Essays on the Gita - Track 307

In any case this is the secret aspect of the Vedic knowledge that it gives you the threads of the cosmos, the important knots of these threads and how these threads can be related with. This is another synthesis that we find in the Veda: the synthesis of the human powers with the cosmic powers by means of 'invocation' and means of `sacrifice'. And then finally, there is another point in the Veda and that is the idea of `perfectibility' of man and attainment of `immortality', amritam. The Veda gives these two important concepts that when you synthesise yourselves with gods and with the supreme God and you become one, realise the Supreme, and put your body, life and mind in such a beautiful condition of preparedness and brightness and readiness, then you have perfection and immortality. Now, these are the aspects of the Vedic synthesis.

Now if you read with me four or five lines that Sri Aurobindo has written which are the most difficult lines in that chapter to explain the Vedic synthesis. [On page 7 of the Essays on the Gita] :

"There have been other synthesises in the long history of Indian thought. We start with the Vedic synthesis of the psychological being of man in its highest flights and widest rangings of divine knowledge, power, joy, life and glory with the cosmic existence of the gods, pursued behind the symbols of the material universe into those superior planes which are hidden from the physical sense and material mentality. The crown of this synthesis was in the experience of the Vedic Rishis something divine, transcendent...”

...not only cosmic but transcendent...

"...and blissful in whose unity the increasing soul of man and the eternal divine fullness of cosmic godheads meet perfectly and fulfil themselves."

...now, these are very difficult words but may be that with what I have said, it will become much more clear. The various kinds of perfections that I spoke of, are all now summarised in these four lines. 1 shall read again.

"We start with the Vedic synthesis of the psychological being of man... " That is our powers of various kinds have to be developed. Then:

"...in its highest flights and widest rangings of divine knowledge, power, joy, life and glory with the cosmic existence of the gods, which are pursued behind the symbols of the material universe..."

You speak the word `surya', is a symbol, but actually it represents us Surya as a god, a cosmic god. It’s not only this outer Surya which we see. So they are pursued behind the symbols of the material universe...

"...into those superior planes which are hidden from the physical sense and the material mentality."

So yourself, uniting yourself with the cosmic gods and perfecting yourself by this connection. Now:

"The crown of this synthesis was in the experience of the Vedic Rishis something divine, transcendent and blissful..."

Actually the Veda does not use the word Satchidananda, but these three words are used divine, transcendent and blissful. So it is actually a translation of Satchidananda.

"...in whose unity..."

That is Satchidananda is also unity.

"...the increasing soul of man and the eternal divine fullness..." ... perfection and immortality...

"...of the cosmic godheads meet perfectly and fulfil themselves."

The perfection of the gods attains a relationship with you and you become as perfect as the gods in each domain. This is the, you might say, the synthesis that you find in the Veda.

I think we can stop here now again although I thought that I shall complete the whole paragraph today but I went astray and I spoke at length on these things, which I thought we shall just pass over as introduction. But anyway, it does not matter, those four lines are perhaps now better explained. So we shall continue now next time and we shall go to the synthesis of the Upanishads and then the synthesis of the Gita, then the synthesis of Tantra, and then the nature of the synthesis that we are looking for in the new world. That will complete our first chapter.

That will complete only the first chapter?

Only the first chapter because this whole page 7 is so difficult. It summarises the entire history of Indian thought in a few lines. Those four lines on the Veda  they are the summary of how many volumes! It is a kind of a quintessence of the whole Vedic domain is described here. So it is so difficult that I have got to take some time with you and ask you to be patient with this page itself.