The following is the first article from the 'Revealing Characteristics of Consciousness Itself' series of articles published by the Saccidananda Society, Kolkata in 'Sri Sanai', its quarterly magazine. It has been electronically reproduced 'as-is' from the print version that appeared in the the Janmashtami 2004 (Volume XVIII, No. 3, September 2004) issue of Sri Sanai. We hope the readers realize immense spiritual benefits on reading and contemplating upon the words of Sri Sri Babathakur.
The universe is dwelling
place of mankind. Here mankind is born,
is brought up and asserts itself for its integral progress and development
aspiring for its worldly prospect, comfort, happiness, personal purification,
perfection and realization. The more it
asserts the more it finds something new, something unknown, something more
interesting and thereby acquire some experience greater and greater than
previous ones. In this way new sorts of
experience enrich it. Such experience
makes it more qualified and enlightens it with new light of understanding.
In life whatever we
consider to be most dear and valuable is our personal experience, experience of
some objective and some subjective dimensions.
In the initial stage, we are interested more in objective pursuits and
understanding.
The truth that we
first experience is that our objective experience inspires us so much that we
are only involved and devoted in all respects to the objective pursuits of life
and experience thereof. It goes without
saying that nothing is valid without experience. Therefore whatever and however we think, do,
enjoy, behave, transact, expect, and acquire, all are fully objective by
nature. For that the objective and
visible world is solely responsible. We
in general feel that the relative existence of names and forms mainly serves
the purpose of our worldly life and most of us cannot even think anything
beyond that. That is the characteristic
of relative existence or objective nature of life.
We, the common
people, begin our worldly life with the objective environment and its
influence. We think that life subsists
on worldly object of diversified names and forms. So long as we are engrossed with this
objective view of life, we are bound to experience both the merits and demerits
of the same. Here the most pertinent
point is that such experience compels us to prefer something agreeable and
favourable and discard or avoid the opposites.
In this way, we develop the nature of liking and disliking and thereby
become limited to some extent. Here it
is clear that objective experience of life being relative is not all
perfect. In such experience we lack
perfection of objective understanding.
It cannot be denied that the objective experience, even of greater and
better one is incomplete and insufficient to satisfy our inner and higher needs
of life. The aspiration of life cannot
be limited to this or that and that or this, so and so. That is why our unsatisfied nature tries to
overcome such limitation and condition for which we are prone to think and try
in a different outlook. We enquire
within ourselves if there is any agreeable solution. Thereby we come in contact directly with our
subjective fold of nature which is more subtle, finer, wider and
dependable. Thus we discover our
subjective nature which is not only the source of objective one but also the
support, guide and subject of the same.
The subjective nature
of life is not so much limited and conditioned as the objective one. Our subjective nature, when it is conscious
of its own existence, never depends on the objective one but gets itself more
aware about its subjective fold.
Subjective nature experiences both the objective and subjective ones
separately and simultaneously as well.
When subjective
nature is more conscious about itself, it is no more limited and conditioned by
the objective one which was its first experience. The subjective consciousness of life by
virtue of its merits tries to overcome all sorts of demerits and it succeeds in
such endeavour to some extent, though not fully. It is true that subjective experience is
wider than and superior to objective ones in all respects. Subjective
experience of life controls and rules over the objective nature of life
according to its efficiency, needs and understanding. The subjective nature of life can acquire its
highest limit but still it cannot experience its all perfect true nature and
attain its realization.
Objective experience
of life in its fullest and highest limit is subject to that of the subjective
one. Objective experience is
twofold---the individual and the universal. The subjective one is also
twofold----the individual and universal.
The former is subject to the latter and the latter is the ruler of the
former. Here we find that the subjective
knowledge of life in its universal aspect is the creator, controller and ruler
of the objective ones---individual and universal. The subjective experience in its highest
state is the super-subjective one which is the inner divine soul that sustains
the previous two experiences—objective and subjective. The objective one
pertains to outer nature of life, the subjective one to inner nature, while the
super-subjective one is the central nature of life which is the inmost soul,
i.e. the Lord of all.
Consciousness Itself
which is the inmost Self is independent by nature called the Kutastha, the
immutable Consciousness, the ever-witness of Itself and the rest. That is the
permanent and eternal nature of life which is ever transcendental and beyond
and is 'All Divine for All Time, as It Is.'
That is the Supreme
Reality or the Ultimate Essence which is ever realized by itself as
immortality, perfection and underlying truth of life. This is the summum bonum of life-philosophy
which begins with objective experience, passing
through subjective and super-subjective, and finally ends (culminates) to
Witness Consciousness of inner-revealing characteristics appearing as 'All
Divine for All Time, as It Is.'
Sri Sri Babathakur
to be continued............
