The Reign of Hell, pp. 215-216

Opening Remarks
Aswapati now reveals to us how Darkness and Hell have a hold on the human consciousness and influence our lives, creating here too a reign of Hell.

Hell’s trademark
Often, a familiar visage studying
Joyfully encountered at some dangerous turn,
Hoping to recognise a look of light,
His vision warned by the spirit’s inward eye
Discovered suddenly Hell’s trademark there,
Or saw with the inner sense that cannot err,
In the semblance of a fair or virile form
The demon and the goblin and the ghoul.

Hell is an inner state. It has little to do with our outer vocation, profession or even what we call as education. This is what Aswapati discovers how those with whom he was familiar, those in whom he felt there could be a touch of light, he could see now the darkness lurking beneath the fair outsides. He saw it with his unerring inner sense developed by the power of Yoga.

Cruelty and violence
An insolence reigned of cold stone-hearted strength
Mighty, obeyed, approved by the Titan’s law,
The huge laughter of a giant cruelty
And fierce glad deeds of ogre violence.

Cruelty and violence are signs of an inner weakness. They are the farthest from Kingdoms of Light. A cold heart, a strength that is full of heartless and brute force, the crude laughter of cruel beings and fierce deeds of ogre violence were the very stuff of the Titan’s life. He obeys the law of blind violence and without a trace of pity and kindness.

Cynic den
In that wide cynic den of thinking beasts
One looked in vain for a trace of pity or love;
There was no touch of sweetness anywhere,
But only Force and its acolytes, greed and hate:
There was no help for suffering, none to save,
None dared resist or speak a noble word.

It was a den of thinking beasts who looked like human beings but had not the trace of humanity in them. Bitter cynics they knew not pity; neither love nor the touch of sweetness could be found. There was only greed and hate, not an urge to help or save nor the courage to stand up and speak the truth. It was a land ruled by fear and brute force.

Tyrannic power
Armed with the aegis of tyrannic Power,
Signing the edicts of her dreadful rule
And using blood and torture as a seal,
Darkness proclaimed her slogans to the world.

Torture and propaganda was the means to rule by which the tyrannic power kept hold over the kingdom. Fear and darkness were sanctioned as sacred edicts and doctrines to be followed by all.

Servile silence
A servile blinkered silence hushed the mind
Or only it repeated lessons taught,
While mitred, holding the good shepherd’s staff,
Falsehood enthroned on awed and prostrate hearts
The cults and creeds that organise living death
And slay the soul on the altar of a lie.

None was allowed to think or speak except what was stuffed into the minds from childhood by constant repetition. The priests there had brainwashed the citizens in believing the gospel of falsehood as truth. Thus forcing worship of the Titans of Death and Falsehood these cults slayed the soul on the altar of a lie.

Closing Remarks
One can see how we still have remnants of these worlds and their beings and forces influencing mankind even though a large majority of humanity now seeks to be otherwise. Sri Aurobindo reveals to us what really is Evil and how it operates under the garb of organized religions and creeds.