Feb. 11, 2026
Vigilant Awareness Is Needed to Manage the Energies That Arise in the Lower Regions of the Being
reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 5, Physical Consciousness — Subconscient — Sleep and Dream — Illness, pp. 92-93This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/02/09/vigilant-awareness-is-needed-to-manage-the-energies-that-arise-in-the-lower-regions-of-the-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 #tapasya #witness consciousness #Purusha #Prakriti
1
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:05,360
Most people respond to life as
it comes to them and react
2
00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:08,200
according to the energy that
they are able to receive and
3
00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:13,800
process in some form or another.
They remain immersed in the
4
00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:19,000
external personality.
They become the fear, the anger,
5
00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:24,000
the hunger, the thirst, the
craving, the pleasure, the pain,
6
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,640
the joy, the sorrow, et cetera.
They are attached to the
7
00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,840
impressions and sensations and
how their internal awareness
8
00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,600
feels about them.
The spiritual seeker, on the
9
00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,680
other hand, eventually works to
become non attached to these
10
00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,560
external happenings in whatever
form they take.
11
00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,080
They work to establish a
separate inner witness
12
00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:51,720
consciousness which is able to
observe and appreciate the
13
00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:56,080
reactions of the external
nature, but remain nevertheless
14
00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,640
distant from them as if they are
watching their external
15
00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:05,080
personality in a motion picture.
Especially during the transition
16
00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,560
from the one standpoint to the
other, there come periods where
17
00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,440
the seeker is clearly in the
position of the observer and not
18
00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,040
reacting in his deepest self to
whatever happens outside.
19
00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:22,360
While there are also times when
he slips back into the habitual
20
00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:27,280
way of receiving, responding and
reacting that have been human
21
00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,960
nature generally since time
immemorial.
22
00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,920
This implies that there are
times he is carried away by the
23
00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,960
energy that is active in those
lower parts of the being and
24
00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:43,880
this creates obstacles,
distractions and difficulties
25
00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:48,040
for the seeker.
As the witness awareness gets
26
00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:52,040
stabilized, the seeker is able
to observe the forces that are
27
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,960
trying to move his response and
through his non attachment, his
28
00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,280
understanding, his mental will,
and his aspiration and
29
00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:06,560
consecration, he is able to more
easily manage, control and
30
00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,320
direct those forces toward the
higher fulfillment he is
31
00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,800
seeking.
Srioro Bindo writes quote.
32
00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:20,280
If you go down into your lower
parts or ranges of nature, you
33
00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:24,760
must be always careful to keep a
vigilant connection with the
34
00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:29,280
higher, already regenerated
levels of the consciousness and
35
00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:33,200
to bring down the light and
purity through them into these
36
00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,880
nether still unregenerated
regions.
37
00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,720
If there is not this vigilance 1
gets absorbed in the
38
00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:44,880
unregenerated movement of the
inferior layers and there is
39
00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:49,640
obscuration and trouble.
The safest way is to remain in
40
00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:53,160
the higher part of the
consciousness and put a pressure
41
00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:59,440
from it on the lower to change.
It can be done in this way, only
42
00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,560
must get the knack and the habit
of it.
43
00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:07,040
If you achieve the power to do
that, it makes the progress much
44
00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,200
easier, smoother and less
painful.
45
00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:16,400
End Quote Reference Sri
Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga,
46
00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,480
Chapter 5, Physical
Consciousness, Subcontinent
47
00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:25,400
Sleep and Dream Illness, pages
92 to 93.
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:05,360
Most people respond to life as
it comes to them and react
2
00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:08,200
according to the energy that
they are able to receive and
3
00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:13,800
process in some form or another.
They remain immersed in the
4
00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:19,000
external personality.
They become the fear, the anger,
5
00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:24,000
the hunger, the thirst, the
craving, the pleasure, the pain,
6
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,640
the joy, the sorrow, et cetera.
They are attached to the
7
00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,840
impressions and sensations and
how their internal awareness
8
00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,600
feels about them.
The spiritual seeker, on the
9
00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,680
other hand, eventually works to
become non attached to these
10
00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,560
external happenings in whatever
form they take.
11
00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,080
They work to establish a
separate inner witness
12
00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:51,720
consciousness which is able to
observe and appreciate the
13
00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:56,080
reactions of the external
nature, but remain nevertheless
14
00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,640
distant from them as if they are
watching their external
15
00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:05,080
personality in a motion picture.
Especially during the transition
16
00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,560
from the one standpoint to the
other, there come periods where
17
00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,440
the seeker is clearly in the
position of the observer and not
18
00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,040
reacting in his deepest self to
whatever happens outside.
19
00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:22,360
While there are also times when
he slips back into the habitual
20
00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:27,280
way of receiving, responding and
reacting that have been human
21
00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,960
nature generally since time
immemorial.
22
00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,920
This implies that there are
times he is carried away by the
23
00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,960
energy that is active in those
lower parts of the being and
24
00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:43,880
this creates obstacles,
distractions and difficulties
25
00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:48,040
for the seeker.
As the witness awareness gets
26
00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:52,040
stabilized, the seeker is able
to observe the forces that are
27
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,960
trying to move his response and
through his non attachment, his
28
00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,280
understanding, his mental will,
and his aspiration and
29
00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:06,560
consecration, he is able to more
easily manage, control and
30
00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,320
direct those forces toward the
higher fulfillment he is
31
00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,800
seeking.
Srioro Bindo writes quote.
32
00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:20,280
If you go down into your lower
parts or ranges of nature, you
33
00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:24,760
must be always careful to keep a
vigilant connection with the
34
00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:29,280
higher, already regenerated
levels of the consciousness and
35
00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:33,200
to bring down the light and
purity through them into these
36
00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,880
nether still unregenerated
regions.
37
00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,720
If there is not this vigilance 1
gets absorbed in the
38
00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:44,880
unregenerated movement of the
inferior layers and there is
39
00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:49,640
obscuration and trouble.
The safest way is to remain in
40
00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:53,160
the higher part of the
consciousness and put a pressure
41
00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:59,440
from it on the lower to change.
It can be done in this way, only
42
00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,560
must get the knack and the habit
of it.
43
00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:07,040
If you achieve the power to do
that, it makes the progress much
44
00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,200
easier, smoother and less
painful.
45
00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:16,400
End Quote Reference Sri
Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga,
46
00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,480
Chapter 5, Physical
Consciousness, Subcontinent
47
00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:25,400
Sleep and Dream Illness, pages
92 to 93.
