The Synthesis of Yoga - Super school Auroville - The Synthesis of Yoga 1301

We had done the Shastra. We are doing utsaha, we shall soon go on to the Guru and then we shall come to kala. These are the four aids of which Sri Aurobindo has spoken. The Shastra, the science of the processes and the operations that govern the yoga leading towards realisation. Utsaha is the effort; the enthusiasm on the part of the pupil which uplifts itself so that the teacher can lead the individual forwards towards the realisation.

What is the place of this aspiration from the pupil? Aspiration that makes you makes an effort. What is the role of effort in the process of yoga? This is the question. We have almost finished it but not fully therefore I would like to revise it. We shall put our focus on the right points. Sri Aurobindo spoke of three stages. There are three stages and Sri Aurobindo tells us the role of effort in each of the three stages. There is a wrong notion: that the Divine exists, he does everything; therefore if I have to do yoga he will make me do it. He does everything; if he wants that I should do yoga he will make me do yoga. Very often this is taken as an excuse for not making the effort on our part. He will do everything and if he is doing everything he will do this also. This is an ignorant reaction to a profound truth. You know when a truth is spoken but at the wrong place: truth becomes falsehood. It is true that everything is done by the Divine but we have to see how the Divine does everything, what is the complexity of that action and if you don’t see the complexity then you are not saying the truth as a whole. The Divine is of course the initiator, the performer and the result all that is the Divine. It is true that if he wants it will be done. But in our ignorance we do not know that he wants it. Therefore we must also say that. If you really want to speak the Truth you should not merely say: “If he wants it will be done.” It is an incomplete statement. We must find out whether he really wants or not. To make a full statement you should say: “If he wants…” The moment you say: “If he wants…” you are ignorant. Therefore your statement is incomplete. You should find out whether he wants. So, even to go from this state to that state you have to make an effort. You must know that he really wants it.

I had told you last time when I drew a diagram… I had said that this is the Divine Power. It is this Power which is working everywhere. But I had told you that at a certain stage this Divine Power creates a blockage -- it is also created by Itself, the blockage also is created by the Divine Power. This introduces the element of complexity. There is a difference between Divine Power manifesting unobstructed and the Divine Power manifesting through a blockage. There is a knot or there are series of knots which are created because of this blockage. Each knot is what it is call the ego. Each one of us is this ego. Because of this egoistic knot the force, which should really proceed smoothly, unobstructed, gets twisted all over and does not move smoothly. That is why what we see in this world is not as a direct manifestation of the Divine. All kind of twists are present in this manifestation. Therefore this world is full of difficulties, obstructions, and phenomena of incapacities, of death, pain. All these phenomena result from this central thread of ego.

We have to examine that although behind power is at work always, it is moving in us through a twist. As a result, this twist has three elements in it. First this ego ignorantly thinks that this power is its power. It does not recognise that there is Supreme power which is behind it. On the contrary it says: “This power which is moving in me is my power.” It does not recognise the superior power behind. As a result the greatness, the supremacy of this power is narrowed down. So that power itself becomes diminished. The second result is that there is a resistance to this power. Whatever power comes from above is resisted -- there is an opposite movement. So not only is the power diminished because of the egoistic idea that the power comes from myself, but the power is also resisted. This is the second result. And the third result is that the ego builds up a wall. The power is diminishes, the power is resisted and finally the ego builds up like a spider a small home for itself -- a fortress is built up. In that fortress, if you listen to the music in it, you will find only one word or two words being hummed all the time: “I am doing, I am doing, I am doing… I am the doer. I am the doer, I am the doer…” Because of this constant music which is going on the constant belief is that the ego is the doer. When the ego is told the Divine is the entire doer, it is only when it does not want to do anything it says let the Divine do it. Not that it really believes that the Divine is the doer, it wants to resist it and to resist, it says if the Divine is the doer, let him do it, I don’t do anything. But inwardly the belief is I am the doer. That belief is not cancelled. It is only that in answer you are using the words of wisdom not out of your real conviction that the Divine is the doer. Your conviction is I am the doer. If your conviction is lost and you really say the Divine is the doer then of course the consequence is absolutely perfect. The divine will certainly do and he is always doing whatever is to be done. But because the ego’s strong conviction operates, we have to deal with it in that state of consciousness and therefore the element of effort is needed. All effort is necessitated on account of this false idea that I am the doer. If this false idea is removed then there is no place for the effort. The role of the effort is a resultant of this consciousness that I am the doer. Therefore if you want to put yourself in the right condition you must start by saying “I have to make an effort.” You have to work on the contrary: “I have to make the effort.”