Canto X: The Kingdoms and Godheads of the Little Mind

This Canto describes in great detail the three layers of the little Mind that has so far manifested upon earth. First of this to appear is the physical mind centered around the bodily existence, next - the vital Mind, and finally the rational Mind, the mind that uses Reason to discover truth of things.

Now we labour in the Night of ignorance, but this labour too is not vain, it prepares us to receive the Sun. This passage is prophetic of the Supramental Light that shall break upon earth bringing the rhythms and powers of a New Consciousness.

A deeper yearning now seizes the mind and reason. It is the yearning to discover what still is missed, the yearning to go beyond its limitations and its limits.

There are greater powers and possibilities awaiting their emergence. They are hidden in the folds of Light, are slow in reaching the Earth but powerfully transforming in their action.

The old world and its huge structures and institutions built with Reason are dying fast to give way and space to the new world order built on Intuition. This greater plan is now concealed to the eyes of common man but is glimpsed by the seer and sage and exceptional individuals.

Reason enters into its last and final curve, its last effort to perfect earth and humanity through science.

Reason was needed to rescue the world from its infra-rational animal stage. But now its hour is getting over. It must be replaced by a greater Light and hence we see a collapse of values established by Reason and its daughter modern Science.

Reason builds systems of knowledge based on its observation, analysis and inference. But sooner or later a new discovery is made that completely upsets what it had known turning it all into a fresh ignorance.

Step by step in a most logical way Sri Aurobindo reveals us the paradox of Science and the limitation of Reason to give us a true understanding of ‘Reality’.

Though Reason is presently the highest mental faculty available to man, it has several limitations. It fails when it makes claims to discovery of Truth.

The mind, by its very nature can see things in bits and parts. It knows a little but much more escapes its vision. Though useful in its place, Reason must slowly give way to higher modes of knowledge through which we can comprehend the Whole.

With the advent of Reason man’s thought strives to understand the secret law of things. It is this search that gives birth to science and Philosophy. Science too becomes a religion when she regards her discoveries as absolute truths.

Reason is an imperfect light even though right now it is thought to be the highest. Until greater ways of knowledge open their doors this imperfect light illumines the field of human experience.

After the physical and vital mind there emerges reason into the human play. It brings with it measure and rule.

This mind is quick to leap on impulse. It jumps from appearance to appearance sometimes hitting the mark and sometimes totally missing it.

This mind is an adventurer and an explorer. It is easily drawn towards the unknown and is also quick at weaving fantasy and imagination. This adventurer mind breaks into unknown domains by trying out the seemingly impossible.

The spell of physical mind tied down to convention and routine is broken by the emergence of the dynamic vital mind in man. This mind is hungry for innovation and change.

Each power of nature, each of its layers serves a certain purpose. The conservative spirit fixes things into a pattern but the same spirit becomes an obstacle when it is the hour of change