Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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make
free and the des
shows that man's destiny lies in the realisation of that possibility. The subject as I is, somehow, aware of an urge, almost an absolute demand, to go beyond itself This shows that hi the satisfaction of that demand, he will attain his final status. To make it more clear, Krishnachandra makes a distinction between 'subject being free' and 'subject as freedom'. According to K.C. Bhattacharya, 'subject as freedom' is the destiny of man. This sort of freedom can be attained by the denial of I or subject. Bhattacharya observes, “I am never positively conscious of my present individuality, being conscious of it as what is or can be outgrown...."29 By subject being free' is meant that there is a relation between individual and his freedom. The individual seems to be aware of his freedom. This awareness points to a state that is beyond individuality. In the final stage of 'subject as freedom', freedom does not belong to subject. In the words of Bhattacharya, ...."freedom... is de-individualised...."30 In his state, subject and freedom are not related to each other. Subject itself is freedom and freedom is the subject. It is complete freedom. That is the final stage of subjectivity. Here the I-consciousness vanishes. The individual subject of I is negated. The true subject is unrelated and absolute. There is no awareness now of an actual introspector or even of a possible introspector. This is what Krishnachandra calls, a de-individualised freedom' or 'the subject as absolute freedom'. The negation of I leads to the real and transcendental subject. In the introspective stage, man has an awareness of freedom from all content, meant or felt. In the final stage of subjectivity, this consciousness is no longer there. There is freedom without any consciousness of it.
I think that this may be remembered that the final stage of subjectivity - the stage of the subject as Absolute freedom is only a possibility to be realised. Man with his present capacities cannot have an idea of this stage, because this is not yet an actual stage of his subjectivity. In a sense this stage is completely indefinite because it is beyond comprehension. K.C. Bhattacharya says, “What is neither contemplated in the objective attitude, nor understood subjectively hi the enjoying attitude"31 can only be the self-revealing subject to which no attitude is possible.
Spiritual consciousness cannot give us any idea of the 'subject as freedom'. This is possible only in a transcendental consciousness. In spiritual consciousness, there is enjoying consciousness of I. At this stage individuality is not completely transcended. There is a relation between 'subject as free' and 'freedom' itself. In transcendental consciousness I is negated. In this stage, even the enjoying consciousness of I or subject is negated. There remains pure-consciousness. Man is the inner subjective self that expresses itself in the speaking of I. The subject always strives to realise the stage of complete freedom which is legitimate destiny. Thus,
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