Inertia

…It (inertia) was because of the nature, because the tendency to tamas is there: the outer being is not yet sufficiently transformed. When the inertia rises you have to keep your inner being separate from it and perfectly calm and not to acquiesce in any nervousness or accept any suggestions or allow yourself to lean towards any active resistance or dissatisfaction with what is written to you or done for you. If in addition you find it possible to use any of the active means suggested in past answers, it is well — but if not this at least — what I have written above must be done. And always the aspiration firm and steady — not eager and excited — for the descent and the transformation of the whole nature must be preserved intact.

When the outer being is so totally obscured how to keep an aspiration?

One can always have an aspiration in the inner being, if the inner being keeps its separateness.

This difficulty is due to old habits of the physical mind and vital, which still have the power to repeat themselves by rising from the subconscient and as your physical mind and vital still respond you are not able to stop the disquietude. When they respond no longer, then there will be no disquietude.

Certain adverse forces are trying to create an active protest.

So long as that is possible as a result of the inertia, the inertia will always insist — for to create an active resistance or protest and so break and not merely retard the sadhana is the main object with which it is brought up.

Now I see that a period of no-effort also comes during the course of sadhana. It is when we cannot make any active effort against the inertia in spite of our knowledge and will. We have got to accept this as a stage (though not a pleasant one), because we are dealing with the physical, the most degraded part of the human nature.

And yet the spirit of confrontation must be kept alive.

The period of no-effort is usually when the physical consciousness is uppermost — for the nature of that is inertia, to be moved by the higher forces or to be moved by the lower forces or any forces, but not to move itself. One must still use one’s effort if one can, but the great thing is to be able to call down the Force from above into the physical — otherwise to remain perfectly quiet and, undisturbed, expect its coming.

Due to the excess of inertia, I am not able to live even in the outer mind. I cannot think, write or read anything spiritual or intellectual. The inertia is felt within as well as all around me. It is as if the inertia has replaced the ether itself!

It means that you are at full grips with the subconscient physical. However heavy and tedious the resistance you have to persevere till you have got the Peace, Knowledge, Force down there in place of the inertia.

There is a suggestion that our efforts in sadhana bring an undesirable reaction. But is not the suggestion really due to excess of inertia?

Yes, it is that. The suggestion is put in order to discourage the dynamic effort and keep one inertly passive.

My capacity of taking food is being reduced more and more. Is it an accompaniment of the inertia?

You must not let that movement go too far. It is one of the dangers of the sadhana, because of the ascetic turn of the Yoga in the past that as experiences come the suggestion comes that food or sleep etc. are not necessary and also there may come an inclination in the body not to eat or not to sleep. But if that is accepted the results are often disastrous. It is no more to be accepted than the inertia itself.

I heard a voice: “In spite of your efforts you find no fruit. The inertia will either disappear or change only when your whole body consciousness not only rejects it but also remains unaffected.”

That is the truth.

The voice also said: “The more you make efforts the sooner the physical will be capable of controlling the whole subconscient.”

That is also extremely true.

The last thing the voice said was, “Be happy and joyous even in the heaviness and tediousness of the inertia period. That indeed is the true nature of the hero and a true lover of the Mother”

Right.