How does one ensure liberty and variation in a free and intelligent unity

Humanity at the Crossroads: Does Sri Aurobindo offer an alternative? Author: Shakuntala A. Singh; Ajai R. Singh Journal: Mens Sana Monographs Year: 2009 Vol: 7 Issue: 1 Pages/record No.: http://www.msmonographs.org/preprintarticle.asp?id=38517
In the light of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy, this paper looks into some of the problems of contemporary man as an individual, a member of society, a citizen... Keywords: Ancient Indian Concepts, And Culture, And What, Antipsychiatry, Anxiety, Bioethics, Biological The Psychosocial, Blunting Creativity, Citta-purusa, Critics Of Psychiatry, Depression, Diagnosis Medical Model In Psychiatry
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Humanity at the Crossroads: Does Sri Aurobindo offer an alternative?
Singh Shakuntala A, Singh Ajai R The Editor, Mens Sana Monographs, Mumbai, India
Correspondence Address: Singh Ajai R 14, Shiva Kripa, Trimurty Road, Mulund, Mumbai India
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
Abstract

In the light of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy, this paper looks into some of the problems of contemporary man as an individual, a member of society, a citizen of his country, a component of this world, and of nature itself. Concepts like Science, Nature, Matter, Mental Being, Nation-ego and Nation-soul, True and False Subjectivism, World-state and World-union, and the Religion of Humanism are the focus of this paper.

Nature: Beneath the diversity and uniqueness of the different elements in Nature there is an essential unity that not only allows for this diversity but even supports it. Nature is both a benefactor and a force: a benefactor, because it acts to carry out the evolution of mankind; a force, because it also supplies the necessary energy and momentum to achieve it.

Natural calamities: If mankind can quieten the tsunamis and cyclones and droughts and earthquakes that rage within, and behave with care and compassion towards Nature, not exploiting, denuding, or denigrating it, there is a strong possibility that Nature too will behave with equal care and compassion towards man and spare him the natural calamities than rend him asunder.

Science: The limitation of science become obvious, according to Sri Aurobindo, when we realize that it has mastered knowledge of processes and helped in the creation of machinery but is ignorant of the foundations of being and, therefore, cannot perfect our nature or our life.

Science and philosophy: The insights of philosophy could become heuristic and algorithmic models for scientific experimentation.

Matter: An interesting aspect of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy is his acceptance of the reality of matter even while highlighting its inadequacies; the ultimate goal, according to him, is the divination of matter itself.

Purusa: If the mana-purusa (mental being) were to log on to the genuine citta-purusa (psychic formation), without necessarily logging off from the prana-purusa (frontal formation), it may help quieten the turbulences within, which may be a prelude to the quietening of the disturbances without, whether it be physical maladies, cravings (for food, fame, fortune, etc.), destructive competitiveness; or wars, terrorism, ethnic conflicts, communal riots, and the other such social maladies that afflict mankind today.

Nation-ego (false subjectivism) and Nation-soul (true subjectivism): Sri Aurobindo considers Nation-ego an example of false subjectivism, in which national identity and pride are stressed to prove one's superiority and suppress or exploit the rest. The Nation-soul, as an example of true subjectivism, attempts to capture one's traditional heritage and values in its pristine form, not as a reaction to hurts and angers or as compensation for real or imagined injuries or indignities of the past.

World-state (false subjectivism) and World-union (true subjectivism): Similarly, a World-state founded upon the principle of centralization and uniformity, a mechanical and formal unity, is an example of false subjectivism, while a World-union founded upon the principle of liberty and variation in a free and intelligent unity is an example of true subjectivism

Human actualization: Even if two human beings are similar, in so far as they are human beings, there is so much diversity between them. Part of the movement towards human self-actualization lies in the fact that this diversity should not be forcibly curbed, as also the realization that beneath all that appears disparate there is an essential unity. Also, man is not the end product of evolution but an intermediate stage between the animal and the divine. Moreover, he is endowed with consciousness that enables him to cooperate with the forces of evolution and speed up and telescope the next stage of evolution.

Introduction
I.1. To say that Sri Aurobindo is not easy to comprehend would be a huge understatement, if nothing else. While that can dissuade a number of people from going any further, it can motivate a number of others to study him that much more closely. Let us hope that some of us fall in the latter category.

I.2. Moreover, Sri Aurobindo has written prolifically and has expressed himself on a vast array of topics. This makes it all the more important to study his teachings, while also making him more liable to the barbs of critics itching to point out loopholes; and there are quite a few of these around: we mean critics with this attitude, not loopholes. Let us also hope that at least some of us do not belong to that category.

I.3. Humanity today is indeed passing through numerous crises, and yet it is surviving. While we all, no doubt, wish to continue to evolve through all this survival (hopefully even reaching the supramental state promised by the great seer of Pondicherry), our concerns here are a little more pedestrian. We propose to look into some of the problems of contemporary man as an individual, a member of society, a citizen of his country, and as a component of this world and of nature itself. Come to think of it, these concerns are not all that pedestrian after all.

I.4. Some concepts like Science, Nature, Matter, Mental Being, Mana-purusa, Prana-purusa and Citta-purusa , Nation-ego and Nation-soul, True and False Subjectivism, World-state and World-union, and the Religion of Humanism will be the focus of this paper. Why not the rest, you may ask. Well, not that the others are not important, but we believe that these particular concepts deserve our focus here; especially so today, as humanity finds itself at a crossroads and searches, rather gingerly, for some tentative answers, which may hopefully translate into permanent solutions...

Concluding Remarks
Beneath the diversity and uniqueness of the different elements in Nature, there is an essential unity, that not only for allows this diversity but even supports it.
Science has mastered knowledge of processes and helped in the creation of machinery but is ignorant of the foundations of being, and therefore cannot perfect our nature or our life.
If the mana-purusa (mental being) were to log on to the genuine citta-purusa (psychic formation), without necessarily logging off from the prana-purusa (frontal formation), it may help quieten the turbulences within, which may be a prelude to the quietening of the disturbances without, whether it be wars, terrorism, ethnic conflicts, communal riots, and other such social maladies that afflict mankind today. To log on to the genuine citta-purusa means to log on to the unity that underlies the diversity within human beings. And, somewhere down the line, it also means to log on to the integrality that underlies all existence.
Nation-ego an example of false subjectivism, in which national identity and pride are stressed to prove one's superiority and suppress or exploit others. The Nation-soul as an example of true subjectivism attempts to capture one's traditional heritage and values in its pristine form. Hindutva , if it has to be legitimate, must attempt to be an expression of Nation-soul and not Nation-ego.
A World-state founded upon the principle of centralization and uniformity, a mechanical and formal unity, is an example of false subjectivism, while a World-union founded upon the principle of liberty and variation in a free and intelligent unity is an example of true subjectivism
The movement towards human self-actualization lies in the fact that human diversity should not be forcibly curbed, as also the realization that beneath all that appears disparate, there is an essential unity.
Man must be sacred to man regardless of all distinctions of race, creed, color, nationality, status, and political or social advancement.
Man is not the end product of evolution but an intermediate stage between the animal and the divine. He is endowed with consciousness that enables him to cooperate with the forces of evolution.
The ultimate goal is the divination of matter itself.[31]
Take Home Message
The diversity of Nature, as also of man, is based on an essential unity, which needs to be grasped.
Science has mastered processes and machinery but is ignorant of the foundations of being.
Nation-ego, in the form of national pride and identity to prove one's superiority and for exploiting others, is false subjectivism, which must be distinguished from Nation-soul that attempts to capture one's traditional heritage and values in its pristine form, which is true subjectivism.
A World-state based on centralization and uniformity is false subjectivism, while a World-union founded upon liberty and variation in a free and intelligent unity is true subjectivism.
Man can evolve towards divinity, as can matter.Conflict of InterestNone declared.

About the authors Shakuntala A. Singh Ph.D. [Figure - 1] is Principal, Reader and Head, Dept of Philosophy, K.G. Joshi College of Arts and N.G. Bedekar College of Commerce. She is also Deputy Editor of MSM. Her areas of interest are Indian philosophy, bio-ethics, logic, and the philosophy of science.

Ajai R. Singh M.D.[Figure - 2] is a Psychiatrist and Editor, Mens Sana Monographs, (http://www.msmonographs.org ). He has written extensively on issues related to psychiatry, philosophy, bioethical issues, medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Questions That This Paper Raises

1. Do the teachings of Sri Aurobindo have any relevance for today's times?
2. How can science, while supplying processes and machinery, also help in understanding the essence of being?
3. Is Nation-ego and Nation-soul a viable distinction? Or for that matter, World-state and World-union? What are their practical ramifications?
4. How does one capture one's traditional heritage and values in their pristine form (Nation-soul) without trying to prove one's superiority, or for exploiting others (Nation-ego)?
5. How does one ensure liberty and variation in a free and intelligent unity (World-union) while avoiding centralisation and uniformity (World-state)?
6. Is divination of man and matter possible? How?DeclarationThis is our original unpublished work, not submitted for publication elsewhere.

References
1. Chattopadhyaya D. P., (1998), Sri Aurobindo, India and the World. In: Seminar: Sri Aurobindo and the World and Education for Tomorrow in the Light of Sri Aurobindo , 21 and 22 Nov 1998, New Delhi.
2. Sri Aurobindo, (1993), The Divine Life. In: The Life Divine , Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, First Edn. 1939 - 40, Tenth impression 1993, p 1034.
3. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, (1972), Drawbacks and Limitations. In: On Science , Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, p 12.
4. Cohen J.M., Cohen M.J., (1986), The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Quotations, II Ed. Middlesex: Penguin.
5. Singh A. R., Singh S. A., (2004 ), Replicative Nature of Indian Research, Essence of Scientific Temper, and Future of Scientific Progress . In: Psychiatry, Science, Religion and Health , Mens Sana Monographs Annual 2004 , II, 1-3, p 57-69. This is our recent attempt to correct the situation, act the arbiters, and douse the fires. Well, hopefully. New conflagrations, however, are guaranteed.
6. Chattopadhyaya, op. cit .
7. Ibid .
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Sri Aurobindo, (1971), Yoga of Self-Perfection. Chapter XIX: The Nature of Supermind (Arya- July 1920). In: The Synthesis of Yoga - Part 4: The Yoga of Self Perfection, SABCL, Vol. XXI, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, p 754-768.
11. Chattopadhyaya, op. cit.
12. Joshi Kireet, (1998), Sri Aurobindo, In Seminar: Sri Aurobindo and the World and Education for Tomorrow in the Light of Sri Aurobindo, 21 and 22 Nov. 1998.
13. Chattopadhyaya, op. cit.
14. This is Prof. Chattopadhyaya's formulation, an interesting one, but not presented in this manner in Sri Aurobindo's writings. The latter talks of Manomaya purusa (mental person, the mental being), and pranamaya purusa (the true, vital being; soul in life), and citta (not citta purusa; citta meaning basic consciousness; mind stuff, the general stuff of mental consciousness. He also talks of cittakasa, cittapramatha, cittasakti, cittashuddhi, cittavrtti, cittavrttinirodha, citti, citti acitti, cittim acittim cinavan vi vidvan etc . However, that need not detract us from the burden of the argument Prof. Chattopadhyaya forwards.
15. Chattopadhyaya, op. cit.
16. Sri Aurobindo, (1971), True and False Subjectivism. In: The Human Cycle, Ch V; In: Social and Political Thought: The Human Cycle- The Ideal of Human Unity War and Self-determination, Vol 15, SABCL , Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, p37-47.
17. Chattopadhyaya, op. cit.
18. Sri Aurobindo, (1971), The Discovery of the Nation-Soul. In: The Human Cycle, Ch IV; In: Social and Political Thought: The Human Cycle- The Ideal of Human Unity War and Self-determination, Vol 15, SABCL , Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, p36. Parenthesis added.
19. Sri Aurobindo, cfr.16 above, p40.
20. Singh Karan, (2007), The Message of Sri Aurobindo, Mandala of Indic Tradition. Available at: (Accessed 27 Dec 2007).
21. Sri Aurobindo, (1971), World-Union or World-State. In: The Ideal of Human Unity, Ch XXII, In Social and Political Thought: The Human Cycle- The Ideal of Human Unity War and Self-determination, Vol 15, SABCL , Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, p441-442.
22. Sri Aurobindo, (1971), The Conditions of a Free World-Union. In: The Ideal of Human Unity, Ch XXXI, In Social and Political Thought: The Human Cycle- The Ideal of Human Unity War and Self-determination, Vol 15, SABCL , Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, p517.
23. Chattopadhyaya, op. cit. Parenthesis added.
24. Sri Aurobindo, (1971), The Religion of Humanity. In: The Ideal of Human Unity, Ch XXXIV, In Social and Political Thought: The Human Cycle- The Ideal of Human Unity War and Self-determination, Vol 15, SABCL , Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, p543.
25. Ibid, p542. Parenthesis added.
26. Ibid, p542.
27. Singh S.A., (2000), Relevance Of Renaissance Humanism for Man in the Third Millennium, Dr. K.M.A. Hay Lecture on Humanism. The Proceedings of the 74 th Session of Indian Philosophical Congress , Dec 28-30, 1999. Bodh-Gaya. Published 2000 (ed. Shukla Sinha), p215-226.
28. Young India, 07.05.25. See also Singh A. R., and Singh S. A. (2004 ), Gandhi on Religion, Faith and Conversion: Secular Blueprint Relevant Today . In: Psychiatry, Science, Religion and Health , Mens Sana Monographs Annual 2004 , II, 1-3, p79-87. This is a recent attempt to find practical correlates in Gandhi's thought on religion and secularism of relevance to the man and times of today.
29. Singh Karan, op. cit.
30. Ibid.
31. Joshi, Kireet, op. cit.