-22_The Fourth Sukth

The gradual progression of the spiritual discipline takes place by virtue of the bliss-power in the pure mind. It is with that power that a spiritual seeker overcomes all the obstacles and the downward pull of ignorance symbolised by Vritra and creates beautiful forms full of knowledge in the fullness of the Vast.

In the first three riks the nectar-emitting light and pure thought-power of Indra have been invoked. Indra is a milch cow, that is to say, the inexhaustible source from which a seeker draws the nectar of immortality.

But why? Because it is thus that a spiritual seeker can see the manifestation of the All-Blissful, in the Vast. In our normal life-activities we have a partial consciousness and our mind remains narrow, degraded and twisted. So whatever we do turns out to be imperfect. And if we want to make our creations beautiful, blissful and perfect, we must break the barriers of this division, pettiness and poverty and rise into the everlasting poise and pure existence of

the Vast. We are satisfied with a little, for our happiness and delight and enjoyment are confined to this material world alone. And from this sense-pleasure which is the outer form of the Somarasa we shall have to squeeze out true delight and immortality. This is possible only after one has invoked Indra, the Lord the senses and the presiding deity of the pure intellect. When the mind has become pure, when the Divine Being Within it   has awakened, the aspirant’s delight gets satisfaction no longer in the little imperfect pleasures of the material world. The ecstasy of the divinised mind is surcharged with the divine light. One who has achieved this delight has also achieved the all the well-ordained rhythmic play of Truth inherent in the pure mind. It is there that an aspirant must pay particular attention to one thing. If all on a sudden truth and power descend from above into the aspirant’s mind in an excessive manner, then there is every possibility of his mental balance; even if it is not so, the manifestation of this truth and power takes place in a very distorted way. That is   why the aspirant has been asked to pray in this fashion:

            “O Indra, do Thou manifest thyself before me to the extent of my receptivity and, I pray, exceed not the limit.”

            The aspirant has to purify first his lower nature before invoking the truth and power in a large measure. Otherwise a reaction may at once take place. The subsequent riks deal with this matter. The second group of the three riks indicates the process of the gradual ascension of the aspirant. Spirituality is, as it were, a long upward march and the aspirant has to fight and toil faithfully all the way in order to go ahead. It will not do for an aspirant to make an effort to pull the power from above, himself remaining below. He has to raise himself. He has to look upon the Divine Being that resides in Indra, the deity of knowledge, in the pure mind, and according to the inspiration and guidance of the Being the aspirant has to proceed. When we shall be fully Prepared for the realization of the Godhead of Indra, the obscure and

impure forces of ignorance cannot keep us enchained in the lower regions. They themselves will then open the new vistas for a higher journey and declare, "You have conquered us. Now go up, march onward, conquer all the forces that are challenging you from the higher regions." Even obstacles are necessary and useful. We become stronger when we meet with oppositions in our life. The foundation gets firm only after it has weathered some storms. When we are established in the quiet foundation of Indra, the powers that help the aspirant - the vigour behind his spiritual endeavour and power of action - will be able to make us the possessors of the highest good and perfect bliss.

In the three successive riks of the third group the forces by which all obstacles in our journey are removed have been described. Vritra is only a name for the obstacles in one's spiritual practice. Vritra means the coverer (derived from the root vr) who keeps an aspirant in darkness. These blind forces of the lower plane do not allow the liglit of knowledge to dawn on the aspirant. Drinking the nectar of soma (delight) Indra kills Vritra, i.e., the forces of pure intelligence become fiery, as well as acute and sharp, with the pure and intense Ananda by which is expelled the darkness of ignorance. The aspirant gets strength to fight against the attraction of the unregenerated nature and to climb up and move in the higher regions. His conscious being gets intoxicated with the nectar of delight, armoured with a hundred powers. He surmounts all the obstacles of the spiritual adventure and makes the aspirant firmly established in all the accomplishments of perfection.

In the last rik the nature of the divine mental being is described: In this divine mental being the vast delight of the Infinite has descended and with the help of its inspira­tion the aspirant goes on safely and securely from one level to another, from one shore to another and. climbs up from the unregenerated lower nature to the divine status.

In the present hymn we can notice one speciality of Vedic 

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discipline. Vedic discipline was not something personal and individual. It was essentially collective, i.e., for the community as a whole. That is why we often hear an aspirant of the Vedas calling his friends to assemble in spiritual practice and bring down the divine force with a collective effort. The collective life flourished in those days with the help of companions and helpers in sadhana. The gods too were companions and helpers in the spiritual endeavour. Hence they were addressed as friends.