Does Kaivalya mean complete annihilation of the individuality and the merging
of the Yogi's consciousness in the Divine Consciousness as implied by the well-known
sentence ‘the dewdrop slips into the Shining Sea'? In considering this important ques-
tion which has been partly dealt with in II-18 we have to bear in mind that Kaivalya is
the culmination of a tremendously long evolutionary process extending over innumer-
able lives and involving enormous periods of time. In the last phase of this evolution-
ary development which is brought about by the practice of Yoga, power, knowledge
and bliss unfold from within the Yogi's consciousness by leaps and bounds and become
so great towards the end that the human mind simply reels from its mere contempla-
tion. At each stage of his progress the Yogi finds that the new consciousness which
dawns within him is infinitely more vital and glorious than the preceding one and he
seems to be progressively uncovering a tremendous Reality which is hidden within the
deepest recesses of his own being. Kaivalya is attained by transcending the most tran-
scendent state of consciousness which it is possible to attain within the realm of Prak-
rti. Does it stand to reason that in the new consciousness which is attained his indi-
viduality is completely lost and the valuable fruits of evolution gathered at the cost of
so much suffering and travail are washed away in one stroke?
It is reasonable to suppose that the experience of unity with the Divine Con-
sciousness is so perfect and overwhelming that the Yogi seems to lose his own indi-
viduality for the time being but this does not necessarily mean that the individuality is
dissolved and lost for ever in that glorious Reality. If the individuality is completely
dissolved how do we then account for its reappearance in the lower worlds? For, it is
an undoubted fact that these great Beings do return to the lower worlds after gaining
Enlightenment. It is easy for the dewdrop to slip and be lost in the Shining Sea but it
cannot be recovered from that Sea again. In the same way, if the individuality is
merged and. lost completely it cannot separate and manifest again. If it can do so, it
simply means that a germ of individuality, however subtle it may be, still remains even
in the perfect union of the Jivatma with Paramatma. So let us not make the mistake of
supposing that the long and tedious evolutionary development of a human being ends
merely in his disappearance into a Reality from which there is no return and the hard
earned fruits of evolution are lost both for him and others. Let us trust that the Al-
mighty who has created this wonderful Universe and devised the Evolutionary Scheme
has more intelligence than ourselves!
ben green
(Ben Green)
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