The Yoga of Self-Perfection associated with the
creation of the new world in the Divine Will has its early foundation in the
Sapta Chatusthaya, the seven elements or seven tetrads. Sri Aurobindo had received
it when he was in the Alipore Jail as an under-trial prisoner for his alleged
act of sedition against the British government in
But it is unfortunate that there is no documentay text of the Chatusthayas
available in Sri Aurobindo’s own handwriting. What we have are transcripts
written down by the first young disciples. We are told that these transcripts
or “copies were made either from now-lost manuscript written by Sri Aurobindo
or, more likely, from one or more written records of a series of talks given by
him.” In any case, there cannot be any doubt about the authenticity of their
yogic-spiritual contents. Never in yogic annals were given such precise steps,
except perhaps what has come down to us in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. If one is chiefly concerned with the Rajayoga, the
other has for it the objective of the Adhyatmayoga.
Let us take an example of an entry, probably written in early 1913: “There is
full perfection of the first chatusthaya; in the second, there are still
defects, but you can see the immense progress made in the human parts of the
system. Only the divine part is still imperfect. Till then the full intensity
cannot come. The perfection is coming. This is the full attack on the karma, no
longer of men, but of nature. They have called up the elements to aid them. The
battle with the elements is still a losing battle for the present. Nor is the
ideality is yet perfectly combined in detail. This is the proof of the ideality
but it has yet to be perfected. The knowledge is once more working with a near
approach to perfection, only some of the placements are still wrong. The power
must be brought up to the same level in its ordinary movements, then in the
body, then in the karma. The power will now begin to work in the ideality and
in harmony with the knowledge, the telepathy and trikaldrishti. Although it is
as yet incompletely done, still it is done…” (Record of Yoga, Part II, pp. 1309-10)
Sapta Chatusthaya, or Yoganga as it is called, could be briefly presented in
its revised order as follows: (Record of
Yoga, Part I p. 22)
• Siddhi Chatusthaya—Shuddhi, Mukti, Bhukti, Siddhi
• Brahma Chatusthaya—Sarvam Anantam, Jnanam, Anandam,
Brahma
• Karma Chatusthaya—Krishna, Kali, Karma,
• Shanti Chatusthaya—Samata, Shanti, Sukha, Hasya (Atmaprasada)
• Shakti Chatusthaya—Virya, Shakti, Chandibhava,
Sraddha
• Vijnana Chatusthaya—Jnana, Trikaladrishti, Ashtasiddhi,
Samadhi
• Sharira Chatusthaya—Arogya, Utthapana, Saundarya,
Vividhananda
Sri Aurobindo has incorporated many of these features
in The Synthesis of Yoga dealing with
the Yoga of Self-Perfection. Let us, however, take by way of an illustration just
one entry from his Record, showing
how meticulously and scientifically Sri Aurobindo was carrying out his
yoga-tapasya, about which we have otherwise the least idea. Even with our best
minds and our best faculties, we will simply stand aghast at the kind of things
that are involved in this remarkable Yoga of his. In this wonderment the
Mother’s Agenda is the only other thing that can stand along with it. What,
then, about we rationalists’ little talk regarding the human potential and the
technology promoting spiritual prospects! It looks such a small curious thing
in comparison, perhaps no more than a queer inquisitiveness of the mind! But
let us read Sri Aurobindo’s entry, dated 30 April 1918: (pp. 1041-43)
Completion of Brahma-chatusthaya in the perception and
sense of all things as the conscious body of the Purushottama. This was
prepared by the sortilege
rasohamapsu kaunteya prabhāsmi
śaśisūryayoh
pranavah
sarvavedeşu śabdah khe pauruşam nŗşu
followed by the sense of the Ishwara as the delight, rasa, in the flood of the
being, apsu, the light of knowledge in the vijnana (sun) and mentality (moon),
the word and the thought, the tapas. This led to the perception and sense of
all substance of matter and consciousness, quality, force, thought, action etc.
as the Ishwara. Formerly new perceptions were of separate things (tattwas,
elements) and temporary, though often of long duration, but now it is global,
integral, steadfast. It rejects the remnants of the intellectual fragmentation
and division which still come to deny its existence.
Ananda of samata has proved sufficiently firm throughout the month. It is now
combined firmly with the tapas; desire has perished, though tapatya still
remains, but only as a minor element. Therefore the touches of asamata can get
no hold, are entirely external and cast out of the adhar automatically, as soon
as they enter. External, moreover, not of any near, but of a distantly
watching, rather environing mentality.
Tapas is now very strong; in the field of exercise the obstacle has no longer a
genuine power of resistance, but only of persistence and this again persists
only by a persistent recurrence which gives it after much difficulty the power
for a time to reestablish itself rather than by a right of its own in the environment.
This is even when the tapas is without knowledge of trikaldrishti. The movement
has now begun which will turn Time from an obstacle with which the personal
Tapas had to struggle into an instrument which the personal Tapas, become that
of the transcendent will working upon the universal to modify it as well as
through the universal, will use for the disposition of its results. This
movement is as yet only initial; as it advances tapas and trikaldrishti will
become entirely reconciled and identified. Trikaldrishti increases in frequency
and has begun to carry with it the right perception of Time.
This development enables the Chandi in the devibhava to affirm its
characteristic singhi element more firmly. The Ishwarabhava and attahasya are
preparing to grow upon the system.
The intellect is generally fading out of the system, (lipi, euthanasia of the
intellectuality) and the whole is becoming vijnana + intuitive mentality. Only
a vague floating remnant of the real intellectuality is left; it acts most when
faced with the obstacle in life.
All is being idealised in the samadhi, but the dialogue, narrative etc are
still usually mental, swapnamaya, though much more sustained and coherent.
On the whole the “liberty in the idealities” (lipi, 21st April) is working
itself out, but does not cover the whole third chatusthaya and is nowhere quite
absolute.
Is this not the kind of Yoga of Self-Perfection that was practised by Aswapati
when he set himslef to create the new world in the House of the Spirit? a world
based on Perfection’s Law? The Purusha Yoga or the Yoga of the Supreme Being is
done and the Prakriti Yoga, of the divine Consciousness-Force must now begin,
that this new world descend upon the earth.