Page 9 - NAMAH Oct 2015
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Namah Editorial
“It is so free that it is not even bound by its ridiculous to believe that the terrestrial
liberty. It can play at being bound without consciousness, stationed close to the
incurring a real bondage (1).” Inconscience would be at par in spirituality
with the illumined individual consciousness.
The question to reflect today is whether the Rather an elevation of the terrestrial con-
spiritually liberated person is really free unless sciousness is effectuated basically by the
he or she renounces life. Sri Aurobindo also general well-being of the collectivity that
explains that the Inconscience is not an requires the cultivation of health, education
individual but a terrestrial phenomenon. and positive values. Without the cultivation
Evolution starts from the Inconscience. Even of health along an integral perspective, one
then, the Inconscience has the power to negate cannot have a modicum of inner progress and
and nullify all the gains of the evolutionary one cannot free oneself from atavistic traits;
ascent. As such, a liberated individual, even without an education that helps to widen the
a Jivanmukta, can individually progress only consciousness, one cannot rise above
up to an optimal point. One has to then wait exclusivism; without positive values and a
till the terrestrial consciousness gets uplifted constant recreation of new values, one
a bit before the individual can again resume cannot progress to manifest higher models
to progress. Perhaps this is what is reflected of the human being along the evolutionary
when the Buddha, on the verge of absolute trajectory.
withdrawal in Nirvana, resolved to turn back
for the suffering humanity. In this world-view, freedom is a dynamic
movement that continually surpasses our
The fact that the individual, however liberated, hitherto highest achievements, catapulting us
is yet not free till the terrestrial consciousness to progressive perfection with liberation from
gets elevated demonstrates that free progress the ego and liberation into the Infinite without
of the human race is linked with the collective losing contact with the reality of the finite.
destiny. The very fact that individual progress
is not destined to be perfect unless it is linked Reference
with terrestrial progress proves that spiritual
progress of an individual is dependent on 1. Sri Aurobindo. Birth Centenary Library,
the general well-being of the collectivity. It is Volume 18. Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo
not expected or logical to presume that the Ashram Trust; 1970, p. 39.
spiritual progress of the liberated individual
would be automatically linked with the — Dr. Soumitra Basu
spiritual progress of the collectivity; it is
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