In that case, how is it possible for Superman, who is the Pure Light manifestation on earth can take place?
This is precisely one of the challenges, or rather the thought that Sri Aurobindo challenges. It is true that Prakriti, as it operates now and her material creations are subject to ignorance and Avidya. But that this will forever be so is an assumption that raises a question mark on the Divine Wisdom that has gone into the making of these worlds.
In Sri Aurobindo’s view, Avidya itself is a particular movement of Vidya; ignorance is a self-concealment of Truth, darkness a magic of self-hidden light to prepare distinct individualities through form and name. Once these are created, at least in certain forms, the moulds of Avidya can be removed and replaced with Vidya. Even now, we always see Vidya, a Divine Intelligence acting from behind in the forms made of ignorant nature. In animals and plants, we call it instinct. The two, Vidya and Avidya, are two modes of working of the one Divine Maya, which can replace Avidya with Vidya as the jiva evolves. Isn’t that the basis of all spiritual progress! If the mind can thus shed its limitations of Avidya and continue to operate as a luminous mind in an individual, then why not life and body?
This means that the limited human nature and the trigunatmik Prakriti are a shadow of Paraprakriti and can be transformed into its origin without losing the gain of differentiation (multiplicity) created by Avidya. It is somewhat like putting different flavours of ice cream into different moulds so that they become distinct. Then, when the ice cream is set, the mould is removed, but the distinctiveness stays.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
