The Dual Being

A poem by Sri Aurobindo


The Dual Being

There are two beings in my single self.
     A Godhead watches Nature from behind
At play in front with a brilliant surface elf,
     A time-born creature with a human mind.

Tranquil and boundless like a sea or sky,
     The Godhead knows himself Eternity's son.
Radiant his mind and vast, his heart as free;
     His will is a sceptre of dominion.

The smaller self by Nature's passions driven,
     Thoughtful and erring learns his human task;
All must be known and to that Greatness given
     This mind and life, the mirror and the mask.

As with the figure of a symbol dance
The screened Omniscient plays at Ignorance.

The Dual Being

There are two beings in my single self.
    A Godhead watches Nature from behind
At play in front with a brilliant surface elf,
    A time-born creature with a human mind.

Tranquil and boundless like a sea or sky,
    The Godhead knows himself Eternity's son.
Radiant his mind and vast, his heart as free;
    His will is a sceptre of dominion.

The smaller self by Nature's passions driven,
    Thoughtful and erring learns his human task;
All must be known and to that Greatness given
    His mind and life, the mirror and the mask.

As with the figure of a symbol dance
The screened Omniscient plays at Ignorance.



Part VII : Pondicherry (Circa 1927-1947) > Sonnets from Manuscripts (Circa 1934-1947)   




How to read the color-coded changes below? 1. SABCL version : lines with any changes & specific changes 2. CWSA version : lines with any changes & specific changes

Sri-Aurobindo/books/collected-poems/the-dual-being.txt CHANGED
@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ His will is a sceptre of dominion.
10
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  The smaller self by Nature's passions driven,
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  Thoughtful and erring learns his human task;
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  All must be known and to that Greatness given
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- This mind and life, the mirror and the mask.
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+ His mind and life, the mirror and the mask.
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  As with the figure of a symbol dance
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  The screened Omniscient plays at Ignorance.

NOTES FROM EDITOR

19 September 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.



Manuscript