The Ascent of Sight in Sri Aurobindo's Savitri

4 Sight:

Its Determinative Power:

It is a noteworthy fact that an immediate intuitive consciousness of things often leads to an immediate intuitive control of things. Also, a constantly held vision of what one would like to happen helps the thing to grow into a reality. There is a significant passage on p. 302 of Mother's Questions and Answers 1953 as regards the action of the Supermind in the world. The Mother says inter alia:

"... it is conscious of the difference between the world as it is and the world as it ought to be. Every moment it sees the gulf between what is and what should be, between the truth and the falsehood that is expressed. And constantly it keeps this vision of the Truth which broods over the world, so that as soon as there is a little opening, it may descend and manifest itself."

About the controlling and mastering power of sight it is

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worth quoting here a passage from Sri Aurobindo's The Life Divine (p. 535):

"All the movements of the surface being can be seen ... with a direct sight in the consciousness by which the self-delusions and mistakes of self of the outer consciousness can be dispelled; there is a keener mental vision ... of our subjective becoming, a vision which at once knows, commands and controls the whole nature."

Sri Aurobindo has referred in many ways to this controlling and creative power of sight in his Epic Savitri. Here are a few illustrative examples: "growing by his gaze"; "determining mandate of their eyes"; "his gaze had power"; "mild gaze uninsistent ruled"; "eyes that rule"; "mastering gaze"; "drew from sight spiritual power"; "its gaze controls"; etc. Now a few illustrative verses from Savitri:

(1) "He regards the icon growing by his gaze..." (23)

(2) "He mastered the tides of Nature with a look" (219)

(3)"Infallibly by Truth's directing gaze

All creatures here their secret self disclose" (272)

(4)"Its gaze controls the turbulent whirl of things"

(571)

(5)"That mightier spirit turned its mastering gaze"

(573)

(6)"He who now stares at the world with ignorant eyes

Hardly from the Inconscient's night aroused,

That look at images and not at Truth

Can fill those orbs with an immortal's sight." (370)

(7)''It drew from sight and sound spiritual power'' (236)

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