Page 13 - NAMAH-Oct-2023

Namah Editorial

and man must learn to recognise that he matters, — and “Yoga is nothing but practical
is nothing in himself and his greatness, if psychology (4),” as Sri Aurobindo puts it. It
any, lies in his capacity to unite with the works even less in spiritual matters. If we
Divine. In fact he is here for that. Man take a vertical axis from Matter to Spirit then
is meant to become the bridge between we can say that the consciousness involved
that which is below him and that which is in Matter ascends or emerges through
beyond. Matter and Spirit, World and God, increasing degrees of freedom. That is why
Nature and Soul, Earth and the Heavens can it is never a good idea to outwardly imitate
come together and join in him harmoniously a truly spiritual person. What is important
fulfilling each other. For it is through this instead, is to ascend to the inner Freedom to
union that matter is fulfilled by being which he has climbed by following the path
touched by the Light Divine as a lamp lights he has been shown.
up as the current passes through its wires.
The body is the lamp and the Divine is the Of course spiritual freedom is different
Source of Light while the wire that joins the from our ideas of freedom. The freedom
two is the soul of man. True Yoga begins that we understand and wish to have is the
in its real sense only after we discover our freedom to do as we like, to get what we
secret soul now hidden and covered by our like, to be what we like. From the spiritual
nature. Before that there are various kinds point of view the only freedom, the true
of preparations but the real Yoga has not yet freedom lies in the union with the Divine
begun in its true sense. On the other hand and thereby manifesting and expressing
Yoga also fulfils God in Creation by drawing His Will in and through our life and actions.
things closer to the original Divine Plan. Sri This Divine Will, like Truth, cannot be fixed
Aurobindo reveals the supreme human aim into any standard formula. However, what
in these powerful words, “To fulfil God in we ordinarily call freedom is in fact bondage
life is man’s manhood (3).” to ego and ignorance. Yoga is the way to free
ourselves from Ignorance and gives us
Yogic practices therefore can be either a freedom from all that binds us to desires
preparation or else a means of moving and attachments and their results — grief,
towards this great aim. If we take Yoga in error, suffering, fear, greed, ambition, and
this original sense of union with the Divine lust.
or our Highest Self or the Source, then it
implies at least three main elements. There The seeker, the sought and the path
is of course a fourth element, which is the
matrix in which it is taking place. By Matrix
we mean the gestalt or sum total elements
of Time, Place, Circumstances. None of
these elements have an absolute hold on the
practice of Yoga but they do play a certain
part in the eventual results. These differ from
person to person. The rule of standardising
everything does not work in psychological

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