2. Failure of Ordinary Human Sight:

Sight is no doubt a far better instrument than the thinker's intellectual thought. But this sight cannot surely be equated with the normal sight of man whether physical or vital or even mental. Our habitual vision suffers from many serious disabilities. For example, it sees the part and misses the whole; its perception is limited to a short interval of time and cannot span the perspective of eternity; it hovers on the surface and cannot penetrate into the depths of a thing; it is easily satisfied with the form and does not hunt after the essence; etc.

Because of all these and similar deficiencies, Sri Aurobindo has used in Savitri many not-so-laudatory expressions to designate our customary human sight. Here are some of them: "erring sight"; "fallible gaze"; "scanty fringe of sight"; "ephemeral sight"; "single window's clipped outlook"; "immediate sight"; "external sight"; "surface sight"; "time-bom eyes"; "transient eyes"; "look of surface mind"; "ignorant eyes"; etc.

Here are some verses from Savitri pointedly bringing out the inherent penury of ordinary human sight:

(1)"And the inconstant blink of mortal sight" (343)

(2)"The future's road is hid from mortal sight" (425)

(3)"Absorbed and cabined in external sight" (245)

(4)"Our eyes are fixed on an external scene..." (52)

(5)"... eyes that see a part and miss the whole" (657)

(6)"... waking mind's small moment look" (49)

(7)"He cannot look on the face of the Unknown"

(690)

(8)"Earth's eyes half-see" (109)

(9)' 'Insentient to our eyes that only see

The form, the act and not the imprisoned God"

(157)

(10)"... the shadowy script

In which our sight transcribes the ideal Ray"

(265)

(11)"That look at images and not at Truth" (370)

(12)"Our mortal vision peers with ignorant eyes;

It has no gaze on the deep heart of things." (626)

(13)"But few can look beyond the present state" (52)

(14)"We cannot free our gaze to reach wisdom's sun."

(53)

(15)"Unmarked by the eye that sees effect and cause"

(54)

(16)"... vanishes from the chase of finite eyes" (272)

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