Text: From "Dharmadeva" : Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern, Purusa and Prakrti - universal As the efficient cause Purusa is the primary factor and Prakrti is the secondary one. This is because without the permission of the supreme Purusa the universe could not have been evolved. Therefore, Prakrti is the secondary Shakti, Purusa is the chief Shakti. Prakrti or Energy cannot be the primary cause of this manifest universe because by analogy the light is lit by electrical energy. The fan too moves electrically. But this electrical energy is controlled and harnessed by human beings and there is a switch for it too. If a human being does not want any electric light, s/he just switches it off and there is no light. The manifestation or unmanifestation of electrical energy depends on the human will. The power (Shakti) of Prakrti is likewise of the Purusa. The switch was thrown - albeit that its beginning cannot be found (i.e., the beginning of creation is unknown). Prakrti poses as the doer. Similarly Nature is also not the original authority or doer-entity, but is the dynamic waves of the centrifugal and centripetal movements (Saincara - extroversial creative force and Pratisaincara - introversial force back to the source) of Prakrti. Purusa is the witness of this creation. Prakrti is an 'entity' which is doing something, but it cannot be the material cause or the efficient cause because in the actional faculty of Prakrti there is no scope for any principle of cohesiveness. Shakti or energy itself is a blind force -- if it is not supported by Intellect or the Authority to Do. Suppose an electric hammer is being operated, and a child accidentally inserts its tender hand under the hammer. The hammer will automatically smash the hand - its blind force will not spare the innocent child's hand. Hence the force of Prakrti divorced from the touch of Purusa (Cosmic Consciousness) is highly dangerous. That Cognitive Principle (Cosmic Consciousness) itself is both the material cause and the efficient cause of creation. In the flow of creation the Cognitive Principle is also inseparably associated with the Creative Force. The role of Purusa is foremost in all spheres. Prakrti only acts to whatever extent the Purusa has authorised or authorises her to act. In the process of evolution the Purusa gives Prakrti the authority to work and she goes on working. This authority is in the sense of cohesiveness. If that were not so Prakriti is a mere blind force and by that reasoning (ie acceptance of Prakrti purely as a blind force not subject to anything) the entire theory of cause and effect would also fall apart. The movement of the unit consciousness is from the crude to the subtle. The nature of all spiritual practices are for this purpose. What other ultimate purpose can they serve? Propelled by the influence of Introversive Force or Force of Macrocosmic Attraction towards Brahma (God), the unit consciousness activates the centripetal or introversive momentum towards God through spiritual practices. But at the same time it will not do to give up material needs in relation to the practical world (here one only needs to learn non-attachment). The plethora of objectivities surrounding us is only the creation of the psychic conation of the Supreme Consciousness. 'Before' creation S/He was the Singular Entity. When S/He/It wished to be many the extroversive (Saincara) - subtle to crude - and introversive (Pratisaincara) - crude to sublte - flow of creation started under the crudifying influence of Prakrti ('Creative Force') - the emanent principle of Parama Purus'a (Supreme Consciousness). The variegated expressions of the universe are nothing but the diversified manifestation of that Supreme One. The inanimate world; the animate world of plants, animals, and human beings; the mind, vitality, and intellect are all expressions of the same Supreme Entity. Thus everything has consciousness. Mind or consciousness is expressed even in so-called inanimate objects as rocks, sand or mud, but is essentially dormant. Consciousness is in whatever form is necessary to perceive and sustain that intrinsic oneness in all of creation. As the Singular Self (Supreme or Cosmic Consciousness) is the rudimental cause of all diversities; that is, the essence of all physical and metaphysical diversities is the Supreme One it is the noumenal cause of this phenomenal world. The 'birth'/manifestation of a single iota of unit consciousness in this universe germinates from the Causal Soul. During the time of extroversion the Causal Soul has the germinating potentials of the seed and so 'coming from' that Supreme Subtlely means a movement away from subtlety to crudity so that unit consciousness can manifest itself through expressions. The latter stage of introversion is just the reverse - the unit consciousness desires to return to its Source. In other words, it is owing to the lack of germinating possibility that it is returning to the Original Entity (from crude to subtle). Of course in this all is very intimately united so that Supreme Consciousness is also intimately associated with the manifest and unmanifest as the Witness of everything. What form a unit consciousness first takes as its expression would be different for each of the many infinite times it occurs in the process of creation (initially the etherial comes into play and is then crudified to aerial, luminous, liquid and solid substances), but obviously a human consciousness does not suddenly arrive. To do so would go completely against evolution and of course must be illogical as there were no human beings before - such human beings having evolved from lower species. So from the germination of unit consciousness it must evolve from simple expressive form eg from sand to virus to protozoic structure to metazoic to plant, animal, and human as the highest form of life (as humans possess conscience and rationality and their psychic structure is more advanced than any life form). But for the unit consciousness to take an expressive form it must germinate from the most subtle and attain a crudified expressive form. The reverse is when the unit consciousness is so evolved that it reverts to seek back it most subtle home and Ultimate Shelter. In the manisestation of creation there are so many infinite expressions of unit consciousness. It is the 'analytical' extroversive phase (subtle to crude), ie that phase of manifestation in which the Singular Purus'a appears to be transformed into many by Prakrti. The greater the influence of Prakrti, the greater the number of pluralities, and the greater the degree of crudification. But when creation reaches the nadir point of crudification (solid matter), Purus'a starts decreasing the latitude granted to Prakrti and withdraws everything unto Itself (to its Absolute Condition) - unit consciousness then wishes to seek back its home and Divine Shelter - it can only be a movement to subtlety. This is the phase of Introversive Evolution of mind. Creation now proceeds from plurality towards Supreme Singularity, towards the Supreme Cognitive Faculty. This is the path of synthesis (oneness). Whereas the Extroversive Evolution is the metamorphosis of Purusa which takes place due to the action of Prakrti. Although Prakrti goes on acting, she is not the material cause. She is also not the efficient cause, because behind her action, there is no 'ethical pursuit'. Force is a crude energy and clearly in the expressed universe there is not creation by blind force alone - there is the operation of the Law of Cause and Effect. Ideatic impression of the Witnessing Entity/Purusa/Supreme Consciousness is the material and efficient cause, but it is also associated with Prakrti. It does not enjoy the fruit, yet it remains associated with the Prakrti. Without the wish of Purusa, Prakrti is not able to assume any manifested form. That is why the fundamental cause of the universe is not Prakrti but Purusa. In this regard there is also a philosophical distinction between Nirguna Brahma (Non-Attributional Cosmic Consciousness) and Saguna Brahma (Attributional Cosmic Consciousness). Greater than Saguna Brahma is the unmanifest primordial Prakriti (unmanifest in the sense that the Operative Principle is in equilibrium with Non-Attributional Cosmic Consciousness) for 'she' contains within 'her' the capacity to qualify Saguna Brahma, i.e., the qualification of Saguna Brahma is entirely dependent on her attributional manifestations. But Nirguna Brahma being non-attributional must, of course, be beyond that Prakriti. That is, Purus'a is still superior to this primordial Prakriti. Purus'a is the ultimate stage of all evolved objects: the supreme rank of Cosmic Consciousness. But what is this Prakriti. Prakriti is the qualifying force on the infinite 'body' of Cosmic Consciousness. There must logically be a force which creates different kinds in Nature - just as a force moves anything. It is on account of this Cosmic Force (Prakriti) that the existence of human beings and animals, plants and matter - everything- is appreciated WITHIN the Eternal, Infinite and Perfect Omniscient God. Nature is then witnessed. The Creative Cosmic Force cannot act without God's "permission". It is not a blind force otherwise the universe would never have hung together. It's cohesivenss is the Law of Cause and Effect (in that sense it also has a fundamental 'morality'). It is because of this Law that we are able to discern scientific patterns in everything and derive some systematic knowledge of our own in explaining the universe. That Law is in a sense 'binary', i.e., cause = 0, effect = 1 and so on and so forth. Hence the polarities in this creation (Nth - Sth, etc). [But if one goes far enough north one may again reach south - so everything comes home to its Universal Nucleus]. However, given the vastness of the universe and the innumerable patterns of cause and effect and their complexity - we see dynamic events of chaos - the fractal kaledioscope. The Cosmic Force is not equivalent to Nature. Indeed Nature is the inherent characteristic of the Cosmic Force. Whatever that Cosmic Force does is commonly known as Nature. The Cosmic Force simply expresses its dextrous dance on the infinite ocean of Universal Consciousness - and so everything is happening within the Universal Consciousness (God) with Its own permission. God is the all-knowing entity and the entity that witnesses whatever the Cosmic Force (Prakriti) does. That force displays itself as Nature. The Universal Cosmic Consciousness becomes circumscribed or shared into the knowledge of existence as a result of the "permission" It/God has given to the Creative Force. When the Cosmic Consciousness becomes bound by name and shape it naturally appears to be different from its original standard and so this differentiation is the Nature of the expressed universe. God is the orginal cause of everything and when the Creative Force is dormant there is no vibration whatsoever (there is only 'ananda'). But the original cause is beyond time, place/space and person/form/frequency and beyond relativity - to trace back leads to infinite regress. To know the source requiries transcendence of mind (transcendence of time, place and form). One cannot know this through reasoning alone. It requires the intensity of spiritual cum meditative practices. In this respect assertion of individual will, perseverance, practice, desire of spiritual nature are required. It is true that Prakriti is uncaused. But the products of this phenomena are non-eternal, finite. But to assume that the Creative Force (Prakrti) acts at whim is dangerous because it is energy which is controlled by Prakrti and the union to be achieved between small I and big I (unit consciousness and Cosmic Consciousness) is not with the Creative Force or Energy or Nature but with Cosmic Consciousness Itself. It is the difference between worshipping Kali and becoming Shiva. Prakrti, being the innate principle of Purusa, is controlled and guided by Purusa. The actions are controlled by Prakrti, but Prakrti is controlled by Purusa. That is, Purusa has given her 'permission' to act. Hence Purusa should alone be and is the be-all and end-all of human endeavour. So while Prakriti as a qualifying force is beyond transformative changes, all phenomena is dependent on Prakriti while Prakriti is independent of it. But also Prakrti cannot be independent of Purusa (they are 2 side of the same piece of paper) and the Creative Force requires the permission of Supreme Consciousness to act - otherwise there would not be the same piece of paper but a duality - and union can never be a duality. -- 'The main characteristic of PROUT-based socioeconomic movements is that they aim to guarantee the comprehensive, multifarious liberation of humanity.' P R Sarkar Progressive Utilisation Theory: http://www.kaapeli.fi:81/~samps/newren/ People's News Agency is a free news, views, analysis and literature service for the progressive minded.

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