At
times, rarely, a mother or a father will try to help the
child out, but the answers they give are hardly understandable
by the child. They raise new questions and the child is drawn
along to a strange world, invisible but revealed by its effects
in him and around him.
In
short, it seems as if everything were conspiring to stifle
or repress the silent force, a force that no one can explain
or master, but with which one has to come to terms and live.
As
the child grows, he realizes that the problem of love is
among the greatest concerns of the world. He sees that famous
writers have heaped up volumes about it, in praise of its
sweetness, or in blame of its violence or simply in describing
of its vagaries. His teachers have been obliged to speak
of it, but none understands its nature.
Later
on, the child may come across a book pretending to throw
some light on the problem. He is asked to analyse his dreams
and make the Unconscious conscious. A dark sink opens before
him; explanations do not satisfy him, they only bring him
harassing and disconcerting thoughts.
Finally,
the child is led to acknowledge as a fact the existence in
him, as in every living being, of a secret force that seems
to originate and develop from the animal world. He has to
control it, as best he can, and hide away its effects, what-
ever storms may rage within.
And
yet it ought to be relatively easy for us, disciples of Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother, to give to such problems as children
and adults meet in that domain an explanation which would
satisfy them and throw light on what happens within them.
Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother have in several places of their
works spoken of Love as one of the essential aspects of the
Divine and as a fundamental principle of the universe -although
still in large part veiled. The fact that Love is only partly
revealed hides perhaps from us the role assumed by love in
the evolution of the universe and of each individual being
of the universe. A small key is required.
The
Divine-simultaneously One and Many-manifests himself in the
universe through separate centres of conscious- ness. Without
Love these centres would remain eternally separate. Each
would evolve in its own way, without deep contact with the
others. What would be lacking to it is the consciousness
of its identity with the Divine and of its underlying connection
with the other centres.
The
aspect of the Divine that has taken upon itself the task
of bridging this eternal opposition is Love. And love is,
in the evolution of the universe, the hidden force that will
accomplish the work.
The
careful observer-and such is the child-sees manifestations
of this force everywhere. He marks its elementary forms in
insects and the lower animals. They are then mechanical and
reflex: sexual instinct and associative instinct (ants, bees);
hunger is also a manifestation of love ( one devours what one
loves).
Later
on, his science books will teach him that attractive forces
(and repulsive forces that are complementary) are indispensable
to build up matter-the matter of physics and chemistry .Molecules,
and even atoms and their constituents, exist only owing to
the presence of certain forces that ensure their cohesion.
Does not the Mother say that love exists-with consciousness-even
in the stone ?
In
the higher animals-birds, mammals-the mechanical and reflex
action is modified by a nascent psychic element (rearing
of offspring, faithfulness to a mate, devotion to the pack).
Between the higher animal and man, the difference in this
sphere is not large; it is in the growth of the mental element
(reasoning capacity) that man differs mostly from the animal.
Separation
of sexes is but a device used by Nature to reach her own
ends. It is not indispensable to the propagation of the species-many
species are asexual or bisexual. But this separation is convenient
and efficient.
Now
each human being-everyone of us-is evolving in the universe
through a succession of many lives upon earth, and as the
object of this evolution is the progressive aware- ness of
our essential identity with the Divine-One and Many simultaneously-everyone
of us will progressively become aware of the essential Love
that is in him and of his bonds of love with the other beings.
Then,
instead of opposing eternally all others, each of us will
feel a natural affinity with this one or that one. All throughout
the ages consciousness grows as evolution progresses. One
day, the individual being is at last ready to recognize in
others the same consciousness that exists in him. He recognizes
others as his other selves; he recognizes himself in others
and in all. He can at long last understand the meaning of
this passage of the Upanishad about the One Self or Spirit
everywhere :
"It
is not for the sake of the husband that the husband is dear,
but for the sake of the atman [which is in him]; it
is not for the sake of the wife that the wife is dear but
for the sake of the atman [which is in her]...".Brhadtirayaka
Up. With the help of these powerful and significant words
it is possible to classify individual human beings in one
or the other of two groups. Those of the first group-the
outward path-find in an association with another individual
a real help. For them, no problem; they follow instinctively
the reactions of Nature in them, and it would be at once
unwise and vain to try to change their reactions by advocating
a higher path; they would not understand.
Those
of the second group-the return path-are more advanced
in their evolution and feel strongly the attraction of the
divine pole in them. For them, a long-standing association
with another individual would be contrary to their spiritual
destiny and to indulge in it would cause delay in the progress
of their soul. They cannot commit themselves and alienate
their deep-seated freedom.
But
the border line between the two groups is not clearly drawn.
There is a large category of men and women evolving in a
margin of incertitude. These become the seat of a pro- longed
and painful conflict between the two poles of their being,
the human and the divine. But they have to move forward,
at whatever cost.
Yoga
is a process that accelerates individual evolution. Through
yoga those that are treading the return path, and
even those that are struggling in the zone of incertitude,
may clear in one life a great part of the way and reach divine
union. The fact of aspiring to yoga is a proof that one is
treading the return path, or is quite close to it.
With
this in mind we understand clearly why Sri Aurobindo and
the Mother, speaking to all who follow yoga or aspire to
it, repeat constantly that a "vital" or sexual
relationship with another individual is one of the greatest
obstacles on the way.
This
explains also why persons from outside-who do not follow
yoga-get an impression when reading the works of Sri Aurobindo
and the Mother that they reject human love, vital and sexual,
for the whole of mankind. It is now clear that this is a
wrong impression. If someone of the outward path consults
the Mother in order to ascertain whether it is advisable
to marry or not, the answer will in general not be negative.
And her approval would hold all the more for the innumerable
millions of men and women to whom the idea will never come
to consult a spiritual leader about their marriage.
These
explanations should enable anyone of us, if he observes and
studies himself attentively, to ascertain, at least roughly,
where he stands on the long scale of evolution. He will not
only be able to understand his instinctive reactions, but
will also know that, whatever place he has now reached, he
will tread the entirety of the scale and attain liberation.
Fear drops out of him-that fear of standing forever condemned,
contemptible, imperfect. He will be able to look at himself
without losing strength and come to decisions accordingly.
This
is the light given to us by Sri Auroblndo and the Mother;
it is a priceless gift. The following quotations will convince
every person of good will.
PAVITRA
(P.
B. Saint-Hilaire)
About
Us
A
new light shall break upon earth, a light of Truth and Harmony.
- The Mother
