March 28, 2026
The Potentiality of the Soul -- the Actuality of the Psychic Being
reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 1 Meaning and Nature of the Psychic Being, pp. 16-17This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/03/26/the-potentiality-of-the-soul-the-actuality-of-the-psychic-being/
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More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net
The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com
#Sri Aurobindo #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #soul #psychic being #prakriti #Taittiriya Upanishad
1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,400
A seed in its essence contains
all the potentiality that
2
00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:08,000
eventually turns into a full
grown tree.
3
00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:12,440
It is useful to reflect on this
when we look at the position of
4
00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:14,800
the soul in relation to the
psychic being.
5
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,120
The soul is like that seed to
the extent that it has all the
6
00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,880
potential of the divine
manifestation, but is not
7
00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:28,360
expressing it all at one time.
Rather, the creation reveals and
8
00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:33,160
unrolls that potentiality into
actuality through the operation
9
00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:36,120
of time.
The psychic being is the
10
00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:42,160
instrumentality that turns the
potentiality into the actuality.
11
00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,160
There are some who hold that
everything in the universe
12
00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:49,680
exists all the time.
This is called the block
13
00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,520
universe concept and it
essentially holds that it is our
14
00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:58,000
perspective that treats events
in a linear step by step fashion
15
00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,440
as opposed to seeing them all
simultaneously.
16
00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:06,800
Rishis with spiritual experience
speak of the unity of the three
17
00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:12,720
times and the ability to see
past, present, and future as one
18
00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:16,120
reality.
The issue of free will or
19
00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:20,720
determinism gets bound up with
these views as a block universe
20
00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,520
in which everything already
exists implies determinism.
21
00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,120
There are others who believe
that there are an infinite
22
00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,400
number of universes representing
the infinite possible sequences
23
00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,760
and facts of existence.
These opposition's can be
24
00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,480
resolved by recognizing that
from the divine standpoint there
25
00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,320
is a different vision that
encompasses both the timeless
26
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,320
and the manifestation through
time.
27
00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,280
Well, from the purely human
viewpoint, we see things taking
28
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,400
place sequentially in a
developing uniform direction,
29
00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:02,640
what we call the arrow of time.
It is thus possible that both
30
00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:08,400
free will and determinism
coexist and are both true within
31
00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,759
the framework from which they
are being viewed.
32
00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,800
The soul, which maintains the
potentiality of the creation,
33
00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,320
and the psychic being, which
develops the actuality of the
34
00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:26,000
soul's potential, are in this
view 2 aspects of the same
35
00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,120
reality.
The Tituria Upanishad sets forth
36
00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,280
a series of levels of
consciousness.
37
00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,520
Our human viewpoint starts from
the gross level of the material
38
00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:41,120
existence, the food sheath.
There is a more subtle level,
39
00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,920
which is the vital sheath.
Then comes the mental sheath.
40
00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,440
Beyond this comes the knowledge
sheath.
41
00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:53,720
It is at this level, which Riora
Bindu identifies with the term
42
00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:58,560
supra mental consciousness, that
the intersection of the eternal
43
00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:04,000
and the temporal takes place and
the unity is refracted into the
44
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,680
multiplicity of forms in the
creation.
45
00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,240
Beyond this sheath comes the
level of the pure existent.
46
00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:17,240
Satchit Ananda, Existence,
Consciousness, Bliss, which is
47
00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:23,000
the ultimate source, continent,
creator and maintainer of the
48
00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,960
entire creation, Sri Aurobindo
writes Quote.
49
00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,080
The soul or psyche is immutable
only in the sense that it
50
00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:36,400
contains all the possibilities
of the divine within it, but it
51
00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:41,960
has to evolve them, and in its
evolution it assumes the form of
52
00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:46,040
a developing psychic individual,
evolving in the manifestation
53
00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,920
the individual prakruti and
taking part in the evolution.
54
00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,920
It is the spark of the divine
fire that grows behind the mind,
55
00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:01,200
vital and physical, by means of
the psychic being, until it is
56
00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,920
able to transform the prakruti
of ignorance into the prakruti
57
00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:09,520
of knowledge.
This evolving psychic being is
58
00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,560
not, therefore, at any time all
that the soul or essential
59
00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:15,600
psychic existence bears within
it.
60
00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:21,240
It temporalizes and
individualizes what is eternal
61
00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:27,520
in potentiality, transcendent in
essence, in this projection of
62
00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:32,960
the spirit.
End Quote Reference Srioro Bindu
63
00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:37,160
and the Mother the psychic being
soul, its nature, Mission and
64
00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:39,400
evolution.
Section 1.
65
00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:44,360
Meaning and Nature of the
Psychic Being, pages 16 to 17.
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,400
A seed in its essence contains
all the potentiality that
2
00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:08,000
eventually turns into a full
grown tree.
3
00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:12,440
It is useful to reflect on this
when we look at the position of
4
00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:14,800
the soul in relation to the
psychic being.
5
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,120
The soul is like that seed to
the extent that it has all the
6
00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,880
potential of the divine
manifestation, but is not
7
00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:28,360
expressing it all at one time.
Rather, the creation reveals and
8
00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:33,160
unrolls that potentiality into
actuality through the operation
9
00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:36,120
of time.
The psychic being is the
10
00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:42,160
instrumentality that turns the
potentiality into the actuality.
11
00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,160
There are some who hold that
everything in the universe
12
00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:49,680
exists all the time.
This is called the block
13
00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,520
universe concept and it
essentially holds that it is our
14
00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:58,000
perspective that treats events
in a linear step by step fashion
15
00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,440
as opposed to seeing them all
simultaneously.
16
00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:06,800
Rishis with spiritual experience
speak of the unity of the three
17
00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:12,720
times and the ability to see
past, present, and future as one
18
00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:16,120
reality.
The issue of free will or
19
00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:20,720
determinism gets bound up with
these views as a block universe
20
00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,520
in which everything already
exists implies determinism.
21
00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,120
There are others who believe
that there are an infinite
22
00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,400
number of universes representing
the infinite possible sequences
23
00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,760
and facts of existence.
These opposition's can be
24
00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,480
resolved by recognizing that
from the divine standpoint there
25
00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,320
is a different vision that
encompasses both the timeless
26
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,320
and the manifestation through
time.
27
00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,280
Well, from the purely human
viewpoint, we see things taking
28
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,400
place sequentially in a
developing uniform direction,
29
00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:02,640
what we call the arrow of time.
It is thus possible that both
30
00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:08,400
free will and determinism
coexist and are both true within
31
00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,759
the framework from which they
are being viewed.
32
00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,800
The soul, which maintains the
potentiality of the creation,
33
00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,320
and the psychic being, which
develops the actuality of the
34
00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:26,000
soul's potential, are in this
view 2 aspects of the same
35
00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,120
reality.
The Tituria Upanishad sets forth
36
00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,280
a series of levels of
consciousness.
37
00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,520
Our human viewpoint starts from
the gross level of the material
38
00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:41,120
existence, the food sheath.
There is a more subtle level,
39
00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,920
which is the vital sheath.
Then comes the mental sheath.
40
00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,440
Beyond this comes the knowledge
sheath.
41
00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:53,720
It is at this level, which Riora
Bindu identifies with the term
42
00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:58,560
supra mental consciousness, that
the intersection of the eternal
43
00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:04,000
and the temporal takes place and
the unity is refracted into the
44
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,680
multiplicity of forms in the
creation.
45
00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,240
Beyond this sheath comes the
level of the pure existent.
46
00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:17,240
Satchit Ananda, Existence,
Consciousness, Bliss, which is
47
00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:23,000
the ultimate source, continent,
creator and maintainer of the
48
00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,960
entire creation, Sri Aurobindo
writes Quote.
49
00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,080
The soul or psyche is immutable
only in the sense that it
50
00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:36,400
contains all the possibilities
of the divine within it, but it
51
00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:41,960
has to evolve them, and in its
evolution it assumes the form of
52
00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:46,040
a developing psychic individual,
evolving in the manifestation
53
00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,920
the individual prakruti and
taking part in the evolution.
54
00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,920
It is the spark of the divine
fire that grows behind the mind,
55
00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:01,200
vital and physical, by means of
the psychic being, until it is
56
00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,920
able to transform the prakruti
of ignorance into the prakruti
57
00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:09,520
of knowledge.
This evolving psychic being is
58
00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,560
not, therefore, at any time all
that the soul or essential
59
00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:15,600
psychic existence bears within
it.
60
00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:21,240
It temporalizes and
individualizes what is eternal
61
00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:27,520
in potentiality, transcendent in
essence, in this projection of
62
00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:32,960
the spirit.
End Quote Reference Srioro Bindu
63
00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:37,160
and the Mother the psychic being
soul, its nature, Mission and
64
00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:39,400
evolution.
Section 1.
65
00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:44,360
Meaning and Nature of the
Psychic Being, pages 16 to 17.
