Opening Remarks
The realm of pure pleasure and boundless joy, this paradise of the Life-gods, must now be renounced to begin a greater climb. Aswapati embodies this call towards a greater Adventure. Therefore he renounces with godlike ease this high state that many would covet. But his goal lies in a yet greater Beyond.
Towards the Highest Mystery
This too must now be overpassed and left,
As all must be until the Highest is gained
In whom the world and self grow true and one:
Till That is reached our journeying cannot cease.
Aswapati now renounces this Paradise in search of the Highest. The sign of this Highest state would be that it would heal all divisions between World and God, Nature and Soul, Creation and the Creator. That, and not some state of post-mortem vital enjoyments, should be the goal of our soul’s adventure.
The ascending Fire
Always a nameless goal beckons beyond,
Always ascends the zigzag of the gods
And upward points the spirit’s climbing Fire.
The soul in man always aspires for the very Highest. Assisting its upwards march is Agni, the flaming god within our hearts who leads us towards his very own supramental home passing through the abode of many gods.
Hundred-hued felicity
This breath of hundred-hued felicity
And its pure heightened figure of Time’s joy,
Tossed upon waves of flawless happiness,
Hammered into single beats of ecstasy,
This fraction of the spirit’s integer
Caught into a passionate greatness of extremes,
This limited being lifted to zenith bliss,
Happy to enjoy one touch of things supreme,
Packed into its sealed small infinity,
Its endless time-made world outfacing Time,
A little output of God’s vast delight.
The Paradise of the Life-gods is no doubt enchanting but it is still a heightened human joy lifted up by the breath of God and touched by His vast delight. Yet it is not the original Divine Bliss but a reflected ecstasy. Though vast within its limits it is still a fraction of the spirit’s infinity. To human experience caught at this lower end of things with their attendant suffering and pain, this vital height seems the very zenith as if one had found the infinite bliss and tasted the supreme delight. Yet is this only a small output of God’s vast Delight, a little touch of infinity felt in time-made finite worlds.
On peaks they ceased
The moments stretched towards the eternal Now,
The hours discovered immortality,
But, satisfied with their sublime contents,
On peaks they ceased whose tops half-way to Heaven
Pointed to an apex they could never mount,
To a grandeur in whose air they could not live.
This was the peak of the Life worlds whose beautiful hills pointed towards the Grandeur of still greater Heavens. Too satisfied with their experience there the hours forgot to aspire further and remained as if shut in a strip of happy time. They looked towards higher peaks but felt not the urge to climb or breathe a purer air.
Declined a greater adventure’s call
Inviting to their high and exquisite sphere,
To their secure and fine extremities
This creature who hugs his limits to feel safe,
These heights declined a greater adventure’s call.
To climb further needed the spirit of sacrifice and the ability to renounce the joys and secure limits of this world. These worlds and their beings rather preferred the safe limits than heed the call to a greater adventure.
Golden posts of bliss
A glory and sweetness of satisfied desire
Tied up the spirit to golden posts of bliss.
It was enough for these beings to be happy with their satisfied desires. Thus satisfied they remained tied to the golden outposts of bliss rather than venture further into the still greater deeps beyond.
Could not house the wideness of a soul
It could not house the wideness of a soul
Which needed all infinity for its home.
The soul in man is greater than these gods. It seeks a wider release and truer delight, to soar towards infinity, to breath eternity.
Closing Remarks
This was the limit of life’s reach while it laboured into Ignorance. Aswapati must venture into a still greater Beyond.
But life’s search does not end here; she seeks for the Infinite.
