Satyameva Jayate Naanritam (Truth alone wins, not untruth)

There is the lower truth and there is the higher truth. The lower truth is that the following of disciplines prescribed in the scriptures with the right desire (for true knowledge) produces pleasant results like heaven after earth, but getting deluded by such temporary good results and thinking of these results as the highest leads to further bondage via attachment to the fruits of actions. The higher truth is that of the Imperishable One - the formless, all-knowing source of all, which cannot be grasped or perceived the way we can grasp and perceive the objects of the senses. To know that Highest, the taintless (the unerring, those who follow the right disciplines with the right attitudes) should make the Pranava (Omkar) a bow and the (individual) soul an arrow sharpened by meditation, hit the target (the eternal One) and stay merged with it the way an arrow does after hitting its target. The universe itself (including its pleasant and unpleasant things) is but like a web woven by a spider, which the spider (God) projects out of Himself and later withdraws back into himself every now and then. The lower truth of the individual soul working its way in this universe is very much a creation of the Higher Truth, and merges back into the Higher when it truly sees (realizes) the Higher. The Higher One, while being omnipresent and farther than the farthest for the individual, nevertheless remains closer than the closest too (by being seated in the very heart of the individual). This bright self, the reflection of the One Above, is attainable through truth, concentration, and purification of the intellect through the right austerities and the right knowledge. In fact, truth alone wins, not untruth. Truth opens for the seeker "the path of the Gods" so to speak. This is the path by which the desireless seers (rishis) ascend to that highest abode where lies the greatest treasure attainable through truth (the Supreme Reality, God).

Such is the purport of the various sections of the Mundaka Upanishad, which very much talks of the supreme search of man, i.e., the search for the Eternal. Indeed it is my objective here to bring out this first meaning of "satyameva jayate", which seems evident upon going through the translations of the mantras of the upanishad. Truthfully following practices learned from the enlightened teachers is required for realization of the Higher Truth. However, what many people might not know (as I did not until recently) is that in interpreting these verses, no less a teacher than the great Adi Shankaracharya says that "it is a familiar fact in the practical world that the untruthful man is defeated by a truthful one" and therefore, the way truth is a higher power in practical life, so is it here, on the path to true spiritual progress. This remark by the great teacher should be enough for us to get away from the nagging thought that truth is perhaps "only" for the spiritual path and not for practical life.

As a prescription for life, fine, but isn't "satyameva jayate" also supposed to be a "fact" of life too? The upanishad says clearly that it is a fact of spiritual life, but who can attest to the same for practical life? Could not the lifestyle of a liar (untruthful person) be sometimes better that that of an honest person and in that sense, could not the liar be said to have "won"? Could not a liar have "won" a court case by producing false evidence?

Well, yes and no. No, because a slightly wider definition of "winning" would make it clear that the statement is almost impossible to test and verify in the world. If winning in life includes peace of mind, health, respect from the learned, etc., then there is no surety that the untruthful winner of the court case has truly won in life. Yet, if we insist on focusing purely on that one "game" - that particular court case where the untruthful got away with false evidence - then yes, under that very specific definition of winning, the untruthful would be called the winner of the battle.

In his essay on the nature of "karma", Shrimat Swami Hariharaananda Aaranya has conceded this point openly, and has in fact clearly stated that when a seemingly innocent person gets robbed, etc., we cannot automatically put the blame on a past life where the innocent man had committed an equivalent crime. In fact, he says, the main reason behind losing that particular battle is the huge effort made by the robber in developing the power and proficiency to steal, in planning and executing the same, etc., relative to the somewhat smaller effort made by this innocent person in taking preventive steps. Even an alert person cannot be expected to make efforts in all such directions, and therefore, a "loss" on some such dimensions should in fact be expected by the innocent, who organize their efforts based on their own priorities and understanding as of that time.

Yet, says the Swami, the moment we realize that the simple meaning of "winning" or "losing" is to win or lose what we "really want", it is clear that in this very simple sense, the truthful really never lose - even in the face of such events as the robbery mentioned above. When we speak of the righteous, he says, we are speaking of people whose true desires are to live a life of truth, knowledge, renunciation, dedication to higher spiritual endeavors, etc. Despite the outward loss - the successful robbery, etc. - these righteous people continue to lead their lives in pursuit of their true desires. The robber fails to win what the righteous person really wants and is not a winner of the game in this simplest sense. The righteous therefore, simply never lose, says the Swami, and "dharma" always wins.

Extolling spirituality is not a step in downgrading the importance of the political system or the police. Rather, it is a tribute to all these forces that so many of our farmers want to focus on farming and teachers on teaching. Policing is about protecting ourselves, not about giving in to frenzy created by a wild imagination.

Therefore, in closing, consider this “game”:

Pranavo dhanuh, sharo hyaatma (The Om is the bow and the individual soul is the arrow),

brahma tallakshyam-uchchyate (the Supreme (Brahman) is the target),

Apramattena veddhavyam" (It is to be hit (should be hit) by an unerring man - i.e., by the taintless one who follows the right disciplines with the right attitude),

sharavat tanmayo bhavet" (hitting it, the taintless seeker should stay merged with it just like an arrow does after hitting its target). (Mundaka II.ii.4)

Sadanand Tutakne

The Life Divine by Sri Aurobindo - Chapters 6-10

Chapter 6: Man in the Universe

1. The universe and the human being within it are no mere accidental happenings. It is part of the progressive relevation of the Unknowable to Its own limited forms caught within the boundaries of Its own Maya. This revelation is the real purpose of human life (and of all limited creation) too.

2. Since the descent of the Supreme into limited forms is a self-concealment with many layers, the enlightenment also naturally happens progressively, stage by stage, each unveiling bringing the seeker one more step closer to the One Supreme Reality.

3. Matter below conscious life also has a harmony and tranquility, but that harmony is more like a deep slumber, driven by a force which moves it but is not understood by it. In conscious life, where thoughts, emotions and impulses play a strong role, there seems to be more discord and disharmony than in the subliminal life below it. However, there is a harmony above conscious life (in the realm of the Superconscious) which man seeks and tries to guide his ordinary life by. The world of confusions and discords due to limited egoistical understanding is an intermediate level of development of consciousness between these two harmonious states.

4. In comtemplating on this higher harmony, though, man realizes the limits of conceptual knowledge in grasping this higher harmony. Sometimes, man thinks of a "beyond" which lies outside God, sometimes he thinks of ordinary life as being too cruel to be a manifestation of the same Supreme (or at least, he thinks of the Supreme as being concealed by something which is not the Supreme), etc. However, these experiences which seem to deny or oppose the concept of God and His Harmony are also real, even if temporary relative to the Supreme, and should be thought of as a result of a "wrong relation", says Sri Aurobindo, rather than as a complete illusion. The basis of these ordinary experiences is "wrong" in the same way that man thinking of the Sun as revolving around the Earth is. Viewed in this way, the discordant rhythms of egoistical existence can be understood as interim experiences on the way to the higher Harmony - and we do not need to think of them as mere "punishments of a fall".

5. Viewing error and discord as an interim step in the evolution of consciousness is helpful because let's keep in mind that man has little choice but to work with these experiences first! As even the Upanishads declare - man has to first transcend death through ignorance (avidyaa) before attaining to the Supreme Knowledge (vidyaa).

6. Such thinking can then be a foundation for the "practice of the divine life". To live the divine life, we will need to go into the depths of conscious experiences and identify ourselves with these higher states of understanding and knowledge - which is not natural to the untrained egoistical or sense mind. Merely living a superficial existence will not produce the needed experiences and hints which can help unravel the mystery of the soul and the concealed Universal Plan.

Chapter 7: The Ego and the Dualities

1. The dualities, sufferings, pains etc. of ordinary mortal consciousness are deeply reconciled into a higher Harmony only when the soul truly experiences itself as one with the Universal. There are indeed states of higher consciousness in which pain and pleasure merge into oneness and seem like different aspects of the same essential truth. Pain is merely the recoil of the limited adjunct (ego) to something it feels is harmful to itself - so it is another working of the same conscious force which is active when the limited being feels pleasure. Limiitations are nothing but the concealment of the Infinite by His own Maya.

2. Sri Aurobindo is not talking here of the possibilities in hypnotized states of the mind - something he brings up in a later chapter. That the mind is capable of so much more in hypnotized states should itself be proof of the mind's potential being much more than what comes out in ordinary experiences of untrained minds. However, here we are not concerned about the active powers of the mind to do things. Here, Sri Aurobindo states only that the Higher Understanding spoken of in so many places is truly possible to experience. With that Understanding and vision, it is possible to see the underlying unity even in the world of dualities.

3. For ordinary life, though, the evidence of the senses might still be given its due respect and place. To replace the ordinary understanding by a blind belief in the Higher, without truly understanding and realizing the Higher might cause more confusion and disruptions. Clearly, says Sri Aurobindo, this is why the Gita specifically asks people of knowledge to not "disturb" the life and thought-basis of the ignorant. The ignorant cannot just follow the example of the illumined without any real understanding.

4. The truth about whether the Sun revolves around the Earth or vice-versa could be made known to people through some means, but the knowledge will not be of much use to people unless a body of knowledge is created around the true relationship. Only then will the true knowedge matter - else, it would be a piece of information without much practical use. Similarly for the true relation between the individual ego and Universal Consciousness. We cannot expect people to give up the old ways of living unless the knowledge of the true relationship has some value to them at first. The Ape could not really have lived by the dream of using logical and reasoning faculties in the future. We are in a similar situation today - where we are being told that there is a potential in us which is much higher than what we perceive through the eyes of the limited ego and its ordinary logical and mental capacity. Unless we create a body of knowledge where this higher truth matters, we cannot expect people to start living by these higher principles.

5. In early Vedantic thought, the ego was thought of as a self-limitation of the universal consciousness - something which tied consciousness exclusively to limited forms and thereby led to the experience of dualities, pain and suffering. Later Vedantists, however, seem to have started thinking of the ego as an essential factor for the existence of the universe too. However, says Sri Aurobindo, it is important to understand that the realization of the Universal does not lead to an inevitable extinction of the egoistic personality. Of course, it would probably make egoistical distinctions much less important and petty at some level. The individual who "attains", he says, would be able to not only represent his limited self after realization, but would probably be benefitted because he would be able to see his limited existence in the correct light and in its actual relation to the universe around it.

Chapter 8: The Methods of Vedantic Knowledge

1. The way reason has two kinds of action - mixed and sovereign - so does the mind have two kinds of psychological experiences. Reason acts in its pure way when it takes the inputs from the senses, perhaps, but refuses to be limited by them and evaluates the inputs on its own by trying to arrive at more fundamental truths which are unalterable. Similarly, the mind experiences a mixed psychological action when it tries to become aware of the "external" world but when the same mind tries to become aware of itself, it experiences a pure or sovereign psychological action. In one action (or experience) the dependence on sense inputs is high. In the other, the awareness is more direct and not dependent on the senses.

2. The second kind of knowledge is "knowledge by identity" - it is said that we know (or we are aware of) anger because we become anger. Similarly, we are aware of our own existence because we become that. Sri Aurobindo says that in a way, all knowledge is knowledge by identity, but the mind is commonly trained to work only with the inputs of sense organs and with the division between subject and object, and it is due to this habit of the mind that we typically find ourselves caught up with partial and hazy views of reality, rather than the clear perception attainable through "knowledge by identity".

3. In states of hypnosis and some other similar psychological phenomena, this ability of the mind to work directly is seen at work, with sense organs being at most a starting point and with the confusing thoughts of the waking state being put away temporarily. The action is no longer "mixed and dependent" and therefore is a lot more powerful than the actions and experiences of the waking state. The extension of this faculty of the mind to the waking state is definitely not impossible, says Sri Aurobindo, but more difficult. Thus we see people who have advanced faculties of perception - like estimating the weight of objects accurately by simply holding them in their hands or the ability to perceive thoughts and feelings of other people correctly even if the data supplied by the senses (their expressions, etc.) is misleading.

4. Of course, these limited uses of the higher powers of the mind are not our real aim - our real aim is to attain oneness with that Universal One which is described in the Gita as "attainable to intelligence but transcending the senses". The way this "knowledge by identity" reveals detailed and correct information when applied to limited objects, it is expected that by applying the mind directly to the Universal, that Supreme truth will be known to the seeker, including various details as relevant. Indian Vendanta bases itself upon this view. By knowing the Self deeply, as not only the inner Self within the body but also as the Universal Self extending outside the body, the Universal can therefore be made known, by the process of knowledge by identity.

5. Reason (as ordinarily understood) is a mediator between the subconscient (from where man comes) to the superconscient (towards which man is progressing). The subconscient and superconscient are two different formulations of the same One. In the subconscient, knowledge is involved in action, whereas in the superconscient, action itself is contained within a supreme consciousness. Therefore, the "master-words" of the subconscient and superconscient are, respectively, Life and Light. Intuition is common to the two states, but in one, intuition is expressed mainly in action, whereas in the other, intuition manifests in its true nature as knowledge by identity. Reason is an intermediary between these states, and in the superconscient, it converts itself into the fully illumined knowledge by identity. In fact, it is because the sages of Ancient India recognized illumined intuition as arising from knowledge by identity that they placed it above reason, and came up with a tradition where while ordinary reason would be used to explain and justify the truths "seen" by the great ones, the Truths "seen" or intuited by the greats would be considered superior to ordinary reason. Later on, of course, reason started acquiring a greater and greater place within the philosophical traditions, and thus we saw the development of many schools of thought - all supposedly based on the Vedas, but often using reason merely to attack each other's interpretations. These discussions therefore started moving away from the central tenets of the scriptures, which were Revelations of truths not always easy to describe in words but placed above ordinary logic just for that reason by the sages. Of course, from time to time, says Sri Aurobindo, there have also been efforts to revive the true teachings of the scriptures and to synthetize them in a way such that the knowledge would come across as a wholistic view, wherein various contradictions introduced by ordinary logic would be resolved.

6. The use of reason - replacing the acceptance of higher intuition by ordinary reason - is not without its merits, because it is only by this kind of a process that the "lower faculties" are compelled to assimilate and understand whatever they can of the higher truths and to organize and align themselves better to the higher vision. The lower faculties can thereby enrich themselves, and re-organize themselves to be better vehicles of the higher, resulting in a more complete harmony. Without this process, many parts of our personality would remain depressed or undeveloped. The balance is set right by this process of compelling the lower nature to understand and accomodate the higher truths. While the ancient Vedantic rishis perhaps worked mainly out of their intuition of the higher truths, and while we are justified in calling for a re-establishment of their intuition as a knowledge placed above ordinary reason, this seeming "descent" of Indian thought into a a body of knowledge dominated by ordinary reason is also not really a descent, but rather another opportunity to create a more complete and integral basis for the higher truths within the lower faculties of egoistic intelligence.

Chapter 9: The Pure Existent

1. Man initially tends to think of Universal consciousness as centered around himself but when careful reflection makes clear that the Cosmic Intelligence has a dynamic of its own and exists not just for the limited entity he represents, man tends to underestimate the importance of the individual unduly. Both extremes are incorrect - neither does Supreme and His creation revolve around the individual ego nor is the egoistical being unimportant to Him. In fact, It (Brahman) gives itself equally to all its creation - although each created form differs fom others in quality or quantity (size). Sri Aurobindo says that the force of strength that goes into making a strong man is no more or less than the force of weakness that goes into making a weak man! The energy spent in repression is as great as that spent in expression, and looking at it this way, it is easier to understand that Brahman is "equally" present everywhere, despite seeming differences.

2. To understand the relationship of the individual to the universal - and not go to both extremes - it would help to understand better what this Universal is. If it is an energy present everywhere, then is it forever in motion, or is the Supreme even beyond manifest energy, and therefore described in the Gita as the "sthaanu"? In normal consciousness, rest and motion are easy to ascribe to the same object, but upon closer inspection, it seems that what seems to be at rest in our usual world is yet another force in motion, only that our senses fail to see the underlying motion. If so, then is this Universal only eternal movement with absolutely no rest (in other words, is it only Shakti with no Shiva)? Sri Aurobindo feels that this hypothesis leaves the staircase of ascent without any support and contradicts reason - it gives us a feeling that this could not be the truth.

3. Intuition suggests, and Sri Aurobindo says, that this "Pure Existent" beyond the eternal movement is no mere theory - it is the fundamental reality. On the other hand, neither is it true to say that the movement seen everywhere is a mere illusion and Brahman is only the "Pure Existent" in a position of rest with no possibility of motion. Both the "being" and the "becoming" are truths - neither is a mere illusion or mental concept. In ordinary life, we think in terms of stability and rest. Both of these are aspects of our Supreme Reality, and what's more, so is the "silent Brahman" described in earlier chapters, which sustains and permits all manifestation (in rest or in motion).

4. So both "Shiva" and "Shakti" are to be thought of as truths and not mere illusions or concepts. However, says Sri Aurobindo, what is very important is to understand the nature of this Shakti. Is it merely a force without any intelligence? Is intelligence just one phenomenal result of force, or is it rather its secret and true nature? Or, to use the Vedantic terms, is Prakriti really a power of "Chit" - the creative Self-Conscious force? On this, says Sri Aurobindo, all the rest hinges.

Chapter 10: Conscious Force

1. On the question of how Universal Force came to manifest into varied forms, the ancient Indian answer is that the five basic elements were created, because with only one or a few of these, stable and separate individual forms could not be maintained. The manifestation started with Vibration (sound, or the Word, or Aum or Amen) and the last in the sequence was the Earth element - the element which represents the power of cohesiveness, required for solids to stay in form. All matter is said to be a composite of these five basic constituents. Yet, this did not adequately explain how these forms perceived each other and were endowed with individual consciousness, so the seers of the Sankhya (analytical) tradition explained it by way of inactive conscious souls in which the activities of material nature are reflected, thus giving the world of matter the power of consciousness too.

2. From the rational perspective, this explanation made sense, because the ordinary observer observes both consciousness as well as varied movements of material forces in his world. However, once the existence of a Pure Existence is accepted (as we did in the last chapter), the natural question arises as to what caused the Force to move (or who willed the Force to move) and why, in the first place? The Indian tradition answered the "what" part of the question by suggesting that the silent and the active Brahman are actuall one and not two separate existences. Force is inherent (even if sleeping) in Existence and it is no mystery that it arises from the silent Existence at times. The next question is "why" and it is clear that the question does not arise if we assume that consciousness is only a by-product of the moving, unintelligent Force. However, is that indeed so - is consciouness merely a by-product of otherwise unintelligent forces?

3. Increasingly, new knowledge is bringing to light powers of the mind way beyond the sense organs and the nervous system including the physical brain. There are remote but clear pointers to the fact that even the heartbeat and the so-called critical functions are not truly indispensable in all cases. Therefore, the orthodox position that consciousness is a by-product of the nervous system, the brain and its instruments is fast becoming indefensible. Sri Aurobindo says that the way the power of steam existed prior to the development of the steam engine, consciousness existed prior to the development of the brain and the nervous system.

4. So has this force of consciousness come from outside and possessed matter, so to speak, perhaps with some partial loss of its own sovereignty? Not really, says Sri Aurobindo. Consciousness is integrally intertwined with matter and in the Shakti of Shiva. In fact, the proof of some subliminal consciousness being present not only in plants but also in inert metals goes to support the idea that consciousness is not something which came from the outside to possess matter. The ancient thinkers did believe in other worlds and other dimensions where consciousness exists, but these worlds are not created by the entry of an external conscious force. Consciousness is, rather, all-pervading and exists both below and above ordinary human mentality (in subconscious and superconscious states). If the objection is that consciousness implies some kind of design, and therefore could not be the original Mother Force, Sri Aurobindo says that a design (even if with some evident discord and disharmony on the surface) is quite evident in creation anyway and so this fact too, favors the idea of the existence of a Universal Conscious Force. Finally, once we accept that the Pure Existence had the power of consciousness, then the problem of why it moved can be answered too. As Sri Aurobindo explains in a different chapter, the universe is merely one of Its infinite possibilities worked out in action, with self-concealment being the beginning of this particular Divine Play. The force evolves all these forms, but it is essentially still the one Universal force. The same consciousness which in sub-conscious life seems to be involed within matter, emerges as a distinct force in mental (human) activity and will evolve into its higher and purer forms as we keep going to states above ordinary human mentality.

5. The Force (Shakti) that builds the universe is very much a conscious force. It has manifested increasingly superior forms which sustain increasingly higher levels of consciousness (from the subliminal metal consciousness to the human), and it seems evident that the goal is to reach Its Perfect Potential within forms too.

Sadanand Tutakne

"The Life Divine" by Sri Aurobindo - Essays 2-5

B. Chapter 2 - The Two Negations: The Materialist Denial

1. An integral view of spirit and matter - as ends of a continuum which are linked by a variety of intermediate states - is essential to think of a divine life upon earth. Believing only in the reality of one of the two (either matter or spirit) would either lead to a recoil from material life or to an extreme of materialism, and both these states of mind - while necessary and helpful in some ways and even logically satisfying as ideas - fail to give the aspirant a feel of actuality of understanding. For that sense of actuality to develop, the aspirant would do well to take learnings from the extreme beliefs, but progress towards the integral view, in which matter itself is Brahman, but Brahman is much more than matter and what meets the eye.

2. Exploring these extreme states of mind - where either spirit or matter are the sole reality - is a natural way in which the human mind responds to disturbances from a harmoniously balanced state of mind. These explorations are even helpful in the sense that they provide the mind with an even more concrete base upon which the reconciled and integral view can stand. However, at the end of both roads, we come to the view that reality is something more than just that partial view we took on the road. In fact, the only way to escape the integral view then is to not make any progress on whichever path one is on! These isolated explorations define the "West" and the "East". In the East, we see heights of the spiritual world explored and made much of, but poverty of material life. In the West, we see great heights achieved in the world of matter, but a poverty in the "things of the spirit".

3. In a sense, the denial of the materialist - while easy to understand - is also easier to cure, because it stands on the shaky ground of the belief that what we see and feel through our sense organs is all. As soon as experience brings to our light powers and ranges of knowable phenomena which are beyond the senses, the foundations of the materialist dogma are shaken.

4. Before moving on to discuss the other extreme, it is important to also take note of the tremendous positive influence that rationalistic materialism has had - indeed, how materialism has served the divine purpose. Very often in history has humanity seen true knowledge being covered by such a huge mass of blind beliefs (in the hands of "unripe minds") that true advances in knowledge were made nearly impossible. Rationalism has done the divine pursuit a tremendous service by successfully contesting such dogmas and thereby helping bring out the real knowledge from the grips of superstitions.

5. A wide and deep knowledge of the material world is a good and essential footing for development of spiritual knowledge. In fact, this is the interpretation Sri Aurobindo gives to Upanishadic declarations like "The earth is His footing". Therefore, even as we move out of a limited materialistic view (where the evidence of the senses is all), we need to be careful not to throw away those aspects of materialism which are good (i.e., which even serve the divine purpose of life).

6. The way pure materialism narually ends in an Agnosticism (which points to something beyond it), so does the other extreme of pure spiritualism. However, as the spiritual experience becomes real to us, he says, there is a tendency to "exaggerate the unknowableness" of the spiritual reality. Actually, declarations like "Mind attains not there, not speech" refer more to the impossibility of describing that reality (or expressing it in completely clear words) than to its unknowableness. Indeed, the spiritual truths are knowable, he says -  not by the ordinary channels of sense-knowledge, but by a "supreme effort of consciousness". Knowledge by identity is difficult to reproduce in words, but that does not mean that the spiritual realities are truly unknowable. In fact, the Gita describes the elevated spiritual state (universal consciousness) as being "attainable to intelligence, but transcending the senses" (buddhigraahyam ateendriyam).

7. Modern science is opening our minds up to infinite possibilities - coming more and more close to the integral Vedantic conception of reality. Wireless telegraphy has led to the understanding that some of the intermediate instruments are not really required - the physical means are required only at the two end points of the signal. As we proceed on this path and investigate the right end-points, we will see that the physical means are not even required at the two end-points - i.e., the mind can directly work with the energies involved and send or receive the signals without any additional physical means. Of course, even with such enhancements in knowledge and skill, there will still be separation and a "beyond", until we truly see that in reality, One Unity embraces multiplicity (the ocean manifests itself as different waves), and not the other way around. With cosmic consciousness (not egoistical consciousness) guiding our actions, Man's divine nature will be realized within the materialistic universe too.

C. Chapter 3 - The Two Negations: The Refusal of the Ascetic

1. As compelling as the evidence of the senses is to the sense-mind, the "supra-sensuous" states are equally true for those who have experienced them. They are very much a reality, and it is only natural that having experienced them, the dependent reality of the material universe often fades into near non-existence.

2. That there are faculties beyond the senses is amply clear from psychic phenomena, telepathy being only one example. Even though methodical research has not yet found strong evidence of these phenomena (and part of the reason could be that the methods used have been "crude and defective"), there is no justification for rejecting the evidence and calling the reports false. As he elaborates in a later chapter, there are people, for example, who can feel the truth when others are speaking by using their minds directly to "listen". The speaker might lie and use his outward expressions to confuse others, but the faculties of these seers are so well-developed that the outward expressions and verbal messages do not confuse them. They learn exact and true details even when they are not being communicated by the speaker. Such phenomena point to the reality of the mind's ability to work beyond the senses. Of course, Sri Aurobindo's book does not suggest that aspirants should give a lot of importance to developing limited powers with such faculties. Rather, it seems clear from other chapters that this seemingly super-human power of the mind should be developed mainly to be one with the Superconscient One.

3. With the advent of Buddhism (and the Buddha is considered by Sri Aurobindo to be the most powerful and influential personality to have lived on this earth), this natural recoil of the ascetic from material life developed further into a "revolt of Spirit against Matter". For minds not in tune with cosmic consciousness, it is easy to dismiss this Indian attitude as a reflection of a decline in national spirit (i.e., a natural decline of spirit in an ancient race, tired of its own burden). However, the attitude is based very much on reality - experienced by many and experiencable to others. Only that in taking such an extreme ascetic stance, we completely ignore the descent of the Superconscious into the material - we ignore that matter too is ultimately Brahman, and that the real merit of human life is to not only find the eternal but also transform the transient (material) universe to make it a more fitting vehicle for it.

4. Before exiting, let us note that the pure ascetic spirit - like the rationalist materialistic attitude - has served a great purpose in human life, not to be forgotten while developing our integral understanding. (Going by the

articles, I believe Sri Aurobindo might have been speaking here of the fact that asceticism not only provides ordinary life with a moral footing, but also opens up minds to the idea of going beyond ordinary sense-perceptions and integrating the supra-sensuous into daily life.) Even as rational materialism has rendered a great service to the Divine, pure asceticism has rendered an even greater service to ordinary life, says Sri Aurobindo.

D. Chapter 4 - Reality Omnipresent

1. So the integral view integrates matter and spirit as poles of a continuum of existence, but what about the "silence" beyond? One upanishad says that from Non-Being, Being was born, while another upanishad seems to contradict the same by stating that existence is never born from non-existence (or, being is never born from non-being). Sri Aurobindo says that we are getting deluded by words here. When interpreting the first declaration closely (looking closely at the upanishadic texts which contain these declarations), we find that the non-being of the Taittiriya upanishad is probably the same as the "infinite" or unmanifest zero, from which all manifest energy arises. Being used to thinking in opposites and contradictions, we often feel that the silent or inactive Brahman is different from the active or manifest one, but actually, it is probably an error in our mode of thinking. The non-being of the Taittiriya upanishad is likely to be just a word for what lies beyond the manifest - not really the non-existent. Actually, the silent Brahman permits and sustains the active Brahman. The Buddha had attained to Nirvana and yet was highly active in the world of matter and egoistical consciousness - indeed the most powerful personality to ever have lived on this earth according to Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo. So it is perhaps better to think of the "beyond" as being the inactive Brahman which sustains the active within it and not as a non-existence outside Brahman or different from Brahman.

2. If we then accept that Brahman who allows the manifest universe to exist and grow within Himself is indeed almighty, then the manifestation itself cannot be rejected just as a bunch of errors and discordant rhythms. Of course the apparent evil in the world has to be accepted at least from a limited egoistical point of

view, but we cannot start by assuming that the whole thing is bad or wrong - because we agree that it is all a manifestation of the same supremely harmonious Brahman. We must accept, then, that mankind is correct in seeking a final harmony beyond the seeming evil and discord of the world. The omnipotent and omnipresent reality could not have been subjected "from the outside" so to speak, by something which is not itself, to create a discordant world. Nor could it have been partial to a limited part of itself, and fallen prey to an error in that sense. So the search for a final harmony seems to be quite right, viewed in this light.

3. The above faith in a final harmony is not just a blind belief. According to Sri Aurobindo, the widest and most patient analyses affirm this truth, not contradict it. (Recall that Swami Vivekananda has also written in many places that the Truth will stand the most rigorous of scientific inquiries and so there is no reason to fear scientific inquiry of the Vedic truths.) Of course, this highest reason (think of the experiments and methods required for it to be evident) is not easy or quick to work out for most, and therefore, for most of humanity, faith does have a role to play in the journey. Finally, however, when faith leads to experience and Wisdom, the original faith will be "justified of her works".

E. Chapter 5 - The Destiny of the Individual

1. All knowledge, in a sense, at the borders points to something beyond itself. Even as universal consciousness was realized by the sages, it pointed them to the possibility of something beyond it - the unmanifest, silent Brahman sustaining the active consciousness of the universe. (In a previous chapter, of course, Sri Aurobindo has stated that there is a tendency to exaggerate the unknowableness of this unknown, but the statement is nevertheless true.) Knowing that no matter how well they know manifestation, the Supreme still holds other possibilities within Its womb, the Vendantic rishis started referring to these unknown (unmanifest, potential) possibilities of Brahman as the "Asat" (non-being). In fact, even the apparent division of the One into the Many in the material universe is called "Asat" inasmuch as it is not as real (enduring or long-lasting) as the universal consciousness which creates it. It should, however, be kept in mind that these words only point to something beyond the known. They should not be interpreted as suggesting that these other realms (the silent Brahman and the Brahman manifested as the Many in material world) are truly non-existent. These other possibilities exist, one as the sustainer of the manifest world and the other mainly as a dependent reality, like waves on the surface of the ocean.

2. Ordinary life - howsoever petty when compared to the eternal - is not merely an illusion or a false concept. If so, even the salvation of the individual soul would not be a task worth our while because it would be the salvation of the non-existent. The salvation of the individual (by realizing the higher reality of the superconscient Universal One) is not only possible, it is possible without a blotting out of the individual. Realization would make the egoistical being realize the deep connection with the Universal which makes the demarcations of individual egos very petty, but that realization would not, by itself, completely exterminate the individual entity, as Sri Aurobindo points out in a later chapter.

3. Once we note that ordinary life is therefore not merely an illusion, we revisit with renewed respect the view that the Universal created the petty life forms to enjoy the One through the limited apparatus of the Many. The significance of ordinary life then is in regaining the Universal consciousness (or, knowledge of the Brahman) and concluding the divine Play successfully by that ultimate achievement. As he elaborates on in a later chapter, it also makes complete sense then that the pettier life forms will be subject to some degree of error and disharmony (or what seems like error and disharmony), because this particular Game (Lila) of the Divine is founded on the fundamental act of self-concealment. When the basis of the whole Play is concealment of the most fundamental truth, it is to be expected that the workings of consciousness under that illusion will be subject to errors and discords, in smaller or larger magnitude. As we climb to higher and higher levels of consciousness, our attempt should then be to transform the lower states of consciousness into more apt vehicles for the Supreme. In doing so, we also embrace God in His Play, not just the God who stands above the Play. In the integral view, then, finding the Divine remains Man's greatest endeavor and purpose, but embracing the One in the Many by helping transform the Many into a better garment for the One also becomes the responsibility of the seeker. Just as we do not have to give up bodily life to lead a more advanced intellectual or mental life, similarly, we need not reject material (egoistical) life and existence to attain to the spiritual.

4. As the upanishads declare, the path of Mankind is towards Vidya (true knowledge, of the universal), but via Avidya (the cosmic illusion of multiplicity and ego-centric life).

Sadanand Tutakne

"The Life Divine" by Sri Aurobindo - initial essays

By now, most of my close friends would have understood that these articles are no longer mainly about things the author understands and wants to communicate, but rather constitute a small, but disciplined, effort to spend some time, periodically, on matters which are close to our hearts. It is therefore, very much an effort to meditate and attune the mind to things "higher" (no offence intended). I wonder whether some of you feel the same need every once in a while? 

Today, therefore, I have chosen a book by Sri Aurobindo (the same famous Sri Aurobindo who was an active freedom fighter for some years before giving himself up completely to spiritual endeavours) for which he is known far and wide in the world of philosophers, spiritual seekers, creative artists and intellectuals too. It is said of Sri Aurobindo that once he started earnestly on the path of yoga, while still a freedom fighter, his advance on the spiritual plane was quite rapid. In light of that fact, it is perhaps natural that after a few years, he dedicated his life completely to meditation and spiritual activities. Having studied in England, he had a great command over languages and I think his education would have made him more acceptable to the rationalists in his audiences too. Most of the essays in "The Life Divine" were originally written by him for his magazine "Arya", fairly early on in his spiritual career, but the essays were later thoroughly checked and edited by him, when publishing them in the form of a book. It is unlikely, therefore, that there is anything in the book which the fully illumined sage did not consider worth the public's time and attention. Today, to control the length of the essay, I am only giving a summary of the first chapter of the Book, but time does not end today (using probabilistic intelligence), so hopefully we can summarize and even discuss all the other essays slowly but surely in the near future.

A note about Sri Aurobindo's "Integral Yoga" or "Integral Vendanta" before we look at the essays. Sri Aurobindo's philosophy is called by these names because of his emphasis on the idea that even if matter and ignorant egoistical existence is only an outer garment of the superconscient, Universal Consciousness, it is still an integral part of the whole, and therefore, realizing the One in the Many should be an integral part of the journey of the spiritual ascetic. From books written about him, it is clear that he considered physical (Darwinian) evolution of forms to be an outward manifestation of Cosmic Universal Intelligence trying to discover itself by working within and also transforming matter to make matter a better instrument for its expression. Additionally, he did not consider matter and egoistical forms of manifestations as being essentially different from the Universal One. Rather, to use an analogy used by so many authors, he thought of the manifest (ignorant) universe as waves on the ocean of Pure Superconscient Existence, dependent on the ocean for their existence but an integral part of the whole and essentially made up of the same "stuff". Since it is indeed the eternal which creates and manifests itself in multitudinous (often petty) forms, completely ignoring or denying material existence (howsoever short-lived it might be relative to the eternal) would constitute rejecting the Universal in one of its own manifestations. According to Sri Aurobindo, the early Vendantist rishis knew this from deeper realization, and were therefore integral in their ways of looking at consciousness and matter, universal and individual. This ancient outlook integrating the two is a desirable way to look at creation, and will help the yogi embrace Creation and the Creator in Its entirety, yet without falling into the trap of a petty or animalistic living, devoid of higher intelligence. This outlook would also help other human beings caught within the delusion of Maya and Avidya (ignorance), enabling their progress towards the eternal, yet without making them completely impractical in their ways of living while they are on the path.

Even if only to bring out the beauty of some of the examples Sri Aurobindo and some other authors bring up, let's spend one more minute on the idea of integrating things which seem different or opposed to each other. Our intellectual reasoning can sometimes contradict the decisions of the ordinary "sense-mind" and sense organs, and in a sense, the faculty of reasoning "transcends" the senses which only provide inputs, but that does not mean that the data provided by the senses is itself wrong, or to be denied by the faculty of reasoning. Similarly, more than one author has said that while the understanding of the superconscient state transcends ordinary logical faculties and might even make decisions sometimes difficult for ordinary logic to explain, that does not in any way mean that the faculty of intellectual reasoning is itself "false" or that the higher intelligence is necessarily "opposed" to logical and verbal reasoning. Using such examples, Sri Aurobindo and other authors have often tried to make it clear that the lower and the higher faculties are not necessarily opposed to each other and do not necessarily falsify each other, even if one might "transcend" the other in some ways. The lower faculties are not exterminated by the higher realization and can in fact be integrated once the right understanding has been developed (or, reached).

A. Chapter 1 - The Human Aspiration

1. The greatest of the human aspirations is the search for the absolutely Perfect, the Eternal Truth, God, Universal Consciousness or whatever else one might want to call it. No matter what compulsions hold us back for a few years or decades, the aspiration comes back with equal force in due course of time. This
aspiration is, of course, in contradiction to ordinary sense perceptions and to the compulsions of a life based purely on such mundane experiences.

2. However, contradictions and their resolution are the rule (rather than the exception) in Mother Nature's work, and should not, therefore, be considered proof of the non-existence of the unseen or unknown. Life - whose very essence, in mundane experiences, seems to be activity - is encased within matter and material forms, whose typical characteristic is inertia and inactivity. Conscious living and experiencing - so very important to ordinary life - is shadowed by so many essential biological functions which are sub-conscious and almost totally unknown to the ordinary waking consciousness. So the presence of higher and higher levels of contradictions and their resolution, seems to be just the way Mother Nature works and does not mean that the unseen or unknown is not important.

3. Life in matter ranges from typically subliminal consciousness in Metals to a highly complex awareness of itself in Man, showing the wide range of experiences possible for itself. (So do physical phenomena have a wide range, many unknown to ordinary human consciousness.) So in Man himself is the potential for higher and higher experiences, constituting higher and higher steps towards a divine life integrated within the human form. (It is frequently asserted by different authors that the human form is about the limit of physical evolution, and that the future evolution of Man will be more mental and spiritual, with the body evolving only in small bits, as required for the manifestation of the higher intelligence within the human body.)

4. When this "religious" aspiration of Man is limited by force or by compulsions of the ordinary life, it comes back sharply and this violent rebound sometimes leads to the proliferation of obscure, mystical philosophies which do not ultimately satisfy the human aspiration (and create confusion rather than clarity). Rather than allowing this cycle to go on uninterrupted, we would do well to instead take up the Human Aspiration through our relatively more enlightened faculty of reason. At the same time, let's not deny the insight offered by intuition even if not clearly supported by verbal and mundane logic, for (as he explains in later chapters) intuition is essentially an outcome of "knowledge by identity", and is therefore often a source of light (knowledge) placed above ordinary verbal and logical reasoning.

Sadanand Tutakne

The Common Mantras

With two marriages scheduled one after the other in the near family, Mantras are again being looked into. By the grace of the One Above, I even got to know of one of the most important mantras being used in one of the weddings. Naturally, that set me thinking about the more commonly used mantras in daily worship, for example, the mantras used in the "sandhyaa" ritual, which is supposed to be performed daily by boys who undergo the sacred thread ceremony.

Now, mantra chanting is often done without any understanding of the meaning of the words, and some say that even that is very helpful provided the chanting (especially silent chanting) is done with due attention and concentration. On the other hand, recitation of mantras (especially silent) after understanding the meaning of the words is also highly encouraged by some, perhaps because it makes it easier for the mind to be totally absorbed in the ideas being conveyed by the mantra, facilitating conscious meditation. Which is better is therefore a slightly complicated question. Maybe practioners should try both alternatives, and decide for themselves as to which method is suitable in which situation.

The translation of some Vedic mantras are easily available on the internet too. In some cases, the literal translations are "enough," while in other cases, the typical reader would probably do better to look up a commentary too, so that the implied meanings or alternative interpretations can be understood along with the literal meanings of the words. The Rig-Vedic sandhyaa mainly contains mantras from the RigVeda, and therefore, at least literal translations are easily found on the internet from books like the 1888 translation by H. H. Wilson. Here, I am adding those same translations - with a few additional notes here and there, based mainly on a translation I have with me (edited by Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya and Bhagwati Devi Acharya).

Even those who do not perform the daily sandhyaa will probably appreciate the simplicity and beauty of the ideas contained in the mantras. To save some space, I am not adding the original Sanskrit mantras here, but I have tried to quote the Mandala and the Sookta from which each mantra has been taken.

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I. Aapo hi shthaa mayobhuvah....(the cleansing mantras in praise of Aapo devataa,chanted while sprinkling water on oneself, from Mandala 10, Sookta 9, by either Sindhudweep Aambareesh or Trishira Twaashtra):

1. Waters, you are the sources of happiness, grant to us to enjoy abundance, and great and delightful perception.

2. Give us to partake in this world of your most auspicious juice, like affectionate mothers.

3. Let us quickly have recourse to you, for that your (faculty) of removing (sin) by which you gladden us : waters, bestow upon us progeny.

Some other translators would let the last part be simply "nourish our dynasties." The meaning is the same, but one choice of words is more materialistic and explicit, while the other is less explicit and for devotees, might be more "classy" too. It is unlikely that the translator wanted to be too graphic or less reverent. Maybe the translator just wanted to bring out the verbal meaning clearly and quickly, without hints or suggestions which require further thinking.

4. May the divine waters be propitious to our worship, (may they be good) for our drinking: may they flow round us, and be our health and safety.

5. Waters, sovereigns of precious (treasures), grantors of habitations to men, I solicit of ye medicine (for mine infirmities).

6. Soma has declared to me: all medicaments, as well as Agni, the benefactor of the universe, are in the waters.

7. Waters, bring to perfection all disease-dispelling medicaments for the good of my body, that I may long behold the Sun.

8. Waters, take away whatever sin has been (found) in me, whether I have (knowingly) done wrong, or have pronounced imprecations (against holy men), or have spoken untruth.

9. I have this day entered into the waters: we have mingled with their essence. Agni abiding in the waters approach, and fill me (thus bathed) with vigor.


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II. Sooryashcha maa manyushcha...(the aachaman mantra, praying for internal purity and for cleansing of sins from thinking bad thoughts, etc.)

    Omitted here, since I can't find this in my copy of the RigVeda Samhita. It might be a mantra from the related vedic texts like the Brahman texts, etc., or perhaps starts slightly differently.

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III. Ritam cha satyam cha....(the aghamarshan mantra, again for cleansing, recited before exhaling into a handful of water which is thrown away to symbollically throw out any internal impurities, from Mandala 10, Sookta 190, by Aghamarshan Maadhuchchhandas):

1. Truth (of thought) and truthfulness (of speech) were born of arduous penance, thence was night generated, thence also the watery ocean.

2. From the watery ocean was the year afterwards produced, ordaining nights and days, the ruler of every moment.

3. Dhaatri in the beginning created the sun and moon, the heaven, the earth, the firmament, and the happy (sky).

The initial watery ocean mentioned above is supposed to mean the initial material substance which is subject to change. So, creation of the "year" is supposed to mean creation of changeable forms and thereby creation of "time", which is only relevant in the context of the changeable. The lines on the creation of the sun, moon etc., are also translated as "created like before", meaning that in this round of creation too, the Great One created the Sun, Moon etc. just like before. The devataa (to whom the prayer is dedicated) of the mantra is Bhaavavritti, which itself means a circle or cycle of creation and recreation. Dhaatri means the One who Holds, or Sustains.

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IV. Prithvi tvayaa dhritaa lokaa....(to purify the aasana, or the seat on which the meditator sits):

    Omitted here, since I can't find this in my copy of the RigVeda Samhita.

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V. Om Bhur Bhuvah...(gaayatri mantra, the central mantra of the sandhyaa ritual, and supposed to be the mantra of mantras, to be meditated upon and recited either 10, 28 or 108 times, from Mandala 3, Sookta 62, by the renowned sage Vishwaamitra):

    The first richa on the three lokaas is not in my copy of the Samhita. The mantra in the Samhita starts with "Tat savitur.." As for the number of repetitions (10, 28 or 108), I believe that many knowledgeable folk have emphasized that meditation should be more about quality than quantity, but the practitioner can take a call on that himself. Quantity requires its own rigor, so maybe there is still a case for quantity too, and therefore, the right course of action might differ depending upon the maturity of the practitioner. The translation is:

1. We meditate on that desirable light of the divine Savitri, who influences our pious rites. 

The last richaa is also translated as "who enlightens our intellect", or "who influences our intellect on the right path", and that is perhaps the more commonly accepted interpretation. The divine light has many well-accepted interpretations like the light of the soul which is one with the light of Brahma, the light which purifies all sins, etc.

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VI. Mitrasya charshanidhrito....(the upasthaana mantras, said after the central gaayatri meditation is over, and as the meditator prepares to get up from his seat, from Mandala 3, Sookta 59, by Vishwaamitra):

1. Desirable food and most renowned wealth are (the gifts) of the divine Mitra, the supporter of man.

2. The renowned Mitra, who by his might presides over heaven, is he who presides over the earth by (the gift of) food.

3. The five classes of men have repaired to the victorious Mitra, for he supports all the gods.

4. Mitra is he who amongst gods and men bestows food as the reward of pious acts upon the man who has prepared (for him) the lopped sacred grass.

The last part of the second mantra is also translated simply as "showers the earth with rain, through his rays". Since rain brings food, we can say that the two meanings are the same, but one sounds a bit less materialistic and might be preferred by the devout.

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VII. Jaatavedase sunavaama soma....(another upasthana mantra, from Mandala 1, Sookta 99, by Maaricha Kaashyap):

1. We offer oblations of Soma to Jatavedas. May he consume the wealth of those who feel enmity against us: may he transport us over all difficulties. May Agni convey us, as in a boat over a river, across all wickedness.

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VIII. Tachcham yoh...(another upasthana mantra)

    Omitted here since I can't find this mantra in my copy of the RigVeda Samhitaa. It might be from other Vedic texts.

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IX. Tattvaayaami....(another upasthana mantra for evening meditations, from Mandala 1, Sookta 24, by Shunah Shepa, son of Ajigarti):

1. Praising thee with (devout) prayer, I implore thee (Varuna) for that (life) which the institutor of the sacrifice solicits with oblations. Varuna, undisdainful, bestow a thought upon us: much-lauded, take not away our existence.

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X. Namo brahmane...(another upasthana mantra)

    Omitted here since I can't find this mantra in my copy of the Samhita.

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XI. Bhadran no....(pradakshina mantra, recited when standing and turning 360 degrees, praying to Agni after completion of the gayatri meditation, from Mandala 10, Sookta 20, by Vimad Endra):

1. (Agni), manifest towards us a favourable mind.

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There are of course, a few more Sanskrit mantras and shlokas which have been omitted here, for example, an invokation to Goddess Gaayatri before the main gaayatri meditation is taken up, the mantras bowing to all 10 directions (in standing position) after the gaayatri recitation is completed, etc. These additional mantras or prayers are probably not from the RigVeda proper and are easy enough to understand, I think. The sandhyaa ritual then ends with a famous shloka which means - as all waters falling from the sky (rivers) flow into the sea, all namaskars (prayerful obeisance) to different Gods go to the One Keshava.

Sadanand Tutakne