t e. tndetermnable reality'grade) and has one is metaphysrcal
lgnorance. The Absatute slands as a cause (anly) thtough te'
sort)nEto that .
lor
i6) Th!s causeand oiher such nolionsare set ou1only
the sakeol provingthe exislenceol ihe transcendenlSeli
They are a deviceto make the SelJava lable as one wno
Suresvara
knewttretrulhproclatmed (G.K.lll.15,cp.tV.V.33,3;75,j0).
The negationof all notionssuch as causedoes not suffce
lo establrshnon-d!ality. The negationitselfrequiresto.be
negaledby the awakeningto the homogeneousun(y and
sole realrtyot the Seti.Firsltherejs a thoroughdemonstra
Iron lhat al lhis appearanceol pturatilyhas Being for its
lrue nalure.Then it is taught how Being (setf mettsinlo
rnJrnily
as pre Consciousness. (B.B.V 1i.27 9)
Cause and effect and so forth are onty estabtishedprovj
stanallywlh a view to establishthe unbon nan-duat self, which
is netlhet cause nor effec! nor absence ol cause and ellect lt is
nat tnlendedto establishcause and effect as realfrom the high-
esl potnt of view No is it intended lo say that non duatity is
sitlplylhe absenceof causeand effect,For one becomesawake
ta the sell-revealed principle which is dit't'erentt'rcm any non-
entttylhrough negatingnegationtsetl, by awakeningto the setl
estabhshedrealily that is its opposite. Fnst it is shown, by re-
sorttng la the hypathesisof causation, that the real (sat) is the
cause al all.Then even the notion af reality(sa va)is eljmnated
rn the nan-dual homogeneouspinctple. So the teaching about
cause and effecl is not forthe purpase ol atlirming the existence
of cause and ellecl,
(7)lgnorance, meritanddemeritEndthe impressions of past
acltonstylng unevolvedin the elementsfire, waler,earlh
and wind.and dtssolvedin ether,remainingas exislenlbul
nol manrlesl- these,togetherwiththe Se , iorm The Unde
velopedPrinciple'.... lt is tgnorancethat rnanifestsin the
lorm ol the objectiveuniverseof maleriatobjects(visva).
a s r l s l h e n a l u r e o t l g n o r a n c et o d o s o . H e n c e l h e
Upanrshadsays,'Thisuniverseas lhen (belorethe prolec-
t l o n o l t h e w o r l d )u n d j f f e r e n t i a t (eBdr h a d . t i v . 7l)B . B . V
|.',!2a5'7)
Frsl the natute of'the Undevetoped'isexplained.Thenit rc
declared lhat it is lgnorance only thal appears as the manit'est
156 8
Chaprr
and the unmanifesl.Hence it is thal lhe UndevelopedPinctple
in samelimescalled lgnorcnce in the ancienl texls and when
lhe word lgnoranceis used in this special sense' matetial cau'
saltty can be faund attributed ta lgnorance'.The natself, loa E
analherlorm assumed by lgnoance. But herc lhe clue is given
by the phrase'Hence it (nolself) is alsoca ed lgnoance (T B V
ll 178.M.V251,6).Thisalsa is only a metaphoticaluse al the
(8) lf vewed lrom the standpoinlof the linal 1rllir, lgno_
ranceand ils eflectscannolbe establishedas ex stlng el_
lherthroughils sownpowerorlhroughlhatol anolher'From
the slandpoinlol lgnoranceit is somelimesrelerred10 ljy
lhe lerm lhe Undeveloped'.When we rellectedon our expe'
nenceon wakingtromdreamlesssleepwe say'l knewnolh
ng. wh ch showslhat Consciousness is rellected1nlgno-
rance The or gin, marnlenance and dissolulionol the world
lake p ace Inlhe Sellas reJlectedin lgnorance The Sel{ as
where
assocaled w lh lgnorance,is the cause ol bodres
gnorancepredorninales andol conscious being where Con-
sciousnesspredominatesAll such distinctionsare cond'
troned by pasl thought, medilationand activ ly (B B V
1v.340-2).
'l gnurar(e rs aon -: lor and Lnco^s(ioLq'e5r df pe3 r'0
As
In lhe realily,the se i, which s in trutheverenlLghtened
conlusronand unconscloLlsness are tound Lnthe not sell
lh s wholeworld s called'dealh'(B B V IV '157)
fhe !exl (al Brhad.lV.iii.T)as spoken ol llrc forms al deatll'
'lgnorance' Earlier it had satd Darkness
whete ctea!h means
tlEnonnc-")E death (Brhad.l.itt.28). SuresvaBs pf-'se/llverse
1l)ii,rw,s o/r from lhat. Cont'usian and uncansctausttessate lhe
t::lrt e cl lgnatance.And the factthalbothal theseappeateven
1t)tt)et)a!.selfs an e^pressianal death the verseexplathshaw
'ignaBnce come ta be appliedta the nat s'ii
tl't' lrtrr
I 11lj The term lgnorance'
doesnot rneananvtlirig D!l ncn-
il
tl
c o n s c i o u s n e s s 'T. h r s i s c o n f i r m s d b y l h e V e d a ( a t
BrhadlV.v.3 and 4) where lhe text runs,havrngsent lhis
body to'Avidya'(= unconsciousness)'. iB.B.V.1.iv.256).
ln this verse Suresvarc declares that on-consciousnessis
the essental natureof lgnoranceinorderto bring ou! how entight-
enmentand lgnoranceare contradiclorsas consciausnessand
non consctousness.His idea is that the Vedaintended ta teach
thal lgnorance was non-consciousness when it said, ,Having
struck dawn fts ptevious body and sent it to unconsciousness,
the saulpraceeds (after death) to a net/ body'. Here again, lgno-
rance ts cleatly tdentifiedwith the notse[.
(11) Texislike 'Darkness(lgnorance)is death (tightis im,
monal) (Brhad..l.iii_28)and'tn the beginning,this unrverse
was watel Brhad.vv.l) showthat metaphysical lgnorance
rs contrnuallyat work,eilherin manifestor uDmanilesl form.
(B8.V r.ii.136).
The text'Da*ness is dealh, ltght is immortat'(Brhad.l.tii2g)
relers ta lgnarance, evolvedand manilestas natural knawledge
an.l action.ln the text'ln the beglnning, this univercewas watet'
(Brhad.V.v.1),the wotd'watet' atso rclers to tgnorance.but thjs
ttme the referenceis to lgnorancein its unmanifestform.fhat is
lhe meaning of the verce.
One,annot hee accep! Ihe stalementot Anandagnt.h ts
Root lgnaHnce only that is referred lo by lhe wad "dakness'.
used lo explatn the tem "death','.Fot it is saitl that lgnorance
displays itself eithet tn manilest at in unmanifesst fatm. This
tmpltesthal Root lgnorance,identifiedwith the Unmanifes!prin-
crple is tlself a cteation of lgnorance. And the doctrine of Root
lgna,ance as accepted by olher schoots ol Advala is nowhete
found in the Verikta.
The word Boot in the phrase'Roo! lgnotance djsplays itsetf'
must have enteredthe rcceived text lhrougha misheanngan the
pan al sameane in erroL who was evidenlly inlroducing his own
peculiar lheary, paying no a enlion to the toud and clear
state-

menls etsewherelhat noot lgnonnce was bul a particular farm
assumed by lgnorance, namely the Unmanilest Principle Nei'
thetwas anv atlentionpaid Io the descriptionaf lgnarancegiven
in lhe words'lgnorance is lhe leeling "l do not know"' (cp TB.V
.176).
We may pass lhis by as incidonlal.qut the follawingshould
herc be noled. Whercvet in lhe Vertika lhere is a telercnce la
lgnarance as a material cause, this is predicated af lgnorance
co4sdered as having assumed ls lorm as lhe non-conscious
IJnmanifestPrinciple.lt is not a refetenceto it in its awn charac
letistic nalure as conlusion. For the whole conceplbn ol cause
and effect is only mentioned in the Veriktaat all lo show thal ls
is crealed by lgnoance. Frcmthe slandpoint ol practicalexperi'
ence, on lhe otherhand, causalitycanbe accepteclwhere evet tl
(12) Ths illusion(maya)which,lhough utterlyreal,manl
tesls as name.lorm and action- its subtlestiorm is called
'Death'.(B.B.V l.iv.135).
' tgnorance displays itsell here in the world as name, a lorm
and action. lts subtlestform, which may alsa be called Meya' is
called Death'. lt had been said earlier in the Vedicpassage un'
der commenL'This was covercd over by Death'(Brhad 'l ii 1)
Here again, it is only lgnorance in its form as seed-state ol the
nol-self consistingol name, form and action that is telerred to
by the wotd'MAye'- And lhis agtees with numerous texts in Sn
Sankara's commentaries,such as'Name and farm imagtnecJ
thtough lgnoranceas iflhey were the very naturc of the omnis'
cient Lord, indeteminable eilhet as the real principle or as any-
lhng chlletentlrcm iL ihe seed ol lrcnsmigrctoryexpctence and
the diflercnliated $/orld,are spoken of in the Vedaand Smtti as
"The Power ol Meya belonging to the Omniscient Lord"'
(B.S.Bh.lt.i.14,cp. M.U45, 1). Anandagiri's rematk in hts sub'
commentarv here,'The wotd Meey is introduced to refute thase
who distnguish between lgnoranceand Meye" was nacle wtth'
Suresvara 159
oul a proper underclandingof the meantngof lhe verce an which
ne was commenllng.
(13) ln th s conlexl(of leachingthal the world-appearance
ariseslrom absenceof knowledgeol the Absolule)we iind
the clearverseol Gaudapada, whichbegins,wellsupporled
by analoges,'As a ropeirnperlectly perceived...(inthe dark
is variouslyinaginedas a snakeor a slreamoi waler or in
olher ways, so s the Selt wrongy imaginedas this and
lhal (G.K 11.17, cp. l\r.V23)-That whch as no name or
lormmanifesled (allhe beginningolthe world-perlod)through
bare gnorance.(8.8.V Liv.389-90).
Whal lhe aulhor ts saying is:'One the toptc of manlestatian
proceedtnghom lhe UndevelapedPinciple, ane should see t'rom
the explanalionof creatiangiven by Gaudapada.with examples,
thatthe notion of the worldandthe Absoluteas effect and cause
must be intetptetedas agreeingin every way with the anatogyol
the illusory snake misperceivedin lhe rcpe'. In lhe same way,
the authot laler (B.B.U Liv.443)quo!es Bhagava9eda Sankara's
UpadesaSehasi XVlll.46:'Justas the rope-snake,(thaughunre-
a4, possesses being by vittue ol lhe rope unltl dtscriminated
lram it, sa alsa does the complex ol the Self, the ret'lectingme'
dium and lhe teflection passessbeing by vittue al the change-
less Self, (unlil it is discriminatedlrcm it', cp. M.v. 144, 10).
(14)Transmigratory experience is taughlto be an erroneous
superimposilion on the Sell.And, accordingto lhe genera
wor dly view , lhere cannolbe erroneoussuperimpositton
wilhoula cause.Therefore,lo explainwhal is the cause.Sri
Sankarasaysin hisbrhadaranyaka CommenlaryThat(Se1)
wh ch rs lhe causeol the wholeuniverse..Eut has not the
causealreadybeendeclaredto havebeenthe superimposr-
tionon the Self,lhroughnaturallgnorance, ol the notionsoJ
beingone who acls,alongwilh actionand its resulls?Yes.
Bui the leachingls repeatedin a specialJormintendedlo
relulethe SankhyadoctrinethatNature(non-conscious and
160 Chapter-8
independentol Spirit)is the malerialcause ol lhe world.
The causeol the world s lhe Se t, unknownlhroughlgno
(guna) mak ng up
rance lt ls not the three constituents'
Nalurespokenoi by the Sankhyas (B.B.V 1 v.478-80)
This is an explanalrcnof the passage in StiSankara's Com'
menlary an the Brhaderanyaka (l.tv.7 ad init.) whtch begtns,
'This Self, for the sake of which all the tradtlional texts came
tnta being, an which the notionaf being one who acts, along wtth
that of actian and its results, are supeimposed through natutal
lgnannce, that which is lhe cause af the whaleworld, that v/htch
is the true nature of name any fatm..,',There is menlton here of
Iransmigratian,cansistingof thefeeling that ane ts acttng,a and
assaciatedwith aclion and its resDlts,as being supettmpasiion.
The watd 'superimpositian'is used here lo mean lhe result at
superimpasltian,not lhe act, according to the intetpretatian A
superimpositrcn is what is superimpased'. The reference (tn
Suresvara's verses) to (the worldly viev/ that thete must be) a
ceuse af supenmpositionrefers tothe tealsubslratum an whtch
an tmagtnedenttty must re9t.
Suresvaratakes lhe phrase'throughlgnorance'ham Sri
Sankares Cammenlary,interprels ll according to hts own sys
tem as meaning absence of knawledge,and lhen refers to the
objection thatmight be rajsed, Therc cannat be superimpositian
withaut a (positive)cause'. On his awn view, lhe statemenl Ab'
sence of knowledgeis lhe cause al allthe world'does nol refel
to absence of knowledgealane as the independentcause. The
cause is the Se/f as urknawn. This, at least, is my awn under'
standing af the verses. And lhen the reply cones, saying that
therc was na accasian fot the objectianthat was nised.
On the system of the revercd Commenlatathimself,lhere is
na ptoblem abaut the falsity al lrcnsmigrattan,consEttng in the
feeltng that one is acting, associatedwlh action and its results
Far he says, Transmigralianis sel up lhtough nalural 19norance
in the form af erroneous knowledge'.Where he said,'That Selt
Suresvara 161
which is the cause of allthe universe', that was only ta show
that because the whole universe ts merely imagined, the Abso,
lute can anly be the cause in the sense ol being lhe realsubstra,
tum an which the imaginationsare made. There is lo this extent
a differencebelween lhe explanationsof lgnorance alfered by
SriSankan and Suresvarc.Thetwo explanationsagree basical
ly, hawever,as we have aheady explainedat M.V.112.
(15) li lhe etfeclwere taken as diflerenllrom the cause,
how couldthey becauseand effecl?They wouldbe known
as separate,unconnected enlilies,lke lhe Himalayasand
ihe V ndhyamountains. But if the effectwerelakenas non-
difierent,lhen, sincethere would be identty, there could
nol becaLrse and eflect.Whal is actronless cannotfunclion
as a cause.Thatwhrchs not ihe oblecloi aclionshouldnot
be calledan efiect.And lhal whlch s void oi aclioncannot
be a factorof action.Time and aclioncouldnot be causes,
as ihey lhemselvesonly exst throughthal (the Self) n
whichthey are due lo d ssolve.lt is evidentthat what can
nol evenbr ng tself nio berngcouldnol br ng anythingelse
nlo be ng, whateverts efforts.(B.B.V11.i.399 402).
Here the whale concepttanaf causally ts rejected as atian-
ally indefensibie.A few verses later Suesvara sums up.'And so
lhe creationsand withdrawalsofthe universedawn the ages arc
imagtned,just as the disltncttonsof time and space are. When
you have seen realtty,yau know that lhe creatian,maintenance
and wtthdtat al of the universe ate lnpossible (B.B.U. 11.i.411,
14.v.129,8).And so Sresvara keeps lo thal lndttton of the ttue
-.xperts in Vedanta,which says that the causality suppased ta
praduce lhe watld ts tllusory,
The Treatmentof Universaland Particular
Thuslhe treatrnentoi causeandeiieclin Suresvafa's
works
rs not ntroducedlo show lhal lhe Absoluters lhe causeol lhe
\\rord. ts purpose s aclua y to refutelhe who e conceptionol
 ChaplerS
causalityby firstsuperimposing lhe notionol causalilyonlo lhe
Selt in orderlo leach and existenceol lhe laller(lhe Sell,read
almano slilvam),and lhen rellling caLrsalityn the lighl o{ the
Sel In ts lrue nature.Thecase wilh lhe teachingol universal
and oarl cular is simllar.The firststeo is to teachthe ex stence
ol lhe Sell by superimposing onlo ri lhe nolionlhal il is a univer'
sa . n order,in the end,lo be ableto denylhal il is characlerizabie
erlheras a universalor as a particular, Here loo. Suresvaralol-
lowslhe methodof lhe reveredCommentalor. Indeed,n the pre-
I m naryialseattribulionof lhe notionsol universaand parlicu-
ar, he Io lowslhe methodof the Upanshadilse t, as we can now
see,
As the parlicularbealsin a drum-rollcannotbe heardsepa-
ralelylrornthe drum'roll tsel{,even so lhe thingswhoseexrst'
ence dependson lhe Sell cannotbe perceivedseparatelylrom
he Se f (B.B.V.ll.iv.267-8, condensed). Fisl one has the general
perceplion,Thoseare the soundsoi a drum, or one rnayheaf
them in a morespecific,but stillgeneral,lorm as Thosesounds
arrsetromthe slrikingol a drum in a specraway' Bul any rela-
live y speci|c sounds,or particriiarsounds,are only heard as
pa( ol theiruniversal, the generaldrum-roll (cp.B.B.V.ll.iv.275-
80) Aga n. lirst one has the genera indeterminate perceplion
pot. aller ihat lhe specitication'is',
yieldingexrslenlpcf. And
so lhe ongina generalperceplionis lurtherspectredinexper'
enceby sub generalperceplionis turtherspeciliedin experience
by subseqLrenl parircular zation(havinga longspoul,existingat
such and such a place and time, etc.: B.B.V.ll. v.281).Again,
eachiurtherspeciticaton in our knowledge of a !niversalandto
the accornpanmenl ol il. And, in the same way,everygenusor
parl cularrs itselfknownas accompanied by Consciousness (cil)
rrnperleclly known.ll is superimposed on lhe Sel{ lhfoughab-
senceof knowledgeol lhe laller.Bll lhe inmoslSell does nol
requireany exlernalsupporllo eslab sh ts own ex stence.The
Sellbeholdsthe nol-sellonlywhenrtsputson ihe I very of belng
anindvdual experience. B!i il experiencesitsellas ndepend
Suresvara
ent Consciousness in ils lrue stateonly.Examplessuch as lhe
sounds ol lhe conch and lute are also given to tllustratelhe
drssoutron01all parlicularseverywhereintothe one greal uni-
v e r s a, ' B e r n g "
And yet one musl rememberthat in realilyna distinctiantnto
untvetsal and patticular exisls, For though the universal is in-
variably found tn lhe patticula, the particulars are not invan-
ably found tnthe untversal.Butlhe unive6alcannol be perceived
separatelyand withoutbeng in some way rclaled ta lhe pattrcu-
larc. Even if ane admitted that universal somehow existed n
tsolalian from patticulars, lhey would then become parlicularc
lhemselves,like thal parlicularshort'homed cow'wi!hin the 9en-
eral species caw. And il ane cannot establish lhe existence al
universalsone cannal establishthe existenceof particulars ei-
thet When one cannat establish lhe existenceol either univer
sals or particulars, tl ts vain to talk about a particular falltng
wtthin a universal. Far the relation ol canlatnet and contained
tmplteslwa terms. And na telatian ol distinctianor af any olher
krn.l can be establishedas holding between universal and par-
ticular. This is the ltne taken by Suresvan in his retrcction. ln
thrc connectian the follawingve6es are warlhy at' note.
(1)The sound ol lhe drum in generalis mentionedto exem-
p||lythe broad unrversalas such.The drum,roll'reiersto
lhe partrculars conceved as the universaiin its other (r e.
parlicuarized)lorm.And lhe referencelo 'exlernalsounds'
(Brhad.ll.v.7)reierslo the ( mpossbil ty oi hearng the)par
I cu aTs alone (conceived as somehow separcte from the
unlversal).Theseare the threeexamplesthat lhe Upanishad
gives (ta show lhal sound in a patticular form is dependent
an saund tn a more genetallotm both ta exist and la be
knatyn.sathat particular Being,also, dependson mare gen-
eralBetng bath la exisl and to be knawn). (B.B.v.ll.tv.288-
9)
(2) Nothng wha,'ever
can be establishedby the meansot
 Chapter-8
va ld cognrtionindependently oi lhe notionoi Be ng,whether
regardedas lhe sameas Beingthroughnvanableconcoml
tance,or as ditlerentirom t throughIndependence. or as of
the nalureof non being, BecaLlse there cannot be anylh ng
separaieJromBeing,lhere cannoibe anything n re alron
wrlhdolng.And one shouldundersland thal,whatevers lhe
case with Being,exactlylhe same is the case w th the rn
most Self,the realityol which is sell'revealed,and does
not havelo be established by anyseparatemeansol cognr_
tion. (B.B.V ll.rv.290-1
)
No realityseparatefrom Being conceive.Jas a untversalcan
be establlshedelher as tn canstantconcamitancewith Being al
as independentcf Being,ar as non-being.Thisis whal the exam
ple af Being conceived as the highesl univercal shows Sa the
poinl ts praved by the example ol Belng concetvedas the high-
est univercal thal there cannotbe any rclation al Being with any
lhing else takenas separale.Themeaningis lhat lhe same non'
..lualityobtains inter case of lhe self revealed Self (whlch rc nat
frarn the higheststandpoint,a universal).
(3)The pot is perceivedas ex stenl,as havinga longspout
as situatedat a certarnplace,as existingal a certalnllme
No new obieclis pefceivedeacht me thereis a furlherde
l e r mn a l i o n (. B . B . V l l . i v . 2) 8. 1
This is an example to show haw allthe latet delermtnattan
arc cantainedimplicitlyin the firsl indeterminatepercepttan
14)In the sameway,everylhng lhat is perceivedis super
mposedon pureConsciousness, perceived
as it is nvariably
accompaniedby that. Everythingin lhe world whethera
has lgnoranceol p!re Consclous
universalor a particular,
ness as ils cause-(B.B.V.ll.iv.282).
(5) There is no other sourcelor the eslablishmenl ol the
nmostSe i aparllrom the (selt'revealed)
inmoslSe f tself
ln the case ot the not self, means of valid cognlron are
Suresvara r65
reqlrred. Evenlhen,the noi-selfis only knownlhroughthe
ndividLraknower,who dependslor his own existenceon
the Self.iB.B.v.11.1v.283,
with gloss).
The inmost Self is its own means of valid cognitian.The not
self is only establishedat allthrcugh the Sellas means of cogni
(6)The Sell can only beholdthe not-selfwhen it does the
very ol an ndrvidual As pureV,
ableact and experience.
sion rased above change,il does not beholditseli n lhe
same way.The not sell, beingcomplex,is knownlhrough
perception. The Self,beingsimple, s knownthroughltsei
in ihe iorm of knowledgebearinginwards.(B B.V ll.iv284-
5).
The Self as an individualcapable of action knaws the not
sell through applying one of the means of valid cognjtion. The
Self in ils true transcendenceknows itself tn immedtateexpe
ence Attthoutrecourselo any exletnalmeans.Moreaver,lhenol
self as known by the jndividual knower through his means of
knowledge is a camplex entity.But the Self does nat enler tnto
compastton wtth any ather being. It is known through its awn
Self n the forn of knawledgebearing tnwards.
(7) (The whole conceptionol universaiand particularsis
un ntelligible ) The universalcan no rnorebe idenlcal ,,vih
part
the cularsthanthey can w lh L But if lhe un versa;be
takenas d slinctfrom ihe parlicularstherecan be nc un!
versal(andhenceno parlicularseither).lt a un versalvrer
laken per impasstble as not being n constanla concorli
lanceu/ilhils part culars(andso as nol be ng denl:ca\ rith
them),lhe unlversaland its part cularswould be dislinct,
likean elephantand a ral. Bul thenwhal we ca I a universal
wouldb-oa pari cu ararnongparliculais,ikeasho:t horned
c o w n a h e r do i o t h e r s( B . BV l l . v . 2 6 97 0 . c p .N , l . V 1 3 0 . 3 1
'Among pa
iculars - lhat is, it wauld eith-.r be a parltcul.ir
166 Chapler-8
sub-speciesamang species, ot a partlcular among parttculars
Thetreatmenl ot the Oiscriminationolthe Five Sheaths
The view ol Suresvaraexpressedin his Varlikais lhal the
leachingaboutthe FiveSheaths(cp.N/.v.39),10o, rs ntroduced
in lhe Upanishadsin orderto bringout the natureot the Sell as
lhe Absolute by first attributingto il possessionof the Five
Sheaths,blrtonly wilh a view to denyingthenrafterwards. This
methodot teachingmay be brreflysummarized as {ollows.
The nolionthatwe are in deilicalwilhlhe shealsis implanled
in us by an impresslons arisinglrom beginnnglesslgnorance.ln
Vedanta,lhe sheaihs are nitiallyaccepledas a devicethrough
whLchto introducelhe idea ot the inmosl Sell ex st ng wilhln
them (TB.V. 11.232'3). The inmosl Sell, tholgh only one, ap-
pearsthroughlgnoranceas if limitedby lhe Five sheathsin two
ways, lhl is, on the individualplans and on lhe cosmicplane
(T.B.V.11.234-5).The sheaths,beginningwith the sheathmade
up oi lood (the physical body)are eJlects. They each haveto be
f rsl dissolvedinlo their malerialcauses,food and so on.Then
each earlierone in turn has to be dissolvedinlo the next in the
series,untiltheSelfis leftas lhe supremeca!se, and lhen even
lhe nolionlhal ii is a causeis cancelledby the knowledgeans_
ing lrom the upanishadic lexls,and il finallyremainsoveras lhe
A6solute n its lrue lorm (T.B.V236_7).
(Firsl ane must meditale one ane's own individual body as
being nalhing avet and above'food , the matler ol lhe casmos,
Ltntilil ts finally felt to be so (T.B.V 11.253).The none must medt
tate ane s own vilal eneryy lill it is felt la be ane with the cosmic
on one'smind (manas,M.v.25,8)as
vitalenergy(T.B.V 11.254),
ta casmrc mind (exprcssed as lhe Veda,T.B V IL3A6), on one s
lntellect(buddhi,M.U25,8)as the cosmicintellect(hiranyagarbha
the one wha'has'and rcaiizesthe ideas tn lhe casmic mind'
1'.8 V. 11.306f.), and an lhe ioy arising lram the merit af ane s
riluals and prescribed meditations (TB.V. 11.320'22:342'5)as
Suresvara 167
constttutinga sheath of lhe Absolute (ihe anandamaya-kasa)
whtch is a false appearance ol the Absolute (TB.U ll.340-2),
thaugh its tue nalute ts nothing other than the Absotute (T.B.V.
u.341).T.N.)
li (no accounlweretakenof the cosmicplaneand)ontythe
sheathsoi lhe ndivdualp ane were dissolved, the resullwoutd
be the knowledgeof a'seli' ndividualized by ts own body and
m nd. rnlhe mannerol the Sankhyateaching(T B.V 268).Each
lalersheaththal s menlionedin the seriesis spokenoi as some,
th ng separaletrom lhe earlierones,lt is regardedas .anolher
rnlerna seli accordng to the formula'it(lhe precedng seti) s
jilled by that (lhe later one)'.As the seriesprogresses,each
sheathis said lo be illed by ihe next one followingt, whrch
conslrlutesits true'se l'. So we se6lhal the sheathmadeup of
iood s accompaniesby the remainingfour,beginningwth the
sheathmade !p ot the vitalenergy.The shealhmade up ot the
vrtalenergyis accompanied by the remaininglhree, beginning
w th the sheathmade up ol mind (i.e.the sheathsmade up of
rn nd intelect and bliss).On this basis,ail elfectshave to be
d sso ved in the supremecause by not notingthat the taler
sheathsare rn conslanlconcomitance with the earlierones of
the series,while the earlierones are not inconstanlconcom,
lance w lh lhe laterones (T.B.Vll.263).
The realilylhal has to be communicated by this device s
lhe Absoute. lt ls laughtin the secondSectionol ihe Tait|riya
Upanishad (theAnandaor Brahmananda Valll).
And thethirdSec-
lron (BhrguVa i) explainshow the exislenceand natLrre of lhe
Absoule has ear|er beenlaughtby poinlingto the mutLratcon,
comrlance and non-concomtlance amongslthe varioLls sheaths.
sc lhal the two Sectionsagree.There is onty this sma I drifer-
-.ncethal In lhe lhird Sectionthe Absolute s taughl as being
pure Eliss n ils lrue nalure throughthe negaiionol the Fve
Sheathswh ch are effeclsof lgnorance,as is rmp cit in the lext
fie had the knowledge"The Absoluteis bljss"'lTaitt.lll.6).
(See
 ChapteFS
T.B.V|L332-s).
And,in the sameway,lhe meaningof the lext'A person
becoFes non-xislenc(afhe thinks the Absoluteto be non-
(Taitt.ll.6)is loundto be th same.Foril saysthat il
existence)'
a manthinksol lhe Absolule, whichis in fact realas his own
Sell,as beingoneol the sheathsandthereloreunreal,he be-
comeshimsel{ unreal.The knowersol theAbsolute holdthathe
aloneis r6alwhoknowshimsollastherealAbsolule..bevond lhe
sheaths.Thereforeoneshouldngatealltheshealhs,whichhave
beenimagined through lgnonceandrealize lhaloneis thesu-
premeSell,nolsubjctto change(lB.V 11.353-6).
'n thrsconlext,theseare lhe versesof lhe TaittlriyaVarlika
mostworlhyol Consideralion.
(1)Themindhasbecome deeplyimpregnated withimpres
sionsin thisbeginning lessrealmoJlransmigralion. lt can,
however,be lurned towardslhe inmostSelf bV a device,
andso thisdeviceis nowselforlh.In kulh,theoneinmost
Self has no contactwith duality.lt only undergoesbifurca-
tionInloinnerandouler,subjeclandobjecl,by wayof illu-
sronlhroughlgnorance. On the subjective side,ihereare
lhetivesheaths beginning wilhlhe sheathmadeupot food
(thephysical body),alongwiththe inmosiSeilion the ob'
jeclive
side,therearefoodandtheremaining maleracauses
of ihe Iivesheaths(i.e.earth,water,fire,aif andelher).
Havingd;ssolved ihe riveindividual
sheathsiniotheircos-
miccounterparts by meditation,oneshouldmedllale onlhelive
cosmiccounterparts ol the fivesheaths,lakingeachsLlcceed-
ing one as the inner'self'olits predecessor.Havingthls dis'
soivedlhe wholenotionlhatoneis in anysensean elfecl,one
shouldrestin the nolionthatoneis thecause.Andthenlinally
oneshoulddissolve thatnolionlhroughthesupreme Vediclexls,
andattainto ihe Absolute as one'sfealSelt.(T.B.V11.233-7).
(2)Thoughlhe
Selicannot
beidentical
withtheFiveShealhs,
SLrresvafa 16S
rl appearslo be so throughlgnorance.as the rope,snakeap,
pears to be identicalwith the rope.And it appearsto suffertn
tune wilh the sheaths.(T.B.V .250).
(3) As each ettect in lurn is ol lhe natureof its material
cause,ihe Absoluleis jnJjnite,and lhe sankhya duaiism
belweenNatureand Spiritis avoided.Eachmaterialcause
rn lhe seriesexistsindependeny of its eflect,which pre-
cedes lt in lhe series(as the cosmtcvilal energy exists
independentty of food and is lhe sourceJromwhich food
proceeds).And yei it invariablyaccompaniesjls ellecl.
Henceour lhesisthal lhe eltectls nothjngover and above
the malerialcausecan be supporledby argutngtrom inde-
pen0entextslenceand invarjableconcomilance (vyalireka
and anvaya)... aillourol the other(andhighe, sheathsare
presenlIn the shealhmadeup oi lood.Thethreeotherh gher
ones are presenlin the vrtalenergy, two rn lhe mrnd(tntel-
recrand btiss),one (btiss)in ihe inte ect. (T.B.Vi1.268,9,
271).
(4) The Absolutewas taughtin the secondSectronot the
TaitlifiyaUpanishad_To explainthe methodhow it hasto be
rearned,the thirdSectionof the Upanishadrecounls(Tarll.
ll.l. ,olc.)how Bhrgusaid to Varuna,,Hotyonel Teachme
BrahmanlWhen the goal has {irstbeen exptained,tt Ihen
remarnslo explainthe means.The means are the Five
Sheaths,tor one reachesthe Absoluteihrough(meditatng
on) them {as taught).lt is ctear lhat they are the rneans,
llecause the Seti is seen through lhem when Ihey are
analyzedand meditaledon accordingto the tawsot univer-
salconcomitance (anvaya)andIndependent exrstence (vya
1 i-.kal.(T.3.V.t1.333-5).
After explainingStiSankarc'sinterprctationof the ,\|ord'tapas
iaustenty) given in hB commentaryonTaittirjya 1.1.Suresvata
adds hts o\vn. which runs:'Tapas is pondering accordtngto the
laws ol .onslant cancamtlance and independent exislence:,
 S!resvara 171

(T.B.V.lll.1g).Theprcsenl passage should be underslaodin lhe

erencewasto perceptual knowiedge arisingfromthe division
light af lhat. Inlo knower,knowledge and known.The detailsare givenal
(5) lJ a pe|son idenlilyinghimselJwilh lhe shealhs'thinks Brhadaranyaka 5-18(seeM.V121,5
Vartikalll.iv.1 below).
that lhe Absoluteis 'inreal allhoughin facl't rs rearas l_s Consciousness in itstruenatureonlyexistswherethedivi-
own Sell, he himseltbecomeslnreal in this world This sronintoknower, knowledg andknownhasbeentranscended.
_avebee_
beingso.one shouldrlseabovethe shealhslnal Thesequelto the passage'You cannotseethe se6rof sseing'
imaginedthroughlgnoranceOne shouldlake relugein the (Brhad.lll.iv.2)showsthatlhe Sellis theWitness of thecomplex
supremeSell, beginningless, endlessand nol subiectto
lormedby the Individual knowerwiihhisknowledge anditsob-
modilicalion. (T.BV ll 353' 356)
jecis.li rsnolilsellan objectot cogniiion,andwe knowJromthe
verylactol rtsbeinglhe realin itshue nature(whichtranscends
121The Oistinction BelweenSubiectand Objecl
alldisinctions, including ihatintosubjsctandobjecl). Thusit is
The Selfin iis lrue nalu as seenlrom lhe standpoinlol lhe saidthatthe SelJcannotbe an objectoJempirical perception.
highesltruih is also laught by the melhod ol lirst talsely at_ Thereexislsa Witness inthelighlol whichalonetheexperience
trib!lingto it the characterol an individualexperiencrng sulliect 'l see'and 'l do nol see'is possibl. ThatWitnessmusl be
For example, we find the pure
and then felractingthe teaching ndetilied wlthpureConsciousness. ll canonlybeknownthrough
Consciousness thal constilutesthe lrue nalure oi the Sell frgu-
ts own lght. ll cannotbecometh ob,eclol empirical percep'
rativelvrelerredto al variousplacesin the Upanishadsas the
tron.The individualknowerand hisknowledge andiisobiects are
oerce;tionol the individualand as the individual perceiver' This
non'consciorJs by nalure.Beinga complex, theyexislfor lhe
ionsciousness,whichin itslrue natureis one,appearsas many sakeof anolhera {cp.u.S. (prose)seclion56).Theycannot
throughlgnorance,And then Consciousness in its true lorm as provrde knowledge oJthevisionof theinmoslWitness.They can-
one is contrasted withlhe empiricalconsclousness anging ' lhe
noi evenknoweachotherunaided. Theydependon lhe con-
courseot ihe activityof the individualexperiencer: ;and in this sciousness ol the Witnessto establish themselves at all.How
lorrr I rs telerredlo as ConscroJsnessln its lrLle nalu'e lo
couldlheypossibly seetheseerot all?
ensutelrle conlrasl.
On lh s sublecl,one
shouldconsider thetollowing verses.
Empiricalconsciousness comes into beingand suffersthe
qrowlh (1)ThalSeer(theWitness) is iiseltlhesight.ll is notoneot
srx cnangesol slate lcomlng orlo belng exlslence
by everylh 'g In a complexol aclorsin an actron,Forsrghtis hereclaimed
develop'renl.declne, deslructlon)undergone
by J_ oi the Seer.(B.B.VlViii.1435)
as a characlerislic
lne remporalreal/n.Bul it is pervadedat every stage
changingpure Consciousnessin its true lorm We have lfe On accouniof the alt bulian al seeinglo the Seet as an
'The Absolutewhich is directlyand rmme essenttalprapetly (nol as a mare temporatyactivfiy)in the
upanishadiclexl, too,
dralelyevidentis lhe Self, presentwilhin all (Brhad lll iv2) upanishadicphrase'(There is nabrcakin)lheseeingol the Seer'
The word directly'(evident) mightsuggesllhal rl was tne Indr' v/eunderslandlhal seetngis to be lakenasthe essentialnature
vrdua sublectwhich was belng relertedlo So tqF word\'ard al the Seer.So the Sell is not an agentcatryingoul an act ol
irnmedlalelyare added1osel at reslany suspicionthal lhe rel seeing.

il
 Sutesvala 173
172 Chapter

imitations,
iiketheapparntlimitations
in spac6introduced
(2) Consciousness is one only every where. t s differenl by the productionol apot(cp.M.V 27,1)(B-B-Vlll.iv.gg-
frorn all the not-sell.This one Consciousness undergoes 100).
illusorymanitestationin many dillerentlorms through causes
(5) Andin caselhe characlerization'directly evidenl'sug-
arisinglrom lgnoranceof it. (B.B.V. lll.vii.60).
gesls an active seer,the phrase'ihmdiatelyevident'is
(3) Consciousness, which is actionless,assumesthis la' addedio prevent thissupposition (Brah.lll.iv.1)...
Thephrase
miliarform ot empirjcalknowledge,dividedinlo individua 'rmmedialely '
evidenl (aparoksad) is usedto negatelhedis-
subject,act of knowingand objecl.But consciousnessil' linclion inlo individualsubjecl,knownobject,and knowl-
self ls wilhoutthis division.Eecauseil is one and the sole edge,and lo conveya realaly that is wilhoutdistinctions.
reality,lhe familiarempiricallormonlyarisesas an appear Whenlhe disiincllonitnosubject,objcland knowledgeis
ance,everpervadedby consciousness in ils truelorm. i is negdled, the self-revealed Witnessaloneremarns overas
onlywhenpervaderand pervadedare exhaustedIn thatre- established, revealed by lhe characterizalion'immediately
latianlhal we have peruasionIn the irue sense,as ln lhe evidenl'.(B.B.Vlll.lV.15,17-8).
case ol the pervasionol the rope-snakeby the rope.There 'i: (6) ll is sald(bythe revered Commentator) that,sincethe
cannolbe pervasionin the full sense betweenlhingslhat
are dilterentiatedby spaceor lime, likethe Himalayanand
Vindhyaranges.(B.B-Vlll.iv.96-8)
f rndv dualsubjectandhisknowledge
relalrvelV to oneanother,
anditsobjectonlyexisl
it is thetrueandeternalnalureol

Becauge vision, as an action explicablethrough the faclars

$
d
theSeltto be theWilness... lt,withthatvisionwhereby
are ableio say'l know'and'ldonotknow'youare ableto
you

ol aclion, is invariably accompanied by Cansciausness in the

lrue sense, which is not a t'actorin any action, we say that em'
prtcalvision arises'pervadedby pure Consciousness,and lhts
s lurn roundand see lhal very visionitsell (as i, it were an
oblect)'then pleasespeakout (andluckto you!)... Those
whosaylhal,whentheWitnessol all the modilications ol
imphes tha! it is pervaded by it in the same sense lhal a rope' f the mindis esiablished
j as sell-revsaled experience, there
snake is pervaded by the rcpe. This alane is pervaston in lhe slillremainssomething to be broughtaboutby aclion,will
slricl sense. When we say, far instance, that the pol ts per haveihe diJliculty ol explaining withwhatinstruments the
vaded (encompassed)by the light ol a Lamp, lhal ts loose us' Wilnesscouldperlormin aclion- B.B.v. lll.iv.82;
80;1.iv.320.
age.
The operalianol the validmeansol cognitiondependson
(4)Th s empiricalvisiorron the part ol the Slfdependson thepriat establishment of the Con ciousnesslhat is Witnessof
lhe rndividualexpereincer andotherillusoryiactors Butknow all This,beingself-revealed, doesnot dependon anythingelse.
lhallhe Consciousness ofthe inmostSelf real n lhe high'
is No contributionto lhat whichis the Witnessby naturecan be
est sense lt is onlylhroughthe presenceol realCorlscious- givenfat aclivitiesapprcptialetothatwhichis merelylhe known.
ness,and peruadedby it, thatthe empificavrson en joyed As the pawer af a lamp to shed llght cannot be increased
by the Sell comes and goes and solferslhe s x stagesoi byanvolh Lamp,so the lampof mmedale e^penence$ inca-
developnentlypicalol alliempcralbeing(comingrntobe' pable ol being increasedby any olhet immediateexpeience.
Ing. etc., cp. above, Ivl.Vp.344) The mitatons thereby Thisbeinglhe case,lhosewhosaythata immediateexpeience
lmposedon lhe universalConsciotsness:r'o bul apparenl
 Chapter-8
is samethingthal has to be brcugh! about by actian will have the
difficult task of explaininghaw, with what instruments,and lor
what end, immediateexperiencecould be praduced.That is lhe
meantng.
Whai hasbeensaidso lar hasbeensaidirornlhe standpont
so ol talseallributon, Now we begrnthe corresponding retrac-
t gn-The Sell's unconditioned Visronstands prior lo all activity
eilheroi seelngor of any otherkind.lt is not subiectlo increase
or diminution.ll is not a lactor in any action.lt is lhe Seli in lts
true {orm.lt becomesa Witnessonly lhroughassocialionwiih
metaphysrcal lgnorance.Andthe very notronol assocat on with
lgnofanceis itselia creationoi lgnorance.In ls true nature,the
unconditioned Visionraisedaboveall changecan no rnoTebe a
W t_eqslhan Ihe non-conscioLs can, PLreconscroLsness can-
not be a Witnesslor lackof a connection wrthany objeclcapable
of beingwrtnessed,whrlethe non-conscious cannol be a Wit-
ness evenwhena connectron with such objeclsexisls.The su-
premeSefasConsciousness sthereforeonlyaWitnessthrough
lhe rnedi!rnot its refleclionin lgnorance.On this view,a d lfi'
cu ties can be solved.
(7)The nmoslConsciousness has stoodeiernallywithout
ever risingor selting,the priorcondilionlor the possibility
ol the actlvityof an individ!alexpereincer,
itsellnot a factor
_ dny act on. lransce-dent(relationles./. T'rq ,c r.e l'ue
iorm of the SelJ,not of the natureertherof a causeor of an
eilecl, eternallymanifest,homogeneous, void of a dark
ness and all distinclions. lt assumeslhe lorm of a lV tness
only throughconnectionwith metaphyscal gnorance.And
lhe noliongl conneclionwith lgnoranceis itselldue only to
lgnorance.(B,B.V.lll.iv.83-5).
(8)The unconditionedvisionraisedabovea I changecan no
rnore be a Wltnesslhan what s non-conscious can. The
Vis on has no conneclionwithany objectca-
Lrncondilioned
pableof beingwitnessed: the non-conscous is notcapabe
oi be ng wtinessevenwhensuchan objectis at hand There
torethe s!preme becomesa Wilnessof ils own reflecttonn
lgnorance(in the iorm of the tndivid!alknower,knowiedge
and known).For the reltectionof Consciousness in lgno-
rance(rsan objeclcapableoJbeingwttnessed, s nce it) is a
compoundimplytngretaiionship betweeneiiectand cause.
( B . B . V1 l l v. . 8 9 - 9 0 ) .
'Effecl'here
means the intellectand so on/.'Cause means
cansctousnessa5 unknown.
(Whatevetis campounded(samhata) hasbeen brought tnta
oetn9by another and exists for the sake ol anotherand is lhere
tore an oblect capable ol being witnessed.An 'compaunded'in
lhls sense, cp. U.S. (prose) section 56. TN.)
(9) The Self has no secondthing over agarnstit, as t is
raisedaboveallchangeand has only lgnorancefor ts ap-
pareniconditioning adjunct.Neverthetess,the talsetdeathal
il is a W tnessis superimposed uponil by densesoulswhose
mrndshave been blindedby tgnorance. (B.B.VLiv.372).
The nottan that it is a Wjtness is a fatse supenmpasn@n,
candnDnedby the limiting adjunct al barc lgnarance.
{10)Theindividual knower,stationed in lhe intelecland iclen,
tiiied with t, convjnceshimselfol the presenceoj tgno
rance and [s effectsin the Se1, though in truth ii s nol
present,lhroughhtsown exlroverled gaze- as simplesouls
aitribulebluecoiourto lhe co ourlessetherol the sky.(B.B.V
.rv298)
The only saurce of our convictionas lo lgnoranceis our own
itrrnedtateexperience'l do not know . Even that experienceoc
cuts anly through an extroverted gaze. gut if we took wnh a
purely introvertedgaze, lgnarance does nat exst. tt is tikekthe
case ot the blue calour expeienced when tookingat the ether of
the sky.Even at ttme it is being experiencedit daes not actualy
extst h ts the same wtth lgnorance.
176 ChapterS
Teaching by Examinatlon otThoThree Stelos ofwaking, Dram
and Oreamless Sleep
The expositionof the lhree slates ol waking,dream and
dreamless sleep is nol aimed al teachinglhal those three states
reallyexrsl.The purposeot the aulhorot the Vartikais only to
communitethe vLrenalureof th Sell by tirstleachingI lhrough
supermposingon it lhe threestates,and then, by a cr lical ex-
aminationol the latter,lo revealin immediateexperiencethe
elernalSelf Ireefrom all changingstates.
Brielly,the praclicalrnethodJollowedlorrealizingthe Fourlh'
([/.V. 23, intro.)or ljnal realityis this. Whjle slill in the stale
where he rs subjectlo talse superimposition, lhe studenlmusl
Indidty,he nust then realizethe identilyof lhe body of lhe uni-
versew th lhe cosmicmldn (Hiranyagrabha). He mustlhen dis-
solve thal In the Sell as cause, calledPrajna.And linally,he
m!st ernergein his own lrue nature,beyondcauseand effecl,
as'neitherthis nor that'.
The detailsof this orocessare exolainedin lhe Vartikaon
lhe sectlonol lhe Brhadaranyaka Upanishaddealingwith light
(lyol h,Brhad.lV.iii.l ft.).The individualsoul as the SpirI viewed
underadlunctswiih intellectpredominaling (M.V 44, 5, note)is
ol the naiureof Ight. fhroughlgnorancehe enjoyswakingexpe-
riencewhenlhe intellectis awake,and when il is asleephe sees
d r a m s( B . B . Vl V
. i i . 4 4 8 ) . T h i si n d i v i d u as lo u l ,a f a s e a p p e a r '
ance composedof impressionsand consistingof an individual
subjecland hismeansofcognition, is saidlo passintothedream-
slate whenlhe m nd becomesits won objectas lighl,and in that
dream-state alsoihe soulis selt-luminous
less sleep the only conditioningadjunctis metaphysicallgno'
liqhlonly.Bui in dream-
rance.TheSeli hereis lhe causewhichwill lalerproducewaking
and dram as rts effecls (8.8.V lV iii.979).In the wakingstate
lhe soul perlormsactionsthroughits bodyand organsand expe-
r encespleasureand parn,ln lhe dream-stale,with the intellect
lor condilioningadjunct,it sees dreams under the impulseoi
Sufesvara 177
desire In dreamlesssleepits adiunctis Ingornaceatone,and it
lhere standsas lhe causeol the nind and otherlaclorsoJlhe
ndividualorganism;;thalis the diflerencebetweenihe slatesol
dreamand dreamlesssleep(B.B.VlViii.1528).
ln this connection,Suresvarafollowsthe method of the
lJpansiahd andlhe reversedComrnentator in usinglhe example
ol a greal lish. The fish slands,in his exposition, tor lhe Se J,
diilerenlbolh fromthe bodyand the organsot the wakingstate,
knownas'deaih', and trom the desireand activitythat prompt
lhe Jurtherexrstence ol lhe physicalbody.And so it can be shown
lhal lhe notionthat lhe Sell undergoestransmigralorfexperi-
ence is due to melaphysical lgnorance(B_B.VlViii.1148-51).
t In dreamlesssleepthesoulstandsas'lheSeliunknown'lhe
causeot wakingand dreamexperience, and,beingvoidoJname
i a n d i o r m , i s v e r i i y l h e A b s o l u t e .F o r , a s r e m a r k e d a t
Brhadaranyaka Varlikall.i.451,2.we havethe upanrshadic lexls
'All
ihesecreaturesgo da ly lot he realmol lhe Absolulebul are
caff ed away by de usionand do nol know it' (Chand.Vlll.iii.2)
and Thus all thingshere returnlo lhe supremeSelf' (Prasna
: lV 7).The upanishadic texl givingthe exampleof ihe hawk,too.
( B r h a d . j V. 1 9 ,c p . M . V . 8 31,2 ,n o t e )i s i n i e n d e d t o e x p o L r n d l h e
lrue natureol the Sellas eternallypure,consciousand liberaled
(B.B.V lV.iri.1158). The phrase folds its wings'referslo its re-
marnrngin lgnorance. The phrase'(isbornedown)to lhe nesl'
relersio llle tacl thal n dreamlesssleepeven the relleclionol
Conscousnessresisin lhe lorm ot pureSpirI (B.B.VlViii.l 172,
3) Thal.lheretore,which,in lhe lwo statesol wakingand dream
l was assooaledwilh lgnorancein the senseol havingapparent
condilon ng adjunctsthat were eJlectsot lgnorance,now ln
dream ess sleep stands separaled lrom lgnorance (B-8.V.
V.iii.J174'5). This is the kue torm of lhe soul,Iree lrom lgno,
rance,desireand action.But in wakingand dreamlhere is an
extraneouscondrlioning adjuncl,caused by lgnorance(B.B.V.
V ir 1205-6).One musl, however,remberthe other point thal
a though as explained,desiresceasewhenwakingand dream

174 ChapterS
cease.neverlheless lhev do remainin dreamlesssleep In lhe
and they manilestagainin the case
Iorm o1a lalenlimpression,
oi one who has awokenlrom sleep.They are nevercompletely
ellminatedtillmetaphysicalknowledgeol the Sell dawns(B.B.V.
Viv.378).
In dream,the Selfis deliledby desireand meritand demerit.
Yetit is oarllvluminous.becauseunrelaled lo the exlernalworld,
and rt conformsto and illuminesthe objeclscreatedby menlal
rmoressicnsunderihe imoulseol desire.On lhe otherhand,in
dreamlesssleepthe Sell slandsalone,conditioned only as lhe
cause,and assumes pedectiranquillity,
Hence dreamless s eep
rs calledpertectpeace(sampraseda,B.B.V lViii.976-8).We admit
absenceof knowledgein dreamlesssleep in a certainsense.
Thereis absenceof internal knowledgeof the form'Thisam l ,
and also absenceof externalknowledge of lhe lorm thesecrea-
tures'.But lhis absenceol knowledge comes Jrombeingin iden_
trtywrlh the supremeSell as the'consciousOne'(prajna).lt s
qultedilierenliromlheabsenceoJ ge I hatoccurs Lndram
knowled
and waking,whichis due to apparentconditioning adjuncts.And
this is iaught in the Upanishadwith the help of the exampleol
lhe man embracinghis wite {B.B.V.lVili.1309'10).
But howdowe knowthatthisabsenceol knowledge indream'
less sleep rs due to allainingidentity,and not to a naluralab_
senceot consciousness? AbsenceoJ knowlegeis, alter all,lhe
typicalcharacteristrcol non-consciousbeings(B.B.V.lV.iii.1
384)
It is to answerlhls objectionthat the Upanishadsays,'Verily,
whenthere(in the stateot dreamlesssleep)he does not see,he
s, verily,seeing,thoughhe does not see. For lhere is no break
n the seekingol lhe seer'(Brhad.lViii.23).
Desire,aclion,ignoranceand the like the nol lhe natureol
lhe Seil, as Consciousness is. And the Upanishadtells us lhat
lhe soul is unattachedand is nol tollowedin wakingby the et-
iects ol rts experienceswhen dreaming(Brhad.lV.i.15-6, cp.
The relalionol the Sell with melaphysicallgnorance
l\,,1.V40,3).
Suresvara r79
i is begrnningless, (in the senseol limeless),no doubt.But il is
I acceptedthal ts relationwilh such elfeclsof lgnoranceas posr-
live acls ol eroneous cognition,destresand so iorth has a be
ginning(B.B.V.iii.1408-9).
BLrlwhat is lhe connectionol one who is lhe victimof ab-
senceof knowledgeand erroneousknowledgewiih the meta-
physicalteaching(B.B.V lViii.l4lO)? To answerthis queslion
dreamlesssleep is expoundedas a statelree lrom ignorance,
desireand actiorr.Evenin the dteam-state thesense-organs dts-
solveinlo the vehicleof the impressions, as we knowfrom the
lext,'Himselinot sleeping,he looksdownon ihe sleeprngsense-
1 1o )w. c o u l di h e o r g a n sb e p r e s e n il n
o r g a n s ' ( B r h a d . l v . i i i .H
dreamlesssleepwhen not even their impressionsare presenl
(B.B.V.lViii.1416)?So, sincethe actionof seeingand ils Jac,
lors and resullsare alikeimpossible, a persondoes nol see in
dreamlesssleep.And (in anothersense)he does see, sincehe
is Consciousness by nalure(B.B.V.lViii1417).
Fromihe l6e rng'l did not see (anylhing)'onthe part ol one
who has woken up, we know thal, in dreamlesssleep,the ab-
senceol the lndividualsubjectand his knolwegeand il oblects
has beendirectlyexperienced In thal slateby Consciousness in
ils true nalure(8.8.V lV.iii.1420).It therehad beenany breakin
the visionof consciousness one wouldnot be awareof dream,
ess sleep, as it would nol have been experienced(B.B.V.
lv.ii.1a38).The presentparliciple'seeingin the phrase, . .al
thoughseeing,He does not see. For there is no break in lhe
seeingof the seer...'(brhad.lViii.23) does not meanlhal there s
an ind vidualsubjeclenjoyingexperience. Forthatis impossib/e
in dreamlesssleep,Youhavelo be conienlwiththe explanatron
lhal the l-notionot dreamlessslaep ('remembered'retrospec
live y in subsequentwakingexperience)representsthe Seli in
rls lrue natufe.lt is ihe subjeclol lhe participle'seeing'in lhe
samesort ot (meiaphorical) sense (noi implyingaction)thatwe
speak af space as'givtng'rooms lB.B.V.lV.iii.l1442).
180 ChapteF8
Sursvara 181
'Howcanthe SelJsee al
Oneshouldnot raiselhe objoction,
all if it hasnofaclorsol actionat ils disposal?'For evenin world and its effectscannotpenetEtethatwhichis eternaltyconsciaus
we do nol se the factorsot actional work beforean aclion. by nature. lt is one, without inlemal distinctions,and not itself
Whethertherers action1obe doneor not, belorean action standing as an individual within a clas6.That i6, it is one only,
Whetherlhere is actionto be doneor nol, laciorsol actionas a withouta second. It is not a seer (in the empidcal sanseol ona
peioming the act ol seeing), Fot it is by nature void of the
pre-condition can be ruledoul in ilher case(M.V 122'15).
l\roreover, in lhe casewhereseeingis constant,ii is impossible factots ol action, and there b nothingtot it to see. lt is atso non-
lo eslablisha relationot tomporalsequencebelweenan aclion clualbecause it tanscends ln lgnotunce and its effects (8.8.V
and its resull.so thal it is imDossible toestablishthe existence iii. 1798-1806). h is everimmediatelyevident.Thercatmol the
ol anndandmoans (and honceimpo6sible lo thinkol thesee- Ab'oluteis no,prcpe y speaking,eitherltanscendent ot tmma-
ingot theWilnessas an aclion,B.B.VlViii.1449). Thedislinc' nent. It is that [6latel (oka) which is the Absolute. The imptica-
tionslhalsei upthe appearance of an individual seer,hissee- tion is that the trus nature of th6 Sell is the Absotute. This is
ingandils resullsareshownto ariselhroughlgnorance (B.B.V knownfrcmlhe highesttextsol the Upanishads, whercthe sub-
tor relation with ject-ptedicaterclationol the wotds,andlhe mutualqLlalilication
lViii.1450). Threis dependnce on lgnoranc
knowledgeoJthe not-selt;but there is no such dependence or ol lhe word-meanings givesriseto a sdntencewhichcan only
lgnorance,orlhe lactorsol actionwhicharea mere appearance expressan indjcation(andnotdenolea definitemeaning,B.B.V
lv.iii.l8'l9-21). thisis the higheststat6ol thsout,whichputs
derivingtromit, whenit is knownthatonlythe Sell exists(B B V
lviii.1451-2). an end to all otherstates(B.B.V.lviii,1828).lt is his supreme
possessaon, hasunsurpassable slalo ol glory.lt is the highest
Thusin dramand wakingthe Seltappearsihroughlgno" realmto which he can attain,lor it is indestructible. ll is his
ranceloundergodislinction according lo ihe dislinclions ot name supreme bliss.Forit exceEds alloth6rbliss,and'allothercrea-
andlorm,Butthisis lo the casein dreamless sleep, lhal in
so turessubsiston a fraction of tho bliss'(B.VVtViai.iB2B,-32, -
thai slateone doesto see dualily,as one doesin waking.In 36, -40).
dreamless sleep,eveMhinghasassumed lhelormof thechang-
lessSell.Thereis thenneitherlgnorance, no ils efiecis,no. Thls troln an examinationof the stateso, wakrng,dream
absenceof lgnorance,for ther is then nothingapartfrom the anddreamlesssleepwe caneslablishthatth sell is real,lhat it
Self tor th Sell to '6/itness as its objecl(B.B.VlViii.1518-23) kanscendsaillhe not-self,thal it is unalloyed,that its natureis
Theretore,in dreamlesssleeplhe Sll knowsnolhing,without unsurepassablebliss,lhat it is a pureunily,that it is Conscious-
therebygivingup its natureas Conscious ness.Thus alldifiicul- nessand nothingelseand thal it is withouta second.
lrescanbe explained. The moslimportantverseslo consid6rin lhis regardare the
TheUpanishad sumsofthelinallruth aboutdreamless sleep iollowing.
in the passag bginning'(ln dramless sleep) the see is one' (1)The6eekerof liberation(havingidentified
himsellwilh
transparent likewater'(Brhad. cp M.V.44,
lV.iii.32), iniro.) Her Vaisvanara,the Sellas associated
withthe cosmosin its
is lhe moaning. Waleris pure.In th statof dreamless sleep objective
lorm,cp.M.V43,6), proceedsonlromVaisvanara
there is no awarenessol causeand oflectbecauselgnorance andidentilies
himsellin hish6anwithitsinnerself,Taijasa
or Hiranyagarbha{M.V23;43,6).Thenhedissolvesthisinro
 Suresvara
r83

(7) When a I the effectsol lgnorance,rnctud

ils innerself,the CosmicVitalEnergyThe term VltalEn_ ng the rnrnd,
are wtlhdrawn, the relleclionof Consctousness
ergy as used in ih s contexlmeansihe Self as cause(viz' is alsow/ih-
drawn,as the reileclionot lhe sun in warerOtsappears
lhe Self qua unknown).lt is ihe seed oi everyeiiectand rs wifh
rne orsappearance ol the reilectingmedi!m.Be,ofedrearn-
also ;knownas lhe ConsciousOne' (prajia, l\'4v 23 and less sleep,lhe Consciousness associaiedwith lgnorance
43). E{iectscannoi dissolveanywhereexcept into lhelr was identifiedwith ihe efiectsof the talter(in wa-king
rnalerialcause.Therefore,when the seekeroi iberaion has and
clream)The dislinction beiweenConsciousness and ils sup-
reachedthe causeoi all,he shouldproceedon lo the Abso_ posedreflectionarisesfrom tgnorance. (B.B.V lViii.j jT4
lule in ils lrue naiure,which ls nol a cause, by thrnkrng s).
'ne ther ihis nor that'.(B.BV lV li 82-4)
The true nature of the reflection of Cansciousness
(2) Just as, whenthe mind is awake'one dentiies onesell in the
mtnd is the inmost Consciousnessitsetf.tn lhe states
wilh it lalsey and feels'l am awake"so, when lhe mlnd rs other than
oreamtesssleep, it appears to be djstinct rram lhe tnmost
dreamlngand oneis wlinessing the dream,thereis the lalse con-
sc/ousress, Dut anly through lgnorance. ln dreamtess
ideawherebyone identiliesoneselfwithlhe dream (B B V hawever,lhe case is olhen^/ise.Here it restsn its
sleep,
lV.iir.448). own true na_
ture as pue Consciousness,as lhe reflectionaf
thesun in watel
(3) The Self as cause is indeedthe inmost princp e, bul retutns to its ongtnal, the sun, when the rellecting
medjum js
viewedunder lhe adjunctof bare lgnoranceThe eilects
wh ch, as such,il producesare calledwakingand 0ream (8) This s the true torm of the soul thar rs
(B.B.V.lV.ri.979). heredescribed,
Iree Irom lgnorance,desireand actionIn
oreamlesssteep.
(4) lgnoranceis the cause ol ihe mind The mlnd is the One shouldknowtha he otherlormoitheso!1,
undergoing
condllon of the individual lt is onlyin lhe realm
experiencer. waKtngan0 dream,is due lo an exlraneous cause,thal sole
ol the body thai one experiencespleasure and pain.AII rs causebeingtgnoranceol the SeJl.(B.B.VtViii.j2OS-6).
causedby lgnoranceof the inmost self. (B B V l\/.iii1528) (9) lndreamlesssleep, whenwakinganooreamhavedisap-
(5)The true lorm of lhe Selfas pureand conscous and so peared.a rnen,sdesiresdisappear
wiih them.They jusl
on s sel lorth an example(al ErhadlV ii 19) by lhe lse oi remainrn the form ol taientimpressiors. The upanishadtc
'as a hawk'.(B.B.VlV iil l 158) texl (Brhad.lViv.7)specitiesall desires,ro snow
the words that, tor
immorlalily,even the latentirnpressions
(6) By the imageol the loldingol the wingsthe upanishadic oi desirehave lo
be neutrallzed. When lgnorance,the causeot des re, has
lext leachesthal,even hereln thrsworld,the crealurelhal
b.en F dot.dreo.1o ate-, 'rnpressro,
has sprungfrom lgnoranceof the Selfrestsin ts (i e ln the rerra.,sover,o. d-y-
th ng elseetther,as Ignorancels the rooror everyphenom
Seli in dreamlesssleep).By the words'isbornedownto lhe
enon in lhe emprlicalworld.(B.B.V.lV iv 378 S).
nesl t reiersto ihe pLlreform ol the inmostSell assumed
by the retleclionof ihe inmostConscousnessrn lgnorance It ts only fram the standpaint of empirrcalexperience.
ac
w h e n t h es o u l c o m eiso t h ei n m o s t S e(fn d r e a me s ss e e p ) o d 'o lo Su ectaG. tha!tgnoranceand
$ elta.tsalp. io to
(BB.V lv.iii.1172-3). F F 1|ta\<nn. teddng somckata-se<arva)
 Suresvara

(10)Thenatureol the Sellis puroConsciousness: it is nol

desire,aclion,(psychological) ignoranceand lhe rest For preme Setf is vord ertherol origin or dissolution.
llowed(inwak {B.BV
we knowtromlhelexts'unattached'and'not l V .| 1 4 3 8 )
ingby its exporiencs thatit hadwhen dreaming)'iBrhad' (14) As one may use the participleot a verb
and fefer
lV.iii.i 5)lhatdesiroandthe restare illusoryPureconscious- melaphorically to the actionlessetherol space as ,grving
ness.raisdaboveatlchange,is the truenaiureol the Self space, so may one reier metaphorically to the actionless
Its association withmotaphysical lgnoranceis begrningless' S e l ia s s e e i n g .( B . B . Vl V i i i . 1 4 4 2 )
while iis associationwilh desireand olher e{leclsol lgno- (15) BecaLrse
as havinga beginning' no iaclofof actionis foundal work belorean
ranceis regarded
ac1rs begun.faclorsot actionsmuslbe deerneduniversally
Whenthesoulis alJlicld by lgnorance ol the Sellandconse_ inoperatve at lh s siage...lj thereis no aclon lo be
whatis the leachinglo whichI done.
quentposilivemisconceplion, there can be no lactorsoi aclton.And even , there
ol the truth?Thisthe Upanishad ex- s an
haslo turnlor knowledg aclronto be done, lhe notionot faclorso, aclionleads
when there the slale ol oreamless to
p,ainswhenrtsays,Verily, tln nr n te regress(as one wouldhaveto assumenew faclors
sleeohe doesnotsee,h is,verily'seeing'lhoughhe doesnot oi actronlo sei lhe orgtnalonesin moitonand so lo nJrn
se6ilor thereis no breakin lhe seeingof lhe seer'(BrhadlViii/ t v) .
.23).(B.b.vlv.iii.1 408-10).
tl rs thus hard lo show how lactorsof aciionoperale
at all.
{1'1)Thetext(Brhadlviii230 syas"Hedoesol see'0e- Moreover n a case (tikethat ot the constant,seerng.
of the
causelherecannotbe le tacolrsol acloa ' dreamless Se 1) where rt s irnpossble to establsha lemporal
seeing'inrelalionto the lruestale sequence
sleep.ll says'although belweenan act and its result,il ts impossiblelo eslabtish
thepresence oJtheuniversal Conscious- the
ol aljairs(namely existence of an endandmeanseilherBul it lgnorance rsaccepted
ness).(B.B.VlViii 1417). is the cause.alt these diilic![ies becomeexplcabie.
Every-
(12)(TheSeltcanbe knownwrlhoul deoe'dence on ones lhrng s a mere appearanceresultingtronrtgnorance.
There rs
individual subiecl-objsct cognilion yielding empirical knowl' nothrngncorrecl.(8.8.V tVtii.1444,j448_50)
edg3.)For il is atlerfirstbeholding realily (in dreamless The assertion that, even acceptjng lacorc ol act@ns
by the triadof knower,knowledge and . fram
sleep),unattained ire emptncalstandpoint,there is nothing wrang.
ol lhe appearsta be
known.lhatonealterwards 0s awareol t_ataDsence t1c mare lhan an artjrcjal augment based on
an unnecessa.y
lfiaoand)savs tdrd nol (then)see rino'earlpsss'eep) .dncessrcr lo the apponent's case (because
by theSellin its pure Surcsvan has
Thisabsence o{ seeinEis wilnessed slia\rn al lenglh thal lhere cannotbe t'actatsot actlan
just as whai is seenls also so at wotk tn
lorm as Consciousness' l.e case af the'seeing al the Seer).Hence one need
isestablished to examne
witnessed isothaltheSeltasConsciousness itrs atgument taa ctosety But sludenls may rno
a passageat
as constant andelernal)(B.BV lViii 1420) !he end af the jntraductorypart of Srj Sankara,s
Commentiry to
in
(131lt lnetewereany brea^in lhe s'eing ol thPseer BhagavadGna XVttl.67 al interest.lt begins
No,tor that wauld
'Itake what
dreamless sleeponewouldnothavethe leelingol knowl- dtd nat act into a perlotmer af aclian . (See
edoeonehadbeento sleepTherelore ihev sronol tnesu tin G Bh xvllt.67. trans.A l\,4ahedeva
sesttip.515)
186 ChapterS
(16)whereaconnection oJtheSelfwilhthenot-sellis taught,
therelhe relerenceis to be a connectionbased on lgno_
rance,lorminglhe notion,basedequallyon lgnorance,ol
an individual ableto acl, and ol factorsol actional his dis-
posal,etc.But whenfor the man oi wisdomlhen notion"All
is the (actionless) idea is basedon realrly
SelJ'arises.lhis
il does nol. like the notionot a not-selJ,dependon lgno'
ranceand its eltcls.(B.B.V lViii.1451-2)
(17)Wherethereare distinciions (as in wakingand dream)
lhereis the appearance o{ lgnorance(inlhe lorm oi'l do not
known'.Butthereare nodisiinclions whateverIn dreamless
sleep(and consequenllyno ieeilng'l do noi know'and no
lgnorance. cp.l\r.V122,19). lgnorancebelongslo ihe mrnd'
as that s where it is consislently found.ll does not belong
lo Consciousness in the stateol dreamlesssleep(prana)
ln lhe one undividedConsciousnessraisedaboveall change
an (apparent) distinction ariseslhroughvlsionbasedon lg'
norance,a distinctionwhich compriseslhousandsol lur_
ther d stinctlonsthrough name, form and aolion Bul n
dreamlesssleep that dualilyis not lound lgnorance'lhe
causeot evil, is not present.There is thanno dualityfor lhe
soul to pefceivelhroL.lgh distinclioninlo lndividualsublecl,
emoiricalknowledgeand obiecls,as thereis in the wak ng
and reamstates.Tospeakoftheabsenceof lgnoranceand
ils eflectsis lo altirmthe sole existerlceol ihe Seli.eternal
and raisedaboveall change,as lhe only realilyTo alfirm
lhe soleexistenceof the Sell,lhe cause,in dreamlesssleep
s lo the exislenceof the elfect as a reality.(B B Vl\/.iii
1517-20).We now showthe methodol the negalon of the
lh ree states.
ignoranceoi lhe Seli is nolhingreal Our cerltude as to rls
ex slencerestsonlyonlhe{eeling'ldonol knovvlhal arisesln the
courseol emplricalexperience (T B V 11176) The sou ' cenlredIn
lhe rrind and lookingnot inwardsbul ouiw3rds conv nces itsell ol
its gnoranceoi ihe Selt,as one convlncesonasel ol lhe blue
Sutesvara 147
co olf oi lhe (colourless)elher ot the sky. But if it turns its gaze
nwards,it tinds neilherignorancenordoubt norwrong knowledge
n waking,dreamor dreamlesssleep(B.B.V1.iv298,9). And one
shouldnol raisetheobjeclionthat one has to acceptthatlgnorance
was presenlin dreamless sleeponeaccountotlhememory'lknew
noth ng lhal is supposedlo occurto no who has awokenirom it,
For in dreamless sleeponedoesnoi in lacthavethe experience'l
do nol know'. And il is not right to say thai the Jeeling'l did noi
know (that comes to one after he has woken !p reDresentsa
nremory. When DevadattaremembeF'l knew that then', he re-
members what he had previously experiencedaccording to its
properdetailsol lime and place. But one cannct say that this sett
Looksback over what il had previouslyexperiencedin this way.
For.sincethe Sell is the Wilnesso{ time.spaceand causation, it
cannolundergodelerminationbyiime, spaceand causation(since
il wllnessesthese as objectsand the.eforeas distinctlrom ilselt).
lgnorance,again,does nol exist for its own sake. (That which
exists for the sake of another is non-consc;ous,cp.U.S.(prose)
seclian 71. That far whtchit existsmust be consciousand self-
exstent, tn short the one Self taught in the Upanishads. What
existsfor the Self has no exstence independentaf the Setl and is
rcducible to a temparary illusion arising on the substratum ol the
Set, cp. (A)nandagirionB.B.V.Liu 301, lVii.25.TN.) lgnoranceis
an illusron arisingin the Sell and appearingbeloreit, likethe illu,
5ronof a rope-snakeand so on. lt is lhus correcl to dismissii as
nrerefa se imaginalion. As lhe rope,snakeis talsely imagrnedin
the ropeand rs nothingotherthanthe rope,so lgnoranceis imag,
ned in Consciousness, and, beingin its trlle natureConscious-
ness.rnanlleslsthere. And whenthe eternalConsciousness rarsed
:bo'/e a lch3nge is known,lgno.anceafld its elfectsare canceled
3.tsV l.,v300 6)
li is tftrelhat ai Naiskarmya
S ddhi lll.58(prcseintrod!ction)
SLrresvara rrakesa caseforthe existenceof lgnorancein dream-
lcss s eep,sayrng,'lndreamlesssieepthere s presenithal ,rei/
 Suresvara 189
188 ChapleFS

not-selvesare lalse appeahnces,as theyexcludeone another

lgnoranceol lhe Sell lhat is the causeof all evil'- But there is mulually,likethe snake,stick,trickleof water,elc.,lalselyimag-
nolhingwronghere.Forthiswassaicionthe assumption thaleve- inedin the rope(B.B.V1.iv.1496-7), And in dreamlesssleepand
ryone accepts lgnorance at ils facevalue uniilil is finallycancell6d comalhey {notmerelyexcludethemsolvos mutuallybut)all com-
throughmetaphysical knowledge derjvedfromthe holyiexls. Nor pletelydisappearlromview(B.B.Vll.iii.222). Butthe Sellas Con-
should onethinkthatlhisimp,ies thalthere isnoexperience oJlhe is
sciousness neverlosl (B.B.Vll.iv.126),as it is theWitnessbolh
Selfin dreamless sleep,whichmightimply,in lLlrn,thatit didnol o1the feeling'l know'and'ldo not know(B.B.V ll.iv.129).
Thus
thenexist. Forwe haveio acceptthatthe Conscio!sness which lromtheslandpoint of thetinaltruih,neitherwaking nordrearinor
wa6iniallibly presentto enableusto say'l knewnothtng(indream- dreamless sleepbelongto therelalionles6Sell.Thesestatesare
lesssleep)'is in taci the Sell,of the natureol immediate experi- onlyillusoryexpedences arisingfrommlaphysical lgnorance, like
ence(B.B.V lll.iv.103).
In itstruenaluretheSellis lolallydevoid the experience ol the ropo-snako and the rest (B.B.V 11.i.264-6)-
ol lgnorance, nolonlyin dreamless sleepbutinwakinganddream Thus in all circumstances the S6lf is plre Consciousness. lt is
as well. lt is noi active. lt is inleriorlo all. lt constitules all. lt is non-dual, anddoesnolundergoditferentstales.
thetruenaturebothot iiseltandol anything else.SotheUpanishad
was correclto saythatwhenil doesnotsee,in dreamless Thewholedoctrine thatlhe selfpasssslhroughdiflerenlslales
sleep,
yet il is seeingwhenit doesnol see, Brhad.lviii.23. is taught(andthenlaterdeni6d)onlyto bringouthowthesupreme
ll no more
sees(inthesenseol an activity)in wakinganddreamthanit does realityis free from such stales. lt is only lrom the te{s ol the
in dreamlesssleep. And thereis no moreany breakin ils real Upanishadsthat one can knowthat the supremerealityis freefrom
Consciousness indreamless suchstates. lt is onlylromthe textsof the Upanishads thatone
sleepthanthere isinwakinganddream
(B.B.VtViii.1493-5,1 canknowthatlhesupremeralityis lheAbsolute, notfromlogical
907-8).
investigation ol the implications ol the threestatesand kom that
ll canbe provedby reasonthatthestatesof theSelJaretalse alone (B.B.V lViii.1112-S).That is theteachingoftheVartika.Here
appearances. The slateof wakingis a falseappearance simply arethe chiefversesworthyol considration on thesetopics.
becauseoi its lorrnas wakingexperience, and becauseil has a
(admittedly (18)lgnoranceofong's ownSelfisafalsapparance, alikein
beginning andanend,likelhe illusory)appearance (to
the dreamer)ol beingawakein dream.The eflectsoi lgnorance wakrng,dreamand dreamless sleep,lhat comsintothe Ueldof
practical experience, wiln6ss6dbytheSeltlhatisself-revealed....
thalliebetoreusareapprehended as non-conscious, andtheyhave
no independent It is onlywhenthe Conscious One,seatedin the mindand identi-
existonce ot theirown,likethe waterseenin a
mirage(B.B.VlViii.1072-3). liedwith lgnorance, turnsils gazoutwardslhat it lailsto appre-
Again,wakinganddreamdo notpeF
tainto lhelrueSell.Forlheyareonly{ound hendits own true Selfand accptslgnorancoand its efteclsas
belonging to theindi-
real,likea childacceptingas ralthe blucolourof the sky. lt
vidualsoul,as apparently delimiledby the mind,itsellassociated
\,/th psychological ignorance doesnotdo so throughits ownlru naturc. Butwhenits gazeis
and desire.Theydo nol in anyway
lurnedinwards.it lindsnithorignonce,nordoubtnorwrongknowl-
belong lo lheinnerWitness oilheindividualsoul. FortheWitness,
kom theveryfaclol beinglheWitness,cannolbeorganicallycon; edgeinwaking,dreamordreamloss slsep.(B.B.Viii.1293, I.iv.298-
9).
nectedwilhwhatit witnesses(sincethe subjeclcan neverbe the
obleclnorlheobjeclsubject, B.B.VlViii.905). Andagarn,allthe (19)Onewhoawakenslromdreamless
sleephasthememory
190 Chapler8 Suresvara 191

' drdnot know

anything'.Butthalis nota genuinecogntlion bear- ( B . BV . i i . 1 4 9s3)
ingon the slaleol dreamless sleep.Fornothingthalbetongslo lhe
Sell can periain to the past, since the Self is unditierentiatedby (23) This Se f has unbrokenvision.This has a readybeen
rin e. spa,a or ol-er .aclors.{B B V t.rv300) decaredlo be the casein dreamand waking.But t is truein
lhe caseof dreamlesssleepalso,as the iexi'Whentherein
(Farlhewhale notion'lgnoranceresidingnthe Self was expe ihe slate oi rJreamlesssleep....'8rhad.lViii.23 shows. And
nenced tn the pasl'makes na sense (since neither lhe Self nar
i!sl as the Selllranscendsthe lactorsof acton in dreamless
metaphysical lgnotance lals within tine.) s eepasbareeternalconscio!snessraisedaboveallchange,
(20)The innermoslSellis not acceptedas be ng louchedei, so does il also transcendthe laciors of aclion in dream and
ther by past lime or by luture time. Whateverexisls lor an- wak ng. (B B.V.lVii .1907-8).
otherexistsas an tllusion appearing on thesubslratum ol ihai (24) This stateol wakingis unreal,simplyon accountoi the
Whrchis set-exislent.Henceit is tradilionaliy laughlio be facl thal il is a staleol waking. For t has a begnn ng and
ialse rmaginatron. The faci that a thing belongsto the pasl comesto an end,Ike lhe slaleol wakingthalappears(lo lh
cannotbe knownthroughperceplion, andihe iactthata thing dreamer)to occurin dream.The wakingslale s a mereap-
liesin lhe fuiurecannotbe knownthroughany meansoi vatd pearancearisinglrom lgnorance.lls objects(s ncetheyap
knoweclge. Henceall notionsoi pasl and lutureare false pearbeiorethe Witness)are nvariablynon-consc ous,and
knowledge... lgnorance manfestsin the Sett,bul iI truihrt is have no ndependent existenceol theirown, lke the water
onlyp!re Consciousness. Sincei1is dependent on ihe nmcst seen n a rnirage. (B.B.V.Vii.1072-3)
Sellra sedaboveallchange,ihtstmagined causecanbe can-
(25) I is the mindthalacls,aliiictedby ignoranceanddesire
celed,togetherwilh its ellects,(lhrougha realizationoJone,s
tr!e natureas lhe inmosiSeli).(8.B.VLiv.30l-3,6) S eepng andwakingbelongtothemind;theydo notbe onglo
theWrtnessof themind,pureConscousness. (B.B.VlVii.9C5)
(21) I Consciousness as iramediateexperience was not n-
var afilypfesenltn drearnless (26) Whena garlands rnisperc6 vedas a snake,it cannolbe
sleep,how do you explainhow
the onewhoawakensfromil canhavetheidea l knewnolhng rnsperceived as a stickor in olherways at tfie sarneI me.
in dreamlesss eep? (B.B.Vlll.i"103) Simiarly.whenthe nrnoslSells m sperceived as undergorng
0_6ol l'. lh pF rldleso' wa(.ngd ea r andd .a'r e:. sreep.
(22) The Selfin dreamless sleep'isseeingthought doesnol rtcannolbe m sperceved as undergong oneol lhe othersat
see becauset hasnoneol lhe taciorsol action,becauseit is the sarne1me. Even!nder metaphysrcaL lgnorance.the vari
inieror lo all,becauseit is a I, and becauser ts rne rTuena- ous not-seves (areseenlo be unrealbecausethey)exclude
lure ol all else. 11does nol see in dreamlesssleepfor lhe eachothermulualy.Howmuchmoreclearlywrl theirLrnrea -
reas0nmentroned (namelythai it has noneol the jactorsot 1y be reveaed when al lgnoranceis d ssolvedwilhoutre-
action,so that it is presentshiningbul does not perlormany rnaindern the nrnoslSelf'1. (B.B.V.L v.l496-7)
act of seeing);butone shouldunderstand thatit doesnol see
n r,,akng anddreameilher,lorthesamereason.Andiustas 127)The variousmanfestaiionsof the not-self(are knownto
lreunrealbecauselhey)excludeoneanothermutualy. And n
Consciousness s unbroken lhroughoul dreamandwak ng,so
dreamess sleep,svroontranceand othersuch staleslhe
s I a l s o n d r e a me s s s l e e p , l o r l h e r e a s o n s g i v e
192 Chapie.S Suresvara 193

Sell as Witnessreveatsthe compele disappearance

ol the CanThere be an Injunction for Knowledge
notself'.(B.B.Vli.tv.222)
Thereis atext in ihe sectionoi the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad
(28) ln dreamless sleepthe rndividual subjectandh s knowf contaning the teachinggivento N,4aiirey which runsi'The Self,
edge and tls objeclsd sappear,but pure Conscousnessdoes
ndeed,shou d be seen,heardaboul,ponderedoverand subjected
nolCrsappear. However, a lotherthings in theworldapartirom to sustainedmeditation,MaitreyrVerily,through seeing the Seli,
Consciousness excludeoneanothermuluallyand disappear throughhearng aboulit,throughlhinking of itandlhroughknowing
allogetherin dreamlesssleep...Whenevertherearisesthe
rt,all this(word) becomesknown'Brhad.ll.iv5.
notron I do not know', this s witnessed by the Seli. How
muchmoreevidently is ihisthe casewiththefeeling,lknow,? Inthisconnection, the questionwhetheror nottheseetngand
P u r e C o n s c i o u s n e s s t, h e r e i o r e , n e v e r d i s a p p e a r s . so on wereenjonedhasbeena subjectlor dispuleamongphioso-
(B.B.Vll.lv.l26,129) phers.For example,AcaryaIVlandana wrole:'Thephrase"should
be subjectedlo sustainedrnedtation"lspaftofone long connected
(29) The relatronlessSelldoesnol undergoetlherdreamless passagethaibegins"Forthe sakeolihe Sel{"andends"Allthisis
steeporwaktng. How coulditthenundergolheslareof drearn? but ihe Se f' Brhad.ll.v5-6. The purposeofthis passageis io
Waking,dreamanddreamlesssleeparebulnarurat(uncaused,
expoundthetfue natureol the Slef.Thephrasesoccurrng withinii,
beginningless)lgnoranceof the Self.The rmaginationaryidea
"shouldbe seen","shouldbe heardabout"and"shoud besublected
llraltheSelfis asleeporawakeor is dreamtng belongsonlyto to sustainedmeditalion",thoughexpressed(in mpefalrveiorm) as
crealuresasteepin the njghtoi lgnorance.Th s wholeuni
gerundves, are not separateinjunctions, bul (belonglo the maln
verseconstsling of the movingand the fixedis a mere illu_ passageexpoundng the Absoluteand) are rntendedfor eulogy.
sion. The Supremeis ils true nature,as lhe ropeis the tfue
Forthegerundivetermination is saidto haveolhermeanings apart
nalureol lhe tllusorysnake.(A.B.V11..264,6)
Iromcommand, suchas ascribingworthor value(cp.Paninlll.iii.l69,
(30) The notionthailheSellpassesthrougnrnetnreestates quoledabove,lvl.Vp.19). The iexl thereioreonly rneans"The Se f
oJwakrng,dreamand dreamlesssleepa risesirornother(secu- is worthyof berngseen,eicl').We havesuchexamplesof th s as
ia, meansol knowledge.The vedc teachingappearingto 'V gerundive)
sii! is worthyolbe ng olferer(it."should be offered",
connrmthe existenceof the three states(does nol constilute the UpamsuSacri ce"(lS.ll.vi.6),whichoccursarnongst lhetexts
valrdauthortai/veteaching b!t)is onlygivento contormwith aboul offeringlhe UapassuB.Sid.p.155;see also sabara,PM.
(fa se)knowledge derivedirom othersources (secuar expen_ B h a s y al l . i i . 1 0 ) .
ence). But the fact that the one who appearsto be passing
Suresvara,however,makes three d sl nclions n treatingth s
thro!gh(repeated cyciesol)waktng, dreaming anddreamless probem.He saysthai'shouldbe seen'cannot bean njunclon,as
sleep rs reallythe Absolutecan only be known from the
I relefsto knowedgeco.dilionedby realily.'Should
be heardabout'
upansftadtciexts. Henceil ls lhatwhch theyare concerned
and shoud be ponderedover'areinlunctions, sincelhey refer10
ro communicate as validknowledge. The purportof,Thatthou actionsdependent on the humanwi l. "Shouldbe subjectedto sus
art'and oiher rnelaphystcaltexts of the Veda ts to leach that
ta ned medilationis not an nlunction.For sustainedmedilalon
lfe truenatureof one'sown Selfis the Absolute, andthe lrue nididhyesanais nal an actton bul lhal mmediaie experienceof
narureot the Absoluteone'sown Self.(B.B.VlV ii.l i 13,5)
194 Chapter 8 Suresvara 195

ones own true Sellthatconstiuiesihe goaloi lhe Vedantic spir, lhe melaphyscaiiexts ever lack verbs,as forms of the verb'to be'
rlualdiscrpine. can alwaysbe understood and supplied,
The remarkaboutthere
'll beinglruils on the iver bankconcernsa matterwhichcan be known
shoud be seen',then,is nol an injunction. Why not?In lhe
phrase'TheSeli shouldbe seen'the work'Seli refersto one's Iromsourcesolherlhan the spokenword. lt does nol concerna
nmosi Se i, and knowledgeof one's Sell rs already one's own by maiterlhalcan onlybe knownlhroughverbalrevelation, so il was
natureAgain,the knowledge expressedhere by the verb'seen' an fie evanl exarnpte.
cannot be enjo ned, as t is conditionedby reality.When the word Hereare lhe chiefversesto consider.
'('owedge
s Jseo to reler lo synboic med alo-s \sJah as (1) In the phrase'TheSelfthatshouldbe seen'(Brhad.ll. v.5)
'Woman,O Gaularn,
is the sacrlfic ialfire',Chand,Vvi 1.1)it stands lhe word Sell'fefersto lhe inmostSelf,as lhe Sell is invari'
lor something thatcan be enjoined, bui symboic meditation is not ablyexperienced as lhal whichis inmosl.The words'should
lhe lopic ot lhe presentpassage.Again,there ts no otherseer be seen'relertoa correctknowedgeofthatthrough theVeda.
aparlfrornlhenrnoslSell.Andwhereiheseerandthatwhchhas It s trLe thal everyone s naturallyaware of lher own Seli
to be seen are lhe sametherecan be no nlunclionoi the lorm'lt Bu1whaltheydo notknowis thal it is the Selfol all. ll is that
shoud be seen'. For therecannotbe an injunction to an acl of deathal s alilrmedby theVedaas something newthathaslo
seeng wheretheseer,actingon himsell, is performerand objeclof be known.Thistext,however, couldonlybe an injunclion to
the same act. Thereiorelhe teachingAl thls (world)is bLrtlhe acl f lhe knowerandthe thingto be knownweredifierenl In
Sell'(Brhad.ll.iv.6) is givenby the Vedaafterit had f rsl usedthe lhe presentcontexllherecan be no injunclion to acl,tor ack
Iormulanetherthis nor ihat' (Brhad.ll.ii.6) to negatethe notion ol any ditferencebetweenwhai was enjo ned and the one on
t h a t t h e S e hl fa d a s s u m e d t h e t o r mt hoef n o f s e i . A n d s o t h e r e a l whomlhe injunclon v,/aslaid.(B.B.Vll.iv.95-7)
lorceoi the apparenlinjunclionlheSelfshouldbe seen' s to give
some nlormalionaboutsomelhingthe hearerdld not previously (The idea is that, becauseone does nat know that allthis is
know Th s s the gisi of Suresvara'srefutalon 01the possibililyot one's own Self, il is carrect lo suppase that this is whet the text
tnefebe ng an injunction for seeing. affirms.But there js na cammandto perlorm any acl here since,
allhaughlhe lexl assumeslhe grcmmaticalformol an lnpnctrcn,
Oblectionsra sed by opponenlsare disposeclof as fo lows. there is no distinclianbetv/eenwhatis enjoinedand lhe one on whom
One shou d not objectthat the Vedictexts mak ng rnetaphysi lhe niunctpn is laid. Whatwe have, rather,is the communicatian
cal stalementsare no rnoreaulhoriativelhan casualworldlyre- af a piece af hilhertounknowninformation.)
markslke'Thereare fiveiruilson the riverbank'. Norshoutdone (2) The idea'Alllhisis the Self is validknowledge conditroned
oblectlhal the wordscannotbe properlyinterconnected io iorrna by the objeclknown Only if it had been the idea ol somelhing
sentenceior ack of a verb. For the Vedawill be an authoritat ve akeadylamilari.oin wor d y experience,l ke f re,couldri havear sen
meansolknowedgeii il canawakenanyonetolhe truthoi thesole rndependence on lhe arbitrary willof theindividualknow ng subjecl
rearly of lhe one Seli,a truth naccessb e lo any olhermeansof ( a n d o n l yn s u c h a c a s e c o u L d i t h a v e b e e n l h e o b l e cnl ol ul annc
knowedge.AndtheVedictext canpedormthisfunctionevenwhen tion,for nstancean injunclion to rneditate, as s mp icily lhe case
the connectons of the wordswithlherrrneanrngs are nol appre- n the lext Woman,O Gautama,is the sacriiicial fire', (Chand.
hended,as in the caseoi sentences thalawakensleepers. Nordo V v i i . l , c p M . V p . 3 6 1 )S. o l h e r e c a n n o t b e ai nni u n c t o n i o r m e l a -
r96 ChapteFS
Suresvara 197
physicalknowldge ot lhe Self,as il is not ideathatarisesin de-
pendenceon the willol man. Butactionslikereasoning overth see oneb own Self,whethetsuchvisionbe ol the verynatureol the
meaningol lhe wordsol lh texlsby ihe methodol agreement an seeror whethetit be associatedwithan individualknowingsubjec!.
dilterenceare enjoined,sinceihey are dependenton the will ol (6) Here.loo, in the Brhadaranyaka as welt as in ihe
man. (B.B.Vll.iv.120-1)
Chandogya, thelextacceptson thebasisof commonexperi-
(3) Whensubjeclandobjeclaredifierent, thereis pervasion ence all lhal il hasnegatedas notbeingof the nalureot the
ol lhe objectby the subjeclin orderloknowil, as in the case inmostSelfin lh6 words'n6ithsr lhisnorlhat'(Brhad. .iii.6)
oi perception of a pot. Bul the Selfcannotactivelypervade andatfirms'All lhis(world) is theSlf'(Brhad. ll.iv.6).....The
itsellto haveknowledge of ilsellin thisway.Therecannolbe injunclion her6'TheSeltshouldbe seen'(Brhad.ll.iv.5.6) is
pervasion wh6rlhereis non-diflerence, for the very reason lherefore nomorethanthcommunication ol hithertounknown
lhalperuader andperuaded wouldalreadybe identical. (B.B.V inlormation (i.e.'TheSellshouldbeseen'='Seethat,narnelv.
ll.iv.135) lam tellingyouthat,theSetfis as heretaught',cp.M.V.12s,2).
Unlikea mateial obj1ct like a pot, the Self is not capabteol The texf lhe Sell shouldbs sen'couldnot beintendedas
beingpeNadedlhroughthe activilyof the individualknowing6ub- an injunctionto act addressedto one not yet acting,as
ject in the lotm ot seeing. Not can the Sells own vision (act on actionis impossibie in the caseol the Setf.(B.B.Vll.iv.104
and)peryadeilself. and115)
(4) Noris thereanyothersubjectwhocouldseethe Sell as (7) lt is nolcorectto saythalallthetextsof the Upanishads
an objecl,Iorlhisis speciticallydeniedin thetext'Thereis no haveto be,nlerp.eled as injunclions, onthegroundthatstate,
otherseer...brltHe'(8rad.lll.vii.23). And,indeed,we do not menlsol lacl are never authorilalive, sincetheydependtor
tindintheworldtwosubjectsplayjngbetweenthemtheroleof theirvalidilyon knowlodge gainediromothersources.Forthe
subjectandobject.(B.B.V.ll.iv.1 36) meiaphysical slatements of lh lJpanishads are an author
italivemeansof knowldge, sincethey awakenone to the
Whenthe Vedbtextsays'Thereis no otherseer...but He'it solerealityot lhe Selt,not knowable fromany othersource,
meansthal,Ircmth6stdndpoint of thehighestttuth, theSelfis not as wordsare usedto awakena sleeper. (B.B.Vll.iv.148)
an object that can be seen, Even frch the standpointol wo dly
expe ence,onesubjectis nevet theobjectol the visionof anolher (8) Thereis no rulethata verbmLlstappearovertlyin a sen-
lencebeiorethewordscan b6 connected. ln the metaphysi-
caltexts, verbslike'art'and'am'canverywell beunderstood
(5) lf theseefwereableto seeitsell.thatwouldbe a conlra-
andsuppliedevenwhennotovertlyexpressed.ll is truethat
Andif (bysomestrangechance)
dictionol thelawsof ac,tion. thereis dependence on olhersourcesof knowledgein the
it coulddo so,it wouldalwaysbedoingso,so thattheinjunc-
caseol thecasualremark'There ate fruilsonthe riverbank'.
tionto do so wouldbe rendereduseless.lB.B.Vll.iv.137) becauselhere the thingsdenotedby the words'fruits'and
Thecontadblion ol th6laws ol actionwouldconsistin the lact 'riverbank'are accessible
lo anothermeansoI knowledoe.
oI the one doingan actionbeing himsef the objectof lhat action. namelyperceplion. (B.B.VlVii.161 -2)
Theimplicationol th6verceis thal therccannotbe an iniunctbn to
 ChapleF8 Suresvara 199
198

knowedgelelllo arise,lhereis no lgnorance leftlhathasnotbeen

CanThreebe iniunclionlor hearlng,ponderng and Sustarnedmecr-
burnt up. One should not ralse lhe objectionthat the work
talion? 'n d dhyesana
muslmeanmeditalton. Forthemeaningof theterm
It rs correcllo holdlhal hearing,ponoenng'Innerano ouler 'nididhyasana
has been expressedby the term,immediateiniuiton,
contro and olhersuchparlsol the spirilualdiscipline can be en_ (vljiana)in the passage,'verily, throughseejngihe Seli,through
loined, as they lall withln lhe scope of human will,and are ndis_ heann9aboutit, throughthinkingof it and throughknowingil (in
pensableauxiliarlesto that rationalexaminailonol the mean ng ol rmmedrateinluilion,viinana),all this (world)becomesknown,
th wordsof the metaphysical lexts ollhe Upanishads whichLs (Brhad.ll.iv.5).
Thatmediiation (dhyina)is a prerequistie of imme_
necessary tor a cornprehension oi thelrmeaning. As sri) Saakara drale ntuitionis not dened. Bui it is immediate intuition, and not
sa d in h s ljpadesaSnhasi): medrlaton andthe reslof the discipline, ihat is ullimatety required
11) The knowledge thal one is (intruth)ever beratedcomes to realizeihegoalof liberation. Norshouldoneobjectthai tiberation
iromihe Vedic texts and lrom no othersource And knowledge oi must be mpefmanenlli it is ihe resuli of immediateinluition.For
the meanng oi a text !s not possible wiihoutlirstca Ing to mindthe rberation n lhe sense of being the one !niversal Self is always,
mean ng of its componentwords, lt is certainthal the meanrngol and lof everyone,a lact.Allthathasto be eliectedby tmmediate
a word is calledto mindon the basisol agreemenisand dllferences intuilionis the practical
negationol our lgnorance thatwe are the
{rnlhe way one has heardthe word usedand the meanlngslor one universalSeli. Liberatiofis jn no way distinctirom irnmediale
whichlt is madeto sland).Inthisway onecomesto knowoneseI intuitionof the Sell. One shouldunderstand that,i{ iberatonis
as lhe puretranscendent Self,beyondpalnor actlon.(U S verse spokenol as the resultof lmmedialeintuition, thisis onlya tigure
XVlll.l90 1, cp.N,4.V107,2)
Letus exarnnethisiurthernlhe coniextln the Brhadaranyaka, On lhis topc, the tollowing
versesshouldbe noteci.
the words'rtshouldbe head aboul'areaddedto showthat lhe (2) So there cannoi be an injunclionior metaphysicalknowt_
earherwods(TheSeli)should beseen'donotimplythat oneshoud
edge of the Selt,as il is not an ideathatarisesin dependence
resorlto allihe valrdmeansof cognition, bul only to lhe textso! on the wlllot man. Butaclionslikereasoning overlhemean_
the Upanishads. As lor the furtherphraseit shouldbe pondefed ng ol the words ol the texis by the rnethodoJagreementand
ovef, this incudesresortlo the varrousmelhodsior determinng drilerence are enjoined, sincetheyaredependent on the wi
lhe meaningot theVediciexts,suchas testingby lhe Six Formsoi oi man. In the same way, a person can decide whether to
Evidence(M.Vp.23), as wellasreasoningn consonance whhlhe
carryoul hearng and pondering as weil as lnnerand outer
contfo and ihe otherpads of lhe spiriiualdiscipline - so a I
On the otherhandthe phrase'itshouldbe subjectedlo sus thesepractices are enjoined. (B.B.Vll.iv.121-2)
lainecimedltaiion'is declaredlc relerto ihe irnnrediateexperence (3) One mlghtsupposethai all lhe meanso{ va|d cognrtion
ln wh ch hearng and pcnderingoughlio culn"inateWhenthere fevea ed the Self in that the cognitionresultrngIiom them de-
airsesthat mmediateintuilon of one'so\qntrue nalurs/hrchde_ pendedont intimately fortheirlight.Buiihe Brhadaranyaka
penclson no externaiactor,lhenlhereis noth:ngel! thatone has Upanrshad says'll mustbe heardabout,,pointingtherebyto
to {jo. Whentho non_dual Se f has beenperceivedas a resuI ol lhe upanishadlc
'Theres no iurtfer texts.(8.B.V||.iv.21 2)
hearlnqand pondenng ohe hasthe convc! of

t
 Chapter8
Suresvara
201
One mighl supposethat the Sell should be seen thrcugh all
(vrlnana) as a synonym for il at Brhaderanyaka
lhe valid means of cognilion, because the Sell as Conscious- ll.iv.5,to
snowthatmeditations notheremeant.lalreadymentioned
ness conslitutesthe resultant-cognitionof each. But lhe lorce ol
eartierhow meditationand otherpracticesare a means
the words'lt must be heard about'ts to show that it is lhe to
rmmedtale experjence.Butimmediateexperj6nce doesnot
upanghadtc texls that arethe authorilativesaurce of knowledge
exrstlor ihe sakeof anylhingelse.ll is taughllo
o{ the Self, since i! i only thraugh them tha! metaphysicallgna- be just
0 e r a ! o n ,a l t a i n m e not f t h e l i n a l g o a lo f a l l . ( B . B . v
rance of lhe Self (readingetma-ajfrana)canbe brcughl to an end.
|.iv.217,220, 233-4J.
(4) lt is the applicationoi the Srx Formsot Evidence(Nl.V.
(7) Hearingandlhe reslare lhe means
p.23)lhat bringsoul lhe true lorce of the words.Then the lo thatjmnediate
inrurrion whichdepends on nothrng
texl says'lt (lhe Selt)mustbe ponderedover'lo delermLne aparttrofi ttselt. When
rhrshas arisen.nothi4g,nore is required apartkom thal
lhe lrue meaningof lhe traditionai texlscommunicaling it. lt
immedtate 6xperience of th Sltalreadyaitain6d...
is clearirom lhe command'ltmust be ponderedover'that There
s noolherresultof knowledg lhatourSelfis thesolereat_
whal s beingtaughthereis realilyin ilslruenature.InWoman
rryexceplthe sradicaljon ol our ignorance ol the fact.For
s the sacriticral fire'(Brhad.Vl.ii.l3),we do nol lind any
rnrsrs everby natureour truestale,,. Theone inmostselJ
rnjunclion lo ponderover the meaning.(B.B.V ll.iv.214-5).
is rhe reatityof whichcauseand etfectare mere
latseap_
He jusl tema*s in passing that the injunction saying lhat 0earances. Whenthal56lfis known,howcouldtgnorance
lhere has to be ponderingshows that thetext here is cancerned 'artto be desroyo?
Tellme,pray,howthe,6coutdvefbe
with final vision, not with pleliminary medttalton. tgnorance ot the Sellagain.(B.B.Vll.iv.22t,205,231).
(5)Feasoningin coniormity withthe wordsol the Vedc lexls t have9tventhe totm.ajiena ( tgno.ance.)
at he enoot the
s also enjoined,for this is whal enablesone to delermrne u\t ve'se ( tgnoranceal the Set ) fottowlngAnandagitr.
accuralelywhat lhe words mean.(B-B.Vll.iv.2l6). lds woutdatsobetegtttmate) Bul
thewod wercrcad asnena.(knowt.
Reasoningis of help, for inslance,ta ftnd aul how lhe mean- edge), then we wouldhave.On accountof knowtedge
tnmostSelf,no othetknawt1dge ol the
ing of the word 'Thou'in'That lhou att' must be lhe Witnessand neodsta baacqutled..Thepas-
cannat be anything else. |.henaSrcewnhhe endottheprccedng verca
',::ge^:!ttd
'v.zrur. tyqtcnsays lhercis (lhen)no IB.B.u
(6)Awakenng to imrnediale knowledge ol lhe supremeSe I knowtectge that has not
oeenacqutred;there is no lgnorcncethathasta beendestrcyed,.
dependng on no externaltactoris calledNidrdhyasna. lt is
menl onedallerseeingand hearingto showthata lhey cul- C.ompa son ol S sankara and Suresvah
rn nate n lhat....Ones lirstknowledgeof lhe Sell is through on the Topicol
Heatingand the Rests
hearing,and then one pondersover whal one has heard.
When heaf ng and ponderingare comp ete, one comesto At ilrsts ghlthereappearsto bea cBrtain disagreemeni
.Iween be_
have immediateknowledgeot lhe Se f... Becausethe use Sri Sankaraand Suresvara on th6 queslonot whether
neafng and the resl can be the subjects
ol lhe word Niddidhyasana'( il sustainedmedtalion) might ot an injunction.
Sri
rnxaramakesan opponentask,what
leadlhe hearerto supposelhat meditalionwas meant,lhe
( ons mean.texts|ke "The do these apparenlInlunc-
Upanshad deliberaielyuses lhe term'immedialelntuition self, verily,shouldbe seen,heard
 Suresvara

'n didhyasana
about-.-'and so lorth?'(B.S.Bh l.i.4,cp [4 V68 3) On accounl refers toan ac hat has to b pedormed.He aims
ol lhe phrase apparenl injunctions, it mighlseemthal to demonslratelhat the term .njdidhyasana'didnot referlo medi,
o{ hisuse
he did notadmitthal hearing and the resi could be subjects ol latron(dhyana)becausethe lext usesthe term.immediate intui_
iniunciions. Bulal anolhora place he seems io admrl that hear_ t on (vijiana) as a synonymtor jl (B.B.V .iv.2gSM.V.124,6).
ingandlherestcanbeenjoined. Hesays:'Repetilio n ol thealJir- Do the two systems,those ot Sri Sankaraand Suresvara.
mationmustb carriedoul Why?Becauseil is taughlrepeat- agree'ordotheycontradictoneanolheronthesepolnts? lf thev
edlv.the repeated teachings like"TheSeltm!si be heardaboul' do ,n facrcontradictone another.whichts the be er? lt ,s a po,ni
pondered overad subjctd to susiained meditation" poinlto a worlhconsidering.
repetition ot the aflirmation' S.Bh(B lVi.1) For he wolrld lnto
My own view is the lollowing.sriSankaraspokeof the ao_
saythatanything hadto be doneunlesslhee were an Iniunclron peardncoot an Injuncltonjn a particularconlexl.
His pr,roose
on the subjectin lh0Veda. wds to refutelhe Contenlton Ol the authOrsof the earlie,com-
ln SUresvara s Vadtka,on lheolherhano.lhe'eis no .eler- mentaries(vrtti)onthe BrhamaSutrathalthe metaphvsicaltexts
encelo iniunctions lor hearing andlhe reslas apparenlInlunc_ o'rhe Upa- shadswereauthoritat,ve onlyit regardedis subordr-
tions.On the conlrary,he saysopenlyand emphatically lhat nateto an injunctionto acquiremetaphysical knowledge.He did
thesepraclices areenjoined, in thewordsA person can oecroe r s iry assertrngthat metaphysicalknowtedgeis something
whelherlo carryouthearingandpondering... so alllheseprac_ conditionedby reatity,and dillerenttrom meditatjon. Here is hi;
licesare enioined' (B B.Vll.iv.122' M V 124'2) text as he himseltset it out.
Andthereisanolherapparent pointiordifferenceln SriSan- (1)Theldealol lire,whenone is in the presenceot that
wetl
kara'sBrahmaSulraCommenlary, the text'theSellshouldbe knownobjecl,rs not dependenton an injunction, nor is it a
subiected 1osuslained meditation' (Brhadll.iv5) is accepted as mere creatronot the human mind. lt is in lact a piece of
re'erring lo a dutylhal haslo be pertormedForiI s trealedas k odedge, condilionedbylhe nalureofthe obiectperceived.
an act.asis shownby the passage'And meditalion (upasana) rt ts not an act. And it is the same with all objectsol the
andsustained meditation (nididhyasana) are said lo constitute vaflousmeansol knowledge(suchas perception inference,
one acl that entailsrepelition (B.S Bh- lVi.1, cp. ['1 V56, 8, etc.).Th s being so, knowledgeof lhe Self in its true torm
note).Thereare groundstor supposing that he regaroeo sus- as the Absoluiecannotbe dependenton an in iunctionto
tainedmedilation (nididhyasana) as a speciesof medltation acl.l1 peraliveand si.rtlarlormsappttedlo tt, evenr,-Vedtc
(upasanaJ because in lhenexlpassage heglvesas exanpres ol lexls, lose lhere imperativelorce and becomeblunled,as
it'Heassiduously meditates on (or altends on) his Guru'and She razors oecome btuntedif used agajnsthard objecls tike
whosehusbandis abroaddwellson himfixedly' iB SAh lvi l) slones.For here the objec o whichthey are appliedis some-
'awakenrnglo rh!ngnot subjectto rejecton or acquisition.(B.S.Bh_1.1.4.
On the otherhand,in theVdriikao{ Suresvara
immediate knowledge of thesupreme Selloependrng on no ex- cp. lM.v68.21
lernaliaclof is clearly said to be the meaning oi the lerm Thus a view is Ientatrvety
. advancedby an opponenl(and
'nididhyasana' (B.B.V. ll.iv217, l\4V 124,6). And havLng saidthrs r?juiedby Sri Sankara).According10thisvievvthe Absolutecan
S u r e s v a r ag o e s o n i n t h e e q u a ll o d e n y t h a t t he term

204 Chapter-o
only be taughtlhroughinjunclionsinvolvingsome duly lo be
done.But th6 wholetheoryis wrong.For there is also such a
thingas knowledgof the Absoluteconditionedby its true na-
ture-thatis the gist of this passagein the commentary. And it
goeson to ask,'Bulwhatdo theseapparentinjlnclionsmeans
(wherelhereleronco is to passages whichsaythaltheSellshould
be'seen'or'heardabout'andso on).The very facl thal this
questionis raisedalso impliesthat knowledgcannotbe the
subjectol an injunction. Consider, loo,the refutalionol the oppo-
nent.lt runs:'Bulwhensucha personcomesto desirethe su_
premehumangoal,lextslike"TheSelf,verily,is lo be seen"and
so on lurn him awaytrom the naluralconcernwith the psycho-
physicalorganismand its allairs,and engagehimin conlinuous
remembrance of lhe inmostSell'(cp.M.V 68,3).lt doesnot say
anythingaboutwhetherhearinglandthe rcst areor are notable
to be enjoind,as that is nol the questiona tissue(whichis lhe
refutalionot theviewthalknowledge canbe enioined).No doubt
there is the implicationthat lhere is also a certainelementol
enioininga duly in placeswhere gerundiveexpressionslike
'shouldbe sen'or'should be heardabout'areused; toronlyso
willthegerundive endingin thesuffixes -ya,-tavyaand-aniya,
whichdenotsa dulyto act,havingmeaning. Bul thisdoesnol
meanthatonohastherightto insisllhatknowledge alsocanbe
the subjeclol an iniunction, as the passage is only tntendedlo
strengthanthe argumeniin hand (namely lhe refLrtation
of lhe
opponnt'sviewthat knowledgecan be enjoined).Thereis an'
otherpassage in SriSankara's Commenlarythat expresses the
sameidea.
(2)Texlsin lhetormol a commandsuchas'TheselJshould
be seen',M/hichare lound in the sectionsdealingwilh ihe
hrghestknowledge.are lundamentallylor lhe purposeol
turningthe hearerin the directionol knowledgeol lhe Self"
and are not primarilyto be regardedas injunclionsto be'
comeawareol lhe real.Eveninlhe world,whenpeoplegive
a command andsay'Look here'or'Listen lo this',themean'
Suresvara 205
ingol suchphrasesrealyis'Payattention', and not,Acquire
a pieceof dirctknowledge'. Whenanyoneis in proximity
with a knowableobject,knowledgeol it sometimesarises
andsometjmesdoesnol.Therefore, anyonewhowishesto
acquaint someonewithanobiectshouldshowit to him.When
it hasbeenshownto him,knowledge willariseaccordingto
the natureol the objectandlhe meansol cognitionapplied.
{8.S.Bh. lll.ii.21,cp. M.V 68,4).
Thusthelorceol theinjunctions' apparently enjoining hear-
ing and so on is not actuallylo enjoinimmediate knowledge
lhroughthesedisciplines. Th6irforce,as therevered Comften-
talorconcludes by saying,is to inculcale atlention to the Sell.
Thereis noconkadiction wilhwhatis saidal BrahmaSulraCom-
meniarylVi.1,as it is taughtlherethatit is justthis altentionto
the Seltthat hasto be repealedlypracticod.
Suresvaraalso maintainsin his Brhadaranyaka Varikathat
only that which is withinthe scope of hee humanwill can be
enloined.He doesnotinsistondenyingthatknowledge canaise
from one act ol hearingand so on. His wordsare'the actionof
hearingand so on musl be continuedhere diligentlyuntil the
rmmediateintuitionwe have spoknot arises in all its glory'
(b.B.Vll.iv.218).So lhereis no dilferencs between thetwosys-
temsin regardto the toaching thai hearingand pondering are
openslo iniunclion,
Suresvaradoesgivth6 appearanceol sayingthat no on6
colld attaindirectand immediate intuition
ol lhe Sell merly
lromhearing. Forone ol the versesol theVartikabeings'Ac-
quaintancewith the Self is first throughhearing,ad then one
pondersoverwhal one has h6ard'(B.B-V11.jv.220, M.V124,6).
On the otherhandSri Sankarasaysin his BrahmaSutraCom-
menlary,'Repeaiedresorllo hearing,ponderingand sustained
meditationwouldindedbe uselessin lhe case of the person
who gainedimmediateexperienceol lhe tact that his true Self
was the Absolutemerelyfrom hearingthe texl That thou art"
 Chapter-8 Suresvara

Spokenonce'(B.S.Bh.lVi.2). Howcouldlherebe sucha conlra- al someplaceshe usesthe lerm'upasana'lo standfor it, as

diction?In thiscase,too,we reply,thereis nolhingmorelhana whenhesay'lvleditations(upasane)aimd at rightintuitiveknowt-
superlicialappearanceof disagreement.For Sursvarawrote in edgehaveto be pe{ormeduntilth6finalend is achieved, like
lhe Naiskarmaya Siddhi:'Otlhe (fourditferentkindsof hearers poundingthe paddyio extractthe rice'(B.S.Bh.lVi.12, lvl.V56,8).
ol lhe text 'Thatthousare"),thereis onewho knows"lhatwh'ch And yel lhere is a cerlain difterencebelwon'susiained
is nol the meaningot any sentence"in his inmoslSell. Forhim, meditalion' (nididhyasana) and meditation as described by Sri
allihenot-selt hascometo anand.As all hasimpediments have Sankarain th6lollowing passage:'Considr ih lexts,"Man,O
beendestroyed, thereis anhiscasenothingmoreto be said.Nor Gaulama, is thesacrificialfire" and"Woman, O Gautama, is the
is thereanythingfurtherto b saidaboutlhe one who acquired lire"(Chand.
sacriticial Vvii.1,Vviii.l). Herelhe identilication ol
realizationmerelyfrom hearingthe text (that is, wiihouihaving manor womanwathlhe sacriticiallireis a menialidea.lt is an
lo reasonover it at all). He, also,is in possessionol some su- act owingits originsolelylo the iniunctionto medilatea thus.ll
pe.nalural powe/(N.Sid.lll.64,proseintro.). Thuswhenit was is lherelorean action,and one thai is treelydierminedby the
saidin lhe Brhadaranyaka Vartika'One's lirslknowledge of the humanwill'(B.S.B.l.i.4). Sustained meditation (nididhyasana) as
Sell is lhroughhearing'andso lorth,lhis was only said with conceivedby Sri Sankaradillersfrom medilalionas described
relerencelo lhosewhoare unablto apprehend the meandingot abovein that it does not owe it originsolelyto lhe in,unctionlo
lhe textand realizethaltheirownirue Sellis theAbsolutemerely meditale.Forhearingaboulthe Sell,ponderingoveril andsub,
lhroughhearingit once.Solhereis agreemenlbelweenthe sys- jectingit lo sustainedmeditationare tor the sakeot sornething
lem ot SriSankara andSursvara in maintaining that;mmediate whichcan experienced herein his world,andtor rsalizinone's
know'edge car ariselhroughmerehearing. dentitywithlhe Self.Thisis shownin sucha passageas'The
Lelus lheretore turnourattention totheaDoarent contradic- Sellcomeslo be seenthroughlhe disciplines of hearing, pon-
tionon ihe subiectol'sustained meditation' (nididhyasana). ln deringandsustainedmeditalion pursued.Flightknowl-
rsolutely
Sri Sankara'sBrahmaSutraCommenlary'sustained medilalion' edgeof lhe Absoluteas the sole realityonlydawnswhenlhese
(nididhyesana) is seento bea kindot spirilualpraclace andto be lhreedisciplines of hearing,ponderingandsuslain6dmedilalion
enjoined. Speaking of theterm'suslained medilatio.n',
lor instance, arelundedinloone,andnotolherwise, torexample lhroughheafing
hesaysclearly thatwhenwe areusingil we areHkingof an acl alone'(Brhad.Bh.ll.iv.5). lt followsalsofromihe passage:'Bui in
lhal enlailsrepetition(B.S.Bh.lVi.1. cp. M.V56,8, note).And anycasepondering mustbecarriodoutby reasoning in accord-
he saysalso,'Ponderingad sustained.meditation too, likehear ancewithwhatis laiddownin the Veda.And sustainedmedita-
ing,arelorlhesakeot directexperience'(8.S. th.l.i.4).Thus he lronmustbe performedon whathas beenponderedreationally,
refersto'sustainedmediiaiionsomethingdifierentkom immedF on what has been ascerlainedthroughrevelalionand reason
ate jniuilion,as somethingto whichone has to applyoneseltfor (Brhad.Bh.ll.v.1 , intro-)
Eventhoughthisdisciplin is referred to
the sakeol immediale inluilion.
So we concluddthal lor him by thelerm'!pansana'it is evidentlydifterent
fromsuchmdila-
susrarned meditation was a kindol praclicethal couldbe en- llonsas thoseproscribed ln lhei6xisspeaking of womanas lhe
joined.He alsoheldlhat sustained medrtatibn (nididhyasana) sacrilicialfire,whicharefor the sakeof a resullnotto be per
was notdifferenlin kindfrommeditation in general(upasan)-For ceivedin ihe presentlife namelylhe accunulaliono{ spiriiual
merilthroughmeditation. Forihe notionthalwomanis he sacri-
 208 Suresvara 249

Iicialfireis not a notionbasedon the true natureol reatitv.ll rs tairghtto be jlst liberation,attainmentoi the iinat goal oi a ,
'o ned o_ y nroLgL
obeytngt're injJnc on ro'redrlato o: tt s (B.B.V l. .234,M.V124,6).ThisshowsthatthoughSri Sankara
theme and it bringsits resultsnot here in lhis like tile but n and Suresvaraundersloodthe tefrn'nididhvasana'in a different
olher worlds.(to be attalnedafterdeath).Bui aller death).Bul sense,their syslemsagree in munchinglhat medrtaton is an
trre case $7ih sustainedmeditations ditferent.Thal which one act v ty and a prel minarydisciplinefor knowedge. Howevef,
s!bjecls to suslainmeditationone perceiveshere ln lhis very suresvaiadoes nsiston lhe polntlhat becausethe Upanishad
le. ll is a case ol sustainedattentionand nothinge se Thal is u s e s t h e t e r m ' r m m e d i a t ei n t u i t i o n ' ( v i i R a n ian) t h e s e q u a
the d lfurencebelweenmeditation (upasana) and suslalnsmedi (Brhad.ll.iv.5) as a synonymlor the'nididhyasana'referred to
tat on (n d dhyasana)in the systemof Sri Sankara. jusl before,one shouldnot supposethal t had meanl'medta-
It swell knownthal words like'vison', 'knowledge, and so tion by'nididhyasana' (B.B.v.11.iv.233, l\,1.V124,6).
on may be loundused by Sn Sankaraqu ie appropriatetV eilher 'Nidd
dhyasana'isplacedhefe n ihe Upanishadin apposr-
to des gnateknowledgeof the realor elseto designalea certain t o n w i l hh e a rn g a n dp o n d e r i n g so , il spropertosupposelhalri
l o m o f d e b e r a t e a r b l t r a r y m e n l a t a c t i v i t y ; f omr tahVebye u s e d representsan acl v ty.And we tind the equrvaent of 'v liana n
n drlierenisensesaccordng to whetherthey are adclressed to lhe form oi a verb usede sewhereto denoleacl on lor the sake
i t c a n d r d a t e s f o r t h e h i g h e r o r l o r t h e l o w e r f okrnmoowf l e d g e o f ol immedate intuition,as n'That one shouid nvesligate, thal is
lhe Absolute(thelatterbeingnot so muchknowledgeol ihe Ab- what one shoud desireto know in immediate ntuition'
so uteas medtattonon il underprescribed lorms,)And we should (Chand.Vlll.i.l,vii.l;; cp-[,4.V52,9 and note).In the presenttext
understandthal, in the same wav,phrasessuch as,one should ( B r h a d . l l . i v . 5t o) o , w e c a n v e r y w e l l a c c e p tt h a t t h e l e r m
nredtale or'one shouldpracticesustalnedmedilation,may ei- 'nididhyasana'
means rnedtationior the sake of directv slon.
tlrer relerto lhe merecherishingoi a menial dea (bhavana)or For Suesvarahimselfacceptssuch meditaton as the causeoi
eise to suslainedattentionto previouslyattarnedrght knowl- d r e c i v s i o n .A n d i l o n e l a k e s ' T h e S e l f s h o u l db e s e e n '
edge - accordng lo the conlext.That is how we explan the use (Brhad.ll.iv.5) to relerlo immedrate exoerience conceivedas the
ol the lerm sustaned medilaton'in Sr Sankara,ssystem, resultol seeing,then lhere would be nothingwrong in taking
Now lel us considerSuesv.ara's Vartika,He says,'Awaken- hearng pondefingand sustainedmedilalion(nididhyasana) as
Ing to rmmedate knowledgeot the supremeSe f dependingon beinga lhreefod aclivilyenjoinedfor the sake ol that resull. t
n o e x t e r n a l a c t o ri s c a l l e dn i d i d h y a s a n a ' ( B . B .l V l . .i v . 2 1 7 l , seems,therelore,lhal lhe reveredCommenlator's exolanaton
M.V 124,6).Fromthis cleaTstatementone deducesthat for hrm of lhe term'n didhyasana'isthe belter one.Oiherwise(i.e.on
the term nididhyasana cannotrelerto any activityol the forrnol Suresvara'sview) it appearsihat uselessrepetiiionwou d be
cherishinga mentalldea(bhavana),althoughhe does not denV attributedto ihe iJpansiahd when it says'drastavya'(shou d be
that meditationis requiredas a prelimlnarydiscip ne for right seen) followedaier by'nididhyasitavya' (interpreted by SLrres-
melaphysical knowledge. We learnthisfromihe sequel,whenhe vara as 'shoud be seen in immediateinlution'),ln anv case.
says l alreadymentionedearlierhow meditation andotherprac- thereis no disagreement betweenthe two allhors on the ques-
lices are a means lo irnmediateexpenence,Blt immediate t on of whal are lhe meansio melaphysicalknowedge.so lhal
expenencedoes not exisl {or the sake oi anvthinqese, lt is no sef ous diiiicultyar ses.
214 Chapler-8 Suresvara 211

TheIniunctionfor InnerandOuterConlrolandthe olherdis_ SelfJromihe nol-selflhroughreasoning bythe methodol agree,

ciDlines mentand diilerence,,inallycoftes to see'Allis ihe Self'(B.B.V.
Thetexl'Thisistheeternal gloryol theonewhohasreallzed 1V.iv.1201
2).
the Absoute'(8rhad.lv.iv.23, meanslhalthe per'
cp.l\.4.V.53,7) In ihe modernprintededitionsof Sri Sankara'sCommenlary
sonwhohasgainedenlightenment haslhe eiernalgloryof rea- at lhis point we read (Brhad.Bh.lViv.1201 '23). "'Possessedol
reallyexpressed
z ng the undillerentiated as'neilherthis nor innercontrol"(sanla)means"desislinglrom lhe aclivitiesot the
thal. A verse ouotedin the texl expresses lhe natureol the exlernalsense-organs' and"possessed of outerconlrol"(danla)
person
g ory of ihe enlightened by saying'Hels notlrainedby means"iree lrom menlalthirsl"'Onemusl presumethai these
aclion,whlchis evil''meaningthal the resultof his exalled lerms (sanlaand danta)haveb6enwrilienlhe wrongway round
slate s to placehim beyondlhe 'tainl'ofkarmicmerttor de- due 10the carelessness ol sofie copyisl,For elsewherewe lind
an explanalion runnn9 "'lnnerconlrol"means"thecomingto resi
SL]lesvara lirstexplains thelerm'onewho knowlhisstale ol the mind"and"'outercontrol"means"thecoming to restof the
l) accordinlo SriSankara's Commentary, andlhengoes exierna senses"'(Bh-G.Bh.XVl.1).An in line with this we tind
{pada-v
on to suggeslan alternalive meaning of the lermas 'onewho Suresvarasayingin ihe presenlpassageol lhe Vartika.'Firsl he
knowsthemeaning ot thewords'{padarlha-vii, B.B.Vl.,lV1190). becomespossessedol outercontrol,then possessedol inner
Onthisview,therewould bean injunciion todiscoverlhe mean- control, and alte ards he wilhdraws trom all activitv for oer
ing ol lhe ndividual wordsol the metaphysical lexls,and lhe sonaleds.For!n interpreling the sequencelhe rationalo.der in
whichthe qualilies
wouldhavelo be dvelopedmusttake prec,
rewardIor obeyingit wouldbea knowledge ol the meaningot the
sentences whichlheycomposed. edenceover lhe literalorder in whichthey happento be men-
tionedin the lexl underconmenl'{B.B.VlViv.12034).
The upanishadic lext conlinues,'Therelore, possessed ol
Suresvaranext addresseshimsellio the question.'Why
nner andouterconlrol, abandoning allactionlor personal ends,
to discomlort,and shouldlhere be an injunction lor innerand outercontroland the
strenglhen nghimsellbyvolunlary resistance
rest,whenlhe desireti ou pursuethemarisesnaturally? He says
concentratlng hismind,heseestheSelfherein themidstol this
lilein lhe present thal humanactionsare oliour kinds,basedrespeclively on trans-
body'(Brhad.lV.iv.23). Suresvara explainsthat
gressionof lhe law.personaldesire, unthinking instinctand duly
thispassage, as conncted withwhatwentbetore,impllesths
(B-a.ViViv.1208).ll is clearlhal lhe seekerol ltberatlon cannot
idea'Because knowledge hasthisresult, therefore hewhoknows
ind!lge rn the tirstlhree.Bul how coulda manof undersianding
thusbecomesDossessed of lhe disciolines ol innerand outer
wantlo pursueevenduly whenhe seesthatil leadslo the same
controland lhe reslandcomesloknowlhemeanino oJiheword
''glory"' (B.B.VlViv.1192-3). evil(namelyrebirth)as non'perlormance of it? (B.B.VlViv.1213).
Therelore, whena personis aclinglorduty'ssakehis mindnatu
lt is saidthalsuchan one,possessed of lhe lourtoidmeans rallybecomes purilied,and he comesto leel thal he musl g ve
lo liberation (discrimination, dispassion,thesixfoldspirilualequip- up evenlhis tormof aclion,so lhal the desiretor lnnerandouter
ment- (seethequalities mentioned at I\radhavananda, p. 766)- control leading on to the capacily lor withdrawalfrom all aclion
anddesirelor liberalion), lhatis,havinginnerandoulercontrol lor personalendsarisesnaturally.We lind teachinglo the same
a_o lhe olhersp,ritual prereqursrles. havrngdrslrngurshed the elfectin the Smrti:'Thewise personshouldapplyhimselfcon'
212 Chapter
213
tinuouslyto the broad moral principle(yama,cp.YogaSutra
ll-29.1.),but h6 shouldnotapplyhimselfto the particular daily lViv.1269).
d!lies'(niyama,l\4anu smrti1V204).
Thuswilh the helpof theseauxiliary disciplinesa person
lf you arguein this mannerand ask why innerconkol and shouldcomeio seelheSelfevenwhilealiveinihe presenlbodv,
restare enjoined,th replyis that,evenlhoughthesepractics through reasoning byagreementanddillerence.Then hecomes
mighlbe promptednaturally, the functionotthe upanishadictexl to seeall as his ownSelJ(8.8.V.lV iv.1278).Thal
is lhe mean-
is lo njoinlhem specilicallyas mansto knowledgeof rality. in9 ol brhadaranyaka Upanishad Oneshouldobserve
lv.iv.23.
Or again,il mighibihat the here ideaol withdrawaltromacliv- thefollowing versesoJSutesvara,
ity for personalend6mightarise naturally,withoutthe idea ot
(1)Firstoneshould acquire theninnercontrol,
oulerconlrol,
duty,expressedin lhe feeling'l musl actuallycarry that with-
drawalo!t'. Thatdutyol carryingoul 10ihe practicesis whal is and tinallythe capacity
ror withdrawal
lromall activilyfor
enjoinedhere(B.B.VlViv.l220).Norwouldit be correctlo raise
personalends.Forthe logicalorderin whichlhe qualilies
theobieclion.'The haveto be developedlakes precedence(in inlerprelation)
mentionof innerandouterconkolwouldhave
been quitenough,sinceall actionis givenup throughthem. overtheorderin whichtheyhappento bementioned in lhe
lext undercomment. (B.B.VlViv.1203).
Whal was the needfor specifyingwithdrawalas well?' For in
soundexegesis,lhepositiveinjunctionto perlormdailydutywill (2)Yes,it is lrue thatlherecan be no injunclion for inner
prevailovera meregeneralnegation,whichis alwaysopento controlandthe rest,sincetheyare promptedin the natural
exceptions, so lhal the upanishadiclextenjoiningwithdrawalhas course.Theyare promptednaturally. it is kue. Butwhatlhe
lo be suppliedlo bringaboutthe delinitiveabandonment ol the Vediclext does is to lay downaulhoritatively thal lhey are
dailyduties(B.B.V. lViv.1233-6). the specificmeansleading lo correctknowledge ol the in
One shouldnot raisethe objection'Hearingand cogilation mostSelt.(8.8.V1V.iv.1218).
and so on involvedisturbanceot the mindjust as muchas per- (3) Or elsewe maysay thatthe ideaoJabandonment ol
formanceof lhe dailyduiies.Why is no effoft madeto discour- aclioncomesnaturally, as explained, but lhal the noiion
agethem?'Forit wouldbewrongto givethem up,sincelheyare ihal t is a dutythatone haslo carryoul (if one wishesto
predominantly helpfulto the atlainment of withdrawal(B.B.V altainenIghtenment ) doesto arisenaturally. Henceit is
lViv.1238). enjoined. (B.B.V.lViv.1220).
The disciplinof strengtheningonesellthroughvoluntary (4)The injunction lo perlormthe dailyobligatory ritualall
resistance to discomlortimpliesacquiringthe powerlo endure one'sliJewillcerlainlybea moropowerlul aulhorilyandpre-
the pairsoJopposite(h6atand cold,pleasureand painand so vail.overany gereralinjunction lo giveup action(as lhe
forth).The upanishadiclext adds'concentraling his mind'.This parlicular injunctions lo kill at a sacriiiceprevailoverthe
is to enjointhe renunciationeven ol lhose activaties,
such as genela/prchibition'One shouldnolha.manylivingbeing').
casualfanlasies,in regardto whichman is not naturallyfree. Forlhe injunction lo do lhe dailyobligatory ritualall one's
'Wilhfaithfulhis (sole)walth'{Brhad.lViv.23, lileis onlyconcerned withkeeping one'sbodyalive(andto
Ma dhyandina
recension)enjoinsthe total renunciationof all action (8.8.V withminislering to andencouraging theegorsl,c passions)-
Sincethe gereralinjunclionto innerand oulerconlroland
 214 ChapteF8 Suresvata 215
so on will not sufficeto annulthe injlnctionlo do the dailv
rilualall one'slife,the texl takeslhe lurthersleo ol sr,ecifl- Thepurposeol the text'Withlaithtot his(sote)wealth'isto
cal/yenjoining enjointheabandonment of leelingsof possessioneventowarcls
theabandonment ol allactions lor personal
ends{uparari). (B.B.VtViv.1225-6). obiecE like the beggingbowl.
(5) It the performanceol (8) Failhis his onlypossession. Becausehe has nothing
theobligatorydailyritualisprohib!
tedbecauseit createsdistulbance, else,theonewhohasabandoned is called,One
allactions
wanderingabouito beg who has taithtor his (sole)weatth'.(B.B.VtViv.1269).
tor one'sfoodandotheraclivitiesol the mon( atsocreatea
greatdeatotdisturbanc6. Whyare theynol prohabiled too? (9)Heshouldse6lheSelfwhitheisyetinthebody,separaf
Hearingandpondetingoverlheupanisnatc lexts,loo,cause ingit fromlhe wholmassol the notellthroughreasoning
a good deal of disturbance. Why are not these aclivities by agreemnl anddiiterenc supporled byihespirjlualdis-
also prohibitedby the Veda,as wellas the rituals?Butlhis ciplinesmentionedabove.Or the readingmay be just .He
objectionis w.ong.Fortheseaclivities conlribuietothechief see....(B.B.VlV.iv.1 272-BJ.
goal.Wandringaboutto beg for almsand lhe resl are Torcad'He shouldsee...'wouldbe to lollowthe readinaol
lo
prohibiled as iheyareengaged in forthesakeol thalooal. theMadhyandina tradition.
(B.B.VlViv.1235-7).
( 6 ) a n d n o w ,b y s a y i n g , c o n c e n t r a t h
i ni sg m i n d , t, h e Howactlon and MeditatiohRelat.
l]panashadac lext enjoinscontinualreductionto a minimum Thereis a passageln theVaritkawhichexplainsthe orderin
ol lhose actionswhichone is not lree lo abandonentirelv. whichthe variousdisciplinesleadingto the riseol metaphysical
(B.B.V. lVrv.1246). knowledgehave to be pfaclisedand describesthe mthodoi
Theremustbe the stictest controlover :Ll,ose activitiesol thosepraclices.
lhe mindand the senseswhichwe arc nol lreeto abandonen- (1)Onlymetaphysical knowledge is requked fortheerad!
ttrely, such as seeing, hearing, mentat lantasy and so forth. cataonof metaphysical lgnorance.Only innercontroland
Whereconcenthtionis eniojned,jt mean6thatone shoutdab- lhe otherspirilualdisciplinesareiequiredtor metaphysical
sorb the sensesin the mind and the mind in the Seff (through knowledge. Onlypurification ol the mindis requiredtor the
acql]isilionol jnnercontrolandlhe oth6rspiritualdisciDlines_
{7)Oneshoutdnolsupposethatthereading(ottheMadhyand Onlylheperformance of thedailyobligatory
rjtualisrequired
in a recession)'Wiihfaith Ior the purificationol the mind,Metaphysical lgnoranceof
tor his (sole)weafth,isolisoe,on
lhe groundthat total renunciationhas akeady been pre_ theSelfisthesolecaus ofaclion,
menlal,vocalorphvsicaL
scribed.Forthe enlightened personstillhassomeactionto Whenthat (melaphysical lgnorance)hasbeencancelledby
pe orm rn the realmol perceptibleobjects(in the form knowledgof th Selt,howcouldthreb6 any furtherde-
o,
maintaining lhe bodyandso on).Thepurposeol the ghrase pendence on aciion?(B.B.Vl.iii.98-100).
is to enjointheretrngqu,shment ol anyteetingo,,mine,in
regardto the instruments or maierjalsol iheseacts.(B.B.V It is alsosaidin lhe Naiskarmya
Siddhi:
lViv.1268). From pe ormanceol the obligatorydaily rituals comes
 Sursvara 217

th Rituals-SectionandtheKnowledge-SectionoftheVeda,
merilihommerit comesdestructionot (tho karmiceff6ctsot) and thre are no groundstor assedingany ditferentrela-
sin:tromthiscomespurityot mind;lromthiscomesa correct tion.(S.V329-31).
evaluationol lransmigratory lile;lromthiscomesindiffs16nce to Meditations:;Ihe referorce is to those meditationstaughtin
it; lrom this comesdsirefor liberation; trom this coms the
the Knowl9dge-Sectionol tha Vedadnd digsociatedwith the Path
searchforthemansto tiberallon:lrom thiscomesrenunciatlon of the Flame and other teachingsabout rclaase by stages.The
oJ all ritualisticactionand its accessorios(lhe sacrodthread' refercnce b not to all meditationsthtoughout the V6dain gen-
etc.);komthiscomespracticeofYoga;tromthis lhe locusingol
the mind withinifron this a knowledgeol the meaningot the
like'Thatlhouart';tromthisthe eradicalion Notlimitedin lh6ir rosultstol6 rewardspromisedforthem:/t
metaphysicaltexts
flomthisestablishmenl in one'sown meanslhat theyarc notmerclyconcemedwith meditation and
ol metaphysical lgnorance:
wotship,but ara also a meansto knowladge.No aftentionstould
Sell alone,accordingto the txts''Verily,beingnothingbul the
and be paid to the claim ol Anandagiri that thepuryo,e ol the medi-
Absolute.he dissolvesin th Absolute'(Brhad.lv.iv6)
'Thoughalreadyreleased, heacquiresfinalrolease'(Kalhall ii l) tations is liberation and that this putpose cannot be achieved
proseinlro.,cp M V 60'2 and 3) tvledilations' it is exceptthrougha 9uccession ol stages.Therc arc no grcundsfol
(N.Sid.l.s2,
clear,eachhavethirstatedrewardlikeriluals. And just as the
performance of theobligatory dailyritualisenjoined as prelimi- (4)WhatSriYaifiavalkya askedKingJanakawas(notabout
narucontributinq to the rise of knowledge. or oven as allrlUalis eniry intolh6 worldof a deilyat dealhlhroughmeditalion,
larddownas a ;6ans to theawakening ol theoesirelor knowl_ aboulwhichlhe king knew,but)'Whnyou leav6the first
edge,so in the sectionof the Veda devoled lo knowledgeand plane of exislence,what is th6 secondlo which you will
meditation, the meditations are laiddownas a meansto prepar- go?'Thiswas to showlhat moditalionon deitisand purili-
ing one to becomeJitlor knowledgeFor we havetextslike' cationoflhe mindthroughsimilarpraclicesar6alsoa means
'whenyouare reloased fromhere,wherewillyougo?'(Brhad, lo the (gradual)attainmentot knowledgo. SriYajidvalkya's
lV.ii.1)Andwe knowthatmeditations are uselulon the pathol question,'Whyyou are roleagedfrom here,wherewill you
oradualrelease,becausethey are laughl in conneclionwiththe go?'reallymeant'Doyou believethat,in the caseof onefit
iath of the Flameandelsewh'te. (On the Path of theFlame,see tor the higheslknowledge, alithe mediiationsprescribdin
Deusssen, 1912,chapterxxx T.N) theUpanishads l6adto liberationby stages?'(B.B.V
lVii.12-
in the 13,cp,M.V 83,5).
{3)Whatever aslaughton the subjeciof medilalions
Knowledge-Section ol the Veda is only lor lhe sake ol pre- A such meditations may rcsult in release by stages: the
parirgoneselllor the knowledge lhat all lis lhe one Self We incidentalimplicationherc i6 that they rctain thehlower putpose
knowJrorn thetoxt'Whenyou arereleased fromhere where for those who arc to lit lor immediate liberation. Fot it is only
willyougo"/(BrhadlVii l) andtromreJeronc-'rlo the Path here.andthercin the Upanishads thatthe teachingol theAbso-
o{ the Flamethat meditations are not limited in theif results lute in its highest lo n is exhibited,as indicated,lot instance,by
lo the rewards promised for them (bui may also lsad lo certatnphrasesin the convercationbetweenGaryya an
oradualreleaso) Thisshowscorrectly ihe relation betweon
 Suresvara 219

dAjebsattu, ot in thatbetweenKng Janakaand SiYajiavalkya' myselt,lottowjnglhe teachingsof theVedaand the Aca.va.

suchas:"'ttcannotbe knownif lhercis no motekhowledgethan In Knowtedge ol theinmostSell,thesubieclrsnotdiffer;nt
that'6aid Ajek'sattu."Thenlet mo comelo yau as a pupil",said tromthe objecl.(8.8.VlViv.55o).
''Vetyv/ell',said SriYejhavalkya'"l
Gergya'(Brhad.tl.i.l4)and (2)This'shiningrealm'(the Absolute, not'heaven,) waswhat
will teltyou wh6rcyou will go (i.e. nowhere,becauselhe king was rea y meantbetoreby the word.svarga,,evenin the
had akeadyreachedthe slatebeyondlea)"' (Brhadlvii l; see phrase'Hewho wanissvargashouldoffersacritices,.
B.B.v.lV.ii.3l ft.). For
thatwhrchjs established by the knowledgearisingkom the
upanlshadic textscannotbe reachedthroughrjtuals.(B.B-V
Thereis no other LlbsratlonExcgplEladlcatlonof lgnoranc
'l tv.iv.555).
There is a l6xt in the Brhadaranyaka which runs: am in
ancienlpath,havingtinally Even in the ea ier emark, 'He who wantssvarya shouldof-
touchwiththe subtl6,lar'roaching
ter sactifices',the rcal rcfetencewasIo the,Absotuleas a shin-
discovered it. By thispalhlhe wisewhohaveknowntheAbso-
tng reatm, not to'heaven'asa hapry aboda.tn any case,it is
lule go to lhe shiningrealm afier leavinghere, released'
lromtheknown' onlv lhe Absolutelappearingas heaven)undera conditionino
(Brhad.lV.iv.8). Horelhe knowris notditlerent
phrase'l am in iouch wilh'is used(B B.V adiunctthatcan be rcachectthtough r uals.
the Absolute, so the
lViv.549). 'scovered it'means'have lound it through theleach- i3)Thewordsvarga'is usedhereonlyto mean.the highest
ingsol theVedaandtho ACarya' (8 8.V lViv 550) Havinglurned bliss'.Becauseil occursin the contextoJteachinalabera_
theirbackson lgnoranceby followingthis path,and havingat' I'on.rl s something eternat.Henceitcannothere me;nwhat
tainedlo theAbsolute, theygo Thosewhohaveknownthe Ab' comseas the resulto, porforming rituals.(B.B.VlViv.556).
solute'dissolve in theAbsolute" thisis them6aning of'gotolhe (4)Onthe(false)lheorythattiberation
(B. 552) 'Aflerleaving dependdon thedeath
shiningrealmaft6rleavinghere' V lViv ol the body,it woulddependon dissolulion in the cause.
here'doasnot implythat they haveto wait lor the dealhof the 8ut altertheeradication of thecauseol all,enlightenmenl
bodybeloreiheyattainthAbsoluteForlhe eradicalion ot meta' superseoesaulomatically,
experience, and nothingelse is needed.
physical lgnorance, the causeof illusoryempirical (B.B.VlViv.5s8).
lhey haveto waillor metaphysical knowl6dge only'andfor noth_
passage agrees wilh and con- ll woulddependon dissolutionjn lhe cause:/tmears d/sso_
ing else(B.B.Vlv.iv.554). The
beingnothing buttheAb' luttantn the Absoluteas yet unknown,assumjngsome such
firmstheothrlextwhichruns'Verily,
atnetapparentformas the cosnic vitalenergy.
. e d i s s o l v eisn t h e A b s o l u t o ' ( E r h al Vd i v 6 ) , s a y s
s o l u t eh
Ruresvara,commnting on a lator parl ol the text (B B V Aiterlhe eradicalionof theca!se of all: fhls meansalter the
lViv.560). eradicalionof metaphysicaltgnorance.
Thelollowingversesshouldbe noled (5) Nooiherobstacle to liberation is admitiedexceptlgno,
(1) Because it wouldbe impossible tor theAbsolule nol !o rance.Accordingly, whenlgnorance has beendesttoved.
rnclude me,therelore lI is sarolam in toucnwit lhe palh" then a person(nr)is liberated alreadyin thislileevenbe_
Thls oath,as dscnbed, hascorrelo me loscove'edil lore he is tinallyliberated irom rebi(hat the dealhol the
bodyThe Upanishad hasalreadytaughtthisearlierin the
220 chapler-8 Suresvara 221

lext'Being thingbuttheAbsolute, he disolvesin theAbso- (1) Clothedin lhe liveryof bingan individual knowng
lute'(8rhad.lViv.6)
No laterupanishadic passage,theretore, subject,lhe Sell beholdslhe not-selJ;but it cannotbe-
couldmake!s believed lhatliberation depond onthedeath holdthe Setfas an objeclin lhis way,as the Sell is lhe
oi the body.(B.B.v lv iv.559-60). pure light of Consciousness and nothingelse.(B.B.V
Liv.734).
Liberatesakeady...before oneis...liberated fromrebirih:thls
is a reminiscence ol Katha Upanishad Il.ii.1. (2)Thedislinction betweenknownandunknown, thedis-
tinclionbetweenappearingas knowledge and as lgno-
All Duality ia lmaglnedThroughlgnorance rance,and the distinction betweenbeingand not being
an individual subjectenjoyingknowledge - noneol these
In the systemol Suresvara,all dualily is an elject oi
distinctions beingto lhe SelJ.For they are not self,es-
lgnorance. Thereis lherejorenolhingelse to be denounce
rablished. Theydependon lh Witness.{T.B.V. .666).
lgnorancehasbeeneradicated.The dislinclionbetweenlhe
Selfandlhe nol-sell,the distinclion betweenknownand un' (3)Texislike'Darkness (lgnorance) is death,(lightis im-
known,tho dislinctionbetweenreal and unreal,lhe distinc- ) n d ' l n t h e b e g i n n i n gt h, i s ! n i -
m o r t a l )('B r h a d .i li .i . 2 8 a
tionbetweenbeingandnotbeingindividual knowingsubject- versewas water'{Brhad-vv.1 ) showlhal melaphysical
all thesedislinclions arisethroughlgnorance. Five shealhs' lgnoranceis continuallyal work,eilherin manifeslor
encasing ths individualand tivecorrasponding cosmc sheaths u n m a n i f e sfto r m - ' E m e r g i n gf r o m l h e s e e l e m e n l s
standingas lheircausesaredislinguished onlythroughlgno_ (Brhad.ll-iv.12), theLord,thoughraisedaboveallchange.
rance.Olher distinctionslike lhat betweenmanilestand appearsthroughlgnornaceas the Knowerol ihe Field
unmanifesl, ellectand cause wholeand parls,aclronand li ([,1.V. p.35),lhroughof a illusoryappearance oJHimself
componenltacloasand res!lis aaealso sel up by lgnorance a s l h e n o t - s e l l(.B . B . V ,1 . i i . 1 3 6 -c7p, M . V . 1 1 8 , 1a1n d
alone.TheWitness. the Lord.crealion, mainlenance andwllh'
drawalol the universe, thethreestatssol waking,dreamand (4)Thatwhichis neithera causenor an ellectassumes
dreamiess sleep,and,in a word,the very relallonship ol ihe ihe appearance of causeand dllecllhroughlgnorance.
Seli wilh lgnorance itselJ,is allthe work of lgnornace alone Hencethe Vedaworkslor the eradicalion of the latler...
Thereforewhenvisionol the inmostprincipleis atlainedand lgnoranceof lhe Self manilestseverywhereas cause
lgnorancebroughtto an end,all bondageto transmigralory andeftect,thoughit haslor ils lrue naturelhat (theSell)
experienc6 ceasesimmedialely. The manileslalion of lgno' whichis not eilhra caus6or an eflect.lt is witnessed
ranceand its latereradication haveno ettectwhatoveron the as an objectby its ownlrue Self.(B.B.Vl.ii.130.1.jv.309)-
Sell,the principleof reality,any morethanlhe imagrnation ol
(5)The nolionwhichwe haveherein the worldol whole
a snakein a ropeand tha latercessation ol thal imaginalion
_aveany eflecton lne rooe.Herealso,as In the syslen ol and parts blongsto the planeof lgnoranceot the in-
mosl Sell. ll does not balongto the supremSelf. ih
tne reveredCom.nutator, lhe rrclhodol ial'e allrrbuton'ol-
lollowedeve- whichall lgnorance(lit.blindess)is negaledby'neither
oweo by subsequenl retraciion is consislenlly
l h i s n o rl h a t . ( 8 . 8 . Vl . i i a . 2 6 9 )
lo
rywhere.This we have accePl.
222 Chapler'8 Suresvara 223

(6) True Being does not undergoand is nol a cause. lt The lorm of Non-DualltyApprovodIn the Vartika
appearsas a cause lhrough lgnorance,and also as ac-
lion and all its componenl taclors and results. (B.B.V.
The Varlikaol Surssvaraacceptslhal the true Self.as
t .i i . 12 8) . lhe absolute, innon,dual. ll is accessible whenmetaohvsrcal
l g - o ' a _ c el h
. es o u r c eo l t h ew h o t ei m a g i n
a r yn e l w o r ;kf d u -
(7) That supreme principleol reality,which is rndicaied alily,hasbeeneradtcaled through lhe textsof theUpanishads.
by lhe negalrve lexls such as Nol gross... T h r s i s w h a t o n e l e a r n sl r o m l h e s t u d y o J t h e V a r t i k a .
(Brhad.lll.viii.S), which in its true nalure lies divestedol Suresvaracarya relutdall lhe exislingsystemsof Advaila
l g n o r a n c ea n d i t s e t t e c l s a, p p e a r sa s ' t h e W r t n e s s ' a n d opposedlo his o',n. H did so on lhe authorityoJVedicrev_
' l h e I n n e rR u l e l w h e na p p a r e n l l lyi m i t e d
by theadjunct elation,backedby r6asonand his owndireclintuition, as we
o f l g n o r a n c e ,r l s o w n i l l u s o r ym a n i t e s t a t i o n(.8 . 8 . V . lravehad occasionto noleat the poinlwherewe examined
Liv.15l). the dilterentvarieliesol the earlyperiodof the teaching(cp.
(8) And so the creationsand wilhdrawalsol lhe universe M . V . 9 0i,n t r o . ) W he a v ea l s oe x p l a i n hde r ea n dt h e r ei n t h e
d o w n t h e a g e s a r e i m a g i n e dj ,u s t a s l h e d i s l i n c t i o nos t presenlchaplersomeol lhe dilferences belweenthe syslem
time and space are, When you have seen realily, you ol AcaryaMandanaand thatol ihe Varlika.Varioustheories
know lhat the creation,mainlenanceand wilhdrawalol of Advailaacceptedor loleratedby lrandanaare relutedby
the universeare impossjble.(B.B.V ll.i.41I , cp l\4.V1 18, Sursvara:we mightreferlo the theoriesof Non-Dualism ol
15 and nole) lhe Word(Sabdadvaita, cp.[/4.V102,3),Non,duatism of Be-
(9) The imaginaryrdea thal the Self is asleep or awake Ing, whereBeingis conceivedas a universal(sattadvaita,
o r s d r e a m i n gb e l o n g so n l y l o c r e a t u r e sa s l e e pi n l h e c p . l \ 1 . V 1. 0 2 , 4 ) a n d N o n - D u a l i s mo l p o s i l i v e B e r n o
' b l ^ a v d d v a rcl ap..M . V .t 0 2 .
n r g h lo l l g n o r a n c e(.B . B . V1. 1 . i . 2 6 M
5 ,. V . 1 2 2 . 2 9 ) 5 ) .W e s h a l rc t o s et h . sc h a p l e ;
wilh a few verseson thesetopics.
(10)The indivjdualknower,stationedin the intellecland
idenliliedwith it, convinceshilnselt ol the presenceol (l ) Thatwhichhas in trulh no nameor lorm manilested as
lgnoranceand its eltects in the Sell, lhough ln lruth il is nameandtorm,dep6nd ingsolelyonlgnorance (i.e.manilested
not present,through his own exlravertedgaze - as sim- atthebeginning oftheworldperiod). Statemenl, ingeneral, is
p1esouls altribule blue colourlo the colourlesselher ol calied'name'(nama);the stated,in generai,is caled ,Jorm,
l r e s h y .( 8 . 8 . V .1 . r v . 2 9 8M. . V . 1 2 1 . 1 ( . (rupa).Through thesetwocategoris lhe Lordis ableto mani_
lesl Hirnselflor all crealuresbornin the realmot manilesta-
It shauld be underctoodthat certain verses lha! have al- I on; il He had staydin his unmanilest lormth s wouldnol
ready been quoted above in dift'etent contexts have been re- havepossible. (B.B.Vl. iv 390-2)
introduced in lhe prcsent section to show thal Suresvara ap-
proved the method al teaching through false allribution fol- For the Non-Dualsmol lhe Wod adoptedby Mandana,one
lowed by subsequent rctraction. shauldconsultBehna Siddhipp.lT-19 (cp.potteL19A1,pp.356-
8).
 i
224 Chaptr Sursvara 225

(2)Thereforo(i..bcausomonialrepetitionstraditionallyrated Theimplicationol thi6b that thenotbn of'not'doesnot aDDi,e

higherthanoralrepetitions ol lhetexts)the hue natureol lhe one ol non-gxislence.And thisrclutesthe Non-Dualismol posilive
YajurVeda(andof all vedicl6xt6)is to be divineknowledge Being(bhgvedvaka).But Mandanaaccepldit, SeeBahna Siddhi
implanted in lh mind.In thigwayth6 eternalilyol theVedas
canberighllyoxphind(sincetemalConsciousness pervades
lhe mind.TheirDowerlo communicatae canbeeslablished il
iheyarenollakenas phy6ically spokenwords(butas ideas);
it cannotbeestablished ittheirabgnceis supoosd to bethe
(assumed) etemalprincipl (sphota)iatentinthespokenword.
GB.V.[.297-8).
For Mandanabviewson'SDhota',one shouldconsulthis wo*
the SphotaSiddhi(seeBiAiogEW undetBiardeau).
(3)Hereinth6upanishadic txttheterm'lheAbsolute'is usd
in its directmsaningas h ralilythatis neithrtranscendent
nor immanonl,ngithera universalnor a pariicular.(B.B.V
tviii.1815).
TheAbsoluteb descibedih thegetefits thtoughoutthe vadikd,
as at B.B.Vl.iu 656,745,1073,1272,446; .i,371;ll,iii.l2,240;
ll.iv.l4: Liu38and so torth(cp.alsoM.V.119,6).But Mandana
undersloodthe Ats<rute to be the univeBal called Being(saftit),
see*ahnta Siddhip, 37 (M.U 102,4).
(4)Theinmostprinciple, is aboveallchange,rmainscon-
templating jtselfas th light(lil.rsuh)in ev6rycognition, wit-
nessingall knowledge of beingandnon-being. lt is ilseltthat '(At B. Sid. p4, cp. M.U 102. Maldana /'iaka9
immediateexpodoncethat is not experiencedby anotherAnd 5, an opponsntrcna* dpl
the Absotutecan b6 assetaled * h ,oinw annbui!6 (e.9. btiss)an n,satite
so whenthe individualkrowingsubjec{and his knowledgeand ainbubs (e.9. a$anca ol the wdd ot ot lqr,oa1ca). As Mah.hna .,Desnol
its obiectsceas,lhen the inmostSell establishs itsellas cont adicl lhls, he \!as l*an by lalet autho$ as heing ac-cepted
he viewka! ke
lhe soleexistgntby itsowninherent power.When thelaclthai A$olute coulalhaw thenegallw atilbuls ot abencool ttta hiwrfet at cassa.
theindividual subjectandhisknowledgeand ilsobjectsdonot tion ot lgnorcnc.' (cp. B.Sid.,ed. Kuwuswani, Englbhlnto. W xi-xv).]t is non-
duath itsposltNeaspect(bh'vtdvalla), but tdarE!$ 3 kk.t ot datity k tEt it has
exislis established throughawakening loon'st.ueSelt,thsn negationot vaiotts ttitldsbt lE'negatl\E auwnes'. Bhtvedvatta,w dt rcslt on
the notionol 'not'indicatesthat whichis etehallyluminous t\6 ffi ol .eilykg nagatiots aN! setfng hen W a3 a stange kind ol rcdity,
and notknowablby arryextoriormeansol knowledge.(B.B.V rcappearc in such latat Advalte aulho.s as VlnunAldan (.p. M.U 2U) and
.iii.227-9]'. A@dabodha (cp. M.u 275).No st{;h rcltlcaddr ls lanf, k Suestnn. Fat hin
tha wotd 'not'merelyldlcatad th6 Absotutain iE tua brn. TN.)
 o
.c
.9
z
o
s
o
o
oro
.'
gE
FO
OF
Chapter-9

Sddhanacan go on in the drcam or sleep stateas well as in

the wa4ing.
(Sri Aurobindo;Le erc on Yoga,p.1481)
To make use ot the nights is an excellent thing, it has a
doubleeffect:a negativeeffect,it Nevents you trom la ing back-
ward,losing whateveryou havegained- that indeed, is painlul
- and a positive effect,you nake 6omaprcgress, you continue
yourptogress.
(TheNlotheLBul/oLh,Vol.Xll, No.4,p.91)
I he InlegralYoga of SriAurobindohasforitsgoallhelolal
iranstormation of ournalu16aswellasthcomplete liberationol
ourbeing.Butin ournormalwaking slaleweareconscious only
of
ol a very restricledlield and action our nature, lhe resi ol il
remainingandfunclioningbehindtheopaqueveilof oursu ace
personalily. But,sinceall thatwe'becomeand do and bear'in
ourouterliteis prepard andgovemedbylhesoconcealed zones
ol activitysubconscient andsubliminaltoourwakingawareness,
alassumesan "jmmenseimporlancefor a yoga whichaims al
th translormalionot lite to grow consciousof what goes on
withinlhesedomains, to be maslerther6and be ableto leel,
knowanddealwithihe secrettorcsthatdetermineour destiny
andourinteinaland exlernalgroMh or decline."
Now,as we havenoledbelore,sledplikyogictranceopens
lhe gateto thesesubliminalworldsand allowsus an enlry into
lhe moresignifjcanlrealmsofourexistence.Andalthoughil is a
lacl that in the ordinaryundevelopedsialeot our conscious ness
mostof oursleep-experience remainsunknownto our cognition
and oventhe lillle that managesto reachour recordingsurJace
doesso inthetormol dreamsanddreamliguresand"notinlhat
230
condilionwhichmighlbecalledan innerwakingand whichisthe
rnostaccessibe form of the lrancestate,"througha properand
.lelhodica self-disciplining we nay g'ow n conscioLsness in
sleepitseiiso muchso thal in the end we may iollowin uninter-
ruptedawardnessour passagelhroughvar ous realmsol our in-
ner be ng and the returnjourneythereirom. " At a certainpilchoi
this innerwakefulness this kind of sleep,a sleepof expeience
can replacethe ordinarysubconscrous slumber,"
It is thenthatwe haveveridicaldreams,dream-experiences
oi grealvalLre, conveyinglruthsthal are nol so easylo gei in our
ordinarywak ng staie.Thus problemsare solvedin our dream
consciousness, whichourwakingconsciousness couldnot pos-
srblycope with;weare providewiih warningsand premonitions
and indicalionsof the fulure and wiih "recordsof happenings
seenor experienced by us on otherplanesol our own berngor oi
universabeinginiowhichwe enler."
Our sleep-exisience, ii we are consciousin il, rendersus
anothervaluableservicein the exploration
nalurethat conlainsmuch that is obscurein us bul not distin-
guishablyactivein ihe wakingsiate.A consciouspursuitof the
sLrbconscient wanderingsof our sleep-consciousness
our notrcea classoi dreamslhal "ariselrom the revengeof our
innerbeinglreed tor a momentfrom the constraintthat we im
poseon it.Thesedreamsojtenallowus lo perceivesorneof the
tendencies, tastes,impulsesand desiresol whichwe wouldnol
otherwisebe consciousso long as our will to rea rse our ideal
heldlherndown,hiddenin some obscurerecessof our being."
For ii is one ol the most disconcertingdiscoveriesmade n
Sadhanaihat whai we have thoughilo have settledand done
away wilh in lhe upper layersof our consciousness
fate y relainedby our glutinoussubconscienl.
reason,as SriAurobindohas poinledout,thesedreamsprovide
u s w i t h a u s e l ui n d r c a t i olno,r " l h e ye n a b l eu s t o p u r s u et h i n g s
io thelrobscurerootsin this unde|worldand excisethem."
Chapler-9 Thq Masleryof lhe Nighls 231
Hencewe seethai lhe iieldsof our sleepii propery cultl,
valedcany e d us a greatandeffective aidonourroadtowards
se l-knowledge and seltmastery, alsoln the pursuitoi our na-
lure'lranslormatlon.B!t howto acq!irea cogniionof theactivi-
tiesol ournighis?Howto transform thenatureoi ouf sleep?
Theprocedure to dealwih s eepandthedreamland maybe
sardto havelhreema n limbs:( ) howbestto enterthe staleoi
sleep?( ) how10remainconscious in sleepitself?and(iii)how
to retainthe memoryoi ourdream-experiences evenwhenwe
comebackto thewakrng awareness?
In our quesllor the answersto thistr ple query,to whom
elsewouldwe lurn lhanio Sri Aurobindo andthe lvloiher.the
supremernasters of the fourloldworldsof our being,jagrat,
svapna,susuptia^d llrya? so we makenoapology forquoting
n exlensofromlhe r luminous writingsin an atlempito offer
ol our subconscient How Bestto Enterthe State ot Sleep?
"Yourrusl lie flal on yourbackafd relaxall the musclesand
nerves...lo be ike whal lcalls pieceoi clothon the bed, noih'
bringsto ing else remains.lf you can do that with the mind also,you get
r d of all stupiddreamsthat make you moretiredwhen you get
up than when you went lo bed. lt is the celluar activilyof the
brainlhal contnLeswilhoutcontrol,and lhat I res much.There-
late a lotal rclaxatian,ak nd ol campletecalm, withauttension n
whicheverylhng s slopped.But lhis ls only the beglnning.
"Aileftards, a self-givingas total as possible,of all, lrom
lop io bottom,lrom the oulsideto the inmosi,and an eradcation
aso as tota as possibe oi ail resisianceo{ the ego, and you
are obsti- beg n repeatng your mantra- your mantra,if you haveone or
And just lor that any otherword whichhas powerover you, a word leapingIrom
lhe hearl, spontaneously,ke a prayerand lhal surnsup your
asp rat on. Aiter hav ng repealeda few t rnes, it you ale accls-
lonredlo it, yau get inta lrance.Andlrom that tranceyoLrpass
ntosleep. Thekancelastsas longas it shouldend quitenalu- rnttednurnberol cells;the inertraot rnostof ihe organicsLtp-
rally,spontaneously you passinlosleep.8ul whenyou come portsol cerebralphenomenareduceslhe numberol lheir
acltve
backtromlhis sleep,you remembereverything'lhe sleepwas e ernenls,rmpovershesthe mentalsynthesisand makesil unlil
but a cantinuation of the tance. ro repfoducelhe act vity ol lhe inlernalstaiesolhet lhan by m
ages,ottenesivery vagueand inappropriare_..,
"Fundamenlally lhe solepurposeol sleepis to enablelhe
'The
bodyto assimilatethe sftecto{the lranceso thal the effectmay cerebra rende ng ot ihe activitiesot the night s al
be acceptedeverywhere,to enablethe bodylo do its nalural r mes so mucnd storledthata lorm js givenlo phenomena whtch
tunction ol lhenighlandeliminate thetoxinsAndwhenil wakes ts the exact oppasite of the rcalily,..
Lrp,thereis no lraceof heaviness whichcomefromsleep'lhe '[8u1]it
one knowshow to transtalein inte]iectual tanguage
eftectoJlhe lrance conlinues. lhe rfofe of less inadequaietmagesby whrchlhe brarnrepro-
"Evenforthosewhohaveneverbeenin lrance,it Lsgoodto duces ihese {acts.one may learn many thingswhtch lhe too
repeala mantra. a word,a prayerbeforegoingintosleep But rrmrledphyslcaliacullies do nol perrnitus to perceive.
theremuslbe a lilein lhe words,I do not meanan intellectual _Some
even succeed,by a specialcullureand lrarning,rn
signilication, nothingof thalkind,bula vib@lionAndon the body acq!rnngand retatningihe consciousness ot the deeperactrvi
ils eltectis extraordinary:itbeginslovibrale,vibrate'vibrale and tles ol lhelr lnner being ndependenUyot'theircerebrat transcrip-
quietlyyouletyourselfgo asthoughyouwaniedio get Inlosleep to, and are able lo recalland knowihem in lhe waktngstatern
Thebodvvibralesmoreandmoreandslillmoreanoawayyou all the plent!de ol lhelr taculties...
gol 'How
[lhenjto cutlivalelhrsiield of aclion?how lo acq!rrea
Howlo RetaintheAwareness of Dreams? cagntttcno out activjties ol the night?...
Theiii partot ihisdiscipline shouldnaiurally dealwrththe 'fhe
same disctplineaf concentralian wh ch enables a ntaf
quesllon nowlorecognise our dreams and, above alL to dlstingu_ no ongerto remaina slrangerto his Inneractrviliesin the wak
shbelween them;toras we have noted beiore' they vary greally
ng state.a so furnrsheshim with lh; rneansor removng lrre
in lherrnalureandquality. Otlenin thesame nlghl we may nave rgnoranceol lhose,slill richer,ol the diverseslatesof S eep
severaldreamswhichbelongto dilterent categorles and tfrus 'Usuaty
Now,
value. as regards the procedure whrch theseac|vitiesleaveonlyrareanoconrusedmerno,
havedillerent inlrinsic
we shouldadoptto retainthe memory ol o!r nights Lel us lislen
.One
to thewordsot theMother: I nds howeverlhal at timesa fortuilousc rcumstance.
divergence be' an mpresslonrecelved,a word pronoLlnced is enonghla reawaken
"....There is almostalwaysa considerabLe
suddenly ta cansciousnessthe whale al a long dream al whtch
lweenwhatourmenlalactivityacllallyis andtheway n wh cn
thewayrnwhichv/eremarfcon- lhe monrenlbeioretherewas no recol/eclio[
we perceive il, andespecially
sciousoi it.Initsownsphere, determlnes
thisacllvily whalvibra_ "Fromthis simpletactwe may tnlerlhal our consctousact v
lionsare lo be lransmitted by repercussion up lo the cellLrlar ty parlicpates very ieebtein lhe phenomenaoi lhe steepng
syslemol ourcerebralorgan, butin o!r sleepybrain,lhesubte siale as n the normalstaieoi lhingsthey wou d rcrnaintostt'ar
vrbrations lfomthesupersensible domaincanonlyaliecta very ever tn subconsctenlmemoty..
234 Chapl6r-9

"Onewhowishesto recoverthememoryol a forgottendream We shouldlhereloreseek,in the secondptace,lo extend

shouldin lhe firstplacefix hisattenlion on suchvagueimpres- lheparticrpalionot consciousness lo a greaternumberol activi_
sionsas the dreammighlhave lell trailing behindit andio low tresIn the sleepingstale.Now,.,thedailyhabilol goingwilh
the indistincttracsas tar as possible. inlerestoverlhe variousdreamsof the njghl,thistransforminq
"Thisfegularexercisewouldlet him go tarthereveryday ther vestigesttttteby trt e inloprecisememories as wellas thai
towardstheobscurerclrcatol thesuconscient wherelhe lorgot- oi nolingthemdownon wakingareveryhelpful lromthispointof
ten phenomena ot sleep take reluge and lhus ark oul a roule
easylo lollowbetween lhetwodomains ol consciousness. "By virtueol thesehabits,the mentallacultjeswill be in_
"Onepractical remarkto be madelrornthispointof viewis ducedto adapttheirmechanism to thephenomena ot thisorder
thal the absenceol mmoryis veryotlendue lo abruptnesswtlh and lo directuponlhemtheira ention,curiositv
and oowefof
whichlhe returnlo consciousness takesplaceAt thismoment' analvsrs.
n fact.newactivities break intoihe lieldol consciousness, 0nve "ll wiil then produce a sotl ol inteltectuatisation of
ouliorcibleallthatis foreignto them and atlelwards make more dream,achieving lhedoubleresultot interspersing theconscious
lhe workol concentration
dilficult necessary to recalllhe things aclrvtltes moreand moreinlimately in the play,hithenodisor-
thusexpelled- Thisis tacilitated,on theconirary, whenever cer_ dered,ol the activitiesol the sleepingstateand of augmenling
lain mental and even physical precautions are observed lor a pfogressrvely the scopeotlheseactivitjesby makinglhemmore
peaceful transilionfrom one state to anolner." andmorerationaland instructive.
Thus,lheslipping awayof thememoryof our nightscanbe "Dreams wouldthentakeonthecharactsr ol orecisevisions
greatlyremedied anda powerdeveloped ol goingbackin memory and,at lirnes.of dreamrevelations,"
fromdreamio dream,fromstateio state,tilla sufficiently coher
But alongwiththisparticipation oJmentalconsciousness,
enl knowledge oi our sleeplileis builtup. tnrsrevetatory Inteilectualisation
ot dreams, we musltryto cuili_
Butthislrainingol lh racullies o, memory, as we shallpre' vatea stillhigheranddeepermodeoI consciousnss in sleep.
sentlysee,doesnot prove su{licient to link the lotalityot our In lact,our sleep,life shouldbe as mucha partol Sadhana as
sleep-exislence withourwakingawareness. Forlhalwe haveto the wakingone,andihe developing consciousness thatwe at_
growconscious in the stateof sleepilselt. tarnin our wakingstatethroughspiritualendeavorandaspiration
shouldextenditselftullyandcontinuously alsotothesleepstate.
llow to GrowConsciousIn Sleep ll is truethatat the beginning and ior a longtime it becomes
Thetraining of ourphysical memory lo lollowbackthethread difficullto maintain lheconsciousness al thesamepitchal night,
of ourdream-activilies lailsto giveilsfulldividendior thesinple lor "thelrueconsciousness comesat firstin thewakng slaleor
nlo
reasoalhal n thiswaywe are"ableto ltanslorT consciolJs rn medilation. it takespossession ot the mental,the vital,the
phenompna oi lhewakingstalethosealonewhichwerealready conscious physical, butthesubconscious vitalandohvsicai re,
so, be il mosl fleelingly,duringsleep.For whele lhere was no marnobscrrra andthisobscunty comesup whenlhereis sleep
consciolsness,lheracan f'e no nemoty. or an rnerlrelaxalion_"Bul withthe grow,th ol an intenseSadhana
Inourwakrng stale,whenwedevelop ourinnerbeil|g,Iivelromin
wrthouiand our subconscient is enlightened and penetratedby
light,thisdisparlty
the l\,4otheis andihis dislocalion oi conscious
nessdisappears, and our"sadhana goes on in the dream or sleep
stale as well as in the waking"
The Lure ol the Drcam'Consciousness
Al lhis poinl ol our djscussionwe would like lo addressa
noteol warn ng lo ihe seekersaiterlhe masteryof lheir n ghls
Througha propercultivation ot the fieldsoi sleep_exrstence
whenthe rnnersleepconsciousness beginslo deveop and along
w th t appeardream experlences as distinclfromordinarydreams,
lhere is olten an irresistiblepull on the consclousness lo w tn_
draw irorir lts waklng sialus, go within and lollowthe develop_ Chapter-10
menl ihere evenwhenthereis no ialigueor need ol sleep so
alluringare ihe experiencesoi dream-consciousness, so over- The Vision of the DivineBody
whelrningis the charmthereoTl
But thlsattractionof the sleep_world must nol be a lowedto
'wanl ng to get back to
encroachon lhe wak ng hoursand ihe
somethrngntereslingand enthralng which accompanlesthe
desre to Iall inlo sleep"shoud be etlectivelycurbed Olhelwise
'a
theremay be an Lrndesirab e unbaancingand decfeaseol lhe
ho d on ouler rea t es.'
 Chapter-10

TheLightnow distantshallgrcwnativeherc,
TheStrenghtthalvtsitsus out comradepower;
Thelneflablesha finda secretvoice,
ThelnperishableburnthroughMatter'sscreen
Makinglhismorlalbodygodhead'srobe
(SriAurobindo, ll, Cantoll,p.110)
Savltli,Book
Pastand goneare threemortalgenercIions: the lourtltand
last inta lhe Sun willenlel
(Rig'Veda,V l.102.14)
ol thebodyis complete,thatmeansno
ll the transformalion
-
subjeclionto death il doesnot meanthatonewillbeboundlo
keep lhe same body lor all time. One crcatesa new body fol
oneselfwhenone wantsto change...
(SriAurobindo,leltels on Yaga,p.1
1)

I hel- reg'alYoga o' SellTransformalonas 'evedled lo nan

by SriAurobndoandtheN,4other hasforilsaim,in contradistinc-
tionto theallempts mentioned inthforegolng chapler,thecrea-
tionoi a d v ne body,herein thecoaditions of earthand matler.
It doesnoi wantto be conlenled witha clnmayadeha,or lran-
scendenlabody,as in lhecaseof theVaishnavas, norwilhlhe
possession of a post'mortem 'pneumatic'bodyol Pauljnecon-
ceplion.
For,lhis YoSaaims not 3l a releasefrom embodiedexisl_
ence{as evenlhe TaniraandVaishnavism do at the end),al a
departureout ol the worldinlo some supElerrestrialworldol
blissandspiritual enjoyment, butat a changeof earthlylileand
exlsience, ara divinelulfilmentoJlifehereuponeadh,andthat,

i
240 Chapter-10
and thal too "notas somethingsubordinate ol incidenla,butas a
d stincland cenlralobject".Also,"lhe obiectsoughlafter[in lhis
Yogalis not an individualachievemenlol divinerealisalionlor
lhe sake oi the individual,bul somelhingto be gainedtor lhe
here."
earth-consciousness
Now, in this irameworkol the goal of a divineiuli lmentol
terrestriallife,the importanceof lhe bodyis indeedobvious.For,
as Sr Aurobindo himselfhas decared:
"A total perfection is the ultimale aim which we sel beJore
us, for our idealis lhe DivineLiie whichwe wishto crealehere,
the lrteof the Spiriifulfilledon earth,lifeaccomplishing its own
spirituallransformation even here on earth in lhe conditionsol
the materialuniverse.That cannotbe unlessthe bodvtoo under-
goesa transtormation, unlessils aciionand lunclioningattainlo
a supreme capacity''andthe physicalconsciousness,and physi
cal being.the iisell...besuflusedwith a light and beautyand
blissirom lhe Beyondand lhe litedivineassumea bodydivinel
ElsewhereSriAurobindosoundsanoleofwarning:'lt is be-
cause he has developedot been given a body and brain capable
of receivingand servinga progressive menlalillumuinalron lhal
man has risenabovethe animal.Equally,it can oniy be by de-
velopinga body or at_leasta iunctioningof lhe physicalinslru.
menl capableof receivingand servinga stillhigherilluminalion
that he will riseabovqhimselfand realise,not merelyin thought
and in his internalbeingbut in life,a perlecllydivinemanhood.
Otherwrseeitherthe promiseof Lile is cancelled,its meaning
annulledand earthlybeingcan only realse Sachchidananda by
abolishingitself,by sheddingfrom it mind, life and body and
returningto the pure Inliniie,o{ elseman rs not the divlneinstru-
ment, lhere is a destinedlimit lo the consciouslyprogressive
power which dislinguisheshim lrom all other terreslrialex st-
ences and as he has replacedthem in the ironl ol things,so
anothermusl evenluallyreplacehim and assumehis heritage."
But forlunaielyfor earth-lifand for man neitherof these
The V s on ol the D v ne Eody 241
altenatrves needbe envisaged, For manhasconvjnclngly shown
by hrs pasl achievementihat he is capablejn a parts of h s
beingof exceedingadlrllrllumthe boundsol his actuality.Thus
there s no inevitabilily
oi logicwhy he himselfshouldnot at the
glonousprospectol divinemanhood,by operjngal his mem-
bers,- h s menlaity,his life,and,ihe last but not the leasl,h s
bodyiise l, - to the unveiledaclionofthe Supermindand altow,
Ingthemio be integraly mouldedandtransiigured by that'grealer
term ol the Spifiimanriesling in Nalure.'
For. rt shouldbe ciearlyborne in mind that the divrnebodv
lhus envrsaged can comeintoexistenceand ils physicalimmor-
talitybe achievedand assured,not throughthe pallry eitorts
madeby scrence,northroughthe occull-spiriluralinlluences lhat
seek lo act upon Mtlerthroughthe soleagencyofthepowersol
conscrousness so lar organisedin earth-nature, bui throughlhe
actronol lhe SupramentalPower,lhe powerof "the lall Truth-
Consciousnessol the DivineNature".This Trulh-ConscioLlsness,
rla-clt.the Supermlnas SriAurobindo termsit, is a dynamicand
nol only a slalic Power,not onlya Knowledge. buta Willaccord-
inglo Knowledge,'lhat can"manilestdirectils worldof Ltghland
Trulhin whichall is luminously basedon the harmonyand unily
oi the One, not dlsturbedby a veil of lgnorance".
Also,whenthisSupramenial Powerovertlyintervenes rnthe
lield of body and Matter,its wofkingwill be 'notan intluenceon
lhe physica givingil abnormallaculties,but an enlranceand
penetraton changingil whollyintoa supramenlalised physcal .
N o w , a s r e g a r d s t h e n a l u r e a n d c h a r a c t e ro t i h i s
supramenta|sed physcal makingpossiblethe appearance, here
upon earth itsell, ot a who ly iransfigureddivlne body, Sri
Aurobindohas wrtten in greatdelailin lhe penultrmale chapler
ol The Llfe Diviae and, more exhaustivelv.in hrs last work Ihc
Supramenlal Manifestationupon Earth.
The mitedspan ol the presentwork does nol perrnitus to
discuss n luli lhe natureol this apotheosrs
ol the malerialbody
oi man, as env saged in ihe Yoga'Phllosophy ol Sri Aurobindo
and ihe Mother,nor can we ind caie howfor and.jnwhai waythe
242 Chapler-10

insistent problems of lood and sleep,faiig!eand inerlia,dis-

easeanddecay, unregenerated impulses anciappetiles arego-
ingto besolvedintheiransformed divinebodyio appearintime.
Weconlent ourselves withpicking uphereonetheme,thetheme,
we mightas wellsay,ol the Sphinx-like problemof deathsn
dissolution oJlhe individual's physical body.
For,we havebeenassured by SriAufobindo andlheIVolher
thatas a crowningachievement of theSupramental Manileslotion
uponEarih,therewillcomewillcomeaboul'lhephysical con'
questof death,an earthlyjmmoftal,ly', - 'in the sensenot oJ
altachmenl or ot restriclionto ourpresenl corporeallrame butan
exceedingol the lawo{ the physicalbody."For,"fromthe divine
Bhss,the originalDelighto{ existence,the Lordol lmmorlalily
comespor]ring the wine ol that Bliss,the mysticsoma, inlo Chapter-11
therejarsof mentalised livingmatter;eiernaland beauliful, he
entersinlothesesheathsot substance fortheinleqral lranslor- The Conquestof Sleep
malionof thebeingandnature".
Andthuswillbe realised lor manhisage-oldyearning, "the
consummation ol a lripleimmortality, - immortality of lhe na-
turecompleting the essenlial immodalily ot lhe Spiritand the
psvchicsufvivalol dealh,"- whichwillbe"thecrownol rebirth
and a momentous indication ol the conquestol the nalerial
Inconscience and lgnorance evenin lhe veryloundalion ot the
regnof N,4aller,...atemporarsignollhespirit'svicloryhereover
DealhahdMaltel.
ButbeJore thisvisionof theconquest ot Death,canbe real-
sed in the liJeot man,lhe melaphysical necessiiy lor ils exisl-
enceandawayso far hasto be adequately metandabrogated.
So ourtasknowis lo proceed to thestudyoi lhe melaphys-
cs oi deathandindicale thecondition necessarv ior lhe attain-
menlot a physcal immortality.
Chapter-11

Thtnets the shade in whtchvtsionsare made:

sped bylhy hands lram celestiallands
come lhe souls thal reloice fat evet.
lnlo thy dream wa ds we pass ar laak tn lhy tnagrc glass,
titen beyan(l thee we climb out af Space and Time
lc th-.peak of dtvineendeavour.
(Sri Aurobindo.CallectedPaemsand P/ays.Vol ll.p 122r
He has see, Gods slu/nber shape these magic vvorlds
He has v.'aichedlhe dumb God lashiontngMaltet s lra )-..
Dreenng the dreans al ns unknowingsieep.
And vatched the unconsctorisFotce lt)at bLrlt lhe starc.
He has iearni lhe lncotisctenls wotkings and ns law
l!s satnnolencefotnded the univerce
Its abscure tuaktngmakes the world seem vatn
He mus!cali lqht tnla tls dsrk abysms.
Else never can TtuthconqLterlL'latte.s sleep
Antt all eatlh laok inlo lhe eyes of God
BookVl Canloll, pp 4?19.50)
lSr Aurobindo.-Saydr/,

W" tlou" .""n n the courseol our sludy at tangue h.:tten1-E

of the occLrit nalufeand luncton of s cep lhal lh-"penol c spcl s
oJdormancyof our body need nol pta'Je\a be an !navoillabe
.v | .or.r han.icap 1oour spirrlLral growlh. n anycas-o. our phys
ca sle-op dces nol /,.e;essaf//y mean an abeyancc ol consc o!s
n e s s o 1 t h - .r i h o l eo J o u r d y n a m i cb e r n g n. o r a n ( r h l y I n f r )
d o ' n . n o re v e na n f i e r r u p ot n n t h ep u r s u rol l o u rS a d h a r aO n
the otherlrand.th s may be trafsJorrned, tl we krtowhov,tc.io l
nto : s/eep a{ expe encesg v ng us an access1o lne nner
dona ns ot oi.rrbe ng
246 Chapter'11 The Conquestof Sleep 247

Butwhalevermay be the valueof the sleep-ex stence,to calmandreposeful,relaxedandluminous.Bulveryrarelydoour

livein the dream-v/orld at lhe price of the suspension ol our nightsmeasureup to thiscrilerion:
theseare,moreollenthan
wakingawareness cannolbeconsidered a laudableachievement not,morefatiguing
thanevenourdayslor reasons whichollen
in the Yogaoi Transformation ol Lile.We haveto br ng out and escapeus.
c a l l d o w n t h e r e a c h e st r o m o u r s u b l i m i n adl e p t h sa n d But the l\,4oihr has warnedus that iJwe get up nol so well
superconscienl heightand makelhesean acquisition of our refreshed in the mornjng, it is because of a lormidable massof
wakinglile.Our physical consciousness hasto be "spiriturally Tamas."lt isTamas whichcauses badsleep.There aretwokinds
awake" and"asopenin thewakingconscrousness as in sleep." oJbadsleep:lhe sieepthal makesyou heave,dull,as lhough
We havesomehowto "arraveat a poinlwhenone remainsoul- yo! loseall lhe eflectoi lhe efforlyou put in duringthe preced-
wardlyconscious andyetlivesinlhe innerbeingandhasal will ingday;andthesleepthatexhausls youas if youwerepassing
lhe indrawn orlhe cutpoured condilion." yourtimein iiqht.
It is thusevident thatthe irresistible boutsol unconscious- "...Two lhingsyou musleliminate: Jalling intolhe torporoi
nessoi sleeplo whichour body'swakingstatusoccasronally the inconscience, wilh alltheselhingsof lhe subconscienl and
succumbs cannotbutbeviewedas a signof imperfection in the ot theinconscienl lhal rise!p, invadeyou,enterinloyou;anda
prevailing organisation of our physical being.Whatrsthennec- vitaland mentalsuperactivity whereyou passyourtimein lighl-
essaryis lhat- andthismustconslilute an essenlral elemenl ingliterallyterriblebaitles.Peoplecomeoul ofthatstalebruised,
in the tolal lrans{iguration of our bodilyexistence - sleep m6l as il they had receivedblows- and lhey did receivethem,it is
be Gised ftom the level of necessilyto that of a free accept' nol'as if'!"
arce,as and whenso willed,as an indrawnabsorplion ol our
(A)Relaxation:Now, sincethe totaltimejntervalneededtor
lhe recuperation of ourenergies is in inverseraiiolo thequalily
Thusthemastery overournightsshouldbe lollowed by the ot reposethatwe allainin oursleep,theverylirstprocedure we
atlemplai an absoluteconquest ol sleep.Bul is lhislotalvic- mustadoptto cut downthe duration of our nightlysleepis to
tory overphysicalsleepat all feasiblein lhe presenthuman practise lheartof conplelerelaxation of bodyandmind,a short
bodv?And.if not.whatarelhe essenlial condilions lhalhaveto periodof whichproving to bemorerefreshing thanhoursof rest-
be met beforelhis prospecllor bodilylite enlersthe fieldof lesssleep,In therecommendation of a Buddhisl author:"Relax
possibilities?
realisable eachporlionoi thebodydeliberately andconsciously; lhenclose
By wayoi answering lhesecrucialqueslions we propose to theeyesandlry lo visualise utterdarkness. Felyoursell floal.
Dutforwardlwo relatedDroblems and venlutesomelentatrve ing in a srlentvoid,and deliberalely emplylhe mindol every
solutionsthereol. t h o u g h ta n d f e e l i n gb y i m a g i n i n gs u c h a c o n d i t i o na s
Swinburnes's "Onlya sleepetrnalin an eternalnightl'And the
Howto Reducethe Hoursof Sleep?
auihorconcludes thal,oncelhBproperknackis abundance ol
On the purelyphysical-vitalplane,sleephasIor ils essen- treshenergyanda clean-swept invigorated mind.
lia lunclionthe restoraticn
oI the nervousphysical energies ol
Bethatas it may,lhisnegative methodol felaxation cannol
ourlatiguedbodilysystem.ButIoran eJieclive ol lhis
fulfilmeni
lakeus verytar on our roadto lhe conquestot sleep,lt should
iunction,it is absolutely
necessary thaloursleep-lite
shouldbo
from ratherthe essenlialpreliminary step lo a lor moreeltecive
one:
and spiriluallybeneficial to become consclousIn our sleep
and deliberatelyutiliseour nightslor progress
(B) Conscious utilisatian of nights: Al this porni we would
like to dispeia possiblemisunderstanding lhal may arise ln
connection with this suggeslion lor a conscious ul lsalionol our
nights.Theremay be a lurkinglear in some minds lhal lhrs at'
ternptat lhe cullivationof the vast fields ot our n ghts, Inslead
of bringingin a morereposelulandlheretorea more invrgoraling
sLeepwouidon the olher handallecl its deplh and delracllrom
the efficacilyol our nightlyresl wh ch is so salularyand indis-
pensableior our physicalhealth
Bul thisfear and doubthavegot no basisin iacl For.as lhe
Molherhas assuredus, it is onlythe uselessand uncontrollable
and mosllysubconsciousactivitiesln our sieep that make our
'il
nightsmoreialiguinglhan the day.On the conlrary our nLghl
qrantedus lhe acquisition oJnew knowledge,the solulronoi an
conlactIn our rnnerbeing
absorbng problem, the eslablishmentoi
with some centreol lile or of lighl,or even the accomplishrnenl
ol some usefulwork,we shouldalwaysget up wilh a ieelingol
vigorrrand well'being.lt is lhe hours wastedin doing nalhtng
useful at' good that are lhe mosl latiguing
Th s consciouscultivationo{ our sleep-exlslence lor reaprng
fruiisior our innergrowthis then the secondesssnlraelemenl
of our endeavourlo rnakethe state01physicalsleepa real re'
slorerof our energies.
Bui the gainacquiredevenin thisway seemsto be lim ted in
ls scopeso lar as our main problemol drastcallyreducng the
hoursol sleepis concerned,For that we have 1obecomecon_
phenomenon ol our s eep-
scrousmaslersoi anothersignificant
"susupli01 Brahrnanol
lie: ihe poss b lity oi enlranceinlo lhe
Brahmaloka.
lC) Attainnent of SachchidanandatmmobilttyjOnce beiore
we havealreadymadea passingreferenceto thlsslaleol luml_
nous rest In steep.As a ma er of fact, for sleep to be at all
worth the namelullillingits role of the restorerof energies,il
muslbe eilherone"inwhichthereis a luminous silence,,or
else
one 1nwhichlhereis Anandain thecells."The restol oursleep-
lile is an attemptat sleep,not sleepitself.fo quotelrom the
Molhera passageto whichwe haveaheadyreferred:
"Thereis the possibililyota sleepjn whichyou enterinloan
absolute silence, immobility andpeacein allpartsof yourbeing
andyourconsciousness mergesintoSachchidananda. youcan
hardlycall it sleepfor it is extremelyconscious.In thal condi_
lion you may remainlor a few ninutes, bul theselew minutes
qiveyou morc restand refreshmentthanhouts of ordinarysteep."
Sri Aurobindotoo has trealedthis topicon numerousocca-
sions.Thus,to quotelrom himonly one passage:
"ln sleepone...passes from consciousness ro oeeoercon_
sciousness In a longsuccesston unlrlonereaches the osvchic
andrestsrhereofelsefrom higherlohigherconsciousnes s until
one reachesrest in somesilenceand peace.The few minutes
one passesin this rcst ate the rcal sleepwhichrestores,_ i,
one doesnot gel it, thereis only a hall rest."
But,as a matterof fact,this briefSachchidananda periodof
''luminous peacetill
and dreamlessresl"thal.givessleepall its
reslorativevalue"cannotbe had 'by chance;it requiresa lono
lraini.g.tndeed,our ordrnary sleep,evenwhenrt is of thebesi
vanety,s rnosllytakenup withour actualIrayel/ing towardsthis
staleol Sachchtdananda immobilityand our returnJournev lo
ItsewakJng av/areness. without veryofteneveireaching thesiare
atal.
Andeventl we reachthisstateon sornerareoccasions,,.it
rsooneunconsciously as it is, lf onewantsto do it consciouslv
andregulaleL onehaslirstlo become conscious in sleep.,.
An;
lhena onecanthe prospectpossiblyopenup betoreus ol reduc_
Ingthe hoursol sieepto a bareminimum.
 Chapler-11 The Conqueslol Sleep 251

eliminale
Buteventhiscannotallogelher the necessily
ol of liiein malellalforms,it is lruethatas consciousness devel_
sleep.Thereasonis twofold, andoccuit-spirilual,
physiological opsmoreandmore,"asthelightof ils ownbeingemerges trom
we nowlurn.
lo whoseconsideralion lhe enerldarkness ol lhe involutionary
sleep,lheindivjduatex-
istencebecomesdimlyawareol the powsrin it and seeksferst
Howto Eliminatethe Nacessityof Sleep? nervouslyand ltrenmentallylo master,useand enjoythe play.".
Physicatprccondition: On the pi-rrelyphysico-physiological Bul,evenat ourbest,we mentalbeingsareboundareboundby
ptane,srncesleepis the body'sunavoidable responselo ils a poorandlimitedlile powerwhichis allthatourbodycanbear
overstrain andexhaustion lhroughan ill-balanced expenditure of ortowhichit cangivescope.And"intheconsequent interchange
energy, whal is needed is the totalannulment o, all possibility
of and balancingbetweenthe movementandinteractlon ol thevital
ourbody'siatigue. Andihisbrings us lo lhe general problem of energies normally al workin thebodyandtheirint6rchange with
incapacily andinertiaof our present physical organisation For' thosewh ch acl uponit fromoulside,whetherlhe energies ot
altho!ghit is a facllhal"eithertheyogicor thevitalenergycan olhersor the generalPranicforcevariouslv aclivein the envi-
longkeepat workan overstrained or declining physicalsystem' ronment,there rs a constantprecariousbalancingand adj!st-
a timecomeswhenthisdrav/ing is no longerso easynol per' menlwhichmayat anymomentgowrong"5
hapspossible"and lhe bad resullslongheldbacklrom mani' Thus,Inlhe verynalureol things,ourindividualised lifeand
lestrng explode allatonceancla breakdown ;nsues. lorce in lhe body cannol masterthe AlfForce workingin the
' world.On the contrary lhe resistancewhich it ottersthrough
So the problemof incapacityhasto betackledand sovedon
lhe ptaneof the body ilsell.For'the body is the key,the body blindignorance lo lhe movement ol the infiniteuniversal Life
''wilhwhoselolal will
thesecretbolhof bondage andot rlease' ol animalweakness and kend its own will and trend may nol
andot divine power, of th obscuration ol the mindandsouland rmmedialely agree",rsubjectsit to the law oJincapacilyand ta-
ol theirillumination, of subiection to pain and limllalion and ot tlgue,one o{ lhe basiccharacteristics ol individualised anddi-
sellmastery, ot dealh andof immorlalily" videdLifein lhe body.
Bulwhatis the inherent reasontor lhislaligueol ourbody? Henceto cureou. physical systemot all liability lo fatigue,
Whydoes our physical system get periodically tired?Whycan it the lirrilationof ego has to be totallyabrogatednot only in the
nol workin a continuous wav? innerparlsol ourbeing,butin theveryphysical consciousness
and the malerialorganisationol the body.Our body has to be
In lhewordsot the Mother:"The latigueof the bodycomes
broughlinlo completeharmonywith the demandsot our own
lrom an innerdisharmony. Theremay be manyolhet apparen!
innerconscrousoess andwithlhe infinilecosmic|hvthm.
r;abons,bul allamounlto that lundamenlalcircumstance." 'lhat
Bul means',ln lhe words of the [,4other, " a work in
Whatis thiswantof harmony dueto?Theanswerliesin ihe
oi a limitedand eachcellof the body,in eachsmallaclivity, in eachmovement
factof a limitedlife-force, lodgedintheconfines
conlending in vainwilhthe of the organs... Youhaveto enterintothe disposition of the
egobound individualised existence,
cells,your innerphysicalorganisation if thebodyjs lo answerto
universalAllLile and All-Forceihal seeksconsianilyto govern ihe Forcelhatdescend..
emergence anddevelopmenl Youmustbe conscious ol yourphysi
and masterit. In lhe evolulionary calce s, youmusiknowtheirdifterent lunctions, thedegrees AI
 Chapler-11 The Conq!rest
ol Sleep 253

in each,whichofthemarein goodconditionandwhich
receptivity becomethe governingprincipleol our embodiedmalerialsxisf
e..e. r_c nanrfesledbeingwiL be in securepossesson ot dn
withlhe helpol ihe lnsuillclent nlegralConsciousness and an integraS ght, so that therewill
Butthiscannotbealtempled
and inetficient lighlol mind'consciousness. lt rs onlythro!gh be no morea slale of sleepin oppositron to the stateof pefma-
andconcomilanl emetgence of the divineGnosis, nenlwaking,norforthatmatteralineol demarcation separating
thedescend
the inner and outer domainsof existence. The evolvingbeing
Supermind, hereinthemidslo{theevolutionary Becomrng, thal
wil lhen be fuly arousedfromthe self-oblivion of an Involulronary
Matterand materialbody can be rid ol their ineriia and
anda properequation established betweenhe life- sleepand,a ong withit, lhe spirilualcompulsion behindthe sleep
inconscience
playing formationand the surgesof lhe ol our body wlll altogelherlose its occultsupporl.
energy in an individual
embarking All-Force. For in lhe Supermind "aloneis ihe con' ln ihal loresbleGoldenDawn,the body will thrill w th lhe
sciousunilyof alldiversilies; therealonewillandknowledge are fu I menl of its destiny,it will parlicipatein tullawarenessin the
equalandin pedectharmony; therealoneConsclousness and gloriesof a d vrnisedlifeupon earth.andthe law of the inexora-
Forcearriveat lheirdivineequation." ble necessiiyol sleepwill be 10rever lilledfrom its head.
It is throughthesupramentaltranslormation ol ourphysica But ln the meantrmelet us notlorgel evenlor a momentlhe
body,-thal "is slill a llower of the material Inconscience."4- greal rolethai sleepcan play in the presentorganisation of our
downio itsverycellsandJunclioning thal the lawoJincapacity liieand being;10r,does it nol openlo us ihe doorsof the dream-
andconsequenl fatiguewillbe linallyabrogated andwllhit the land, the Yogicdream-world,if we oniy know how to put it lo
physiological compulsion for sleep.
Butlhererernains a finalhurdle,the occull-spirlual neces' And who can be litllelhe inlintlecharmand beaulyand bliss
sityof sleep,but thattoo will be completely annulled wilhthe ihat ihe [/otheroi Dreamsmay beslowupon us, if we only know
gnostictransformalion 01ourwakingexislence. how lo courl Her favour?
Occult-sDirilual
Drccondition: we have seen ihal n iis es-
sentialnatureourbody'ssleepis theaesponse lo thedemandol
the individualconsciousness to go inwardandawakein planes
of existence notat presentaccessible to thewakingawareness
whlchis stillin thegripol an involutionary hall-sleep.So,unless
anduntilhisspiritual slumberis totallyeliminated Jromailparts
of thebeingincluding ourveryphysical consciousness, molher
Naturewillconstrainour bodyto ialloccasionally intotheswoon
of s umberso thalthe podalsof the innerand higherlitecan
open.
Now,whenSupermind or Gnosis, lheTruth'Consciousness
ol Sachchidananda, overtly emerges in to
ihe fieldof evolution
 ChapteFll Th Conqueslol Sleep 255

APPENDIX Holdestthe nightin thy ancientright,Motherdivine,

THEMOTHER
OF DREAMS' hyacinthine,
witha girdleof beautydetended.
SRIAUROBINDO Swordedwithtire,allracting desire,thy linebourskingdom
Goddesssupreme,
Motherof Dream,by lhe ivorydoorswhen thoukeepesl,
lhoustandesl, Starry-sweet, withthe moonat thy feet, now hiddennow
Whoare theythenthatcomedownuntomenin thy visions seen
thal the cloudsbetween lhe gloomandthe drjtlol lhy kesses.
troop,group upon group,down the path ol the shadows On y to lhosewhomlhy tancychose,O thouheartJreeis il
slanting? givento see thy wetchcraft and fell they caresses.
Dreamaller dream,they flashand lhey gleamwith the flame Openthe gatewherelhy childrenwaitjn theirworldol a
ol beauty
the stars still aroundihemi undarkened,
Shadowsat the side in a darknessride where ihe wild tires High-throned proudlhave espied
on a cloud,victorious,
dance, Maghavan ridewhenthe armiesol windare behindhim;
stars glow and glanceand the radom meleorglistens;
there are voies hat cry lo their kin who reply; voices sweel, Food has been givenfor my tastingfrom heavenand fruit o{
at head they beat and ravishthe soul as il lislens. rmmorlalsweelness;
What then are these landsand these goldensandsand lhese I havedrunkwineof the kingdoms divineand haveheardthe
changeol musicstrangeJroma lyrewhichour handscannol
moreradiant
rhanearrn i."gii3i master;
Who are thosethat pace by the purplewavesthat""nrace to lhe Doorshaveswungwide in the chambersol p.idewherelhe
flooro, thy jaspershoreunderskiesin which
clifi-bound Godsresideandthe Apsarasdancein theirckclesfaslerand
myslerymuses,
Lappedin moonlight not ol our nightor plrngedin sunshine Forrhouartshewhom
wetirslcan *n"n *" o"lTlii
that """
boundsof the mortal,
is notd urnal? Thereal the gatesof the heavenly statesthouhasl planted
Whoare theycomingtheyOceansroamingwiihsailswhose lhy wandenchanted overthe headol theYoginwaving.
slrands Fromtheeare lhe dreamand the shadows thatseemand
afe nol madeby hands,an unearthly windadvances? the lugitivelightslhat deludeus;
Why do theyloin in a mysticlin6withthoseon the sands Thineis lhe shadein whichvisionsare made;spedby
linklng thy handslromcelestial landscomethe soulslhal rejoicefor
handsin s{rangeand statelydances? ever.
Thouin the air,witha flamein lhy hair,the wh rl ol thy Inlothy dream-worlds we passor lookin thy magic
wonders glass,thenbeyondthe6we climboul of SpaceandTirneto
watching, the peakol divineendeavour.
 E
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Chapter-12

Then man was bom among lhe monstrous starc

Dowercd with a mind and heart to conquer thee.
(Sri Aurobindo,Savitri,Eook lX, Canlo ll, p. 594)
The Ars magna,that royaland sacetdotalscienceof the
alchemtsts,is veily a scienceol rcgeneation...Many a
seeker on the ways of the Divine has und'ryone spiitual
tegenenlion.But very few arc they who have knownthe
mysteryol corporclrcnewal.
(D.Eckhanshausen, La Nuesure Le Sanctuaire)

Senescenceand naluraldealh,'lamott naturcl/d, are thus

seento be nol al allnecessaryand intrinsicattribulesoraccom-
panimentsof incarnatelife.Hencehavarisenon the part of
manvariousdeliberatelyplannedattemptsat the physicaland
practisedin the modernWest,- this battlfor the vicloryover
seniledecayand the body'sdeathis no longerconsideredto be
tarcicaland tutile, but ratheras a veritablescienliticproblem
andproposition. Alreadyin theyear1924,S. l4elalnikov of lhe
InstitutePasteur(Paris)wrote:'All elfortsof ihe biologisland
medicalmen lo wagea successtulbattleagainslthe onsel of
senescenceand restoreyouthto the agedand dcadentought
to be consideredas practicallypossibleand 6cientiticallymoti
valed (prcjudgementpossibleset scientiliquementmotiveesf
Herewe maybrieflystatethema in attempts,bolhscientific
that havebeenso lar madelorthe physical
and occull-spiritual,
conquestol dealh.
\A) Rejuvenation Prccedures.lndeed,in recenlyears,sc!
ence has procedodin right earnestlo lacklelhe problemof
agingand dealh,startingfromlhe lowrend ol lhe rangeot our
being.
264
t has soughl1o tormulatelheories,and act efiectively, on
the underlyingphysico-chemical iaclorsand processesthat govern
the phenomenon of progressive senescence oJthe bodylocked
soma-cellsand have tortheir ullimaleand inexo rableconsequence
the sornaticdealh of the individualorganism.ln oLrrtime rnuch
va uabLe work has beenne in thisspecialized iie d of biologyand
the nterestedreadermay consultappropriatepublicalions ior
relevantrnlormalion-
In brief,we may statethat manyare the theoriesthat have
been put forwardto explainlhe onselol the phenomenon of se'
nescence(e.9., those of l,4aupas,Hertwg, Mainol, Koltzoif,
IVetchnikot,Weissmannand olhers),and numeroushavebeen
the altemptsto achieve rejuvenationof the aging body and
lengthenthe span oi lilei by various surgicalaleralions of
certarnedendocrinal organs,particularlythe essentiaorgansof
ndeed,it hasoflenbeenthoughtthatagingis broughtabout
by the tarlureof or1eor other of the endocrineg ans and atlempts
have been made to rejuvenalean aging body by graftingio il
appropriateglandsor injeclinginio it glandularextracts.
But, lrom the fundamentalpolntof v ew, lhese have by no
meanssolvedihe problemal ils base.For,on the one hand,no
theoryof sinei declineso faf put loffiard can be regardedas
ent re y satisfaclory
oras generallyeslablishedbylhe evidence.
Also,"mostof them sufferfrom the logocal defecloi settingup
some particularobservedattfibuteor elemeniof the phenom-
enon oi seaescenceitsell, such as prolopasmic hysteresis,
slowingrale of melabolism(meanrngessentiallyonly reduced
aclivity),etc as lhe cause of the whole".
Onethe otherhand,whalevermay havebeenthe immediale
p h y s i c a a n d p s y c h o l o g i c ael f f e c t so l t h e p r o c e d u r e so f
rejunvenation, thesehaveprovedlo be no morethanlemporary
he ghteningol someglandaclivities, aliogether"trans
as one distinguished biologisthasiermed lhem.There
Chaple'-12 Atlemprsal 'Kayasddhi 261
no evidencewhaisoeve c procedures
r lh al these medico-scientit
helplo increasein any way ihe bas c polentialspecilc longevty
of the indivdlal. In the words of Prol.VernonT. Schuhardi,an
authorityin lhe i e di
''Aihoughloudlyproclaimed,lhese procedureswerenotwe I
Ioundedin theoryand have not withstoodthe exaclinglhe
criticaltesls of timeandconiirmalion. No evidencehas been
d scoveredlhat a ihe agingthe body as a r/holels depend'
ent on eilherlhe activilyor lhe tailureo the sexualglands,
per se . . . The elfectswere lemporaryand did not oiiset
the slowdec ine ol oldage.Indeed,somedangeris involved
n such a one-sded stimulalionoJlhe senilesincethe or-
ganismas a whole may nol be physically constitutedto
wthslandthe suddenand abnormalstress,,,The hormones
may ater lhe backgroundof physiologica reactons and
rnodilythai structuralnlegrityol the cells and tissue,bu1
lhey have little lasting effect on the primary causes of aging
Thuswhilethe germinalelementsbecomethe
the ser,i//ty...
sourceof poslerty,the bodyseemspredeslnedto weaken,
grow o d and dle. And by the latler 1950'snomeanshave
been iound lo seriousy alterlhis decline."
So we see lhal the scienlilicattemptsat preventingdevital-
sationand proionging the individLral
life'spanoi man haveso lar
provedfut le and usive,and we on our parl ventureto asserl
that lhese w ll proveequaly so even in the lulure;ior, the rool
of the ma ady ies somewhereelse and is too deep and inscru-
lable lor sc ence to probe or to find the rernedythereof.To
anticipatethe ne ol suggesledsolution,we may siatetorthwith
thal "even t Sc ence-physcal Scienceor occultScience-were
lo discoverthe necessarycondilionsor meansior an indefnlte
survivalol lhe body,stlll,if lhe body could not adapl iise I so
as to becomea iit nslrumentoi expresson for the nnergrolvth,
lhe sou wou d iind somewayto abandonil and passon io a nev/
enl resulls" ncatnalon. Themate al or physicalcarses ol dealhare not ils
is as yet inmost reason ls the spiriluaL
soe or ts tTUecause; its true
262 Chapter-12
necessitylor the evolutionol a new being."
(B) Keyesiddhiprocedures;Leaving behind the iield ol sci-
enlific achievements as well as lailures,wepass onnow lo a
surrmaryconsideration of some oi the attemptsfnadeby man,
startingfrori the other.lhehigher,end ol the rangeol our being.
These occull-spirilualattempisal dehasiddhl,the atlainment
oi pedeclionof lhe materialbody ol man, have in the majolty
oi cases come down to us in lhe lorm ol tradilionsand a lore
whose sourcessometimeshave been lost n the obscureand
remote past ol lhe race.
Thus, in lhe words of lhe Mother,"in a very ancient lradilion,
precedingeventhe VediandChaldeantraditions,therewas already
the questionol a gloriousbody whichwouldbe plasiicenough
Io be conslanllyremodelledby lhe deeperconscrousness, a Amongthe variousatlemptsin lhe pasl fallingintothiscat-
body expressing lhis consciousness,T herewas the quesljonol
luminosityiihe matterconstituting ihe body being able lo be-
corneluminousatwill.Therewas the questionol a kind of light
ness being possiblewhich would enablethe body to move about
in lhe air by merewill-forceand someprocedureof handlingthe
rnnerenergyon so on.'
Some Buddhistkadilionsspeakol lhe Buddha'slemporary
victory over death, Mttyumata.Fhese are based on a Buddhist
beliefthat usi as an arhalcan abandonthe'coefticents ot lile.'
so he can also slop them (sthApayatr. "According lo the
Varbhasikas, the saintsays:'lVaylthe acitonthat is to fipenlor
me in enjoymentripeninglitel'By its nalure,lile is'ripening'
lvipeka), and it can teplaceany enjoymenlwhlch normallyought
lo ripenfrom a formermeril,and which the saint no longerdesfes
and has escapedby his sainthood.By this process,'vanquish-
ng death',the Buddhaprolongedhis lile three monthsfor ihe
salvationof men, and the disciplesernploylhis to assurethe
duralronol the dtamma . This lerm of three monlhs seemsto
be grvenas a maxrmum,ad as lhe mark ol the viotoryot the
Brddha over Mrlyumera, 'l\rara, who is dealh'."'
Atlemptsat Kayasiddhi' 263
Thrsqueslionof a possiblemaximumlimltto the postpone
menl ot deaihis very signilcanl and h ghlygermaneto lhe prob,
lem we havebeendiscussing. For,althoughtherehavebeen in
the past seem ngly a lied ideasand ant crpalion-lhe perfecl
ibrlityol the race,certainTantricsadhanas,the iorl aftera corn-
plele physicalsiddhiby ceriain schoolsof yoga, " lhese have
beenatlemptedlor ihe mostpartas indiviudal personalachieve-
merits, mperlectand precariouslymaintainedby the help ol
Yogasiddhis,and nol as a dharma,nalu'al law,oi the transformed
physcialnature.But mentalor vital occultpowel', warns Sr
Aurobindo,can only bringsiddhisof the hgherplane nlothe
indiviudal life- like lhe Sannyasiwho couldlake any po son
withoulharrn.but he diedola poisonafterall whenhe forgctloo
observelhe condilionsof the siddhi."
egory. menlion may be made ot:
(i) atlempts at dehasiddhilhtoughkebbaicara, conquestol
Time, by cerlajnschoolsoJ Halhayoga;
{ji) atlernpts at lhe attainme^l o1a rcsanayt taru, body with
divinessence, by lhe Raseswarasecl;
(iii) attemptsat skandasiddhimade by certianl,4ahaya
ni Tanlrc
schoolsamonglhe Buddhislq;
(iv) atlempts at keyesiddhiby Nathayogis like I!,latsyendra,
Goraksha,Jalandharanaih and others;
(v) attempts al the elaborai on 01 a bhavadeha by Saha)ya
Vaishnavas.
Bul noneol theseattemptedSiddhisbecameinlrinsrcio the
materialbodyand hencecold nol be madelo endure.As a mat-
ter of tacl,as we shallsee in lhe courseoi our study,"therecan
be no immorta ty of the body w lhout supramenlal salionilhe
polentralilyis therein the yogicforceand yogiscan livelor 200
or 300 years or more, but there can be no real princp e ol lts
withoutthe supramental."5
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Chapter-13

Bitth is the filst spiritual myslety of lhe physical universe,

death B the second which gives its doublepoint of perylexily to
the myslety ol birth; for life, which would otherwise be a selt'-
evdenl fact of existence,becomes itsell a mystery by virlue af
these lwo which seem lo be its beginningand ils end and yel in
a thousand ways betray themselvesas neither of these things,
but ralher intermediatestages in an accull processes ol life,
(Sri Aurobindo, The Life ot Divine,p.742J
Our mortalily is only justilied in the ligh! of our immoftality..
(lbid.,p.681)
lmmartal lile breathe in that monstrous death.
(SriAurobindo,LastPoems,p.43)
Although Death walks beside us on Lile's toad,
A dim byslander at the body's statt...
Other is the riddle ol its ambiguous lace:
Death is a stair, a door, a stutublingstride
The soul must take to cross frcm birth Io birth,
A grey deleat Negnant with victory,
A whip to lash us towatds our deathlessslale.
{Sri Aurobindo,Saylfi', Book X, Canto l, pp.600-01)
To make a terrct ol death
Who smiling beckons us to larther life,
And is a briCge for the persistent breath,
|sl barn of fo y...
(SriALrrobindo,Mofe Poems,p.18)

W" no* to the qirestionof questions,prasnam

"o-"
utfamam,the ultrmateproblemthatall embodiedlitehas lo tace:
268 Chapter'13
Whal rs ttie raisond 6lre of death,this crueland monstrous
lest playedwith immortallife by some mysteriousnecessllyol
thlngs,or by somediabolicalPower,as some in lherrexaspera-
tronwouldliketo declare?
Nachikeias, ihe youngaspiranlol the Kathopanrshad,
asked
Yamalor lhe solulionto thisproblemol dealh-Yamalhe knower
and keeperol lhe cosmicLaw throughwhachthe soul haslo rise
by deathand litetotheireedomoJlmmorlality:Evenwhenasked
byYama.lheLordol Death:"Anolher boonchoose,O Nachikelas;
imporluneme nol, nor urgeme;lhis,lhis abandon,lhe seeking
soul of Nachikelasstoodlirm and declared:"Thisol whichthey
lhus debate,O Death,declareto me, even thal which is in lhe
grealpassage;lhanthisboonwhichentersin inlothe secrellhal
is hrddenlrom us, no otherchoosesNachikeias.
And Gilgameshol lhe ancientBabylonianlore who sel out
on lhe quest afterthe Plantol EverlaslingLile but la led in his
allempt.raisedthe same insisientcry lo the departedsoul ot
Enkidu:'Tellme, my Friend,lell me, reveallo me, lhe myslery
oi dealhl'
As the Motherhasremarked:"Why is lheredeath?Thrsques'
t on has been pul al leastonce in lheir life by all pefsonswhose
conscousnessis awakenedin lhe slightestdegree.In lhe deplh
of each beingthereis sucha needlo prolong,develop,perpelu-
ate lite that conlactwilh death producesa shock, a recorl:In
somesensilivebeingsil produceshorror,in others,Indlgnatrcn.
One asks: What is this monslrousfarce in which one has lo
lake part withoutwishingior il or Lrnderslandrng il? Why lo be
born,i{ ii rs to die?Why all this efiortlor growth,lor progress,lor
lhe dev.lopmeniof iacullies,I it s lo arriveal an rmpovensh_
menl and linaly al dec ne and decomposition?' Some submit
passivey io a tale that seernsinexorable,others revolior, il
theyare ess slrong,despair."
Whiledrscussing lhe necessilyand iuslilicationand the cu'
firnal on and self-fuliment of the processol death.we musl al
'dl
The Myslery ol Lile and Dath
lhe very outsettry lo get rid ot a basicand besetlingerrorof
perspective thattendslo vitiatea properandunbiased evalua-
tionot lhe phenomenon ol death.For,if we cancontemplate lhis
sombrephenomenon, nolfromthe limitedandnecessarily dis-
lortedangleot visionol lhe linileterrorstruck ego-bound indi-
vidual,butfromlhe perspective ol cosmicBecoming,we cannot
taillo discoverthaldealhanddissolution is nolsuchan unmili'
gated evilas it appearsat lirst sightto be. As a matterof facl,
dealh as death has no sepaate ot intrinsic reality: it is there
solelyto servethe purposeol lite.Wecan evengo larlherand
statethat deathis a orocessand ohaseol life itselfand thatlhe
lalter,and by no meansdeath,is lhe fundamenlalall-pervading
lrulhof existence.
But whal is Life,what are its criteria?Biologicalsciences
knowno deliniteanswerlothesequestions.As a matterof fact.
the moreprofoundlymenol sciencehavesoughlto probethe
mysleryol lhe essenceof life,the moreit haseludedtheirgrasp,
so muchso that lile at timesappearsto themto be jmmanently
presenleverywhere, itsovertmanifeslaliondepending uponsome
lavourableconditionswhichaloneSciencecan hopeto sludy
and speciiy.To modernbiologicalthoughtlhere are no uriyer-
sally validctiletiaol lile- Ballledwiththe lask of deliningwhat
a livingorganismis,biologyseeksat timesto proceedin a rounda-
boul way.as in the lollowingdefinilionofferedby Prof.George
E. Hulchinson:
''Thenecessary andsutlicienl conditionIoran objectlo be
recognizable as a livingorganism, andso to be thesubjecl
oi biologicalinvestigation,is that il a discreetmassol mat'
ter, with a detiniteboundary, undergoing conlinualinler-
changeof material withils surroundings withoutmanitest
alteratronol propertiesovershoft periodsol time and, as
ascerlainedeitherbydirectobservations of by analogywith
otherobjeclsof thesameclass,originating by someproc-
essot divisionor fortification fromoneor two pre-exisling
obiectsol lhe samekind.'
 270 Chapter13
. To crle a few observalions reflectingthe sense ol biotogical
predrcamenl belorethe task oJdeljmitingthe tieidof Liieand ot
lMrnd:
(i) "Whilelhere is littledifficultyin tellingwhethera higher
organismts alive,thereis no agreementas lo whal char-
acleristicswould be requiredlor the most primrtiveor-
ganisms in order to call them living."(Prof. Stanley
L.Miller.)
(r) In recenlyears,the "studyol viruseshas becomeinten
sive,leadtngto a blurringof the conceplionoi ihe ,vilal
phenomena.ll is still doubtlulwhethera v rus can be
describedas livingand,tndeed,as to whal we meanby
iiiing."(Prol.CharlesSinge0
In lacl, as the fainlglimmerings ol recentscientiircresearch
suggesl and spriritualexperienceand vision certity, Life reveals
rtseltas essentially the sameeverywhere laomlhe atomlo man,
thq atofi conlainingthe subconsciousstutl and rnovemeniot
beingwhichare releasedinloconsciousness in the an mal.with
plant lile as a midwaystage in lhe evolution.Lile s reallya
unrversaloperationoi Conscious-Force actingsubccnsciously
on and in lvlatter;it is the ope.alionthat creales,mainlains.de,
slfoys and re-createsforms or bodies and attempts by play of
nerve-lorce,that is to say, by currents of interchangeol stimu-
latrngenergyto awakeconscioussensationin lhose bodies. In
this operationlhere are threestages;the lowest s that in wh ch
lhe v brationis stillin the sleepol Matterentirelysubconsclous
so as l0 seem wholly fiechanical;the middle stage ts thal in
wh ch rl becomescapableol a responsestill submentalbut on
lhe vergeol whal we knowas consciousness; the higheslis thal
In whrch liJe develops conscious menlalily in lhe lorm of
ame,ntally perceplible sensalronwhichIn thtslransl on beco,r-es
lhe bas s lor lhe developmenlol sense-mtnd and .-te ligence.ll
s In lhe middlestage lhal we catch the idea ol life as distin-
gu shed trom Matterand lviind,but in realityit is lhe same in all
The Mysleryol Life and Dealh 271
lhe slages.'Thus, "thereis no break,no rigidlineol demarcalion
betweenthe earth and the meial tormed in rl or belweenlhe
meta andlheplant and...thereis none eilherbetweenthe ele_
menlsand alomsthal constitute lhe earthor metaland lhe metal
or earlh that they constltule. Each step ol this gradedex sl
enceprepareslhe nexl,holdsin ltselJwhal appearsin thatwh ch
iollowsit. Lite is everywhere, secrelor manilest,organisedor
elemental,involvedor evolved,bli universal.all-pervading, im'
perishable; only its tormsand organisingdilter"
1 s this prana sarvAyusam"the omnipresent Lile lhal has
rnaniiesledand nhabilslhe malerialuniverse"lhatlhe Mother
has in view when she relets in one of her articleslo " a few
lundamenlalnolions...needed to help us n our endeavour:lo
conqueflhe fear ol dealh.As she says:
"The lrst and the mosl importanlthing is to know thal ,te a
one and immottal.Onlv the lorms, counllessin number,are
transientand brittle.This knowledgeone musl eslablish
securelyand permanently in the mind,and as lar as poss-
b e one nrustidentifyone'sconscousnesswilh the lifeev-
erlastingthat s independenloi any form but manifestsii-
sell in a iorms.Thisgivesthe indispensable psychological
basrslrom wherelo facethe problem.
''Lilethen does not die;bul the tormsare dissolve,and il is
lhat physicalconsciousness
lhis dissolution lears- And yel
lhe form changes conslanllyand there is nolhinglhal de'
barsthis changelrom being progressrve. Thispragressive
changealone can make it possiblelhal death wouldna more
be tnevttable.
Bul since,due to reasonslhal we shall presentlyexplore,
lhis progresschangeoJlhe bodyand the physicalbeingof man,
respondingfullyto the demandsmade upon it by the divineIn_
cou d nol be
habilaniin His inlinitelyprogressive sili-bocomtng,
so lar ellectuated.deathhasbeen puttorwardand madelo play
rts roe as an agent ol life ilself lo serve the ends al cosmtc
 The Mysteryol Lrle and Death 213

Deathat the Serviceof lile

Thatdeathis nomorelhanatemporarycurlainplacedagainst I have given three thy awfulshape ol dread
elenallile - morejanuavilae- or thal dealhis butthe obverseol And lhy sharp sword of lerror and grief and pain
the coinof Liie,as hintedby the Osirianl\,4ysleries, has been To force lhe soul af man to struggle fot light
knownlo the mystics lhroughout theages.Thisknowledge has On the brevily ol his half-consciousclays
beenvariously given expressions
literary ol which a lew repre_ Thou arl his spur to grealness in his wolks
sentaliveonesmaybe citedhere: The whip to his yeaning for eternal bliss
His paignant need of immattallY.
(i)"Deathis lifel'(Novalis) Live. Death, awhile, be slill my instrument
(ii)"Lileis deaihand Dealhis lile" (Euripides)
(iii)"AllDeathin Natureis Bi h, andin Dealhitsellappears {sri Aurobindo,Saviri, BookX' CantolV p 666l
visiblylhe exaltationol Lite."{Fichle) fhis world was built by Death lhat he night live Wilt lhou
(iv) "Forbirthhalhin itselfthegern ol dealh. abaljsh death? Then tile loo will petish. Thou can nat abolish
dealh, but thou may transformit into a grealer ltvtng'
Bul deathhaihin iiselJthegermot birth '
]f Life alane were and not death' Ihere could be na immoral'
Fortheyaretwainyetone,andDealhis Bitlh" ity... Death transt'ormedbecomes Life that is lmmartaltty
(FrancisThomsoni"Odeto the SettingSun") (Sri Aurobindo'fhaughts and Apharisms)
(v) 'LiteandDeath- twocodpanionswho relieveoneanother When the earlh will not need ta die in order to progtess'
in theleadingol thesoulto ils journey's
end"
lhere willbe no mate death.
(PaulRichard) (The Mother,Builelin,VoIXV No 3' p 47)
(vi) "Liie[is]a figureof deathandDealhol life" ' ! am lmmattality as well as Death.
(SriAurobindo'EightUpatishads' p 51-ln)
(SriKrishnain BhagavadGita , lX 19)
So we seethatthe opposition thatourmenlality makesbo_
The bodys deathis a verilableinstrumenlservlngthe Inler_
tween lite and deathis no more than an error ol perspeclrve
ests ol perpelualyevo ving lile lndeed'as we shallsee in lhe
broughtaboutby thesuporficial viewof ihingsdeceived by the
course ol our st,jdy,given the imperlectand limitedselJ-cabined
appearances. As a matleroJlacl,deathis theresimply serve
to
instrumental capaciiyandcapabliiyoJman,ihe processof death
thepurpose ol substance
ot lile,anddisintegration nolessthan
has becomenecessaryas a meansand salularyin its effect'
renewalof substance, changeoilom no lessthan malnlenance otlorm islhesole immortalily lo whrch
beca!se"elernalohange
ot lorm are the consiantprocessol lile itself Dealhis the vaull- the Iin le lrvingsubstance can aspire and elarnalchange ol ex_
ing-board thatlifehaschosen inorderlopassirombirthto greater perence the sole inlinity to which the iinite mind involved In
birth,lilllhehourcomes whentherewillbe iiv ng body can attain.This change ot torm cannot be allowed lo
"Theend oi Death,the deathof lgnorance rem;rn merelya conslanlrenewalol the same iorm_lypesuch
BookXl' Canlol, P 708
(Savil]'t,
274 Chapier'13
as conslilulesour bodiiylilebelweenbirthand dealh;lor unless
the lorm-typeis changedand the experlencingmrndis lhrown
inlonew formsin newcircumstances oJtime,placeand environ-
ment,the necessaryvariationol experiencewhichthe very na-
lure ol ex stencein Time and Spacedemands,cannotbe efJec-
luated. And il is onlyihe processof Deathby dissolution and by
the devouring of life bV Life.ll is only the absence ol lreedom.
lhe compulsion, the struggle,lheparn,lhesubjectronto some'
thing lhal appearsto be Nol-Selfwhich makes this necessary
andsalutarychange appearterrible andundesirable to our moralal
mentalilv
So we see that the shole oersoecliveot our discussionol
the problemof deathhas changed,andwe are ledto the conclu-
sionlhat in lhe as vet imoerlectslatusol Lileso far evolvedand
elaboraledupon earth,deathcannolbe viewedas a denialol
Life,bul as a pfocessol Liie".Indeed,Lile, in ils slill imperlecl
manrleslalion, requireslhe spuaof death in order lo evolveto
progressively higherandhigherformsol exislence.In lhewords
oi SriAurobindo:
"Dealh rs the quesiionNalure puls conlinuallylo Lile and
her reminderto it ihal il has not yet tounditself-ll lherewere no
s ege ol dealh,ihe creaturewouldbe boundlor ever in lhe torm
ol an imperfeclliving. Pursuedby dealhhe awakeslo lhe idea
ot perfectlifeand seeksoui its meansand iis possib ly."
As a matlerot iaci, death has provedlo be highlysalllary,
cerl?inlyto the evolutionof their types ol species,bul also lo
lhe_ndividualsconstituting the speces, lhanks lo lhe spirilual
phenomenon ol soul-rebirth,
Deathservesa beneficialroleforlhe individual
creature,be-
causeit is an indispensablemeans10awaken lhe lattefscon-
in
sciousnesslhe needol perfectionand progression.Indeed,"with-
oul lt, creaiureswouldremaincontentedindelinitelyin lhe condr-
tionwheretheyare,"andit wouldhavebeenwel -n gh rmpossible
1obreaklhe 'deadresistance in the mortal'shear"'and"hisslow
The Mysleryof Lile and Death 27a
inerla as ol livingslone,"ln the luminouswordsol the Mother:
"Opposilesare lhe qurckeslandthe mosteftectivemeansof
lashronng l\,4atterso that it may intens1yiis manifeslalion...In
v pn, o' lhrs. nere s evidel' y a- analogots expeience n 'e-
specl ol whal one calls liie and death. li is lhis krndol'over-
shadowng'ol constantpresenceol Deathand the possibiityol
death, as t is said in Sayilriryou have conslanl companon
lhro!ghoulyour lourneyfrom cradleto grave;you are cease,
lesslyaccornpanied by the menaceor presenceot Dealh. And
alonqw th this there is in lhe cellsan ntensityof lhe call lar a
Pawer of lernily which wouldnot be lhere but t'at this constant
menace.Ihen one understands, one beginslo leel in quile a
concrele manner that allthese things are only ways ol tntensit'y-
ng lhe Malifestation, making it progress, making more and
morepe ect. And if the waysare crude,it is becausethe [/ant-
lestationrlsell is very crude. And as it pertectsitselt,as il
becomesmore lit 10 maniJeslthal which is eternallyprogres-
sive.crudermeanswillbe lefl behindlor subllermeansand lhe
worldwill progress.wilhoutthe needol suchbrutalopposilions.
This is so. simplybecausethe worldjs stillin ils childhoodand
humanconscrousness also is altogetherin ils childhood.
Froma more practicalpoinlof viewtoo,the dispensalion ol
'nalural death
comes indeedas a boon lo the lile-wearyindi,
vrdua In his presentslatusoi ego-boundignoranlconscrous,
ness. Did not the grandfather ot Edisoniind lifetoo longaller a
cenluryand drebecausehe wanledto? ll is onlyd vinisedcon-
scrousness and lilelhat caniind sourcesot perpelua nterestto
keep lhem goingon. For lhe ordinarytime-boundlimlled'l'ol
lhe ind vrdual the very prospectof physrcalirnmorlality would
prove lo be a damnablecurse. In the picl!resquewords oi
''Think
of lhe k nd of lifewhichthese mmortalswouldhave
io ve. Centuryaiier cenlury,millennrum aftermil enniumlhey
wouldsee lhe same everlasting laces,conlronllhe sameever
276 Chapter-13
recurrng phenomena, engagein the same worn-oulexercses,
or lounge dly in the same unchangingslagnalion.They have
drainedeveryspr ng ol knowledge.They haveexhausledevery
sourceof enjoymeni.No dim marvels,no bou4dlesshopes,bckon
lhem iowardsthe fulure,They haveno fulure.They havenoth
Ing but neverendingnow The incessantrepetllron, the unmit-
galed sameness,the eternalmonotonyoi things would grow
horrble and appallingto lhem. The worldwouldbecomea hate-
Iuldungeon,and lile an aMuldoom. What wouldthey not give
lo migrateto some untriedexislencelThey would be lhanktul
even lo lie down lor ever in the attractiveunconscrousness
of
lhe lomb.
The process ol dealh has served the Inleresls nol merelyol
lhe individualsas individuals but of the speciesas well. Was il
nol Goethe who declared:"Dealh is Nature'sexperlcontrvance
to get pleniyol lile"?lndeed,the dealhlessness ol lhe constilr.i-
lrve Individualswouldpreventothersol the same specieslrom
being alive at all. A simple calculalionwould show lhat lhe
descendanls oJAdam,endowedwithphysicalimmorlalrty, would
have doubledeverytwenly{ive years and in that process pro-
duced,in lessthana hundredgenerations, manylrillionsol hu-
man beingsso much so lhal theirbodies,packedlwo or three
deep,and conglomeraied inioone solidmass,wouldhavecov-
eredrl_eenliresurlaceoI lhe planetl
As a malterof facl. the remarkabletruth that lhe natural
ind vidualisa mrnorierm of beingand existsby lhe universal"
and that "lhe individuallife is compeled,and used, lo secure
permanenceraiherfor its spec es thanfor itsel" s borneout by
b o ogicalevidencesthat havebeenspecilicand manilod. The
opinionhas evenbeenexpressedihal all liv ng matteroncepos-
sessedpotentialimmortalilvand deathas a condition,non-ex-
istenlin lhe beginning,was evenluallyadoptedtor lhe s mple
reasonlhal "juslsucha safetyvalvewas necessarylo permilol
the rperpetuationoliherace'.Insteadof going ntoan !nneces-
sary elaboraiionot lhe evolulionaryevidencesin supporlol this
The Myslery of Life and Death 277
hypothesis,we may well quole Jromthe writingsol a lew sa-
vanls,thus bringinglntofocuslhe consensusoi opinionheldby
conlemporarymen of science.
"Liie was describedby Bichatas'the sum ot the funclions
whichresistdealh',bul this is a one-sidedemphasis.For,while
I rs charactefislic
oJorganismslhal they are conlinuallyal work
n securingthe persrsienceof their specificorganizalion,rl s
equallycharacteristic that they spend themselvesin securing
the coniinuanceof thelrkind.(lnsteadol seekinglo avoiddealh.
to speak metaphorically,they often rathet invite il, sacrilicrng
themselvesin producingand providinglorlhenexl generalion.
''Fromlhe standpointof survivalvalueol lhe species,rl
s
desirablelor the individuals oi todaylo give placeeventuallylo
those ol lo-morrow,becauseenvironingconditionsare never
conslanllor exlensiveperiods,and it is onlyby givingthe repro-
ductivevarianlsa changeihal new lilnessmay be established
and prolongedsirrvivalbe madepossible.Insuranceof the wel
iare of lhe speciesls the all-importantaccomplishmenl.'
_llwe couldproducetwo socieliesor two groupsol an rnals,
one ol them beingformedof immorlalindividuals and the olher
oi individuas growrngold and being progressivelyrep aced
throughdealh by new and youngerones, il is wilhouta shadow
ol doubllhatlhe secondgroupwouldbe the hardierandsirongef
ol the two.'
"Frornlhe pointof vlewof evolutionaryhistory,dealhhas nol
been the primaryphenomenoniil is ralhera late-comeron the
scene,appeaflngnot so much as an intrnsic and absolulene-
cessilyinherng in the very essenceot livingmatter,as ihrough
a processol progressive'selection'in adaplalon lo the weliare
oi the species.A hidousanddreadfulevilforthe indvidual,dealh
has provedsalLriary for lhe species,srnce,thanksto rtsagency,
lhe speciescan conlinually renovaleand revitarze tselflhrough
lhe inlroductionol youngerand rnorerobuslrndivdualsrep ac-
rnglhe worn-oulones.'
274 Chapter,t
3 The Mysleryol Lile and Dealh 279

We are herediscussinglhe benefitlhat accrueslo the spe- of all inlra-humansDecies.it is nol at all so in the caseol man.
cies ihroughthe generalprocessol death of the constituting For,as has beennotedand commenleduponby someobserv-
individuals.Bul modernbiologicallhoughthas gone furtherto ers,manis uniqueamonglivingbeingsin havinga dispropoF
suggestthe astonishing viewthallhe'speciiicpolentiallile-span' tionately long,andJromonepointof viewbiologically useless,
ol the individualslorminga particularspeciesdoes nol depend posl-reproduclive phasein thelile-cycle. Theimplication is ob-
solely,or even primarily,upon lhe physiological factorsarising vio!s:theindividual manis noltheresolelyto fulfil
the inteiesls
rnlhe individualstakenin isolation,bul is ralhergovernedby the of therace.lndeed, wilhlheappearance of manupontheearth-
globalnecessilyoflhespecies. Thus,in the viewof Prof.J.Arthur scenethe evolutionhas docisively changedits processand
Thomson, naluraldealh is not to be thoughtof as like lhe run- bourse.Up lillth6 adventol manthe organicevolllionwasel'
n ng down ot a clock. ll is morclhan an individualphysialogical fectedthroughlhe automaticoperation of Naturewithoulthecon-
prablem; it is adjusled in reference lo the welfare af the spe- sciouspafticipation ot any livingbing,in the {ormof its self-
cres...Thereis goodreasonfor regarding occurrenceof deathat awarewillor seeking, aspiralion or endeavour. 8!l in manthe
a parliculartime as adaptive." livingcreaturehastorthe firsttimebecomeawakeandawareot
Metalnikovexpresseslhe sameideawhen he declareslhal himselt;he has felt that there can be a higherstatusol con-
''the individual sciousness thanhisown;lhaspiration to exceed andtranscend
cells are as a rule polentiallyimmoral,but the
limitationof thisprincipleof immortality
in the caseof the higher himselfis'delivered andarliculate'in him. ll hasthusbecome a
lorms oJorganismsapparentlyoccursnol so much due to indi- praclicalpropositionlhal in mana conscaous evolutjonmay re'
vldualphysiological exigenciesas to some unspecifred supra, placethe subconscious and subliminalevolltionso far adopted
ndividualcauses (causessurlndividuelles." by Nature.
Dr.J.A.VButlerseekslo specitythissupra-indrvidua cause Theappearance ot manonlhe earth-scene hasbeonindeed
of naluraldecayand deathin the lollowingterms: a uniqueeventin lhe gralprocessof cosmicBecoming, and
''Itwouid his rolein the universe is verilycapital. For, "tothe Life-Spirit,
seem lhal the lite span is determinedby the inter-
play of two eflects,the necessityol livrngong enoughlo start the indivlduain whomils potentialities centreis pre"eminently
oll the new generation and, havingpertormedlhe task,the fact {\,4an,the Purusha.lt is theSonol Manwhois supremely capa'
bleol incarnating God. ThisNlanis the N,lanu,lhe thinker,the
lhal a furlher Helime is unnecessaryand, in many respecls,
harmlullo lhe well-beingand development ol lhe spectes.lt s Manomaya PurJsha,menlalpersonor soulin mindof lhe an-
quitepossiblethat mechanismsexistin organisrnswh ch bflng cienisages,No meresuporior mammalis he,bul a conceptiv
aboulthis limitalionof ihe lifeperiod,whenthe biologically use- soulbasingitselfonlhe animalbodyin Matter.He is conscious
ful periodis over,bul we do nol knowwhal lhese mechanisms Nameor Numenacceplrng andutilisingformas a hediumthrcugh
whichPersoncandealwithsubstance.'
li these views represenledlhe wholelruth ol lhings,lhere Also."lhe ascentto lhg divineLile is the humanjourney,lhe
couldbe no possibilitywhatsoeverol increasinglhe lile-spanoJ Work ol works,lhe acceptableSacrifice.This alone is man's
prolonging realb{rsiness in lhe worldandlhe iustilication of hisexislence,
man.nol to speakoJindefinitely hislife. Bul although
without whichhewouldbeonlyas insectcrawling amo!ngolher
the aioresardbiologicalconclusionis probablyvalid n the case
eohemeral insectson a spockot surlacemudandwalerwhich
2aa Chaplef-13 The l,4yslery
ol Lrfeand Dalh 241

has managedto iorm ltselfamidthe appallng mmensiles oi ihe be done away withinthe life oi the individual,and cosmlcLife
physicaluniverse. can lu I itsell n a contlnuouslyprogressiveway,we seek lo
f nd out lhe basicmelaphysical iactorsthat renderthe adventoi
And this adds lor man a new dimensionlo the problemol
dath nevitablein the lile o{ a humanbeing. And for thal we
dealhand earthlyimmortaliiy.For,allhoughwe haveseenthal
may very well starl wilh the suggestiveconc usionsarrivedat
the naluralopposilion we are apl1omakebetweenlileanddeath
by contemporaryscientificresearchesin this field, not indeed
is an efior of the habilualmyopicconsciousness of man, an
as probalivebut only as iliustrative
oi the natureand processof
opposiiion"falselo innertruthlhoughvalid n surtacepractcal
Lrleand Dealh.Thrs approachis not allogetherLnjusiilied;for
experence", and also that "deathhas no realilyexceptas a
a- S r Ar'oo oo l-d" so clearlypo nled oJI:
pfocessoi fe", yel, the queslionremains:if death is not the
lundamental trulhot experience, if it is to be regardedas a proc_ "Scienceand metaphysics (whetherIoundedon pure intel-
ess ol 1e lselfin the latter'sstillimpe ect statusof self'unlold- lectualspeculation or, as in India,ultimately on a splritualvision
ing, does nol man, so iar the highesternbodiment ol evo v ng oi thingsand spiritualexperiencehave each rts own province
lile, possessthe capacty and capabilityot outgrowinglhal im' and methodol inquiry,Sciencecannoldiciateits conclusons
perlectstatus,andthusrendering the processof deathno longer to metaphyscs any morethanmelaphysics can imposeiis con-
a practca necessilyand hence eliminabe from his lndivdual c usronson Science- Slill if we acceptthe reasonablebeliel
le? thal Beingand Naturein all theirstateshavea syslemof corre-
spondences expressive of a commonTruihunderlying them,it s
Aiter all a rnovementoi progresslhai needsio be accom perrnissble to sLlppose that lrulhs of the physicaluniversecan
p shed throughrepeatedand radicalshuilling ol moltallorms,
ihrow sornelight on the nalureas well as lhe processoi lhe
th!s necessitating lhe appearanceof dealh, s nol a'game lhat
Force thal is aclive in the universe- not a completelight,for
s lundamentally conslrucliveor intrnsica y desrrabe. As the physicalScienceis necessarilyincompleteir the range oi ls
Motherhas observedwhile discussingthe queston ol lhe ne-
inqu ry and has no clueto the occultmovementsol the Force."'
cessityol dealh:
''She her successivelrials.
[Nature]lovesher meanderings,
hef deleals,her recoTnmencement, her new invenlions, She
joveslhe capricesot lhe way,the unexpecledness oi the expe-
r ence One mighta most say lhat for her the ongef lhe time it
1akes,ihe more il is amusing.
"B!l yougel trredevenwiththe besl ol games.Therecomes
a iime when one has needlo chanqe.
'And yo! dreamo{ a game in wh ch 1' no langerbe nec
essary to destray in order ta praqress.
And sincewe are asslrredby SrlAurobindoand the Mother
that.grventhe lullilmentol a certan sel ol cond t ons deathcan
 ,c
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Chapter-14

AlthaughGod madethe wo d for his delight,

An ignorantPowettookchargeand seemedhis Will
And Death'sdeepfalsityhas mastercdLife.
(SriAurobindo,
SayllrlBookX, Cantolll, p.629)
Deathis the canstantdenialby the AII of the ego'sfalse
self limitatian in the individual frame ol mind, life and body.
(SriAurobindo,lsha Upanishad,p.1A3)
It was the conditionsof matteruponearth that havemade
deathindispensable.The wholesenseafthe evolutionol Mattel
has beena grcwth froma firststateaf unconsciousness la an
increasingconsciausness,,, A fixedfom was neededin order
thatlhe organisedindividual consciousness mighthavea slable
support.And yet it is this lixity of the lo n that made death

lcanversationsof the l,4otheLp. 58)

How couldthal escapedeathwhichlivesby death?
(PaulFichard,The courageaf Chtist., p.1a6)

A. First Factor : The Part against the Whole

Theindividual lile,emerging as a tiniteandephemeral wave
in the bosomoi lhe'AlljForce'that is governing the world,has
constantly to bearthedisrupling impactoJlhe laller.In orderto
secureoermanence tor ilsell,it hasperforce to contendw th this
All-Force and establish its harmony withit. Bulalthoughit is a
fact that Life is powet,veyurugni,and thal lhe growthol the
individual lifebringsin itswakea corresponding increaseot the
286 Chapter'14 MelaphysrcalFaclors of Dealh 247

individual power,still,in thenatureof things,

"il is impossible for devouredor is unableto renewilsellandtherelorewasledaway
a divided andindividualised consciousnesswitha divded.indi- or brokenirl hasto go throughlhe processol dealhtor a new
v dualised andtherelore limitedpowerandwillto be masterof conslTlrct
on oTrenewal."
the All-Force; onlythe Allwill can be thal and the ndividuai
only,it at all,by becoming againonewilhtheAll-Wlll andthere- C.ThirdFactor:Aclionand Reaction
lorewiththeAll-Force. Otherwise, theindividual litein lhe ind- Lifeby its verynatureis sellexpansive and the individual
vidualformmustbe alwayssubiectto the lhreebadgesof ils liteformsno exception to lhisrule.Thus,eventhoughlimiledin
limilation,Death,Desireand Incapacity." capacilyanddeficient in resources, il altempts, consciously or
subconsciously, lo extendils swayoverlhe environment. Bul
B, Second Factor: The Parl againsl All Other Parts this envrronment is not a merevacuum,nor is it a masspas-
Thedivided andindividualisgd liferepresenls bulonevorlex sively yield ng to any pressure hom outside.Occultlyviewed.
amongst a countless numberoi similarvortices pulfolthby the thrs ookslikean arenaswarming withinnumerable enliliesand
AllForce,sarva-kratu, manifesting intheunivelse.lt is no betler powersthalloo in theirlurn are constantly seekingto sell-ex-
lhan"a particular playot enelgyspecialised to constilule,main- pand,and hencebecome"intolerant of, revollagainstandatlack
tain.energise andtinallyto dissolve rts
when ulrlrtyfs over.one the exislence whichseekslo mastertherlr.
of the myriadfo.mswhichall serve,eachin ils ownplace,time ln lhrs way,a very adversereactionis sel up in lhe milieu
a^d scope.lhe wholeplayof lhe universe. againsllheencroaching andimpacling individual Ile and how-
Now,in thiswellerof rn!lually jostlinglragmenled lilejorces, everslrongthemastering lite,unlesseilherit is unlimited
or else
theenergyot lifeimprisoned in a particular indrvidualframe has succeeds in establishing a newharmony with is environmenl,
constantly to withsland the mutlipronged altackscominglrom ii cannota waysresisiand trilmphbul mustone day be over
all around.Indeed,tor eachindividual lile it lurnsout 1obe a comeanddisintegaled."
ruthlessbattleof one againslall. And the cosmicmovemenl
seemslo takethe formof acrcal{ungel mahebubhukse, wherclr, D. Fourth Factor: Lile the Consumer
eachseparateliJeis tryinglo preyuponlhe energyol olheraives Whal rs lhe relalionbelweenlhe subslantiallorms and lhe
by leverishly seeking1odevourand feedon them.Bul in the pervading litelhatcreatesandmainlains them?In thelanguage
occultdispensation of lhings,a limiledexislence cannolbe an ol the Upanshad,the lije-lorceacl as ihe anna,lood,of the
'eater,'
anneda,all the while,withoutat lhe sametrmeserving body,andat thesametimeit usesupthe bodyas iis ownfood.
as'lood'.anra lo others. in olherwords,thelite-energy
inlhe individualcreature con-
Thus,"lheliteorganis6d in lhe bodyis constantly exposed tinuallyprovidesthe necessary stuftand malerials
with which
to the possibilityof beingbroken up by the attack ol the lile theformsarebeingbuiltup,maintained andrenewed lhrougha
externalloil or, itsdevouring capacity beinginsullicient or nol processofdynamicequilibrium.Butat thesamelime.as a reverse
properlyservedor iherebeingno rightbalancebetweenlhe operalion,theself-imprisoned
lile-energy inihelimiledindividual
capacityol devouringandthe capacilyor necessilyol providing drawsuponthe substantiai slutlof its own creation, in an al-
iood Jorlhe lile outside.it is unableto oroleclitselfand is lemotio reolenish its ownlund.
288 Chapler-14
Thus,in lhe matrixol the individual
body,thereis a constant
and conlrnuouslwo-way llow ol ene.gy: liJe{orcesupporling lhe
physrcalstabrlly,and the materialbody supplyinglhe needsol
lile.But lhis is nol alwaysdone in harmony;ralher,lileand body
oflen acl as "co-wives",sapahelivyedhino,6alllingagarnsleach
olher to the delrirnentol bolh.The aioresaidstale ol reciprocal
maintenanceconsilules theretorea highly unslabe slate o1
eqdilibrlum,apt lo be easilydislurbedand brokenbecauseol
th s lack ol innerharmonyand a so owingio the essenliallimr'
tat on of ihe liie"energyin lhe ego-boundseparativend vidual
Now," i lhe balancebelweenlheselwo operalronsis imper-
lecl or rs disturbedor if the orderedplayol the dijlerentcurrenls
ol liiejorce rs lhrownout ot gear,thendiseaseand decayinler-
vene and commenceslhe processol disinlegration.
Over and abovethis,whenappeaGon lhe sceneand seeks
lo grow and developin lhe individualframe,it createsan addi-
lionalslrainon lhe body and the maintenanceoi lile becomes
proportionalelyprecanous,For,"thereis an increasingdemand
of ihe le-energyon lhe lorm, a demandwhich is in excessoi
ihe ong nal systemot supplyand disturbslhe orig nal ba ance
ol supp y and demand,and beforea new balancecan be eslab-
lished,many dlsordersare inlroducedinimlcal1o the harmony
and to the lengthot mainlenanceol the llie."
E. Fifth Factor:War of the Members
To a superficialview ol things,the individualman seems
rndeedlo be a singlewhole, undividedin consciousnessand
nlegraledin will.Bul a deeperproberevealslhe disconcerting
Iacl lhal, in lhe presentstateol his evolulionarydevelopmenl,
man'sbeingand nalurers nol all ol one kind,oJone piece,'but
rathera complexand helerogenerous amalgamol manyelemenls,
nol a I of them harmonisedand co ordinatedin their urqesand
wletaphysicalFaclors ol Dealh 249
purs
Thus il is thal in lhe compassol an individualexistence,
thefe exislsan acutediscordand disparilyin the contrarysell-
drlvesof the lhree evolulionaryformations,[,4atier,Lile and Mind
lnslead ot being anyonyabaddhabehu,each one ollering lhe oih-
ers its helping hands, and grhiakantha,all seized and governed
by the divineLord inlhesupremelyharmoniouscosmicDance,
fesarla,lheylry to go theirown separateways,in iotaldisregard
ol lhe stressesand slrainslhey are apl lo intlictuponthe olher
parls, in lheir whimsicaseparaieswirls.
In partrcular,-andthis is very muchperlinenllo our discus-
sion,-"the Lle rs at war with body; it attemplsio iorce I lo
satislylrle'sdesires,impulses,satisJactionsand demarldsfrom
its limriedcapacilywhal couldonly be possiblelo an immortal
and drvinebodyi and lhe body,enslavedand lyrannisedover.
suifers and is in conslanldumb revoltagainstthedemandsmade
upon rl by the Lile'
The mind on its parl is engagedin war bolh againslthe lile
and ihe body.And lhe consequences of ihis ballleof the mem-
bers,this nternecinewar of attritioninlohe being,cannolbul be
dlsaslro!slor the prolongedmainlenance of the embodied le.
F. Sixth Factor: lmperfecl Poise of Consciousnessand
Force
The ind vidualselfor berngis in essenceone wiihthe Div ne
and s secrety awareof ts divinepotentialilles.ln manifestation
il assumesthe aspeclol Purushaor consclousbeingsupporling
lhe Prakritior Nalurelhat is the executiveside ot Chil-Shakli.
Thrsone and uniqueBeingprojectsilselfon each planeoi
nature,inlo he lorm of a represenialivePrushaor beingthat is
properto that particularplane.Thus, in man, lhere is a menlal
beingcorrespondrng to the menlal nalure,a vital being corte_
spondingio the vla natureand a physicalbeingansweringto
294 Chapter-14
the ohvsicalnalure,
Now in the evolulionaryemergenceso lar ellectualedhere
upon earth,the dual aspectof chit-shakti-the aspectol con-
sciousnessand the aspeclof Jofce-have nol quitemarchedin
slep,lhuscreatinqadeleterious divisionbetweenthe demandol
the consciousbeing,Purusha,and the capacitiesol the lorceol
nature,Prakriti-Shakti.
In man,Jorexample,there is not onty a
d visionand conllictbelweenthe diversedemandsand pullsol
lhe mental,the vitalandthe physicalbeings, but what is worse,
each ol lhem is also dividedagainslitsell.
Thus, "the capacityo{ the body is lessthan the capacilyoi
lhe inslinctive
soulorconscious bejng,the physicalPrushawithjn
il, lhe capacilyof lhe vital lorce less than lhe capacityof the
rmpulsivesoul,the vital consciousbeing or Purushawithinit,
the capacily of the mental energylesslhan the capacity of the
Inlelleclualand emotionalsoul,lhe mentalPurushawithtnit, For
the soul is the inner consciousness which aspiresto ils own
completesell-realisationand theretorealways exceedslhe indi-
viduallormalionoi the moment,and the Forcewhrchhas laken
rls poise inthe lormationis alwayspushed by its sout to that
which rs abnormalto the poise,lranscendentof it; lhus con-
slanllypushedil has muchtroublein answering,modern evolv-
1g trom lhe presenrlo a greatercapacily
Now lhe questionis: how lo solvethis probtemof division
belweenconsciousness and force?Mind,as it grows,triesin its
own limltedway lo resolvethe resultant
conflicts,mosllythrough
a processot makeshiltcompromise.But this ad hoc solulions
no solr.riionat all. and mind tails miserablyin the end. As a malter
of fact, lhe problemcannoibe solvedon lhe ptaneof the mind.
lor essenliallythis is a queslionot satislyingin full the nlinite
asp ralronof an immorlalbeing,-the secretgodhead,the em-
bod ed Divine-lodgedin the continesof a mortalliie and body.
Hence,the mind of man, baffledby the immensilyof ihe task,
g ves up the atlemptin a moodof desperation "eitherby submis-
l,{etaphysical
Factorsol Dealh 291
sionwithlhe materialisllo lhe modaliiyof our apparentbe ng or
withthe asceticand the regionalist
bythe rejectionand condem_
nationol the ea hly liie and wilhdrawallo happierand easier
tieldsof existences.
G. Sevenlh Factor: The lnfinite as a Summalion of lhe
Finite
Now we come to the last lact,-indeed, the mosl crucial and
lundamenlaloJ all,-that necessitales and justiliesthe presence
ol oeath nlhe actual state ol evolutionaryprogression.For, il
arises lrom the basic "necessity ol lhe nalure and objecl ol
embodiedlile itself,which is lo seek infinileexperienceon a
linile basis."
Indeed,this slupendouscosmicBecominghasJorits secret
purposeand goal the discoveryand enjoymeni,in Spaceand
Time,of all that alreadyexisisbeyondTime and Space.And in
this cosrnic D.ama, visvaJile,
The soul is a figureof the Unmanifest,
The mind labourslo lhink ihe lJnthinkable,
The lile lo call lhe lmmorlalinto birth.
The body lo enshrinethe llliumilable.
But, in the as yet imperfectelaboralron of evolulionary pos
ihe form and the basislhroughwhichand upon which
sibrlilies,
the individualsoul sourredbv its secrelsense of divineinfini'
lude seeksto build up its inliniteexperience,is by its very or_
ganrzationlimltedand rigid,thus circumscribing the posslbility
ol experience,ln the conditionsol existence as al presentpre-
vailing,this inliniteexperienceon a finitebasisbecomesat all
teaslbleonlVlhroughthe successiveassumptjonand dissolLr_
tion ol an inliniteseriesol forms ln the wordsof Srl Aurobindo:
"The soul,havingonce limiteditsellby concentratlng on the
momentand the field,is drivento seek iis inlinityaga n by the
principe ol succession, by addingmomentto momenland tflus
storing up a Time-experience whichit callslls pasl;in lhatTime
292 Chapler.l4

rt moveslhroughsuccessiveJields,successiveexperiencesor
lives,successiveaccumulations of knowledge,capacity,enjoy-
nenl and all lhis rl holds in subconscrous or superconsc'oJs
memoryas rts lund ot past acq!is lion in Time.To this process
change of lorn rs essenlial,and ior the soul nvolved n ndl-
vrdualbody changeot lorm meansdissolutionof the body,",
We havecompletedour studyoi lhe metaphysics of Deathi
vr'ehave seen lhe necessityand juslificalionlor lhis processof
Nature,not indeedas a denialofLife,but as the processol Liie
itseli.For lo repeatin part what we havequoiedbefore,"dealh
rs necessarybecauseelernalchangeof form is the sole immor-
talily lo which the ,rlle living substance can aspire and elernal
changeof experlencelhe sole infinilylo wh ch the linte mind Chapter-15
invalved in living body can allain."
Such rs lhen the problemol death;and once the problemis
The Physiologyof
kncrvnIn rrs'undamenla' nalure,lne solultonmustbe torlhcom-
ing inlhemarchof the spiril.Indeed,lhe italjcised
portionsot the
Senescenceand Death
above crlaliona ready suggestthe possibleclues lo tt.
 Chapter-1S

On lile was laid the haun ng lingerof Death.

(Srj Aurobindo,Savitti,Book , CantoV . o 203)
A brcath of disillusionand decadence
Corrupting watchedfor Lile,6matutity
And made to rct the lull grain ol the sout:
Progrcssbecamea purveyorol Death
llbid., Book , CantoV[, p. 204)
"Thisis the scientific view of death. But it teavesdeath with
allit mystery,withallils sacrectness; weare not in the leas!abte
to theprcsenttimeto say what le is -stilltess, F)erhaps, what
death is. We say of cettainthings-they are ative;of certain
othe6 - they are dead;bul whatthe dillerencemay De,whatE
essenllalto thesetwo slat6s,science6 ulte y unablelo b u;
at the prcsenItitne."
(Dr.Minot,Age, Growthand Death)

T
I he phenomenon ol sentledecayand naluralctealhhas
remained lill thisdatean insolubleriddleto science.We have
willy.nillycometo acceplthe tacl that all thingsbornmustljve
lor a while,growoldwithtimeandeventually dje.Butphysiology
knowsno reasonwhy lhe bodyshouldineluclablywear out in
lhisway.As Dr Maurice Vernethasso kenchany poiniedoul.
"Biologically speakingand jn naturalcondations,that is io sav.
accidenlal vrolence beingexcluded, lhereshouldnotand need
not havebe endealhat all...Viewed fromths aspectof the bodv.
dealhseemslo us to be altogelher meaningless (unron-seas
 Chapter-15

Thesameideahasbeenexpressed in differentwaysby some

other eminenl medical authorities as well: e,9,,
"Thereis no physiologicalreasonal the presentday why
menshoulddiel'(Dr.WilliamA. Hammond)
"Sucha machine as lhe humanframe,unlessaccidenlally
depraved or injuredby someexternalcause, wouldseemiormed
for perpeluity. (Dr.GerDan Medical Prospectus)
\i) Lawof oryanisation-All life realisesin timeand n space
a specificorganisation whena characteristic oJlhe species con-
cerned, ol course under normal condilions,
(ii) Lawof assimilation-Alivingorganismhaslhe powerlo
lranstorm and makesimilarto ils ownsubstance lhe naterials
that it borrowslrom its environmenlas its nulrition
liii\ Lawof rcgulation-Whatevermaybe the quanlrtyot lhe
qualityof exchangeoperationsthat a livingorganrsmsels up
withthe suroundingworldan incossantregulation inlerveneslo
maintaintheorganisation in lhe specificequilibriumol its rhythms'
founctionsand tissuecomposition.
(iv) Lawol reproduction-Even livingbeing,undernormal
conditions, possessesthe Powerto self-reproduce itselfin
enlicallY.
lvJ Law of specilicity- Every livingJormis, in ils lunda_
mentalexcitability (response), specificeto the speciesto whrch
i1belongs.
lvi) Lawol revesibility- Foreverynewexistence, thereoc'
cursa cyclicreiurnlo the stateol indiflerentiation, and,lhrough-
out the cou.seol lite,theremanifestsa tendencylocomeback
to lhe lundamenlal equitibrium slaleol the species
Wilhoutseekingto elucidaletheselawso{ life in terms in'
telligible readers,lelus concentrale
lo non-screnlitic onlhesecond
Iawalone.For,it is this lawol assimilation thal proves suliicient
by ilseltto characterisea livingbody,and it is perphapssome