| Philosophy and Religion / J. C. Chatterji: Hindu Realism |
Jagadish Chandra Chatterji
Hindu Realism
B—The Synthetic Aspect
Progress and Evolution Never a Blind and Unaided Groping.
10. This being so, even the progress and evolution of any particular individual or group of individuals, from a low stage, is never a really blind and absolutely unaided groping.1 For there being always in the Universe, though not necessarily in the sensible world, higher types of beings side by side with the lower ones, and the higher ones being, as they must be owing to Adrishta, in touch and relation with the lower, the former cannot but help and guide or at least influence the lower, with their own ideas and thoughts. These may be communicated physically if the higher beings exist in the sensible world. Otherwise such thoughts and ideas can be communicated to us “as inspiration,” and as “sudden flashes,” such mode of communication being possible on account of the fact that Atmans in experiencing beings are always in touch with one another, whether incarnate in physical bodies or discarnate.
History of Progress and Philosophy of History.
The History of progress, therefore, must always be like that of progress in education made by a child.2 The child does indeed progress and evolve from a lower stage to a higher one. But if, in writing the history of progress made by the child, one recorded only the different stages in the growth of the child, it would be only half the truth. The history, to be really true and complete, must take into account the fact that the child has had teachers, who have helped him and put before him ideas which they indeed knew by experience though their pupil did not.
As this is how things generally progress and as the history of progress means merely the history of assimilation, on the part of the lower, of the already existing thoughts, ideas and achievements of the higher beings, the history of any science or philosophy, which embodies knowledge of true facts and principles and not mere speculations, must also take into account the fact that such knowledge had already existed before in higher beings, and was merely learned and assimilated by lower ones from them—the knowledge being received either through sensible means or as ‘inspirations’ and ‘ sudden flashes ’ or as super-sensible experiences of a very precise and exact kind, such as ecstatic hearings, visions, and so on.
Footnotes
1. This too is a common idea. It is the Rishis and other great beings who appear first and help and guide others. Many of the texts already referred to will support this. For instance, Prashasta on Srishti-Samhara (towards end.)
2. This follows as an inevitable conclusion from what has gone before.
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