trast, linked to an infinite resourc�osmic intelligence (mahat) and
cosmic consciousness. It is a well that will never run dry. Yoga calls the
will, or incitement to action, that derives from universal consciousness
prerana. People who are addicted to drugs or alcohol are encouraged
not to do what is called "white knuckle self-control," as its egoic
source will eventually be exhausted and a crash will follow. On the
contrary, they are told to "hand over to a higher power," which means
that their will is replenished every day through contact with the cosmic
source of intelligent action. Prerana, which I touched on in chapter 2,
is the intelligent will of Nature's consciousness expressing itself through
us. And it expresses itself through the heart, not the head. It is by tap
ping the source of infinite will and intelligence that we discover in our
selves the guts to penetrate the inner recesses of our Being.
The intelligence we are now developing depends upon emotional
and moral maturity, the ability to value truth and respect ethical con
duct, the capacity to feel love in its more universal sense as compas
sion. I referred to Socrates in the introduction in relation to the
philosophical injunction to "know thyself." But what is now revealed
as the value of knowing yourself? It must have some point. Socrates
said quite simply that self-knowledge allows us to live deliberately out
of a state of freedom. The analogy I offer to explain the significance of
the word deliberately is that most of us travel through life in the same
way an eighteen-month-old baby walks. The reason he keeps putting
one foot in front of the other is that if he doesn't, he will fall over. His
walk is a sustained totter, punctuated by falls. To live deliberately is to
walk like an adult, to have balance, direction, and purpose and to walk
in growing freedom and assurance toward the ultimate freedom.
Sanskrit etymology throws light on the point we have now
reached. I have just said that we are learning to walk as adults. Well,
in Sanskrit, Maanava means man. By association with manas, it also
means one who has a mind. And another meaning of maana is to livl'
with honor and dignity. The implication is clear. We an· hu111an lwin�s,
W I S ll o M T II 1'. I NT 1'. I I. I' (' T II A I. 1\ o I I Y I I' If N A N A )