{"id":2078,"date":"2013-07-13T01:39:18","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=2078"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:39:18","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:39:18","slug":"85-in-either-case-vol-08-karmayogin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/03-cwsa\/08-karmayogin\/85-in-either-case-vol-08-karmayogin","title":{"rendered":"-85_In Either Case.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
<\/p>\n

\nIn Either Case<\/font> <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nTHERE are two movements of humanity, upward and
\ndownward, and both are irresistible. It may seem for a
\nmoment that the downward movement is arrested and an
\nupward lift may for a while rejoice the hearts that are attached
\nto a cause forsaken by God and Destiny. The majestic or impetuous rise of a religion, an idea, a nation may for a fleeting
\nperiod be held back by main force and with a fierce and infinite
\nlabour the wheel may be driven back for the space of an inch
\nor even two. But God cannot be deceived and God cannot be
\nconquered by violence. Where He is the Charioteer, victory is
\ncertain and if He wheels back, it is only to leave ground which is
\nno longer advantageous to Him and shift the conflict to terrain
\nfixed beforehand for the victory. Often He forces His adversaries
\nto drive Him from ground conquered and occupied in order that
\nthey may exhaust their strength on a position never meant to
\nbe permanently held and by their very triumph prepare a more
\ndecisive overthrow.\n<\/p>\n

\nMinute minds fix themselves on details and say, “Here we
\nhave failed, there we have prevailed"; and if the record of defeats seems to be long and ill-balanced by doubtful successes,
\nthey grow discouraged and apprehend the ruin of their cause.
\nSo men deceive themselves as to the trend of events by not
\nkeeping their eyes open to the great stream of inevitable tendency which prevails over all backwashes and petty currents.
\nAnd where defeat is predestined for a season, their want of faith
\nleads to the very calamity which they apprehended. The eye of
\nFaith is not one with the eye of Knowledge; \u2013Faith divines in the large what Knowledge sees distinctly and clearly; but in the
\nmain thing Faith and Knowledge are one and the wisdom of
\nthe Lover is justified and supported by the wisdom of the Seer.
\nFaith fights for God, while Knowledge is waiting for fulfilment,<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage-462<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nand so long as the latter is withheld, the former is necessary. For
\nwithout indomitable Faith or inspired Wisdom no great cause
\ncan conquer.\n<\/p>\n

\nWe must look therefore to the great tendency of things and
\ninterpret in their light the minute events that are passing at the
\nmoment. Is the main tendency of things upward or downward?
\nIf it is downward, even then we must strive, for the man who
\nabandons a cause which is right because it is denied success, is
\ndespicable, and he inflicts a wound on mankind in the present
\nand the future. Great causes which are fought out boldly to
\nthe end are made sacred by courage and suffering and their
\nresurrection and final victory is inevitable. Only those which are
\nsupported by cowards and meanly abandoned, are erased from
\nthe books of the future. The mediaeval movement of civic liberty
\nin France and Italy failed and gave place to Teutonic despotism,
\nbut it revived with a hundredfold force in the French Revolution
\nand it was the impetuous rush earthwards of the souls that had
\nfought for it hundreds of years before that shattered to pieces
\nthe once victorious feudal system. But if, as we are assured, the
\nmovement is upward, then we may persist in absolute confidence, sure that reverses in details are only meant to prepare
\nand point the true way to victory.\n<\/p>\n

\nPersistence does not imply persistence in methods that have
\nproved to be infructuous or from which, though temporarily fruitful, God has withdrawn His sanction. We must remember
\nthat we are a nation not yet trained in the vaster movements of
\nmodern politics. Not only our rank and file, but our captains
\nand our strategists need the training of events, the wisdom of
\nexperience to make them perfect. Fire, impetuosity, self-sacrifice,
\nintellectual vigour, subtlety, wealth of ideas, fertility of resource
\nto meet unexpected happenings, these have been given to us in
\nabundance. But the perfect experience of the veteran in great
\nbattles, the acute political intelligence which comes of long familiarity with the handling of high affairs and national destinies,
\nthese are yet in us immature and in a state of pupillage. But God Himself is our master and teacher, for He would give to
\nHis chosen nation a faultless training and a perfect capacity.<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage-463<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nOnly we must be ready to acknowledge our mistakes, to change our path, to learn. Then only shall we victoriously surmount all obstacles and move steadily, impetuously, but without stumbling or swerving, to our goal. <\/p>\n

\nMoreover, we have weaknesses that are still rampant and uncorrected in our midst. It is our first duty to purge these out of our hearts with a merciless surgery. If the intellectual equipment is deficient, the spiritual equipment is also far from perfect. Our leaders and our followers both require a deeper sadhana, a more direct communion with the Divine Guru and Captain of our movement, an inward uplifting, a grander and more impetuous force behind thought and deed. It has been driven home to us by experience after experience, that not in the strength of a raw unmoralised European enthusiasm shall we conquer. Indians, it is the spirituality of India, the sadhana of India,
\ntapasya<\/i>,
\njnanam<\/i>,
\n
\nshakti
\n<\/i>that must make us free and great. And these great things of the East are ill-rendered by their inferior English equivalents, discipline, philosophy, strength.
\nTapasya
\n<\/i>is more than discipline; it is the materialisation in ourselves by spiritual means of the divine energy creative, preservative and destructive.
\nJnanam
\n<\/i>is more than philosophy, it is the inspired and direct knowledge which comes of what our ancients called
\ndrishti<\/i>, spiritual sight.
\n
\nShakti
\n<\/i>is more than strength, it is the universal energy which moves the stars, made individual. It is the East that must conquer in India’s uprising. It is the Yogin who must stand behind the political leader or manifest within him; Ramdas must be born in one body with Shivaji, Mazzini mingle with Cavour. The divorce of intellect and spirit, strength and purity may help a European revolution, but by a European strength we shall not conquer. <\/p>\n

\nThe movements of the last century failed because they were too purely intellectual and had not an enlightened heart behind them. Nationalism has striven to supply the deficiency; it has poured the inspirations of the heart into a swifter and more
\ndiscerning intellectual activity. But Nationalism also has been defective; it has been Indian in sentiment and aspiration, European in practice and actuality. It has helped itself with the intellect, rejoicing in its own lightness, clearness, accuracy, shrewd insight,<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage-464<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nbut it has not been sufficiently supported by inspired wisdom. It has attached itself to imaginations and idealisms, but has not learned to discern the deeper Truth and study the will of God. It has been driven by ardent and vehement emotions, but was defective in clear will-power and the pure energy that is greater and more impetuous than any passionate feeling. Either Nationalism will purify itself, learn a more sacred truth and command a diviner impulse, or it will have to abandon utterly its old body and get itself a new. The pressure of events seems to be pointing in the latter direction. But in either case defeat cannot be the end, victory must be the end. <\/p>\n

\nIn all the events of the last year and a half the voice of the divine Teacher can be heard crying to us, “Abandon that you may possess; do my will and know yourselves, purify yourselves, cease to follow your fancies.” He that has ears, let him hear. Knowledge will not come without self-communion, without light from within, not even the knowledge of the practical steps that can lead to success. Every step that is taken in the light of a lower wisdom will fail until the truth is driven home. <\/p>\n

\nThe work that was begun at Dakshineshwar is far from finished, it is not even understood. That which Vivekananda received and strove to develop, has not yet materialised. The truth of the future that Bijoy Goswami hid within himself, has not yet been revealed utterly to his disciples. A less discreet revelation prepares, a more concrete force manifests, but where it comes, when it comes, none knoweth. <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nKarmayogin
\n<\/i>no. 38, 26 March 1910 <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nOTHER<\/span> WRITINGS<\/span> BY SRI AUROBINDO<\/span> IN ISSUES 37 \u00ad 39
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nA System of National Education VI \u00ad VIII <\/font><\/p>\n

\nSome Aphorisms of Bhartrihari <\/font><\/p>\n

\nChitrangada (poem)<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage-465<\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Either Case   THERE are two movements of humanity, upward and downward, and both are irresistible. It may seem for a moment that the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-08-karmayogin","wpcat-44-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}