The Synthesis of Yoga (2000-2001, Super school, Auroville) - Session 14 (13 January 2001)
We come to the third domain. Sri Aurobindo has spoken of the third element in the very first paragraph of this chapter.
There intervenes, third, uplifting our knowledge and effort into the domain of spiritual experience, the direct suggestion, example and influence of the Teacher—guru.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
There are three things, first uplifting our knowledge and effort. Already effort put our hands upwards. The teacher comes to uplift our hands which are already upwards. That is the first function of the teacher. Uplifting our knowledge and effort, and this effort is uplifted so high that we can enter into the spiritual experience. And then there are three important words, the direct suggestion, example and influence. These are the three key words in every process of teaching. The teacher does not teach as much as he suggests. There is a difference between teaching and suggestion. A good teacher suggests. Even in his instruction, if normally the teacher gives lectures, these lectures should be in the form of suggestions. It is not a taskmaster giving instructions which have to be obeyed and fulfilled. A good teacher does not instruct as much as he suggests. A teacher suggests, then he gives an example of himself, so he does not teach exactly but he does perform within himself what he wants to convey to the others. He provides an example. And third is the influence. This word of influence is a very delicate word. What is influence? I shall come to that word very shortly, but I just wanted to underline first the words:
There intervenes, third, uplifting our knowledge and effort into the domain of spiritual experience, the direct suggestion, example and influence of the Teacher—guru. Last comes the instrumentality of Time—kāla; for in all things there is a cycle of their action and a period of the divine movement.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
And now that we are reading on the Teacher we should mark where Sri Aurobindo refers to these three things.
As the supreme Shastra of the integral Yoga is the eternal Veda secret in the heart of every man, so its supreme Guide and Teacher is the inner Guide, the World-Teacher, jagad-guru, secret within us. It is he who destroys our darkness by the resplendent light of his knowledge; that light becomes within us the increasing glory of his own self-revelation. He discloses progressively in us his own nature of freedom, bliss, love, power, immortal being. He sets above us his divine example as our ideal and transforms the lower existence into a reflection of that which it contemplates. By the inpouring of his own influence and presence into us he enables the individual being to attain to identity with the universal and transcendent.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
There is a theory in India: without the teacher you can never,never,never attain the Divine. That is why people in India are always advised to find out a Teacher. Normally when this is said the teacher is referred to as any good human being who is supposed to have the power, knowledge and experience which he can transmit to his pupil. Therefore in India people are in search of what is called a human teacher. When, in this paragraph, Sri Aurobindo uses the word teacher he does not refer to any human teacher, he refers to the World-Teacher, he refers to the inner Guide. Just as the shastra of the Integral Yoga is not contained in any book similarly the teacher to whom we have to refer or to whom we have to turn is not any human teacher but the Divine Teacher. He is the Divine himself. It is this Divine Teacher who is in our heart. Just as the shastra is in the heart similarly the Teacher also is in our heart. The place of the human teacher is subordinate — he is a concession you might say. If you need him you can have him but it is not necessary that we should have a human teacher. The Teacher is always there with you, in you.
Now what is the mark of that teacher? How do you experience him?
As the supreme Shastra of the integral Yoga is the eternal Veda secret in the heart of every man, so its supreme Guide and Teacher is the inner Guide, the World-Teacher, jagad-guru, secret within us. It is he who destroys our darkness by the resplendent light of his knowledge; that light becomes within us the increasing glory of his own self-revelation. He discloses progressively in us his own nature of freedom, bliss, love, power, immortal being. He sets above us his divine example as our ideal and transforms the lower existence into a reflection of that which it contemplates. By the inpouring of his own influence and presence into us he enables the individual being to attain to identity with the universal and transcendent.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
These two sentences are very difficult to understand although linguistically they are not difficult. But let us try to understand them.
"It is he who destroys our darkness by the resplendent light of his knowledge; that light becomes within us the increasing glory of his own self-revelation. He discloses progressively in us his own nature of freedom, bliss, love, power, immortal being. He sets above us his divine example as our ideal and transforms the lower existence into a reflection of that which it contemplates. By the inpouring of his own influence and presence into us he enables the individual being to attain to identity with the universal and transcendent."
First there is the concept of darkness and then there is the concept of resplendent light. Light is qualified because there can be physical light, there can be rational light, light of reason, and there can be light of His knowledge. It is not physical light, it is not rational knowledge, but there is a light, the light of his knowledge. What is that light of his knowledge? Let us ask the question: what is knowledge? Then we will find out what his knowledge is.
Whenever we speak of knowledge the word knowledge is incomplete because additionally we ask the question knowledge of what, knowledge of whom? Every time we use the word knowledge necessarily we speak an incomplete phrase. If I ask the question: “Do you have knowledge?” the question is still incomplete unless you add the word which will define the quality of the knowledge — knowledge of this, knowledge of that, etc. Normally the word knowledge refers to a process of uncovering. There is an object which is covered and when you uncover that object then there arises the knowledge of that object. Basically knowledge is a process of uncovering. We also use the word discovering. There are many things which are discovered merely by words. You speak a word and the object is uncovered. When a child learns in the beginning, he learns very often only by words. “I saw a cat.” The word cat, when the child is told the word cat, there is an uncovering for the child. He sees the object and the word cat uncovers that object, so much so that next time, even if the object is not present, the mere mention of the word immediately gives an image of the real cat. So word is a very powerful instrument of uncovering. That is why whenever we use the word knowledge our first concern is with the word. That is the reason why many educators begin to speak to you about words. Whenever a word is spoken something happens in your consciousness. It is not a physical light but something that begins to uncover and something begins to glow. It may be an image that glows; it may be an idea that glows. We do not think very often that ideas are like light because ideas can run about even in our physical darkness but the fact is that ideas are like small lamps, small lights and these ideas are ignited by words. But there are limits to words. Everything cannot be uncovered by words. Even if I use a word, if you have not seen the object the word makes no meaning and the object can be seen, the physical object can be seen, only if physical light is thrown upon the object. There is a connection between the light and the object. There are objects which are self-luminous. You don’t need to throw light upon the object because the object itself is glowing by its own light in which case you don’t have to take a torch and put light on it from outside. But all objects are not self-luminous. Therefore you have to throw light upon objects which are not self–luminous. A star is self-luminous; the moon is not self–luminous — as you know the moon shines by the light thrown upon it by the sun. The sun is self–luminous. But in any case there is a connection between the object and the light. If the object is self-luminous you don’t have to throw light upon it but if the object is not self-luminous you have to throw light upon it. But all objects are known through light. Object and knowledge, object and light are both needed in order to have knowledge. There is knowledge which itself is a light. I said previously that light thrown upon objects gives you knowledge but knowledge itself can be regarded as light. Most often by uncovering that knowledge is generated and therefore light and knowledge are regarded as synonymous.
As the supreme Shastra of the integral Yoga is the eternal Veda secret in the heart of every man, so its supreme Guide and Teacher is the inner Guide, the World-Teacher, jagad-guru, secret within us. It is he who destroys our darkness by the resplendent light of his knowledge; that light becomes within us the increasing glory of his own self-revelation. He discloses progressively in us his own nature of freedom, bliss, love, power, immortal being. He sets above us his divine example as our ideal and transforms the lower existence into a reflection of that which it contemplates. By the inpouring of his own influence and presence into us he enables the individual being to attain to identity with the universal and transcendent.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
God to us is in darkness. We don’t see him anywhere. We see so many objects but we don’t see God; the Divine Teacher is not seen. He is in darkness we might say. It is a great surprise that one who is all luminous is unseen by us. Actually speaking the only thing that we can know is the Divine because he is all luminous but somehow there is a phenomenon of darkness which has covered that all luminousness which is itself a surprise. How can the All luminous be covered? This is a very important question and one day you will ask me and we should spend two, three days on it. But at present we only start with this statement: it is a fact that we do not see the All luminous. The Divine is All luminous and yet covered to our eyes. Something has happened. What has happened, how it has happened, why it has happened? These questions are extremely important. And one of the specialities of The Life Divine is that this book answers these questions in detail, which no book in the world answers as much in detail as The Life Divine has answered. It is the only book in the world which has answered these questions in detail. How has the all-luminous become covered? What is the process by which this has happened? What is the nature of light that can be covered? Can the self–luminous be covered? But this is what has happened. At present to our psychology, it is a fact that we don’t see God. The Self–luminous and All–luminous, the Divine we don’t see him.
In other words, there is a darkness, that darkness by which we are not able to see the All-luminous. We see so many other things but not He. Sri Aurobindo says, it is he who himself destroys our darkness. By what means: by the resplendent light of his knowledge. The one who is covered as it were suddenly reveals himself as self-luminous. It is as if there is an object which at present you don’t see and suddenly it becomes luminous. Then you see it. It is he himself who switches on the light as it were, his own light, so that light falls upon him and he is seen. This is the mark of a teacher, the Divine Teacher. When you have an experience of this kind then you can say: “I have now found my teacher.” When the teacher reveals himself by his own knowledge which is thrown upon himself — it is the resplendent light of his knowledge. Dazzling light, light which you cannot refuse at all. Having seen that light you have no doubt — can you ask the sun to prove that it is luminous? Having seen the sunlight you cannot doubt that there is sunlight. Similarly, here too, there is a self-luminous light of the Supreme. That is why those who have seen God have no doubt at all that God exists. We know the story of Swami Vivekananda. As a young man studying in college, reading books on philosophy and logic, he listened to a number of people who claimed that they knew God, they described God and he was not convinced. He used to ask the question to everybody who claimed knowledge: “Have you seen God?” And nobody could satisfy his query until one day he met Sri Ramakrishna to whom he asked his very question, “Have you seen God?” And Sri Ramakrishna said: “Yes! Only I see him more vividly than I see you.” It is as if somebody asks: “Have you seen the sun?” Our answer would be the same: “Yes! I have seen the sun”. That was his answer. That is the mark of the Teacher. The one who has seen it is he who destroys our darkness by the resplendent light of his knowledge.
As the supreme Shastra of the integral Yoga is the eternal Veda secret in the heart of every man, so its supreme Guide and Teacher is the inner Guide, the World-Teacher, jagad-guru, secret within us. It is he who destroys our darkness by the resplendent light of his knowledge; that light becomes within us the increasing glory of his own self-revelation. He discloses progressively in us his own nature of freedom, bliss, love, power, immortal being. He sets above us his divine example as our ideal and transforms the lower existence into a reflection of that which it contemplates. By the inpouring of his own influence and presence into us he enables the individual being to attain to identity with the universal and transcendent.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
The light of the Divine is a glow within ourselves. Once you see that light, that light does not get extinguished. It is the glow that is born in us and in that glow we have the revelation both of ourselves and of the Divine.
“He discloses progressively in us his own nature of freedom, bliss, love, power, immortal being.” When you say you have seen the Divine, you have not seen the Divine unless you have experienced the Divine Freedom, the Divine Bliss. The Divine Love, the Divine Power, the Divine Immortal Being. “He sets above us his divine example as our ideal and transforms the lower existence into a reflection of that which it contemplates.” All the qualities that you have spoken of: freedom, bliss, etc, cannot be understood unless we have an example, a human being or a divine being. Merely by looking at the outside you do not understand his real nature. It is when you come into contact by experience and learn by example in what way he is free. By freedom means the capacity of manifesting infinite possibilities, at the same time any one of these infinite possibilities — that is the freedom. Normally human beings have got only one or two possibilities. I can go here or I don’t go there. Even if some people have two or three possibilities, or hundred possibilities but all that is a limitation. Real freedom comes when there is infinite possibility and also the possibility of selecting any one of them without any compulsion. That is freedom. And it is by his example that you can see…
Once there was a dialogue with the Mother and a few disciples. These disciples were not able to see the Divine Mother as the Divine Mother. And the Mother suddenly made a remark to them in a conversation: “Do not think I am compelled to be here with you.” This is a very important sentence. You know, when you discuss any question with anybody there is an inner assumption that the person to whom you are talking is compelled to be there, he has his own necessity to be there. The real freedom is understood when you find that that person is not compelled. We very often deal with other people as if they are compelled to be where they are. And our relationship is based upon this small assumption. We do not know that the Divine is not compelled to be with you: That he needs you, that he cannot do without you that for his fulfilment you are very necessary. Human beings when they are quite ignorant deal with the Divine as if the Divine is a puppet who is required, who has the necessity to be there and that is what distorts our relationship with him. You are in the right relationship with the Divine when you know that he is not compelled to be with you. This is the majesty of the Supreme. Therefore do not deal with the Divine as you deal with so many other things in the world. In the world things are compelled to be where they are. The chair is compelled to be where it is, because you have put it there and it has no capacity to run away. It is by seeing the example of the Divine that you see that in the Divine consciousness there is no compulsion. If he is with you it is because he has so chosen freely. There are thousands of possibilities. There is a beautiful example given in The Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna says to Sri Krishna: “I will not fight.” And Sri Krishna first says: “Even if you run away from the battlefield you will be compelled to come back.” That is the nature of human incapacity. He may think: “I run away” but that very nature will compel him to come back. He also says: “Even if you are not here I don’t need you. My goal will be achieved even if you decide one way or the other.” The Divine is not compelled to have Arjuna on the battlefield. Both ways he answered the question. The Divine freedom is of such a high and majestic nature. If you think that without you God’s work will not be done, have no illusion at all. If he makes you his instrument it is because he is pleased to do it. Not that God is compelled to choose you because you are so great, so wonderful and without you he cannot do his work. Not at all! There is no compulsion at all.
There is a beautiful anecdote. It is reported as a real story, but even if it is not a real story it can be a real story. There was once a great leader called Shivaji. He was a great leader of Marathas. He was creating a new nation, a new aspiration among the people of Maharashtra and therefore the emperor of India Aurengzeb was opposed to him thoroughly and always he used to send his soldiers and generals to chase Shivaji and to kill him. There are many stories of this chase and the stories of how he was rescued. Once he was with his teacher Ramdas. He has gone to meet his teacher, a very great saint, one who knew God so well. And suddenly when he was talking with his master he was told that there is an attack on that very house and Aurengzeb’s men have entered. Shivaji was alone with his teacher and several soldiers were coming at the same time so it would be impossible for him to escape. At that stage he just looked at his teacher and the teacher smiled. And when the soldiers came they saw two hundred Shivajis in the room. And the soldiers were bewildered. This is a story, but it can have happened. This is the freedom of the Divine power. To say that Shivaji can protect himself by himself, by his own power, is an illusion. It is because the Divine so chose that he is to be protected, therefore he was protected. Such is the nature of the Divine Teacher; such is the freedom of the Divine Teacher. And the same thing can be said about bliss, love, power and immortality.
“He sets above us his divine example…” If you have once seen two hundred Shivaji coming out like that in one stroke that is the example. It is by this kind of example — it is a major example but there are minor examples, small examples. But the Divine Teacher gives an example and it is this example which is extremely important. He embodies what he proposes. Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita where he teaches the karma Yoga: “Karma Yoga is a process of doing an action without the desire to enjoy the fruits of action.” And Sri Krishna says: “I am myself an example of this Karma Yoga because I have nothing to gain from this world, nothing to gain by doing works in the world and yet I work all the time.” This is an example. He says: “I require nothing from this world. I am perfect, nothing can give me more than what I am and yet I go on doing works all the time.” And he says: “If I do not give this example then the world will perish because people will cease to work. In order for people to be inspired to work I give an example.” It is by this means, when you see some embodiment of the ideal then you know it is possible. It can be done and then it inspires you to emulate it. This is the mark of a teacher, that he gives an example. He does not merely speak, he practices what he teaches and is a living embodiment of what he teaches. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother declared that Divine life in matter is possible — this is the teaching in the first chapter of The Life Divine — and that it is inevitable both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have taught this by example. As Mother says: “When Sri Aurobindo was in the earth it was a perfect Divine life on the earth.” And when she said: “What Sri Aurobindo has asked me to do is DONE.” It is not merely a teaching. Sri Aurobindo has asked the Mother to show, to realise that Divine consciousness can manifest fully in matter and Mother said that is done. It is because of this example that we are all inspired and that is the mark of the Divine Teacher.
As the supreme Shastra of the integral Yoga is the eternal Veda secret in the heart of every man, so its supreme Guide and Teacher is the inner Guide, the World-Teacher, jagad-guru, secret within us. It is he who destroys our darkness by the resplendent light of his knowledge; that light becomes within us the increasing glory of his own self-revelation. He discloses progressively in us his own nature of freedom, bliss, love, power, immortal being. He sets above us his divine example as our ideal and transforms the lower existence into a reflection of that which it contemplates. By the inpouring of his own influence and presence into us he enables the individual being to attain to identity with the universal and transcendent.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
Sri Aurobindo has said: suggestion, example and influence are the three powers of the teacher. When he reveals himself he gives suggestion, when he gives example by showing you, experiencing in you his freedom, bliss, light, immortality he has taught you through example. But now comes the third example:
By the inpouring of his own influence and presence into us he enables the individual being to attain to identity with the universal and transcendent.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
What is this influence? Influence is a radiation. It’s a radiation that proceeds from nearness. A good teacher is one who can bring great inner intimacy and nearness —unless a teacher becomes near his students there is no influence. If the divine influences us it is because he is very intimate with us. It is by becoming intimate with us that his influence radiates in us. The Divine Teacher is the most intimate friend and shows his intimacy and presence all the time —it is that which radiates and by that radiation identity with the divine is experienced. So the instrument of the teacher is nearness, not a physical nearness. It is not the position that the teacher occupies in the surrounding of the pupil, it is an inward nearness. How much he is inwardly present. We have the story of Draupadi when she was being disrobed in the court in the presence of so many standing around her as wolves and no one would come to her aid. She just turned to Sri Krishna and in her heart prayed to him —and it did not take time for the Divine to come. On the spot there was the saving of Draupadi. Again it is a story but it can happen. It is not a myth. It is not a mere fiction. Such things can happen on the spot —that is the power of real prayer. That is the nearness. And because of the nearness there is the radiation. The divine teacher always whispers into your ears. And the human teacher, who comes nearer to the divine teacher, also whispers in the ears. That is why the greatest teaching is in the Upanishads. You sit near the teacher; you are very close to him. The best teaching is done by the teacher not by discourses, but by a word whispered into the ears —in close proximity to the student. One word transforms. A good teacher whispers in the ear of the child “Can you be like this?” and in one second the character can be changed. One word to the child spoken by the teacher in that intimacy and the character of anger can be changed: “Can you be in such a state of rage?” A teacher telling a child, a student, with that sense of intimacy the whole sense of revenge can vanish in one second. That is the power of influence.
So once again, influence is a radiation that proceeds from the teacher because of this nearness, because of this intimacy with the inmost recesses of the student. That is the influence. So:
By the inpouring of his own influence and presence into us he enables the individual being to attain to identity with the universal and transcendent.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
If you hear one day the word of the Divine in this fashion: “Are you so narrow?” One word from the Divine and you become universal and transcendent. You can attain to identity with the universal and the transcendent. These are the marks of the Divine Teacher.
“What is his method and his system?” This is the question we ask of any teacher. How does he teach? What is the situation which he creates for teaching? All schools are systems. In these systems, you have classrooms, you have books, you have lectures, you have timetables, you have syllabi to cover; these are the methods and systems of education. But the Divine Teacher —what is his method and what is his system? And Sri Aurobindo says: “He has no method and every method.” There is nothing special, unique. We cannot say this is his system. Does he beat his students; does he uplift everybody; does he love everybody; does he instruct all the time or at a certain time only or in a certain way only? There is no method and every method. Yes, he does everything. Every method that is suitable to the individual — when we speak of “free progress system” and when we emphasise so much individuation it is because of this. There is no method actually. What is it that will uplift a given individual or all whether you are a group class or an individual class? It depends, you don’t make a rule that there will be no group classes, that does not apply to the Divine teaching. You say that it will have only individual teaching that does not apply to him. Depends upon who before him he is going to be present. Now Sri Aurobindo answers this question in depth.
What is his method and his system? He has no method and every method. His system is a natural organisation of the highest processes and movements of which the nature is capable. Applying themselves even to the pettiest details and to the actions the most insignificant in their appearance with as much care and thoroughness as to the greatest, they in the end lift all into the Light and transform all. For in his Yoga there is nothing too small to be used and nothing too great to be attempted. As the servant and disciple of the Master has no business with pride or egoism because all is done for him from above, so also he has no right to despond because of his personal deficiencies or the stumblings of his nature. For the Force that works in him is impersonal—or superpersonal—and infinite.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
Everybody’s nature he knows quite well. He knows what is Samai and how Samai can be uplifted, what is the best in his nature, how the different elements in his nature are coordinated or discoordinated, what is the stand in which he is now. Every element in him, according to the Divine’s eyes, has behind it the Divine supremacy. If I am weak behind my weakness is the Divine strength; if I am dull behind this dullness there is the Divine luminous light. Behind everything that is there the Divine always stands in his full glory. So he knows everybody’s nature and knows his present weakness, his present dullness, how all that can be cured, because the Divine is behind it. But to everybody he organises in such a way that very smoothly everything flowers and blooms and becomes resplendent. He knows the timing of everybody, when he should flower, when he should sleep, when he should rest, relax. He does not force anybody but creates and organisation which is natural to him.
What is his method and his system? He has no method and every method. His system is a natural organisation of the highest processes and movements of which the nature is capable. Applying themselves even to the pettiest details and to the actions the most insignificant in their appearance with as much care and thoroughness as to the greatest, they in the end lift all into the Light and transform all. For in his Yoga there is nothing too small to be used and nothing too great to be attempted. As the servant and disciple of the Master has no business with pride or egoism because all is done for him from above, so also he has no right to despond because of his personal deficiencies or the stumblings of his nature. For the Force that works in him is impersonal—or superpersonal—and infinite.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
Whether you know the Divine or not, whether you have put yourself into the Divine’s hands or not, he is always your teacher and always uplifts you. But if you are aware, the speed becomes so great, almost like a miracle. It is as Sri Aurobindo said to one of the disciples, that within a short time he made as much progress as if a lame man was to throw away on the spot his crutches and started running with a tremendous speed. This can happen within a short time if we go into the hands of the Divine with consciousness. When we are unconscious we are what we are now and even there the Divine is constantly striving to lift us naturally by combining your nature in the right manner and giving you experiences which are necessary for you to grow. But if you consciously go to him and put yourself into his hands then the progression will be tremendously fast because he attends to every detail, whether big or small. In his eyes there is nothing big or small, everything is equal, it is in our small eyes that we make distinctions of big and small, but in his eyes there is nothing that is big and nothing that is small. And therefore in every detail the Divine constantly goes on pouring and uplifting. How much he will pour, in what way he will pour depends upon the individual. So there is no particular system, no particular method. Whatever is suitable by which this uplifting is possible that is the method that will be used.
For in his Yoga there is nothing too small to be used and nothing too great to be attempted. As the servant and disciple of the Master has no business with pride or egoism because all is done for him from above, so also he has no right to despond because of his personal deficiencies or the stumblings of his nature.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
It is a tremendous bond given to every disciple, to every student: “Do not worry about your deficiencies because the Master is at work and you are in his hands and he can put the necessary light, the necessary strength, the necessary knowledge, the necessary skill — whatever is needed.
For the Force that works in him is impersonal—or superpersonal—and infinite.
The full recognition of this inner Guide, Master of the Yoga, lord, light, enjoyer and goal of all sacrifice and effort, is of the utmost importance in the path of integral perfection.
The Supreme Teacher at present is covered, not recognised by us. So long as he is not recognised by us our speed of work and progress will be as we are now, but if we can recognise him; the full recognition, not only ordinary recognition, Sri Aurobindo speaks of “the full recognition, the full recognition of this inner Guide, Master of the Yoga, lord, light, enjoyer and goal of all sacrifice and effort…” When we recognise the Master with all these qualifications, the Master is the lord, is the light, is the enjoyer, is the goal of all sacrifice and effort, when we do this then we shall attain to integral perfection. What is integral perfection? There is one very long chapter in this very book. We shall read one day the concept of integral perfection. And we are all called upon to arrive at that integral perfection. And that perfection cannot come without the full recognition of the Master. That is why it is said that without the Teacher you can never attain the goal. But it is not the human teacher, you have to recognise the Divine Teacher and that teacher is within us and the more we recognise him the more we come near him and attain to perfection.
It is immaterial whether he is first seen as an impersonal Wisdom, Love and Power behind all things, as an Absolute manifesting in the relative and attracting it, as one’s highest Self and the highest Self of all, as a Divine Person within us and in the world, in one of his—or her—numerous forms and names or as the ideal which the mind conceives.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
These are the first experiences, the first ways by which you recognise him. So whether you recognise him in this way or that way or another way it does not matter. Begin your recognition of him. You recognise him as impersonal or as personal. You do as you choose as Sri Krishna says:
ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ 4.11As men approach Me, so I accept them to My love (bhajāmi); men follow in every way my path, O son of Pritha.
He makes a room according to your approach. If you think that he loves you immensely, he will come to you as immense love; if you think that he is angry with you, he comes to you with anger; if you think that he is taskmaster, he will come to you as a taskmaster; if you think that he is impersonal, he will only stand with the eyes uplifted, then you will find him with uplifted eyes and you have to make a tremendous effort to approach him; if you think that he is all the time behind you, he is behind you; if you think that he is in front of you, he is always in front of you; if you think he is a child, he is your child; if you think he is your father, he is your father. In whatever form you may look upon him it depends upon you. So you choose your own way, what do you like the Divine to be with you. You start in the beginning in that form and ultimately all the aspects will come one after the other. As you start with one, gradually his integrality will manifest little by little.
So he says, “it is immaterial, whether he is first seen as an impersonal Wisdom”. You can approach him as you approach a book, this book contains wisdom, and you read it — it is impersonal whether you read it or another person read it, it is the same book equal to everybody, nothing special for you. But you may also approach him as personal Wisdom then he answers specific questions, very personally. It depends how you want him. So:
It is immaterial whether he is first seen as an impersonal Wisdom, Love and Power behind all things, as an Absolute manifesting in the relative and attracting it, as one’s highest Self and the highest Self of all, as a Divine Person within us and in the world, in one of his—or her—numerous forms and names or as the ideal which the mind conceives.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
You may conceive of God distributing lollipops to every one of us, all equally. Everyone is going to him and he gives one lollipop to everybody. He is impersonal love; it is love, but impersonal love. But he may also give special bounty, if you approach him as personal love. That also he is. It depends how you approach him: impersonal love or impersonal power. You can approach him as Absolute manifesting in the relative and attracting it. When you conceive the Divine as an Absolute he is so high, so remote, inaccessible. He is inaccessible also, so high, all the time very high, you have the image of climbing staircases which do not end, on and on and on you climb, and you find that he is always higher still. You never reach him, he is inaccessible. That also is true of him. But you just imagine that he is your child and he comes as a child and remains with you all the time. That also is his nature therefore you can approach him in that way also.
It is immaterial whether he is first seen as an impersonal Wisdom, Love and Power behind all things, as an Absolute manifesting in the relative and attracting it, as one’s highest Self and the highest Self of all, as a Divine Person within us and in the world, in one of his—or her—numerous forms and names or as the ideal which the mind conceives.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
You may see him as Durga, you may see him as Shiva, you may see him as Krishna, in many forms, one form or many forms and he is all this. In the beginning you may choose any one of them, it is an infinite freedom on your part and gradually he will reveal to you all the aspects.
In the end we perceive that he is all and more than all these things together. The mind’s door of entry to the conception of him must necessarily vary according to the past evolution and the present nature.
Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Four Aids
How you will look upon him will depend on your past evolution and your present condition of consciousness.