Now these four fundamental principles are the basic building blocks of “Synthesis of Yoga.” And that is what I referred as platform, the basic building block. To me, Four Aids is the platform on which the entire book was written and process of synthesis of different forms of yoga is executed.
Let us go into little more deep diving and come back on the discussion we are having right now on the basis of your question. What is Equality? Equality is a principle in a very simple sense. Going little deeper you find Equality is a shastra also. When Sri Aurobindo talks about shastra he doesn’t talk about scripture specifically. He talks about the eternal shastra which is there in the centre of every heart. Some of the expression could have come in the written format from which we read, in form of scripture. So any written shastra should not be taken as ultimate form of shastra. As there is a lot of gap between what could be written and what could be experienced, similarly much of equality could not be expressed in words, it has to be experienced.
Now shastras have other characteristics also, other than equality. Equality is just one of its characteristics. However it is very fundamental. And as I mentioned, it could not be expressed in words, it has to be experienced. As Sri Aurobindo says… “In this calm right knowledge comes.” So it serves as a platform which is the ground for practice of Yoga of Knowledge. So if you don’t have calmness which is direct result of equality there can be no knowledge. As I explained in the last post, “Equality is the highest grade of support” as without this nothing is possible in Yoga of knowledge specifically. And all knowledge without equality is distortion from what knowledge is.
Now let us come to the second issue - dynamic forms of equality. If you observe carefully then you see that one of the petals out of 12 petals on the Mother’s Symbol, which are referred as “Mother’s power in work,” is Equality. Why so? Why is equality as important in work as it is in knowledge? Shri Krishna in the Gita, the leading scripture on ‘Yoga of Action,’ mentions how the work should be performed. He advises Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra what is the best possible way to perform a work.
The intellect should be a calm observer which can be derived from equality only. The mind should be single-pointed towards divine leaving all thoughts of past and future and excitement for present, this also can be derived from equality thru devotion only. Again this statement has to be experienced. Devotion has dynamism. Devotion creates energy. With devotion any work can be performed in the best possible way. So a highly devoted person would experience a high degree of equanimity. Just because with the act of devotion a lot of distorted emotions (as you mentioned in one of your earlier posts) move out and you can experience true equality.
And the body should be ready to take the world as a fight. Yes, this doesn’t derive from equality from the surface viewpoint. But look at it carefully, what does Sri Krishna say? He doesn’t say the body should fight. He says ‘the body should be prepared to fight.’ This is a radical concept which is very critical to understand. And that’s why Sri Aurobindo comments that much of Gita is yet to be understood by the humanity.
Coming back to the phrase on yoga of action Sri Krishna says, “Body should be prepared to fight with the world.” How do you prepare your body to fight? If you have ever been to practicing rigorous physical exercise, then you would have experienced this. Once you do a lot of physical exercise there is a certain amount of equality that continues to stay in the body, when you do activities which require less involvement of your physical entities and abilities. This is what I mean by dynamic equality, an equality which is achieved by taking more pressure rather than running away from it and preparing for the pressure.
