Sachchidananda 'The Life Divine' Book I,Ch.9, 10, 11, 12 (The Mother Insitute of Research - MIRA) - Track 1006

Question – Is that the realm of duality?

This is not yet ….., not yet it comes about as a result of this. This is simply a kind of a play, the same comprehending consciousness which was equal, spread over everything giving equal consciousness to everything. Now begins to have play in such a way it gives a greater attention to one as against to the other. Take for example the greatest figure that we have got is of Ras leela of Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna with so many gopies, hundreds of them, but Sri Krishna is playing with each one of them. Now when this play of Sri Krishna is equal in with every Gopi it is you might say the supra mental activity, but Sri Krishna is capable of playing more with this than with that. It can make a distinction between Radha and others. More with this less with that. Now more with this one, now more with that one. It is not as if only less for others. That which was receiving less attention now can get more attention later on, so it can be various kind of play in which the attention or concentration is given to one varies in various degrees. Now this capacity of giving more attention and less attention is what is called apprehending consciousness as opposed to comprehending consciousness. In comprehending consciousness the consciousness is spread equally on all that is the highest gain you might say of the supra mental in which everyone is exclusive with the divine, perfectly with the divine and no difference everywhere perfect equality, but this equality is not inconsistent with special kind of attention on one as against the other. We have seen this example when the mother has got three children or five children that all the children are equally loved is inwardly true in the consciousness of the mother and yet the mother can vary the concentration on one child or the other. Now on this child, now on that child, now on that child depending upon the circumstances and although there is partiality at that moment basically there is no partiality because each child gets the same kind of partiality at one time or the other and fundamentally, inwardly all the children are equally loved by the mother, so there is an equality of love, there is special partiality now, special partiality then with one or the other which also goes on changing from time to time therefore both the games are equally possible and whole world is nothing but a game of comprehending equality and apprehending equality at apprehending inequality, but both when they are together  there is no ignorance. Now when the apprehending consciousness shuts out or waves the comprehending, not abolishes it, but only ..it then this apprehending consciousness which is a play of partiality becomes prominent. That prominent activity of apprehending consciousness is what we call mind. The definition of mind is apprehending consciousness acting in the state of inequality from where the sense of equality of comprehensive consciousness is ….

Question – That is why silence of mind is important?

That’s right now that is the real root of yoga. Why yoga is necessary? Why meditation is necessary because our inequalities of consciousness, our apprehending consciousness can come to a stillness then when you open up inward then you see equality of consciousness, comprehending consciousness and when you combine both together you can have exactly, you can be like Sri Krishna yourself and have the play of both the kinds equal to all the Gopies, unequal to everyone of them. Unequal now to one, unequal to another then all kinds of possibilities, permutation and combination are possible and the whole world is nothing but ras leela of Sri Krishna

Question – The play of Sri Krishna as in the ras leela as realization of the play of jeevatma.

That’s right. Precise. When you  are librated from the ignorance that is when your apprehending consciousness is opened up not abolished but opened up that is why Vidhya and Avidhya both are together. Avidhya is apprehending consciousness and Vidhya is of comprehensive consciousness. When both are together then you get the complete knowledge, so this whole world is nothing but a sea of consciousness, but differently constituted by the special power of limitation of consciousness, therefore your statement that ignorance is due to the mind is quite true provided by mind we mean what I just now defined that mind is an apprehending consciousness. When it begins to concentrate unequally upon different points of consciousness waving the comprehending equal consciousness which is behind then what we call ignorance arises. Now I think I will stop here today because I have to go early, but I will now request you to read the chapter number ten. I have told you everything that is in chapter number ten. We shall read also some portion next time when I come, some passages just to emphasize those passages and then we shall go to the next two chapters – the Delight of Existence, Problem and Delight of existence of solution.