Descent of the Superman (HH 243)

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother spoke of the next evolutionary step that mankind must undertake, – the supramental. The gap between the now animal humanity and the divine humanity of the future is however too big to be crossed in one single leap. Therefore they saw the coming of Superman as the intermediate species that will be the bridge between man and the supramental being. While the supramental being is yet a distant though inevitable future, the superman is already here working through human bodies and personalities, preparing them for the future as a benevolent mentor and guide. The Mother confirmed the descent of the Superman in Jan 1969. It is a landmark event, the missing link between Man and the Supramental Creation, if one may say so. On the 50th anniversary of this rather lesser known event which is nevertheless of a capital importance to the fulfillment of the Supramental Yoga we dedicate this first talk of the year 2019.

Words of the Mother

In the night it came slowly and on waking up this morning, there was as though a golden dawn, and the atmosphere was so light. The body felt: “Well, it is truly, truly new.” A golden light, transparent and… benevolent. “Benevolent” in the sense of a certainty — a harmonious certainty. It was new.

There you are.

And when I say “Bonne année” to people, it is this which I pass on to them. And this morning, I have passed my time like this, spontaneously, saying: “Bonne année, Bonne année.” So…

1 January 1969

* * *

On the first, something truly strange happened…. And I was not the only one to feel it, some others also have felt it. It was just after midnight, but I felt it at two o’clock and the others at four o’clock in the morning…It was something very material, I mean it was very external — very external—and it was luminous, with a golden light. It was very strong, very powerful; but even so, its character was a smiling benevolence, a peaceful delight and a kind of opening out into delight and light. And it was like a “Bonne année”, like a greeting. It took me by surprise…But I told you a word or two about it and I spoke of it also to two or three persons: they all had felt it. That is to say, it was very material. They all had felt it, like this, a kind of joy, but a joy friendly, powerful and… oh! very, very gentle, very smiling, very benevolent…. I do not know what it is. I do not know what it is, but it is a kind of benevolence, therefore it was something very close to the human. And it was so concrete, so concrete!

My own impression was that of an immense personality — immense, that is to say, for it the earth was small, small like this (gesture, as though holding a small ball in her palm), like a ball — an immense personality, very, very benevolent, which came for… (Mother seems to lift this ball gently from the hollow of her hands). It gave the impression of a personal divinity (and yet it was… I do not know) who comes to help, and so strong, so strong and at the same time so gentle, so all- embracing.

And it was very external: the body felt it everywhere, everywhere (Mother touches her face, her hands), everywhere.

It was luminous, smiling, and so benevolent through powerfulness; that is to say, generally in the human being benevolence is something a little weak, in this sense that it does not like battle, it does not like fight; but this is nothing of the kind! A benevolence that imposes itself (Mother brings her fists down upon the arms of her chair).

It has interested me because it is altogether new. And so concrete! Concrete like this (Mother touches the arms of her chair), like what the physical consciousness usually considers as “others”, concrete like that. That is to say, it did not pass through an inner being, through the psychic being, it came directly upon the body….

I have the feeling that it is the formation which is going to enter, going to express itself — to enter and express itself — in the bodies… that will be the bodies of the supramental.

Or perhaps… perhaps the superman (surhomme), I do not know. The intermediary between the two. Perhaps the superman: it was very human, but a human in divine proportions, I must say.

A human without weaknesses and without shadows: it was all light — all light and smiling and… sweetness at the same time.

Yes, perhaps the superman.

4 January 1969

* * *

It is the descent of the superman consciousness (la conscience du surhomme) ….

It was the first of January after midnight. I woke up at two in the morning, surrounded by a consciousness, so concrete, and new in the sense that I had never felt it before. And it lasted, absolutely concrete, present, for two or three hours, and afterwards it spread out and went about to find people who could receive it. And I knew that it was the consciousness of the superman (la surhomme), that is to say, the intermediary between man and the supramental being.

8 January 1969

* * *

It came as a “mentor”, it was practical, quite practical: “This thing must be rejected, that must be accepted; this must be made general, that…”; all the inner movements. And it even becomes very material in the sense that it says with regard to some vibrations: “This you must encourage”, to others: “That must be canalised”, to others again: “This must be removed.” Little indications like that….

…There is a very marked change in those who have been touched on the first of January: it is particularly… indeed a precision and a certitude that has entered into their way of thinking.

It was there (Mother looks at the region of the heart). It is curious, as though I was given the charge of putting it into contact with all those who come near me.

18 January 1969

* * *

Never, never had the body been so happy; there was the complete Presence, absolute freedom, and a certitude…During these few hours (three or four), I understood absolutely what it was to have the divine consciousness in the body…

It is something very strange, all the qualities and all the defects of man appear as childishness — foolishness. It is curious. And it is not a thought, it is a concrete sensation. It is like a substance without life; all ordinary things are like a substance lacking life — the true life. Artificial and false. It is strange.

(Silence)

The special character of this new consciousness is: no half measures, no approximations. That is its character. The idea “Oh yes, we shall do it, and little by little we…” — no, no, not like that; it is Yes or No, either you can or you cannot.

(Silence)

Truly it is a Grace, you see, as if: not to lose time — not to lose time. It must be done or…

But this tremendous Power, it is that above all; and it is with a compassion! a gentleness!… No, there are no words, we have no words to describe that, something… Nothing but just to be attentive and… it is blissfulness. Nothing but just to turn one’s attention towards that side, immediately there is the bliss. And I understand (that has made me understand certain things), we have heard of people who in the midst of torture enjoyed bliss — it is like that. A beatitude.

15 February 1969

* * *

It can be affirmed with certainty that there will be an intermediate specimen between the mental and the supramental being, a kind of superman who will still have the qualities and in part the nature of man, which means that he will still belong in his most external form to the human being of animal origin, but that he will transform his consciousness sufficiently to belong, in his realisation and activity, to a new race, a race of supermen.

1957

* * *

Man and superman? You are not speaking of the new supramental race, are you? Are you really speaking of what we call the superman, that is, man born in the human way and trying to transform the physical being he has received by his ordinary human birth? Are there any stages?—There will certainly be countless partial realisations. According to each one’s capacity, the degree of transformation will differ, and it is certain that there will be a considerable number of attempts, more or less fruitful or unfruitful, before we come to something like the superman, and even those will be more or less successful attempts.

All those who strive to overcome their ordinary nature, all those who try to realise materially the deeper experience which has brought them into contact with the divine Truth, all those who, instead of turning to the Beyond or the Highest, try to realise physically, externally, the change of consciousness they have realised within themselves—all are apprentice-supermen.

And there, there are countless differences in the success of their efforts. Each time we try not to be an ordinary man, not to live the ordinary life, to express in our movements, our actions and reactions the divine Truth, when we are governed by that Truth instead of being governed by the general ignorance, we are apprentice-supermen, and according to the success of our efforts, well, we are more or less able apprentices, more or less advanced on the way.

CWM 9: 410

* * *

That was the old division made by the mind: “Above, things are very fine, you may have all experiences and everything is luminous and marvelous; here, nothing doing.” And the impression that when one is born, one is born again into the “hopeless world.” That explains, by the way, why all those who did not foresee the possibility of things being otherwise had said, “Better get out of here, and then …” All that has become so clear! But this change, the fact that it’s NO LONGER inescapable, that is the great Victory: it’s NO LONGER inescapable. You feel – feel and see, and the body itself has experienced – the possibility that soon, here too, things will be truer.

There is … there is really something changed in the world.

It has to be worked out, as they say, realized in every detail, but the change IS DONE – the change is done.

Which means that the material conditions, which were elaborated by the mind, FIXED by it (Mother clenches her fist tight), and which appeared so inescapable, to such a point that those who had a living experience of the higher worlds thought one had to flee this world, abandon this material world if one really wanted to live in the Truth (that’s the cause of all those theories and beliefs), now things are no longer like that. Now things are no longer like that. The physical is CAPABLE of receiving the higher Light, the Truth, the true Consciousness, and of manifesting it.

It’s not easy, it calls for endurance and will, but a day will come when it will be quite natural. It’s only just the open door – that’s all, now we have to go on.

(silence)

Naturally, what was established hangs on tight and defends itself desperately. That’s the cause of this whole trouble (swarming gesture in the earth atmosphere) – but it has lost the battle. It’s over. It’s over.

(silence)

It has taken this Consciousness[1] … a little more than a year to win this Victory. Naturally, as yet it’s visible only to those who have the inner vision, but … its done….

All the rest looks so old, so old, like something … that belongs to a dead past – which is trying to come back to life, but it can’t anymore.

And all, all circumstances are as catastrophic as they can be: troubles, complications, difficulties, everything, just everything goes at it relentlessly like that, like wild beasts, but … it’s over. The body KNOWS that it’s over. It may take centuries, but it’s over. To disappear, it may take centuries, but it’s over now.

This wholly concrete and absolute realization that one could have only when going out of Matter (Mother brings a finger down), it’s sure, sure and certain that we will have it RIGHT HERE.

It’s the fourteenth month since the Consciousness came – fourteenth month: twice seven….

 Does it mean that all the human consciousnesses that have a little faith now have the possibility of emerging from this mental hypnosis?

Yes, yes, exactly. Exactly. Exactly.

March 14, 1970

[1] The “superman consciousness” which came on January 1, 1969.