by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 47
January : 2005

THE DEBATE- FORM OR FORMLESS?

Part 4

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

Then comes the next doubt of mind. Once we have reached a level of consciousness in assuming the Brahman as of form or formless, why go into the further exercise of ‘beyond formlessness’? Is it a kind of intellectual game we are playing?

If you recall our discussions, the concept of ‘formlessness’ or nirAkAra is not to be understood as inability of Brahman to assume a form. It is rather His ability to be able to assume any conceivable form what-so-ever. That makes his confinement to a particular form rather illogical. The limitations of any form – out of whichever form He assumes, is a self imposed limitation, meeting the requirements of the purpose for which He assumes a form.

So a wisened mind is comfortable with both form or formlessness, knowing the support each of these provide.

Then we ask, if I am comfortable with a form or even formlessness, why can not my mind remain satisfied with that permanently?

Sri Aurobindo’s analysis of the nature of the mind provides good understanding of this.

Inspite of all the problems, the mind creates for the jiva, we should be grateful of one very special and wonderful quality the mind possesses. The vital mind, or the mind which is part of our bodily existence (jivabudhi or jiva level mind) and which is distinct from the universal mind, is never permanently satisfied with anything. This dissatisfaction is of immense value and is the very cause of our aspirations for something higher and still higher. Whenever mind climbs a peak, it looks for the next higher peak.

Sri Aurobindo in “The synthesis of yoga” explains:

“Man elevated in the heights and deepened by the intensities of the mind becomes aware of something great and divine in himself towards which …..he turns the powers of his mind, his power of knowledge,…will,….emotion,… to seek out this, to seize, … comprehend,…to exist in its greater consciousness…”

That happens to be the inherent nature of the mind.

We should thank the Lord for this mercy, otherwise man would have been ever confined to miserably gross and dark existence, never trying to rise.

“ The mind begins with ignorance and proceeds towards knowledge.”

Therefore when the mind stops at ignorance or at partial ignorance, it becomes a dead mind.

The question therefore is no more whether the mind should seek out the higher or stay at its own level. The question is how higher the mind can rise. The question is not of remaining mere mental but the possibility of elevation into supramental.

Sri Aurobindo again says“ The question is how far the perfected human being can raise himself above mind, enter into some kind of fusing union with the supramental and build up in himself a level of supermind, a developed gnosis by which… the divine .. can directly act…”

This is his explanation of the movement of the mind.

This stage of supramental is what turiya is.

“ Man’s real dharma and law of being is to seek a greater self aware existence,.. self manifestation…fuller and more perfect expression…to identify with his greatest and real self.”

“His first instrument for this transition is the reason and the will of the rational intelligence…” But “his self is a larger thing than his reason..”

As the Upanishad says: shAntam, sivam, anantam, chaturtham manyate. To understand Brahman as shantam, all bliss, is fine, but what next? To understand him as sivam, all benevolent and good, is so assuring, but is that all? Brahman is anantam. There is no full stop to any thing about Brahman. But what is HE? What lies beyond the beyond? That chaturtham or the fourth explanation is what I would like to know? Let my mind explore what that chaturtham is.

Tat jnAnam, tat jneyam, tat jnAnagamyam.

That is the real knowledge. That knowledge is worth knowing. That knowledge is the final destination of knowledge.

That is turiya the fourth stage. To comprehend that, this vital mind must rise and transform into supramental. That is an unstoppable process.

As the Lord of death advised to Nachiketa:

AvyaktAt tu purushah… yam jnAtvA mucyate jantuh..

One should go beyond the realm of unmanifest to seek the supreme being. There lies his emancipation.