By: Swami Shantananda Puri
“You may ask where I am now and how I can meet you now. But I am within your heart, and we can meet without any effort”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chapter 44, Ovi 162)
The science of aesthetics is a special characteristic expression of all microcosms. This inner spirit of aesthetic science leads all microcosms to seek a congenial environment for their psychic expression, for all unit minds are searching a totally congenial environment for their development. This development leads to a state of psychic balance, attained as a result of all our actions and reactions. While seeking to attain this state of psychic balance, we have invented the science of aesthetics.
Everything in this universe and this entire universe also is moving around the Macrocosmic 
Nucleus. This movement is from imperfection to perfection, and this element of dynamism is the essence of aesthetics.
The realization of aesthetic feeling is not a science, rather it is a high-grade art. When we say that human beings have attained peace in life, this subtle feeling of joy in aesthetic science is psycho-physical.
Now the question is, is this joy only psycho-physical? No, it is not; it is both psycho-physical and psycho-spiritual. When the mind seeks a subtle feeling of joy without expecting the fruits of its action, this is certainly psycho-physical, but when this experience of joy moves in a well-defined way towards a goal, then it is certainly psycho-spiritual.
Whether it is psycho-physical or psycho-spiritual, clash is inevitable, and this clash occurs amongst the static, mutative and sentient principles. This clash goes on and on. Due to this clash, when the movement is towards the sentient force, that is, when the mutative force overpowers the static force and the sentient force overpowers the mutative force, in that case the psychic movement is called psycho-spiritual. This type of movement gives birth to true art and science; whereas that knowledge which creates numerous obstacles and problems for society is merely an expression of mean propensities of the mind.
When nothing great is created, then cheap sentiments emerge for low-grade art, literature, architecture and sculpture; and when the sattva, sentient principle, is overpowered by the rajas, mutative principle, and the mutative principle by the tamas, static principle, the cumulative effect is complete chaos. That is why this clash goes on and on, and it occurs not only within the human mind but also within all the unit and collective minds of the entire universe.
The duty of all educated and talented people of society is to arrive at a firm conclusion as to what they should do, how they will lead society along the righteous path, and how ultimately they will establish society in the subtle realm of Satyam, Shivam and Sundaram – truth, consciousness and beauty. This clash amongst the three binding principles will continue eternally, but it can certainly be channelled along a particular direction so that the mutative force cannot defeat the sentient force, and the static force cannot defeat the mutative force.
Now, within the realm of these three binding principles, society will have to find the path for true progress through proper planning and struggle. Without this, the future of humanity is dark. But you should bear in mind that pessimism or the complex of hopelessness is not the essence of this universe; optimism is the goal of Universal Humanity.
“If you recite ‘Sai, Sai,’ always, I will take you beyond the seven seas. If you believe in these words, you will be certainly benefited”. – (Chap 13, Ovi 11-13)
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