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But the surface nescience distorts the knowledge that it receives. Still it builds up at first a habitual instinctive knowledge which is followed up by an evolving knowledge that is half-knowledge, half ignorance. All that is unknown is met on the basis of what is known but as this knowledge is imperfect, there can be a misinterpretation of the new contact as well as a deformation of the intuitive response -"a double source of error". (CWSA 21-22, pg. 639)
Error is thus a "necessary accompaniment" (Ibid) during the slow evolution of knowledge in a consciousness that begins from the nescience. Indeed, the evolving consciousness acquires knowledge by indirect means which does not give even a "fragmentary certitude". Ibid) An initial sign or image or vibration physical in character is produced by contact with an object and the resulting vital sensation is turned into a corresponding mental idea or figure. Things thus experienced have to be fitted together and things unknown have to be reset into the already acquired sum of experiences. Observation is the first instrument of the mind but the mind is not free from the observer bias. Observation is a complex process and not free from the mistakes of the ignorant observing consciousness. Apart from the limitations of the ignorant and imperfect sense-mind, the imperfection due to the personal idiosyncrasies of the observer also add up to the body of the Error.
A secret intuition
Consciousness while acquiring knowledge builds up a structure of "acquired experience, memories, impressions, Judgments". (Ibid, pg.640) It is a composite mental plan of things erected on shifting sands. New knowledge is judged in accordance with past knowledge, if it can't be adjusted it is accommodated anyhow or rejected; the adjustment may be misfitting or the rejection erroneous. To misinterpretation of facts is added a misapplication of knowledge. "In all this enlightened obscurity of our mental parts a secret intuition is at work, a truth-urge that corrects or pushes the intelligence to correct what is erroneous, to labour to a true picture of things and a true interpretive knowledge". (Ibid) But the intuition gets limited in the human mind and cannot act on its own right; it acquires a mental coating and so disguised becomes erroneous -- a half-truth. "There are intuitions of actuality, of possibility, of the determining truth behind things, but all are mistaken by the mind for each other." (Ibid, pg.641) A mental structure, "half formed and arranged, half jumbled, half true, half erroneous, but always imperfect, is the character of human knowledge". (Ibid)
"Error by itself, however, would not amount to falsehood; it would only be an imperfection of truth, a trying, an essay of possibilities". (Ibid) For our ignorance justifies the admission of uncertain possibilities which at the end might prove to be advantageous by opening to fresh directions or increasing our cognition. It might stimulate the intuitive possibilities to emerge.
The egocentric surface individuality
But a second factor now intervenes -the ego. The surface mental individuality is ego-centric, It looks at everything from its own standpoint, selects or arranges truth according to its own mental preferences and all observation, judgment and reason are dovetailed to the needs of the ego. There is a true observer bias for a sheer impersonality is impossible to the ego. Even the most trained intellect fails to observe the twists and turns given to truth "by preference, personal suitability, temperamental choice, prejudgment". (Ibid, pg.642) Here we have an almost inexhaustible source of Error and a gate through which falsehood can enter. Truth can also enter through that gate, "not by its own right, but at the mind's pleasure". (ibid)
The three types of individuality
In accordance to Sankhya psychology, we have three types of mental individuality:
(1)The Tamasic type whose intelligence is poised in the physical mind, inert to new ideas except to those it receives blindly, its power is "repetitive practicality", (Ibid) it avoids all that is new;
(2)The Rajasik type whose intelligence is poised in the vital mind and is of two kinds, one kind is defensive with violence and passion, aggressive against all contrary to its mental ego, the other kind is enthusiastic for whatever is new, passionate, mobile beyond measure, restless, governed not by truth but the zest of intellectual battle and adventure;
(3)The Sattwic type who is open to knowledge but "because its light is limited, as all mental light must be, it is unable to enlarge itself so as to receive equally all truth and all knowledge"; (Ibid, pg.643) it has an enlightened mental ego involved in observation, judgment, reasoning and preference.
In men we find a preponderance of one of these qualities but also a mixture. This limitation by personality, the refusal to receive what cannot be assimilated is necessary for the individual in the trajectory of evolution in whom it has a certain self-expression which for the moment is its law of being, dharma or swadharma. "This limitation of mind-consciousness by personality and of truth by mental temperament and preference must be the rule of our nature so long as the individual has not reached universality, is not yet preparing for mind-transcendence. But it is evident that this condition is inevitably a source of error." (Ibid)
The self-assertion of the vital being
We have surveyed the field of cognition but the same law applies to will and action. Out of ignorance there is a misunderstanding or rejection of suggestions emanating from the secret inmost consciousness -the psychic being. Instead the individual answers to unenlightened mental or vital suggestions or acts out the demands of the vital ego. Here is fulfilled one of the primary conditions of evolution, "the law of a separate life-being affirming itself in a world which is not-self to it". (Ibid, pg.644) This makes way for the surface vital personality to be dominant. The dominance of the ignorant vital being becomes "the active source of discord and disharmony" (Ibid) -the root of wrong-doing and evil. The natural vital being in us, so far it is unchecked or untrained is not concerned with truth or right action, it is concerned with self-assertion, with satisfaction of desire. It tries to get an affirmation from the mind so that it has a self-justification for full self-assertion. Once it gets the assent of the mind, his own vital ego and together with it, the collective ego gets a boost to dominate the world, to impose the I-ness and my-ness around it, and to get things done by hook or crook. "It is not only in the realm of interests, but in the realm of ideas and the realm of religion that the vital being of man has introduced this spirit and attitude of self-affirmation and struggle and the use of violence, oppression and suppression, intolerance, aggression." (Ibid, pg.645) Into this nature is brought dislike and hatred towards all that stands in its way and can resort to all kinds of cruelty, treachery and evil and for such life-assertion, one is even ready to face the risk of destruction and suffering.
The passion of life-affirmation by the vital being
But this is not the whole story of the vital personality. It is not necessary that evil is its only nature. "It is not primarily concerned with truth and good, but it can have the passion for truth and good as it has, more spontaneously, the passion for joy and beauty." (Ibid) The life-force also develops "a secret delight somewhere in the being, a delight in good and a delight in evil, a delight in truth and a delight in falsehood, a delight in life and an attraction to death, a delight in pleasure and a delight in pain, in one's own suffering and the suffering of others, but also in one's own joy and happiness and good and the joy and happiness and good of others". (Ibid) It carries impulses of generosity and altruism along with egoism, it can sacrifice itself in the same way as it can destroy others and all its acts carry the passion of life-affirmation. In the human being there is a mental, moral and psychic discernment which can somewhat control or at best camouflage the vital being but cannot change its character. "The vital being and its life-force and their drive towards self-affirmation are, in the absence of an overt action of soul-power and spiritual power, Atmashakti, Nature's chief means of effectuation, and without its support neither mind nor body can utilize their possibilities or realize their aim here in existence. It is only if the inner or true vital being replaces the outer life-personality that the drive of the vital ego can be wholly overcome and the life-force become the servant of the soul and a powerful instrumentation for the action of our true spiritual being." (Ibid, pg.646)
Error, falsehood and evil
"This then is the origin and nature of error, falsehood, wrong and evil in the consciousness and will of the individual; a limited consciousness growing out of nescience is the source of error, a personal attachment to the limitation and the error born of it the source of falsity; a wrong consciousness governed by the life-ego the source of evil." (Ibid)
The individual ego is necessary for the appearance of a conscious being on the ground made ready by the Inconscient and "the principle of life-affirmation of the ego is the necessary consequence". (Ibid) The ego is separated both from the other self and from the inner Divinity by Ignorance but "it has behind itself, though finite, the impulse to the infinite".(Ibid, pg.647) It wants to be a "boundless finite" (Ibid) to increase its life-affirmation of its self-delight and enrichment of its mental, vital and physical facets of existence. This would seem all right but the separate ego does this not by unity and conscious interchange and mutuality. Instead what arises is life-discord, disharmony and what is called wrong and evil. Nature accepts them initially as it is necessary for evolution. The evolutionary trajectory acts through both evil and good and it cannot be confined to a limited good which would check the intended evolution. Instead it uses any available option and this is the reason we see evil emerging from what is good and good coming out of evil. Actually our standards of good and evil are evolutionary, relative, limited and mutable. But still the equation persists "so that man may leave certain things behind him, move towards others, until out of good and evil he can emerge into some Good that is eternal and infinite". (Ibid, pg.647-648).
Date of Update:
31-Mar-25
- By Dr. Soumitra Basu
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