Pain
Privilege of Pain — The Role of Pain in the Spiritual Journey*
Abstract
Sri Aurobindo’s epic poem, Savitri, amongst many things, is also a healer. The consciousness in the mantric words of Savitri helps heal and bring back the rhythm in life, through its own sweet rhythm. Besides, Savitri provides profound insights on the subject of ‘Suffering and Pain’, which can help us heal and grow even through pain. In the Canto, ‘The Way of Fate and the Problem of Pain’, there are central lessons about the role of pain in the spiritual journey. In this study, we focus on unravelling these.
Much knowledge of suffering and pain, fate and destiny, can be gleaned through a profound dialogue between the earthly parents of Savitri and Narad, the seer-sage who predicts and forewarns about the death of Satyavan, Savitri’s soon-to-be husband, within a year of their marriage — a fate usually interpreted as a misfortune. Thus, it is revealed that what is usually seen as a misfortune to the normal heart, is an opportunity for the progress of the spirit.
Let us first begin.
The Catalyst: A Mother’s Enquiry
The narrative unfolds with the Queen, Savitri’s mother, suddenly shaken out of her usual graceful and quiet poise. Confronted with the premonition that her future son-in-law, Satyavan, will meet his demise within a year of marriage, she abandons her yogic detachment and, in a moment of human vulnerability, queries the nature of pain. The human mortal mother’s heart takes over. The mother’s lamentation mirrors a universal human sentiment, challenging the divine order and seeking to comprehend the purpose behind suffering — questioning the inevitability of pain in earthly existence. The Queen asks Narad:
“Is it thy God who made this cruel law?” p. 438
“Its payment of the tax of Time and Fate?” p. 439
Let’s see how he responds.
Pain‘s Origin: The Firstborn of the Inconscient
“Pain was the first-born of the Inconscience” p. 443
Consciousness is all-blissful and the Inconscient is full of pain and suffering. But how did the Inconscient come into being?
Let us go back to the beginning of all life, when Light plunged into darkness.
When the All-Encompassing Consciousness, the Divine, aspired to create, it wondered — when all is Me and I am All, how could I create something that I am not? Thus, the only way It could create was by creating its opposite — the Inconscience of Matter — dark, gross and ignorant, the opposite of the Pure Consciousness — luminous, subtle and all-knowing.
The twist in the story is — the opposite of anything cannot exist without the thing itself somewhere being involved in it. This means black secretly consists of white. Black cannot exist if there is no white in it. The Inconscience cannot exist without consciousness existing in it somewhere.
Now, if the Divine Consciousness, involved in matter and life, has to break through and come out of Inconscience, this will be a painful process. But it is a pain of a different sort. Like Narad says:
“Pain ploughed the first hard ground of the world-drowse.
By pain a spirit started from the clod,
By pain Life stirred in the subliminal deep.” p. 443
When a flower has to grow in a desert, it has to grow against all odds. When a butterfly has to come through a caterpillar, it has to break through the shackles. The breaking-through from unconsciousness is a painful process.
When a pearl is formed in an oyster, it is because of a grain of irritation that enters inside the oyster and acts as a transformative agent. Without the grain of irritation, the oyster remains unchanged, mirroring the inertia in human nature, resistant to growth.
In progress lies true joy. Thus, pain of progress comes first, only then joy could be.
“But pain came first, then only joy could be.” p. 443
When one views progress and evolution as the aim of life, to enable the Divine to manifest as True, Good and Beauty upon Earth, pain suddenly feels like a joyful rapture for growth! Like the way a sportsperson feels about his hard training after winning a match! Like it was all worth it!
Pain: Hammer of the Gods
“Pain is the hammer of the Gods to break
A dead resistance in the mortal’s heart,
His slow inertia as of living stone.” p. 443
Pain is the “hammer of the gods”, employed to break the inertia and resistance in human existence. This joyful hammer shatters the complacency of the lower nature, fostering a willingness to embrace change. Just like the oyster would ordinarily not form a pearl, even though it has all the capacities, usually, humans too will stay in their comfort-zone and not tap into their full potential until either an intense aspiration for progress awakens in their hearts or they are hit by the divine hammer of pain that prompts growth and evolution.
“If the heart were not forced to want and weep,
His soul would have lain down content, at ease,
And never thought to exceed the human start,
And never learned to climb towards the Sun.” p. 443
When unwilling to evolve and transform, the heart is “forced to want and weep.” This force, akin to “the hammer of the God”, disrupts the soul’s contentment with the status quo, compelling it to transcend human limitations.
“Pain is the hand of Nature sculpturing men
To greatness: an inspired labour chisels
With heavenly cruelty an unwilling mould.” p. 444
Nature is a divine sculptor shaping individuals towards greatness. Born out of Inconscience, there is an inherent difficulty in individuals to break from habitual patterns and thus, the hand of nature intricately sculpts individuals toward greatness, employing celestial cruelty to chisel with divine purpose.
This transformative process, acknowledged not only by revered yogis but also by individuals attaining success or excellence across various domains, necessitates a voluntary relinquishment of lesser desires, joys, and indulgences. Renowned figures, such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attest to the inevitability of sacrificing the mundane for the pursuit of extraordinary achievements. This universal experience is akin to being born within a formidable vessel, challenging to crack open and entails the inherent pain associated with reshaping one’s nature ingrained in habitual patterns.
The metamorphosis towards greatness demands embracing the inherent difficulties posed by the ingrained habits of humans. Even in seemingly trivial aspects like dietary preferences, initiating change encounters initial resistance. It is a necessary discomfort when attempting to transform patterns reluctant to alter.
Can Pain be Joyful?
Yes, pain can be an instrument of progress. But can it be joyful? Yes, indeed. Because true joy lies in progress!
“The fiery spirit grows in strength within
And feels a joy in every titan pang.” p. 444
Our expedition on Earth is an adventure of consciousness, which unfolds either as an exhilarating odyssey or a perception of pain and suffering, contingent on one’s receptivity to nature’s guiding hand.
Mirra Alfassa, whom we lovingly call the Mother, the founder of Auroville, an international city-in-the-making in south India, to build a new society from a new consciousness — when she invites humanity to Auroville, she welcomes them to an adventure. Yoga is an adventure. In this adventure, it is up to us whether we joyfully take on the cooperative effort with nature or let it become a struggle.
Progress is an adventure. And an adventure often is painful, just like a Himalayan trek is tough and leads to sore muscles, altitude sickness and what not. But it is a joy to climb, if one is in love with trekking. When one is receptive, one enjoys the trek of life. When one is not, one suffers the trek of life.
Individuals who willingly choose progress over complacency find joy in every Titan pang, in every difficulty. The Mother’s hand can unravel the untapped possibilities and higher potentials within.
Progress is an act of Grace. When we do not judge Grace — as good or bad, and simply receive it with gratitude and take it as an opportunity for the spirit to grow in strength — then there is, truly speaking, no pain, there are only gifts of pain:
1. The gift of strength of the spirit to overcome the power of circumstances,
2. The gift of evolution and growth towards wisdom through circumstances,
3. The gift of freedom from karmic entanglements, the gift of opening to a greater love by breaking the chains of attachment, and much more…
Pain gives many gifts. When one perceives it like that, then there is only joy!
But Is Not a Yogi Meant to be Above Pain?
“He who would save himself lives bare and calm;
He who would save the race must share its pain:” pp. 444-45
The perception of a yogi is of an individual perpetually poised above pain and suffering, possessing an unwavering equanimity is deeply ingrained in popular understanding. In some ways, it is true. The bare minimum requirement for a yogi or a sadhak is to have some composure and be above the usual ups and downs of life.
The prevailing understanding in spirituality suggests that if one achieves equanimity, the realm of pain and suffering becomes obsolete. However, there is a different kind of pain and suffering that great yogis — like Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Savitri, the Mother, Jesus — take upon themselves. It is not equal to our ordinary pain and suffering.
In the poem, Savitri, Narad asserts that the yogi’s journey involves not only attaining personal liberation (mokṣa) but something more. He says:
“But when God’s messenger comes to help the world
And lead the soul of earth to higher things,
...
He too must bear the pang that he would heal:
Exempt and unafflicted by earth’s fate,
How shall he cure the ills he never felt?” p. 446
Liberation marks the first step in the yogic journey, where the pursuit of moksha requires unwavering calmness. This tranquillity, though not the ultimate goal, serves as a prerequisite for the subsequent phase — transformation.
Contrary to focusing solely on personal liberation, the yogic journey goes beyond individual salvation. The next crucial step involves transforming human nature, a challenging process requiring the yogi’s active involvement in sharing humanity’s collective pain.
Sri Aurobindo and Narad assert that the yogi must be both equanimous and actively share the world’s pain. The narrative shifts from self-centric pursuit to a broader engagement with the well-being of the entire race. The yogi is called to bear the pain they seek to alleviate, recognising the deep relationship between personal and collective evolution.
Those guiding humanity to higher realms must intimately understand and bear the pain they aim to heal. This challenges the idea of an exempt messenger, asserting that without firsthand experience of suffering, effective addressing and curing are not possible.
The yogi’s dual nature emphasises equanimity and a deeply experienced love for humanity. While crucial for personal liberation, equanimity extends the yogi’s journey beyond self-realisation to encompass shared human experience. The willingness to bear collective pain becomes a catalyst for transformation, aligning the yogi with the role of a healing messenger on the path of evolution.
On the Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo, the great yogi and seer of the 20th Century, who has given the world a new paradigm of spirituality, the Mother writes how He ‘suffered’ for all of us!
“To Thee who hast been the material envelope of our Master, to Thee our infinite gratitude. Before Thee who hast done so much for us, who hast worked, struggled, suffered, hoped, endured so much, before Thee who hast willed all, attempted all, prepared, achieved all for us, before Thee we bow down and implore that we may never forget, even for a moment, all we owe to Thee.”
It is a bit difficult to believe that a great yogi of such a great calm, who gives peace to infinite souls across the world, also had to go through suffering. However, like mentioned earlier, a yogi’s suffering is different than a mortal’s suffering. A yogi’s suffering is of a different character, driven by a conscious choice to engage with pain and suffering to uplift humanity. The yogi has the ability to cover the world’s agony with calm. The outward appearance may not reveal the depth of the yogi’s struggle and the calm exterior serves to give peace to the human heart, yet there is an unseen price paid by the yogi in their internal strife.
This is beautifully expressed in the following lines from Savitri:
“He covers the world’s agony with his calm;
But though to the outward eye no sign appears
And peace is given to our torn human hearts,
The struggle is there and paid the unseen price;
The fire, the strife, the wrestle are within.” p. 446
This kind of suffering taken by great yogis is hardly known to anyone. It is borne for humanity, who indeed are in love with their own chains and ignorance and wish to stay in comfort and the illusory world of pleasure and it is borne alone.
“Hard is the world-redeemer’s heavy task;
...
This world is in love with its own ignorance….” p. 448
When, as a sadhak or a yogi, one undertakes pain and suffering, it is a means for growth, progress, evolution, the triumph of Divine Love on Earth. The limitations of this world are like an unchangeable law to most ordinary human beings. The yogi transcends those laws, for he rises above them and remains unaffected. Yet he uses the laws of this world as a means to bring the reign of Truth on Earth. The body has its limitations, the mind has its limitations. The spirit of the yogi is not limited by these limitations, but he uses the body and the mind for a higher purpose.
“Their law he transcends but uses as his means.” p. 449
Is Pain Indispensable?
“The soul suffering is not eternity’s key,
Or ransom by sorrow heaven’s demand on life.” p. 453
Suffering is certainly not indispensable. God does not punish and suffering is not a ransom or a tax that is required to be on earth, to progress here.
Neither is pain indispensable, nor must one invite pain and suffering into one’s life to progress. When difficulties come, one must rise above them and take them as opportunities to progress, but one must never proactively invite difficulties.
“Yes, there are happy ways near to God’s sun;
But few are they who tread the sunlit path;
Only the pure in soul can walk in light.” p. 448
The simple formula to begin to walk the path without pain and suffering is to begin to live one’s daily life as a pilgrimage, as an offering, remembering the Divinity within and offering all one thinks, feels, does, is to That…. And to willingly begin to sacrifice — offer the lower nature and concentrate on the highest in oneself at all points in time.
“Turn towards high Truth, aspire to love and peace.
...
Make of thy daily way a pilgrimage…” p. 451
Pain is not an indispensable part of life. But pain will persist until (1) we are free within (2), until we win the war against the adverse forces (3), and most importantly, until evil turns back to its original good. These are three important clues for inner work, to move towards a peaceful, painless intense evolution of consciousness and progress of soul on earth.
Pain will Exist Till Man is Free
“The spirit is doomed to pain till man is free.” P. 444
It is only when the spirit within is still chained by our attachments, desires, doubts, impulses, cravings, and ambitions that pain is a part of the process of growth and evolution. When one has inwardly liberated oneself from the habitual patterns of outer nature and when one begins to live in the delight, truth and consciousness of the spirit within, it is then possible to be completely free of the law of pain and yet invariably progress and move towards the transformation of life on earth.
Until that time, pain and death are a part of the process of furthering evolution.
“Men die that man may live and God be born.” p. 444
Pain Will Exist While There is War
There is a fundamental enmity on earth, between the adverse forces that want to prevent the reign of the Divine here and the divine Conscious-Force.
“A secret enmity ambushes the world’s march;
...
Till it is slain, peace is forbidden on earth.” p. 447
This war manifests as the inner battle between inertia, attachment, jealousy, arrogance, cowardice and the force of truth, love, harmony, and courage. As long as this battle is ongoing, peace cannot fully prevail on Earth. Peace will be the by-product of the Divine’s victory.
“There is no visible foe...
...thoughts not our own
Overtake us…” p. 447
These forces that overtake our consciousness truly belong to the past; these are habitual patterns, automatisms of our subconscious animalistic nature that bind us.
“An adversary Force was born of old:
...It hides from him the straight immortal path.” p. 447
This does not mean one has to look upon this battle of forces as a dreadful thing, but rather an adventure undertaken by the spirit.
Pain will Exist Till Evil Turns Back to Its Original Good
“The secret Law of each thing is fulfilled,
...
Evil turns back to its original good,
...
Then shall be ended here the Law of Pain.” p. 451
We think that the Divine is only up there, but actually, the Divine is also in-here, down below, even in the subconscient and inconscient regions of the overall consciousness. Nothing exists in the world that does not have the divine Essence behind it. Even in hell and the Patal-loka, there is still the omnipresence of divinity. And the entire subconscious has to be ignited with the light of Consciousness. All evil has to return back to its original Good. All Falsehood has to find within its heart a grain of truth and return to Truth. For instance, desire is a distorted form of the soul’s aspiration and instead of suppressing the evil of desire, we have to take it to its pure origin — the soul’s aspiration!
Who is the Author of Our Pain?
“O mortal who complainst of death and fate,
Accuse none of the harms thyself hast called;
This troubled world thou hast chosen for thy home,
Thou art thyself the author of thy pain.” p. 454
We feel that fate is something that happens to us, but truth will be told through the choices we make in our lives — big and small — we create our fate.
“O man, the events that meet thee on thy road,
...
Are not thy fate...
...
Thy goal, the road thou choosest are thy fate.” p. 458
This does not mean that there is no destiny and all is free-will; There is a meaning and a purpose in everything that happens in our lives.
“A conscious power has drawn the plan of life,
There is a meaning in each curve and line.” p. 460
However, destiny does not bind us, if we choose not to allow it to limit us.
That Satyavan is bound to die is an opportunity for the soul of Savitri to come to the forefront and reveal its true identity and conquer death. To the normal human mind, conquering death is impossible. And indeed, it would have been impossible if Savitri was battling with the Lord of Death as an ordinary woman attached to her husband and wanting him back. But it was not for her personal attachment or her married life that she ensued the battle; it is for what Satyavan symbolised and the work that the two of them were meant to do for transformation of life on Earth that she fought and won. Nothing but a pure and true love can conquer decay, disease, degeneration and death. And that’s what she showed. But had she chickened away from marriage, knowing that her future husband will die, she would have never received this privilege of pain!
Privilege of Pain
The title of this paper, ‘Privilege of Pain’ comes from lines that occur at the very end of the Canto:
“Heaven’s wiser love rejects the mortal’s prayer;
Unblinded by the breath of his desire,
Unclouded by the mists of fear and hope,
It bends above the strife of love with death;
It keeps for her her privilege of pain.” pp. 456-57
The poignant lines press upon how, “Heaven’s wiser love rejects mortal prayers” and asks the mortal heart of the queen to allow Savitri to undertake her privilege of pain. This privilege of pain is not given to any ordinary human being, it is given to special souls, who have the power and the possibility of walking on the stones of suffering towards a higher destiny that can transform herself and all around.
But what stops us from seeing and experiencing this privilege of pain?
Desire, Fear and Hope: The Trinity Behind Suffering
Here Narad mentions a trinity of emotions that cloud a mortal’s perception of events — desire, fear, and hope — and shape the human plea.
Desire and fear are understandable causes of distortions in our perceptions. Desire, instead of focusing on what it is trying to manifest, overly focuses on self-centred wants. Fear makes one imagine the worst that can happen, rather than focusing on the best possibility and giving that energy and attention.
But hope — how does that cloud a mortal’s perception and cause unnecessary suffering? The inclusion of hope adds a nuanced layer. Here, hope is a powerless hope where one simply wishes for the circumstance to change, because one does not like it, one is afraid of it, one perceives it not as an opportunity to grow, a challenge to be surmounted, but a challenge to be avoided. It reflects an aspiration for a painless progression, avoiding the necessary rupture and transformation inherent in evolution. Thus, human hope too creates suffering.
Strife of Love with Death: Mother vs. Daughter Perspective
“It bends above the strife of love with death….” p. 457
A fascinating dichotomy emerges as both Savitri and her mother, in their own ways, engage in a “battle of love with death.”
The mother’s perspective frames it as a strife to avoid suffering, a desire for preservation.
In contrast, Savitri envisions a battle that challenges and transforms death, seeking a transcendence beyond mortality.
The mother is striving with death, Savitri also strives with death. The difference is the mother does it out of fear and mortal love, full of attachment; Savitri challenges death out of courage and divine love, full of self-giving.
Conclusion: Pain as a Privilege in the Spiritual Journey
In conclusion, we explore pain in the spiritual journey, distinguishing mortal suffering from that of a sadhak or yogi. Despite the common perception of them as free from suffering, a yogi, especially one dedicated to world redemption, embraces life’s challenges to establish divine life on earth. In the journey of superhuman progress, encountering pain becomes a privileged opportunity for spiritual advancement.
While caution is advised against inviting pain, one should gracefully embrace difficulties as opportunities for spiritual growth. Facing challenges with the spirit of a hero-warrior allows for progress and the conquering of obstacles.
*This article is based on a presentation, ‘The Privilege of Pain’, Divyanshi Chugh gave on 4th January 2024 at the Conference, ‘Understanding & Eliminating Suffering & Pain at Society Hall, Pondicherry, organised by NAMAH, the Journal of Integral Health.
Source
Sri Aurobindo. Savitri A Legend and a Symbol. Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press; 1993, pp. 437-62. [Online] https://incarnateword.in/cwsa/34/the-way-of-fate-and-the-problem-of-pain [Accessed 20th March 2024].
Divyanshi Chugh is CEO of Poonam, Auroville, a transformative learning community for karmayogis.
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