Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy And Yoga - Some Aspects

Moksha

To turn to the Divine is the only truth in life.

—Sri Aurobindo

Moksha, i.e., the liberation of the Soul from the dominance of Prakriti was considered the highest goal of life from time immemorial. In fact, after the Vedic age and during the period of the Upanishads when the Vedic ritualistic practices fell into disuse and the Jnana kanda came into prominence in our spiritual seeking, the sole objective was to get rid of the subjection of the embodied soul to Prakriti or executive nature. This was behind the whole of Shankara's philosophy of Adwaitavad. He emphasised the existence of the Soul or Atman to the exclusion of the whole of the phenomenal nature because it was something fleeting and evanescent and was regarded as Maya or Illusion which created the illusory Ego which was the cause of so much sorrow, suffering and misery in this short and transitory human existence. The Brahman alone was Real because it was unborn, undying, infinite and eternal and all this phenomenal world was unreal because it was passing and transitional. Xo get rid of this transitory and inconstant phenomenal existence full of hazards of life and its uncertainties and difficulties, it was necessary to dissolve the ego-complex and then only we could enter into the Divine Life and enjoy the bliss of life while it lasted. This spiritual ideal became so wide-spread and deep-rooted in the mind of Indian people that life and matter were neglected in an exclusive

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pursuit of the Spirit and the moment one realised it, he attained to the bliss of Brahman. Naturally, even this was not an easy job to accomplish and the hundreds and even thousands who succeeded in realising their Self were emulated by the rest who had a spiritual seeking. Thus at the top level of Indian humanity, the very best were cut off from the world and the result was failure of vital and material life which was considered fit only for the ignorant masses. This state of affairs continued to be prevalent up to the advent of Ramkrishna and Vivekananda. Vivekananda wanted to broadcast the spiritual message of the Gita and Upanishads by bringing it out of the caves and mountains and give a new orientation to life but he never thought of transformation of human nature both vital and physical which he compared to the tail of a dog which could never become straight—it must always revert to its crooked curl of nature. At a higher vital and mental level, one could live a spiritual life and to that extent enjoy the bliss of the Brahman. The ignorant world had thus no prospect, no chance to get better and would .continue the same scene of sorrow, suffering and misery that it was from the start of this terrestrial life.

Sri Aurobindo had to delve deeper and soar higher than all our previous attempts to better life in this earth and he found a clue to this mystery in the Vedic literature where he found the gospel of the Truth consciousness or Supermind as he termed it. This was "beyond the ordinary spiritual consciousness which meant the arrival at the stage of separation of Purusha or the Soul from Prakriti and was never tried even by the Vedic Rishis to bring down to earth. Like the

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mental consciousness and Power which has been in operation on earth shaping a race of mental beings, this supramental consciousness has to be brought down to earth to shape a race of spiritual or gnostic beings and it his is what he has done by sacrificing his own life for the future of humanity.

This will naturally take time for its manifestation as Mind took time to appear in the life-being of the animals. The evolutionary principle works through gradual and progressive stages and not through violent and cataclysmic upheavals. This is all I have to say about the importance given to Moksha or withdrawal from life in the past.

It has been often charged that, striving for Spiritual liberation or Moksha, is selfishness on the part of the individual. Moksha or liberation is not the pursuit of self realisation on the part of an individual . Is the pursuit of knowledge, selfishness? If not, why should the pursuit of the highest knowledge, i .e., self- knowledge be considered such? The play of involution and evolution, of self .concealment and self discovery is the 'Lila ' of the Divine one. Every being and everything is inhabited by the Divine which is His own self-creation, then why should not soul in man seek the Divine attracted like iron to magnet t? It is the nature of the soul to realise its highest self, i.e., the Divine inhabitant in his own and in the body of the whole creation. Naturally, it is only in the human embodiment and at the highest at that, this search for the Divine self begins. This is the principle of the evolutionary Nature of the Consciousness- the physical aspect to which we pay so much attention is only secondary and derivative. The higher and higher forms of creation embody higher and higher

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form of consciousness—till in the man of realisation the highest, i.e., the Sat-chit-ananda is realised. Then you know, the spiritually realised soul does not live for himself alone but for the good of the entire creation. Why should the self realised Soul, the Guru, Guide, Avatar and others have tried by their examples, teaching and influence to raise humanity to their own levels if they were not inspired and motivated by a sense of Oneness, the unity of the whole creation ?

"Earth must transform herself and equal Heaven

Or Heaven descend into earth's mortal state.

But for such vast spiritual change to be.

Out of the mystic cavern in man's heart

The heavenly Psyche must put off her veil

And step into common nature's crowded rooms

And stand uncovered in that nature's front

And rule its thoughts and fill the body and life.'"

—Sri Aurobindo

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