Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Purusha,Prakriti And Beyond



Disciple: What is the characteristic of the Purusha on each plane of beingthe physical, the vital and the mental looking at the world?

Sri Aurobindo: The Purusha looks at the world as Prakriti i.e. Nature, represents it to be. On the mental plane Prakriti represents thoughts, ideasin short, all mental movements. On the vital plane Prakriti represents itself as desiresin short, as action of the vital force. On the physical plane it represents itself as the unchangeable law of physical life.

Disciple: When the Purusha separates itself from Prakriti, how is it possible for it to aspire for something higher?

Sri Aurobindo: It is not the Purusha but the Prakriti which has to be made to aspire and made fit. The Purusha is silent, passive, looking at Prakriti.

Disciple: What is the characteristic way of Purusha looking at the world from the Supermind?

Sri Aurobindo: The Supramental Purusha looks at the world as the Truth looks at it.

Disciple: how does the Truth look at the world?

Sri Aurobindo: (with a gesture of hand pointing up): You get up there and you will see.

Disciple: In the Taittiriya Upanishad the following pa occurs: "Vijnana extends the sacrificewhat is its head; delight is its right side; great delight the left side; bliss, the body; Brahman the lower the foundation". 

Sri Aurobindo: Here puccham – "tail"-means the basis. It means the basis of ānanda (bliss) Infinite, the Brahman. 

Disciple: Further it says: "By that this is filled; its head; Truth of movement the right side of being the left side; union, the body; the great plane the lower part,the foundation".

Sri Aurobindo: It means if you want to rise to the Supermind you have to attain the mahas – the wide, infinite and universal consciousness which is its basis: Ritam means "Truth of movement". Satyam is "Truth of being" śraddhā is the acceptance of the Truth when it is there. 

Disciple: When the Truth is there present on the Supra-mental level, why is śraddhā – faithrequired?
Sri Aurobindo: śhraddha here means that when you see the Truth, you are ready to accept it. "Yoga Atma" means that the lower being has to attain the union with the higher being in order to go up to the level higher than the Mind. 

Disciple: About the prānāmaya also it speaks and adds that it is fulfilled by it. 

Sri Aurobindo: It says that the mental – manomaya – is higher than the vital and is fulfilled by it.

Disciple: It also says "yajnas is the head; the rk is the right side; saman is the left side; command is the soul; atharva-angirasa is the end and foundation".

Sri Aurobindo: Rik means the intuitive movement in the mind; saman is "the rhythm of the movement and harmony.” Atharva means "the effective action of the physical plane". Angirasa, in the Veda at least, means the power of Agni which releases the cowsthe Lightfrom the cave of darkness of the panis with the help of the Word and Indra and the other gods.

Disciple: There is a description of the vital and its function.

Sri Aurobindo: Yes, vyān is the right side; apān is the left side; akāśa is ātmā. It may refer to the vital ether and Prathwi puccham pratiśthā clearly means that the vital is based on and looks from above upon the physical.

Disciple: Does the Christian Trinity correspond to Brahma. Vishnu and Shiva?

Sri Aurobindo: No. The Indian trinity refers to cosmic powers which preside over certain movements in the universe Brahma-creative etc. "Son" in the Christian Trinity means perhaps the "Divine in man". "Holy Ghost" symbolises the "Divine Consciousness".


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