Evolution of the Concept of the Sacrifice, from the Veda to Integral Yoga
The Sacrifice is the central concept of the Rigveda. It is of double nature. Agni, the Will of the Divine, is working in Nature as the evolutionary power of consciousness, and Agni in the heart of man is evolving as the psychic spark into totally individualized consciousness: the Psychic Being.
The first movement defines the growth and improvement in Nature, the other – the love and devotion of Psychic Being in the heart. These two movements of the sacrifice are very different in their approaches defining the growth of consciousness in manifestation in double terms of evolution: the body and the soul, respectively. One is about the realization of a particular aim in Nature, using the ascetic determination of a personal will; the other one surrenders one’s will to the Divine Will unconditionally, not wanting anything else but the divine growth.
In our session we shall try to understand these two movements of Sacrifice, their differences and complementarities, through different Yogic traditions in historical perspective.