{"id":3171,"date":"2013-07-13T01:46:27","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=3171"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:46:27","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:46:27","slug":"21-three-stages-of-human-society-vol-writings-in-bengali-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/02-other-editions\/writings-in-bengali-translation\/21-three-stages-of-human-society-vol-writings-in-bengali-translation","title":{"rendered":"-21_Three Stages of Human Society.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
\n

\n
\nThree Stages of Human Society <\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nHuman knowledge and power manifest in many ways in the course of evolution. Three
\nstages of  it can be noticed\u2014a natural state dominated by the body and controlled by the life force, an intermediate? and more advanced state pre-eminently
\nrational, and the last and highest state in which the soul predommant. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nMan, when he is dominated by the body and driven by the life-force, is a slave of desire and interests. He knows only inherent selfishness, ordinary instinct and impulse. And he prefers whatever social arrangement seems to be convenient and is brought about by the chain of events resulting from the clash of desires and interests; he calls the collection of a few or many such regulations his dharma or way of life. Customs that run in the tradition or family or in society are the Dharma or Law of this lower natural state. The natural man has no idea of liberation, he does not know about the soul. The place where he can indulge without restraint his physical and vital impulses is an imaginary Paradise. To[ attain such a heaven after physical death is his salvation. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe man who is primarily intellectual always tries to regulate his desires and interests by reason. Where lies the fulfilment of desires, which particular interest among many different ones should have precedence, what is the nature of the ideal life, how and which discipline, as determined by reason to be followed so that nature may be cleansed and the ideal realised\u2014he is ever engaged in thinking about the see  matters. He is willing to establish as his dharma a certain <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-176<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nregulated cultivation of that nature and ideal principle. Sucha sense of dharma is indeed the regulator of an advanced
\nsociety enlightened by rational knowledge. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe dominantly spiritual man is aware of the secret soul
\nbeyond the intellect, the mind, the life, and the body and
\nbases his life movement on self-knowledge. He directs all his
\nactivities towards liberation, self-realisation and the attain-ment of God, knowing these to be the culmination of life.
\nAnd he regards as his dharma that way of life and the
\ncultivation of that ideal which are conducive to self-realisation and which leads the movement of evolution towards that
\ngoal. The highest type of society is led by such ideal and such
\ndharma. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nFrom dominance by life to reason, from reason to the
\nsuprarational love, these are the steps of man’s ascent to the
\npeaks of God. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThere is not just one line of evolution in a particular
\nsociety. All these three types of men exist in almost all
\nsocieties and the community consisting of such a collection of
\npeople is a mixed one. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThere are also in a natural society people ruled by reason
\nas there are others ruled by the spirit. If these are few in
\nnumber, disorganised or imperfect, then they make very
\nlittle impact on society. Still some progress they are able to
\neffect, have a hold on the society; however their influence
\nbecomes strong only if they can organise the many. But the
\nnatural men are far greater in number; the Law of the
\nrational or spiritual man often becomes distorted, that of
\nreason degenerates into mere convention, that of the spiri<\/i>tual man under the pressure of personal fancy and external
\ncustom oppressed, overwhelmed, made lifeless and diverted
\nfrom its goal. Such is the end, we always observe. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nWe see that when reason is dominant, it assumes the
\nleadership of society and tries to found a dharma enlightened <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-177<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nby intellectual knowledge after changing or even destroying
\nirrational taste and structure. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe enlightenment of the West\u2014equality, liberty, fraternity\u2014is only a form of this attempt. Success is impossible.
\nEven the rational man, owing to want of spiritual knowledge, himself distorts his own ideal under the pressure of the
\nimpulses of mind, life and body. This stage is intermediate
\nand there cannot be stability here\u2014either there is a fall or an
\nascent towards the heights. Reason vacillates between these
\ntwo pulls. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-178<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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