The Mind, the Spirit and the Deeper Knowledge and Power That Can Know and Master the Universal Creation

We can observe all around us, the steps the mental force is taking to take charge of both physical and vital nature. While much of this takes place through the development of technological tools, it is nevertheless an achievement of the mind that makes these things possible. We may debate the appropriateness or safety of some of the developments, such as the liberation of energy from matter in the form of nuclear bombs, or the use of such capabilities as gene editing and cloning to 'upgrade' and 'improve upon' the natural formations of plant, animal and man. Yet, even if we debate the suitability of these steps, we cannot deny that mind is reaching out to gain mastery over nature.

What is less visible and much less understood are the capacities of the mind and the mental force to act upon physical and vital nature directly without developing technological tools to do so. Yet in this realm, modern science is beginning to explore areas that in the past have been the province of Rishis, Sages and Yogins, namely, the understanding of the full capabilities of the entire human instrument, body, life, mind and our spiritual nature.

Central to this quest is the development of the yogic trance, samadhi, which allows the seeker to explore 'inner space' and begin to both know and experience states of awareness not usually recognised by the external, mental consciousness. The Rishis, through use of the hidden capacities of the human consciousness, were able to tap into a wider domain of consciousness and thereby understand and describe things which were long held to be fantasy, but are now understood to actually describe principles and processes of the manifested universe. While we rely on technological innovation to discover these things, the Rishis used a state of spiritual consciousness to discover these things. A recent example relates to the astronomical phenomenon known as the "big bang". This has been held, by Western astronomers, to be the start of the universe, without any explanation from their side as to where and how this initiating event occurred. The Rishis described a cycle of creation and dissolution of the universe, and thus, the big bang is not the beginning of everything, but one point in a cycle of creation that was preceded by a former universe that was eventually dissolved. Today, Western scientists are discovering residues that appear to validate the existence of a former universe, and out of the dissolution of which, our universe eventually arose.

Sri Aurobindo writes in his epic poem Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol: "Mind is a mediator divinity: Its powers can undo all Nature's work: Mind can suspend or change earth's concrete law. Affranchised from earth-habit's drowsy seal The leaden grip of Matter it can break; Indifferent to the angry stare of Death, It can immortalise a moment's work: A simple fiat of its thinking force, The casual pressure of its slight assent Can liberate the Energy dumb and pent Within its chambers of mysterious trance: It makes the body's sleep a puissant arm, Holds still the breath, the beatings of the heart, While the unseen is found, the impossible done, Communicates without means the unspoken thought; It moves events by its bare silent will, Acts at a distance without hands of feet. This giant Ignorance, this dwarfish Life It can illumine with a prophet sight, Invoke the bacchic rapture, the Fury's goad, In our body arouse the demon or the god, Call in the Omniscient and Omnipotent, Awake a forgotten Almightyness within. In its own plane a shining emperor, Even in this rigid realm, Mind can be king:"

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Chapter XVIII Mind, ppg. 141-142