“there is a fourth principle which comes into manifestation at the nodus of mind, life and body, that which we call the soul; but this has a double appearance, in front the desire-soul which strives for the possession and delight of things, and, behind and either largely or entirely concealed by the desire-soul, the true psychic entity which is the real repository of the experiences of the spirit.” Just as we relate the principle of Sat, or Existence, to Matter; and the principle of Chit, or Conscious-Force to Life, and the principle of the Supermind to Mind, so the soul is related to the principle of Ananda or Delight of Existence. The desire soul experiences its existence as limited struggling due to the role of the artificial separation created by ignorance. The true soul is hidden behind this desire soul or above in a superconscient level not normally accessed by the soul in the evolution. There is a veil between the higher and lower gradations which effectively allows the forms active in Matter-Life and Mind, and subject to the experience of the desire soul, to respond as if they are separate, distinct and individual through ignorance of the unity that pervades all existence. The rending of that veil, and the experience of the oneness effectively puts us in touch with the true psychic being, the true soul, and we experience the undivided consciousness of Unity, even while potentially remaining cognizant of and active in the Multiplicity.
reference: Sri Aurobindo, The Life Divine, Chapter 27, The Sevenfold Chord of Being
Sri Aurobindo Studies 