Happy New Year

Que la naissance de la nouvelle année soit une nouvelle naissance pour notre conscience! Laissant le passé loin derrière nous, courons vers un avenir lumineux.



- La Mère

**********************************

Let the birth of the New Year be the new birth of our consciousness! Leaving the past far behind us let us run towards a luminous future.



- The Mother

'Concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo's Poetry' : Book Review in "Organiser" Weekly

Change Yourself First

You can do nothing with others unless you are able to do it with yourself. You can never give a good advice to anyone unless you are able to give it to yourself first, and to follow it. And if you see a difficulty somewhere, the best way of changing this difficulty is to change it in yourself first. If you see a defect in anyone, you may be sure it is in you, and you begin to change it in

The call of the future

While on the one hand he attained the acme of his lifelong quest on December 5, 1950, it also became imperative for Sri Aurobindo on the other hand, to leave his body. We can never understand the inside story of this mystery, but this simultaneous victory and defeat constitutes a momentous event in the history of mankind. That the lever of the next evolution has been pulled successfully was

Christmas Messages by the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram

( Christmas was designated by the Mother as the festival of the return of the Light .)


1962May the New Light illumine your thoughts and your lives,govern your hearts and guide your action.Blessings.
1963Joyeux Noel.Let us celebrate the Light by letting it enter into us.
1964If you want peace upon earth, first establish peace in your heart.If you want union in the world, first unify the

Inauguration of a Sugar Factory

I went to inaugurate the sugar factory the other day. I had an amusing experience.From the material point of view, it's almost hellish – the noise, the smell – a nauseating smell. I had to apply all my will not to be physically disturbed – they made me climb up narrow little stairs, go down, climb back up, look into deep pits. At some places there weren't even guardrails, so I had really to

Sri Aurobindo and the Future of Humanity by Georges Van Vrekhem

"The animal is a living laboratory in which Nature has, it is said, worked out man. Man himself may well be a thinking and living laboratory in whom and with whose conscious cooperation she wills to work out the superman1." Sri Aurobindo wrote these words almost a century ago in what is generally considered his magnum opus, The Life Divine. Today his name is not unknown, but the contents and

On suicide, euthanasia, and capital punishment

Benjamin Franklin famously said that there are two things we cannot escape: death and taxes (he didn’t know about tax shelters).  In this article, we cover observations made by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother Mirra Alfassa on some taxing questions related to death – suicide, euthanasia and capital punishment.SuicideBoth Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were adamantly opposed to any talk of suicide

Premonitory Dreams

Premonitory DreamsThe sign of dawning Knowledge is to feel that as yet I know little or nothing; and yet, if I could only know my knowledge, I already possess everything.- Sri AurobindoIn sleep one occasionally has a very accurate knowledge of what is going to happen, with an extraordinary precision in the material details, as if everything were already there

“Huta, ‘The Offered One’ – a very special child of the Mother” by Shraddhavan

On November 17th 2011 – the anniversary of the Mother’s passing – at 1.30pm, a very special child of the Mother, born Savita D. Hindocha, quietly left her body in the Ashram Nursing Home. She had been there for about a month with her condition gradually deteriorating, after ailing for several months. When she joined the Ashram permanently on February 10th 1955 in her late teens the Mother gave

December 5, 1950: Sri Aurobindo leaves his body

05DEC2011Leave a Commentby Bhaga In 1949, after the two World Wars had been finally won, but the same anti-divine occult Beings that had been trying in that way to stop the new step in Evolution, or to corrupt it into the horribly twisted form of it that Nazism was, Sri Aurobindo one day explained to the Mother that the only thing that could prevent a new attempt by those same Dark Forces, and

5th December 1950:The Triumph Over Death

Sri Aurobindo

The Pilgrim of the Night
I made an assignation with the Night;
In the abyss was fixed our rendezvous:
In my breast carrying God's deathless light I came her dark and dangerous heart to woo.
I left the glory of the illumined Mind And the calm rapture of the divinised soul And travelled through a vastness dim and blindTo the grey shore where her ignorant waters roll.
And still

Valuable words

One day Pujalal told me: "Why don't you write down these answers from Mother, all these valuable words may benefit others when they read them." So I asked Mother one day: "Mother, should I write down all that you tell me?" Mother countered: "Why do you wish to write them down?" I said: "These are valuable words, what if I forget them later?" Mother said: "All that I tell you, I say to your

The Ideal Centre

Once when the Mother was asked by a group of disciples to give permission and blessings for opening a centre, She said in answer: "To open a centre is not sufficient in itself. It must be the pure hearth of perfect sincerity, in a total consecration to the Divine." This is the first motto or mantra that should be inscribed on the tablet of the inner constitution of every group organisation. It

When were Aurobindo Ghose and Mirra called “Sri Aurobindo” and the “Mother”?

                                                                                                                                                                                               by Raman ReddyBarring a few exceptions, it was only towards the end of 1926 that the disciples in Pondicherry began  referring to Aurobindo Ghose and Mirra  as “Sri Aurobindo” and the “Mother” in their diary

Physical nearness

The Divine Will

‎‎"You say, 'I give my will to the Divine... Let the divine Will work it out for me'. Your will must continue to act steadily, not in the way of choosing a particular action or demanding a particular object, but as an ardent aspiration concentrated upon the end to be achieved."
                                                                                              - The Mother

The Golden Opportunity

There are, in the history of the earth, moments of transition when things that have existed for thousands of years must give way to those that are about to manifest. A special concentration of the world consciousness, one might almost say, an intensification of its effort, occurs at such times, varying according to the kind of progress to be made, the quality of the transformation to be realised

Turn to the Divine – The Mother

-         Hand over your problems to the Divine and He will pull you out of all difficulties.

-         There is a purpose in life ― and it is the only true and lasting one ― the Divine. Turn to Him and the emptiness will go.
-         You are here to contact your soul, and

A Declaration

We do not fight against any creed, any religion.

We do not fight against any form of government.

We do not fight against any social class.

We do not fight against any nation or civilisation.

We are fighting division, unconsciousness, ignorance, inertia and falsehood. 

We are endeavouring to establish upon earth union, knowledge, consciousness, Truth, and we fight whatever opposes the

Solution for Falsehood

There is only one solution for falsehood.“It is to cure in ourselves all that contradicts in our consciousness the Presence of the Divine.”
Yes, I insist on that; it is very true, very true. It may not be easy to understand, but it is a very profound truth.All that veils and deforms and prevents the manifestation of the Divine in us: it is that, the falsehood.
It is quite a labour!
This is what

Mysticism in Sri Aurobindo’s Selected Poems

By Ms. Indu B,  Lecturer in English, Amrita School of Arts and Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam

Mysticism is a difficult concept for the common man to explain and it is beyond comprehension except for those who have experienced it. A mystic, in his never- ending quest for realizing the divine truth, experiences it. It is the direct intuitive experience of the   Supreme reality. The

Prayer

A magic leverage suddenly is caught That moves the veiled Ineffable’s timeless Will: A prayer, a master act, a king idea Can link man’s strength to a transcendent Force. Then miracle is made the common rule, One mighty deed can change the course of things; A lonely thought becomes omnipotent. 
                     - Sri Aurobindo

Judging Others

Before deciding that something is wrong in others or in circumstances, you must be quite sure of the correctness of your judgment − and what judgment is correct so long as one lives in the ordinary consciousness that is based on ignorance and filled with falsehood?Only the Truth-Consciousness can judge. So it is better, in all circumstances, to leave the judgment to the Divine. Whenever

Nature and Man

Nature is a conscious force which knows what it wants, does it in its own way, knowing where it is going and its roads: it itself chooses them...Nature has a plan, it has a conscious will, it is altogether a conscious-entity - it can’t be called a being, for it is not in the same proportion. When we speak of a being with our human consciousness, we immediately imagine a human being, perhaps a

May this Navratri Bring You Joy and Happiness !

'Concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo's Poetry' Book Review in Malayalam by P. Valsala

Thought

Thought is always greater than armies, more lasting than the most powerful and best-organised despotisms.      - Sri Aurobindo

Thought-Power

Thought is not essential to existence nor its cause, but it is an instrument for becoming; I become what I see in myself. All that thought suggests to me, I can do; all that thought reveals in me, I can become. This should be man's unshakable faith in himself , because God dwells in him. -Sri Aurobindo 

One must not admit bad thoughts into oneself under the pretext that they are merely thoughts

'Mother's Agenda' by Satprem

Recorded by Satprem, a disciple of the Mother, in the course of numerous personal conversations with her, 'Mother's Agenda' is the complete logbook of her exploration in the cellular consciousness of the human body. It covers 23 years of experiences which parallel some of the most recent theories of modern physics, and are perhaps the key to man's passage to the next species.

1951-1973This 6,

Work

Is "Sri" only an honorific prefix to Aurobindo ?

30 November 1961
Dear little sister,
Mother has shown me the letter you wrote to her about the problem of "Sri" that is troubling you. She wishes me to communicate to you my view of the matter. Well, I shall be frank and forthright. It is an error to think that “Sri” is only an honorific prefix to Aurobindo which is the real name. It is not so. “Sri” does not mean Mr. or Monsieur or Sir, etc.

Religion

Q. The notion of religion is most often linked to the search for God. Should religion be understood in this context only? As a matter of fact, are there not nowadays other forms of religion? 

A. We give the name of religion to any concept of the world or the universe which is presented as the exclusive Truth in which one must have an absolute faith, generally because this Truth is declared to

Change

Change
1. Hatred into harmony
2. Jealousy into generosity
3. Ignorance into knowledge
4. Darkness into light
5. Falsehood into truth
6. Wickedness into goodness
7. War into peace
8. Fear into fearlessness
9. Uncertainty into certainty
10. Doubt into faith
11. Confusion into order
12. Defeat into victory

-The Mother

Falsehood and Truth

1. Falsehood is the great ally of Death.

2. Hypocrisy and pretension are the homage ignorance pays to the
    Truth.Hypocrisy and pretension are the first signs of the 
    inconscient’s aspiration towards consciousness.
3. Worship Truth. It will cure you of Falsehood.
4. Truth is stronger than falsehood. There is an immortal Power that
     governs the world. Its

Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi

'Concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo's Poetry': Book Review in 'Mathrubhumi' (Circulation 25 Lakhs)

Language & Literature 
  

 
ISBN- 978-81-261-4932-2 
CONCEPT OF MAN IN SRI AUROBINDO'S POETRYJitendra SharmaSri Aurobindo considered himself firstly to be a poet. His profound and spiritual outpourings of poetic inspiration chart a new course for Man, heralding the emergence of a new species of Superman. His verses describe beautifully, with an aroma of the spirituality of India, the

'Concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo's Poetry' : Book Release

 

Sincerity

Rare Book "Yogic Sadhan" by The Uttara Yogi

EVENING TALKS WITH SRI AUROBINDO

A comparison


Noted down by A.B. Purani
10-12-1938.Noted down by Nirod Baran
December 10, 1938

Evening about 7 p.m. Sri Aurobindo lying on his bed. We, the regular attendants sitting on the floor, very close together. Sri Aurobindo’s voice is very soft, speech slow.
Disciple: Why did you choose Pondicherry as the place for your Sadhana ?Sri Aurobindo

Autobiography of Barin Ghosh (Sri Aurobindo's younger brother) translated from Bengali to Hindi

15 August Is Sri Aurobindo's Birthday

                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                               
                                                                     

Radical realists

Baskaran Pillai | Aug 14, 2011


The date of the Tamil Siddhas is uncertain. They could have lived around a couple of centuries before or after the common era - but mythology and geography assign to them timeless antiquity. 

The Tamil Siddhas, founders of the Siddha medicine system, are traditionally described as 18 in number, but there were many more of them whose work has come down to us.

Sri Aurobindo’s interaction with an American soldier during World War II

Posted on July 29, 2011 by SandeepOne night, holed up a trench in France during World War II, Sgt. John Kelly of the US Army (Easy Company, 276th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry) began  having spectacular visions of two beings of Light whom he called ‘Great Sir’ and ‘Heaven Lady’.  Their continuing guidance through visions and voices saved him from enemy fire a few times.  After the war, John

How to Read Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Question: Sweet Mother,
How should we read your books and the books of Sri Aurobindo so that they may enter into our consciousness instead of being understood only by the mind?

Ans.: To read my books is not difficult because they are written in the simplest language, almost the spoken language. To get help from them, it is enough to read with attention and concentration and an attitude of

A Brief Introduction to the Integral Yoga

by Ashesh Joshi

“The Spirit shall look out through Matter's gaze
And Matter shall reveal the Spirit's face. ”
- Sri Aurobindo

The Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother aims at manifestation of the Divine Life upon Earth. The One Truth, variously experienced is within us all. Evolution, according to Sri Aurobindo is possible because there has been an involution of THAT in the first

My book released

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Pearl of the Day

My Book on Sri Aurobindo's Poetry

HomeNewsOpinionSportBusinessArtsLife & StyleS & TEducationHealthClassifiedsToday's PaperTopics

TODAY'S PAPER » NATIONAL » KERALAAugust 3, 2011Exploring poetic genius of Sri AurobindoR. MADHAVAN NAIR
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Literary scholars have been fascinated by Sri Aurobindo's poetic genius, particularly his epic poem Savithri .To this group belongs Jitendra Sharma who teaches French at

Book

The Divine

What is Sri Aurobindo's "Savitri"?

Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri is:1) The daily record of the spiritual experiences of theindividual who has written.2) A complete system of yoga which can serve as aguide for those who want to follow the integralsadhana.3) The yoga of the Earth in its ascension towards theDivine.4) The experiences of the Divine Mother in her effortto adapt herself to the body she has taken and theignorance and the

The Mother on Pop Music

(Mother listens to a few pieces of pop music brought to her byFrançois B., an enthusiastic visitor)It's very amusing! (Mother laughs)It's the vital in full revolt against the mind, but it's magnificent! They reject the whole mind. It's interesting, very interesting!You get the feeling that if they pushed a little farther on (gesture of piercing above), they would catch something.(François B.:) 

What happens after Death?

The soul takes birth each time, and each time a mind, life and body are formed out of the materials of universal nature according to the soul's past evolution and its need for the future.

When the body is dissolved, the vital goes into the vital plane and remains there for a time, but after a time the vital sheath disappears. The last to dissolve is the mental sheath. Finally the soul or

THE POETRY OF SRI AUROBINDO

THE POETRY OF SRI AUROBINDO:MANTRA, METRICS AND MEANINGBY ROD HEMSELL

In this course, I would like to approach Sri Aurobindo’s poetry from the point of view ofMantra, Metrics and Meaning, each of which I believe to be unique to Sri Aurobindo. SriAurobindo’s interpretation and application of the principle of Mantra is unique. Whatpoetry is or should be, for Sri Aurobindo, is a special peculiar

Sri Aurobindo is now in the subtle physical plane

Sri Aurobindo shows himself according to the need of each one
and in the subtle physical the things are not as fixed as they are
here.
Attach more importance to the feeling produced by the vision
than to details of what you have seen.                                                                                   - The Mother

Mother's Mantra: OM NAMO BHAGAVATEH (ॐ नमो भगवते)

The first word, OM , represents 
the supreme invocation, the invocation to the Supreme.

The second word, NAMO, represents 
total self-giving, perfect surrender.

The third word, BHAGAVATEH, represents 
the aspiration,
what the manifestation must become — Divine.

When I sit in meditation or I have a minute of quiet for concentration, this mantra arises from the solar plexus, and there is a

Mind Over Matter

Mind Over Matter
Did matter create consciousness or consciousness matter?
By: Santhosh Mathew

It may be argued, scientifically, that matter originated first and the interactions of networked matter created everything else, including life, mind and consciousness. But, a deeper analysis suggests, as the physicist Max Planck believed, that consciousness is elemental and everything else is

Wrong indulgence and wrong abstinence

The Integral Yoga

As the supreme Shastra of the integral Yoga is the eternal Veda secret inthe heart of every man, so its supreme Guide and Teacher is the innerGuide, the World-Teacher, jagad-guru, secret within us.It is he who destroys our darkness by the resplendent light of hisknowledge; that light becomes within us the increasing glory of his ownself-revelation. He discloses progressively in us his own

Spiritual Practice in Auroville: Union with our Inner Being

by BhagaSome of you visiting this blog are asking me what is the spiritual practice here in Auroville – a major question indeed, speaking of a place dedicated to collective evolution by means of applied spirituality, so to say.Well, the first thing to know is that no one could answer that question for everybody here, simply because there isn’t one way imposed for everybody – and that is already

Sri Aurobindo's Yoga

An Interview with Amal Kiran by Anie Nunnally

Amal now calls home the Ashram Nursing Home onGoubert Boulevardwhere he has resided since May 1999 after his hip was broken. He does not want to return to his house as he is well taken care of at the nursing facility and is freed from all the responsibilities of “housekeeping” as he says. The monsoon rains were teeming on many days that I visited him, but there was always sunshine when I entered

What is Consciousness?

Consciousness is a state and a power. 
Love is a force and an action.
- The Mother

Sri Aurobindo is constantly among us

Evolution

Act always at the summit of your consciousness

The Beginning of a Gnostic Community

The Supramental Manifestation - by Georges Van Vrekhem

29 February: The Golden Day
‘The lights had been turned off at the Playground after the reading of some passages from The Synthesis of Yoga and the children's questions. They all sat on the ground in a semicircle around her. One heard the sea in the distance, and the beam of the lighthouse swept over the top of the walls – two short flashes, one long. It was the “Wednesday

Mother with children

Big Change

What is the true significance of Birthdays?

"It is truly a special day in one's life. It is one of those days in the year when the Supreme descends into us - or when we are face to face with the Eternal - one of those days when our soul comes in contact with the Eternal and, if we remain a little conscious, we can feel His Presence within us. If we make a little effort on this day, we accomplish the work of many lives as in a lightning

The Mother on “Cinema”

      I remember that whenever the film "The Wizard of Oz" was screened inthe Ashram Playground, it used to rain.     Earlier, the Mother also used to watch films (censored) with chidren andAshramites in the Playground. If it rained, the Mother would not get up. Andnobody would get up unless the Mother got up.   It also reminds me that at times, when children requested Her for the success of

Sri Aurobindo on the spiritual value of poetry

The Word has power- even the ordinary written word has a power. If it is an inspired word it has still more power. What kind of power or power for what depends on the nature of the inspiration and the theme and the part of the being it touches. If it is the Word itself, - as in certain utterances of the great Scriptures, Veda, Upanishads, Gita, it may well have a power to awaken a spiritual

Power of Kali

Behind all destructions, whether the immense destructions of Nature, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, floods, etc., or the violent human destructions, wars, revolutions, revolts, I find the power of Kali, who is working in the earth-atmosphere to hasten the progress of transformation.All that is not only divine in essence but also divine in realisation is by its very nature above these

The Mother playing tennis and walking

Photos

Change of Consciousness

CONCEPT OF MAN IN SRI AUROBINDO'S POETRY

ISBN- 978-81-261-4932-2 
CONCEPT OF MAN IN SRI AUROBINDO'S POETRYJITENDRA SHARMASri Aurobindo considered himself firstly to be a poet. His profound and spiritual outpourings of poetic inspiration chart a new course for Man, heralding the emergence of a new species of Superman. His verses describe beautifully, with an aroma of the spirituality of India, the appearance of Man on earth and the

Computer and the Mother

May be it was 1968/1969, an expert on computers of those days and artificial intelligence, Frank Mathur from USA, started a course on computers in our school.


A computer was made by all the components that he had brought from USA. It was a huge block of 1,5m x 1.2m. Taking upstairs to show the Mother was very cumbersome with the narrow staircase as all of you must have noticed.



I hadn't

Nirodbaran narrates a real story of Black Magic

...Well, we were living in that house then. The Mother too was there
with me. A servant called Vittal used to work for us whom for some
reason we had sacked. Absolutely furious, he screamed threats and
abuses at us, warning us that we would soon find it impossible to
Fakir who knew some black magic.
"One evening, out of nowhere, we suddenly found stones falling on
the roof of our kitchen. The

INTERVIEW WITH SHRI UDAR PINTO By Anie Nunnally

Number 5 Rue Dumas is on the street in French Pondicherry directly
behind the main compound of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram; Golconde is just
a block down the street from this large French Colonial-style
structure that the Mother had named "Fenetres" (windows). This is home
to Udar Pinto, his English wife Mona, manager extraordinaire of
Golconde and their daughter Gauri, a teacher in the Higher

Work is body's prayer

Let us work as we pray, for indeed work is the body's best prayer  to the Divine.                                                                                  - The Mother

THE FREEDOM OF INDIA - Predictions of Sri Aurobindo

“ … I know and have experienced hundreds of times that beyond the blackest darkness there lies for one who is a divine instrument the light of God’s victory.  I have never had a strong and persistent will for anything to happen in the world - I am not speaking of personal things - which did not eventually happen even after delay, defeat or even disaster”.

How can I find my place in the Universal Work ?

How can I find my place in the Universal Work ?The Mother, Sri Aurobindo Ashram
This is a question which every individual puts to himself when he attains a certain level of inner awakening. In this article, the Mother gives simple and clear guidelines which can lead us in this path of self-discovery.The Work to AccomplishWe all have a role to fulfil, a work to accomplish, a place which we alone

The Mother: "I will guide you."

Love God and Humanity

This is a miracle that men can love God, yet fail to love humanity.
With whom are they in love then?
                                                                              - Sri Aurobindo




Link: http://www.auroville.org/society.htm

Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry

www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in
The official web site of the Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry, India
The presentation to follow has been executed in Flash 3.
In order to view the same, you'll require a Flash plugin


http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/flash.htm

Slide Show: The Mother - Our Executive President

Slide Show: The Mother - Our Executive President



The Mother - Our Executive President - Presentation TranscriptThe Mother Our Executive President Sri Aurobindo Society GOLDEN JUBILEE 1960-2010
BTB_pg01
“May we never forget all we owe to Thee” 2010 marks the Centenary of Sri Aurobindo’s arrival at Pondicherry and the beginning of his great work of World Transformation. 2010 is also the Golden

Slide Show: Sri Aurobindo And Sri Krishna

Slide Show: Sri Aurobindo And Sri Krishna


http://www.slideshare.net/aurovir/sri-aurobindo-and-sri-krishna-1853775


Sri Aurobindo And Sri Krishna - Presentation TranscriptSri Krishna: Sri Aurobindo’s Double
What Sri Aurobindo saidFrom Champaklal Speaks, page 39. Sri Krishna and Sri Aurobindo Kamala's brother Mahesh had come to me in 1923. Obviously we both came for the same purpose, but I

Why the future is veiled from us?

Imagine for a moment that you knew the future.  Doesn’t that seem a good thing?  You could relax and work without getting stressed out; you could plan ahead and direct your energies only in those paths that you know would lead to success; you could avoid all those intransigent people who keep trapping you in some debilitating vortex of time.  There would be no wastage of energy, no error, no

Music

…the best way of listening (to music) is this. It is to be like a still mirror and very concentrated, very silent. In fact, we see people who truly love music . . . I have seen musicians listening to music, musicians, composers or players who truly love music, I have seen them listening to music . . . they sit completely still, you know, they are like that, they do not move at all. Everything,

The Evolution of the Spiritual Man

The current established basis of the evolutionary action in humanity takes us to the development of the highly developed mentality as discussed in the prior post. Sri Aurobindo points out that in order to go beyond this stage we need to see the development of the next evolutionary principle and its emergence. “For the mental man has not been Nature’s last effort or highest reach,–though he has

Why spiritual experiences do not repeat?

The spiritual path often seems like a walk through the arid desert.   Intermittently, one may encounter an oasis of water in the form of a  replenishing soul moment, but the rest of the time one has to trudge through the scorching heat of the hardships of daily life.   It is in this context that the Vedic Rishis spoke of the spiritual seeker being like a Divine child who is suckled by two

Religious Ceremonies

Q. Mother,

I have been asked whether Sri Aurobindo’s followers can or cannot worship Rama, Krishna and the other gods, whether they should perform religious ceremonies or stop them. I replied that we do not have any set rules that each one has to follow. Each one should do what he feels from within. I said that if one is sincere and wants to be a servant of the Lord, he can become one even

Do you wish to rise?

Do you wish to rise?
Begin by descending.
You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds?
Lay first the foundation of humility.
                                          ~ Saint Augustine
He who would bring the heavens hereMust descend himself into clay
And the burden of earthly nature bearAnd tread the dolorous way.                                 ~ Sri Aurobindo 

Stories behind 1913 Nobel Award

In 1913, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was the first non-European to receive it. His coming by the Nobel created much excitement not only in India but outside it as well. Rabindranath, not at all known outside India before the publication of hisGitanjali in its English version in November 1912 from London, made millions of people sit up and take

Ravana is the dark side of Vishnu

A Conversation with Sriman Aravinda Ghosh: The India Interview (1909)

by RY Deshpande on Sun 05 Jun 2011 03:30 AM IST  |  Permanent Link  |  Cosmos
Article from India (Tamil weekly) 18 September 1909 InterviewA few days ago one of our correspondents went to Calcutta and spoke to Mahajnani Sriman Aravinda Ghose on several topics. We give here excerpts from the conversation.
Our correspondent had the darshan of Aravinda-babu at 6, College Square Street [sic],

Astrology and Horoscope - Sri Aurobindo’s letter to his wife Mrinalini Devi

                                                                                                                      C/o Rai Bahadur                                                                                              K.B. Jadhav,                                                                                              Baroda

Mantra

One has to be quite ignorant of the mechanism of forces not to understand that saying a mantra of the old gods puts you under the influence and into the orbit of precisely that which resists the new truth.                                                                                               - Satprem(Mother’s Agenda, October 16, 1963)

Neither earth moves nor sun

To the senses it is always true that the sun moves round the earth; this is false to the reason. To the reason it is always true that the earth moves round the sun; this is false to the supreme vision. Neither earth moves nor sun; there is only a change in the relation of sun-consciousness & earth-consciousness.                                   - Sri Aurobindo

Founding of Auroville

        The foundation of Auroville was laid in February 28,1968,
with representatives of several nations participating in the solemn
ceremony. Mother did not attend but she broadcast a message
from her chamber.
       The next day the Indian Express carried a photograph of
the ceremony. In the left-hand corner at the top of the picture
appeared a face looming over the horizon, looking exactly

Evolution Fast-forward

Evolution Fast-forwardAn Auroville-produced video about the vision and work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, done entirely using computer motion graphics. It presents the evolutionary crisis, the two negations and the synthesis of Consciousness and Force. For those who already know about Sri Aurobindo and the Mother the video provides a contemporary way of presenting their teachings. For the new

Sri Aurobindo has not been given the importance he deserves

Other factors apart, the single biggest cause that made the shy Sri Aurobindo a legend is the fact that his was the first voice to demand unqualified freedom for the country, an idiom unheard till then – a fact that is often passed over if not deliberately ignored. He did so without the slightest inhibition at a time when many leading national figures of the day would have shuddered to proclaim

Sri Aurobindo’s 1947 meeting with two French visitors

Towards the end of September 1947, leading Indian newspapers carried reports that Sri Aurobindo, in seclusion since 1926 had received two visitors, the first it was said since his meeting with Rabindranath Tagore 19 years earlier. These two visitors who remained with Sri Aurobindo in his room for three-quarters of an hour were M. Maurice Schumann, leading a cultural mission despatched to

Life and Death

Life, death,  —  death, life; the words have led for agesOur thought and consciousness and firmly seemedTwo opposites; but now long-hidden pagesAre opened, liberating truths undreamed.Life only is, or death is life disguised,  —Life a short death until by life we are surprised.
- Sri Aurobindo

My new book: 'Concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo's Poetry'

We are sons of God

A mutual debt binds man to the Supreme:

His nature we must put on as he put ours;

We are sons of God and must be even as he:

His human portion, we must grow divine.

Our life is a paradox with God for key.

                                              - Sri Aurobindo

The Spiritual Significance of Flowers

Gentle and lovely, flowers share their beauty with us and bring us a touch of eternal things. According to the Mother, each variety of flower has its own special quality and meaning. By establishing an inner contact with the flower, this meaning can be known.Flowers speak to us when we know how to listen to them, the Mother said. It is a subtle and fragrant language. As if to provide a key to

The Mother

To know the Mother is to know the Divine. To let Her Force work in you is to evolve. Her sweetness invades our nerves when we call Her into our being.

Mother was the very incarnation of the Transcendent Adiparashakti. Sri Aurobindo said Mother was an Avatar and an incarnation of the Divine Transcendent Shakti.

Divine Child:

The Mother was born in Paris on 21 February 1878. Mira, as the child

The Significance of Flowers

Answers by the Mother
Sweet Mother, how do you give significance to a flower?By entering into contact with it and giving a more or less precise meaning to what I feel… by entering into contact with the nature of the flower, its inner truth; then one knows what it represents.

Each flower has its special significance, hasn't it?
Not as we understand it mentally. There is a mental projection when

The Divine

Never forget that you are not alone. The Divine is with you helping and guiding you. He is the companion who never fails, the friend whose love comforts and strengthens. The more you feel lonely, the more you are ready to perceive His luminous Presence. Have faith and He will do everything for you.                                                                                             - The

At what point of transformation had Sri Aurobindo arrived?

Q. I asked myself a question about Sri Aurobindo. I wanted to know at what point he had arrived when he passed away – at what point of transformation. What difference in the work, for example, is there between what you are doing now and what he was doing at that time?
Ans. He had gathered in his body a great amount of supramental force and as soon as he left ... You see, he was lying on his bed

A Rare Press Interview of the Mother in ‘The Times of India’ dated 2 November 1954

French Example for Portugal                                                   “MOTHER’S PLEA”
PONDICHERRY, October 31: The “Mother,” the principle disciple of Shri Aurobindo and head of the ashram in Pondicherry, today declared: “If the Portuguese are reasonable they should follow the example of France.”She made the statement in one of her rare press interviews.In a special interview on the eve

The Mother and the biographer's dilemma

Biographers tend to idealise their subjects or portray them as all too human. Georges Van Vrekhem's biography of Mirra Alfassa, the Mother of Auroville, manages an ideal balance, says PETER HEEHS.HOW should a writer recount the life of an extraordinary person? By concentrating on what makes that person different? The result is likely to strain our credibility. Of course, this is what most

Pilgrims pray for peace on top of the world

THREE spiritual expeditions are making their way up Mount Everest this month, to pray on top of the world’s highest mountain.A primary-school teacher, Joga­byasa Bhoi, from Orissa, India, seeks to spread the message of the Indian revolutionary Sri Aurobindo by making the climb. Mr Bhoi told Ecumenical News International: “Aurobindo believed India would have spiritual regeneration and become the

A divine life in a divine body

“A divine life in a divine body is the formula of the ideal that we envisage.”The stream in a canal advances on a set path confined between its narrow banks but there is a surging river, the gushing waters of which build their own course. Similarly, there are some people who advance, setting as their aim, one amongst the many well-established possibilities; however, there are some rare

Mother's Message

Supramental Process of Action

Formula given by Mother
1. Remain absolutely quiet in all parts of your being.
2. Aspire and call.
3. You will get a response from above.
4. Place your problem before it and wait peacefully.
5. The direction will come from above.
6. Receive it and implement it through your mind,
life and body.
7. There should be no likes and dislikes and preferences.
8. Help will come. The right man will come.

The silent revolution

SRI AUROBINDO and The Mother's yoga is a silent revolution — no preaching, no propagation. A sadhak in this yoga ascends in his realisation from peak to peak silently like the rising sun. Perhaps he knows or perhaps he even does not know. Again each realisation has many levels and disparities.In a deep sleep as the psychic silently awakens, similarly in our deeper consciousness Sri Aurobindo

The legendary Manakula Vinayagar Temple of Puducherry

LONG, long, ago when Europeans ruled Pondicherry, there lived an atheist who was a bosom friend of the governor of the state. No one knows for certain whether the governor and his friend were Dutch, Portuguese, English or French, for these were the four who ruled this historically renowned place at different times.To come to the story, the atheist behaved like a despot and quite often

Gods

Mother always had several types of relationships with the Gods. She once saw a film on Anusuya, the wife of a rishi. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva appeared before Anusuya and asked food to be served by her naked. Anusuya turned the Tirumurthis into babies by the power of her chastity and served them food. Mother commented that it was a lovely story. Mother explained that through her devotion Anusuya 

The Kalki Avatars-Napoleon Bonaparte

Sri Aurobindo was known in his ashram as the rebirth of Napoleon. Napoleon’s birthday was also August 15th.... In his previous births, it was believed he was Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Krishna and many other persons too. Someone asked Sri Aurobindo whether he had been Shakespeare as well, but could not elicit an answer. Read.
NIRODBARAN: Aldous Huxley says Napoleon and Caesar were bandits

Links to Online PDF's of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's works

'Our greater self of knowledge waits for us ...

Our larger being sits behind cryptic walls:
There are greatnesses hidden in our unseen parts
That wait their hour to step into life's front ...'



- Savitri, Book VII, The Book of Yoga,
Canto II: The Parable of the Search for the Soul


I have found the following links to many of Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's works in online (in pdf

Satya Sai Baba

A visitor from the West – a Professor – just returned from a visit to Satya Sai Baba’s place, took to Mother a bead which the Baba had ‘created’ and given him. He gave it to Mother and asked about the nature of the bead. She felt it with her palms and said it was a materialised object. Then he asked what she thought of the Baba. Mother told him : One Guru does not pronounce upon another.(

Pearl of the day

Four movements of consciousness

When we practice Yoga, our consciousness which is normally identified with the physical body begins to expand into subtle zones.   This is a description of the various movements given by Sri Aurobindo & The Mother.Image by fractalforest
The Mother’s descriptionIn yoga all is centred round one’s consciousness. It is the consciousness that is to be oriented and changed. There are different ways

Maggi Lidchi-Grassi

     In the early morning of New Year's Day 1969, a new force came to The Mother and entered Her for the benefit and progress of the earth. She alluded to it as a Being of great Benevolence. Many people felt the Ashram bathed in a sweet contentment that morning.     In the afternoon, in Mother's room I felt embraced by this  loving energy. It was like being rocked gently in its waves. Before I

Joy

Joy overflows from within me.Joy is my nature as a child of God. It does not fluctuate based on what is happening in my life. While I may feel happy or sad in any given moment, these feelings cannot swell or dampen the joy built into my very being. The buoyancy I experience from outer events is temporary, eventually needing to be refreshed by the next pleasing experience. True joy is not

Her Work For Earth And Man

A prodigal of her rich divinity,Her self and all she was she had lent to men,Hoping her greater being to implantThat heaven might native grow on mortal soil.
 - Sri Aurobindo
 (Savitri, SABCL, Vol. 28, p. 7)

Sri Aurobindo and his vision

One day when I was traveling in a cab, I saw a large billboard which had a huge picture of Sri Aurobindo and there were some writings on it about his thoughts and visions. Being the kind who hardly pays attention to the billboards, hoardings and other form of advertisements, I was quite surprised to find myself reading the entire content of the billboard!I am intrigued by yoga and influential

Initiation

There is no formal initiation, acceptance is sufficient, but I do not usually accept unless I have seen, or the Mother has seen the person or unless there is a clear sign that he is meant for this yoga. Sometimes those who desire to be disciples have seen me in dream or vision before acceptance.                                                                                                  -

Occultism

In one of its aspects, occult science is like a kind of chemistry applied to the play of forces and the structure of the worlds and and individual forms of the inner dimensions. Just as in the chemistry of Matter the manipulation of certain substances is not without danger, so too in the occult worlds the wielding of certain forces and contact with them involve

Swami Satyananda Saraswati and his dog

        There is a lovely story about Swami Satyananda Saraswati and his dog, the very closest companion of his last years.He said this very special dog was a former disciple who chose to be this dog to be near him again.....If this is possible, I do not know...but look at the photo .... such beautiful eyes. Very wise, very psychic!

Sri Aurobindo: A French University for Pondicherry

Although Pondicherry is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Sri Aurobindo’s arrival in the former French Establishment, the Bengali Seer‘s highest ideals and vision remain today virtually unknown in India.
August 15, 1947, the day India obtained her independence, coincided with Sri Aurobindo’s 75th birthday. It was a ‘justice of history’ for someone who had tirelessly worked for this

Pranayama

Mother did not encourage Pranayama in the Ashram. She Herself had done Pranayama after reading Swami Vivekananda’s book on Raja Yoga. But, in the Ashram She did not encourage it. Because, more than a physical exercise, Pranayama involves psychological practices which require close guidance of  a guru.                                      - Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya(Courtesy - ‘Sports Spirit’)

Do you know Sri Aurobindo - the freedom fighter, poet and a great scholar ?

Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta. The day was August 15, 1872, the time - 5.00 a.m., the hour of dawn. The date is doubly important. Seventy-five years later, exactly on that date - August 15 - India attained her freedom. In a message given on that day Sri Aurobindo, who had played a leading role in the freedom struggle, said:

"I take this coincidence, not as a fortuitous accident, but as

Inner Lamps

In moments when the inner lamps are litAnd the life's cherished guests are left outside,Our spirit sits alone and speaks to its gulfs.                                                   - Sri Aurobindo(Savitri, Volume 28, p. 47)

Sri Aurobindo Talks About Animals

SRI AUROBINDO: People say animals can't think or reason. It is not at all true. Their intelligence has evolved to act only within the narrow limits of life, according to their own needs. But they have latent faculties which have not been developed.Cats have a language of their own. They utter different kinds of mews for different purposes. For instance, when the mother cat mews in a particular

The Last Photographs of Sri Aurobindo

Link: http://overmanfoundation.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/the-last-photographs-of-sri-aurobindo/

The Last Darshan Photographs of Sri Aurobindo

Link: http://overmanfoundation.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/the-last-darshan-photographs-of-sri-aurobindo/#comments

Matrimandir

Link: http://www.squidoo.com/matrimandir-temple-mother

Auroville

What is Auroville?Auroville is a universal township in the making for a population of up to 50,000 people from around the world.How did Auroville begin?The concept of Auroville - an ideal township devoted to an experiment in human unity - came to the Mother as early as the 1930s. In the mid 1960s the Sri Aurobindo Society in Pondicherry proposed to Her that such a township should be started. She

God

          They proved to me by convincing reasons that God did not exist, and I believed them. Afterwards I saw God, for He came and embraced me. And now which am I to believe, the reasonings of others or my own experience?                                                                                                      - Sri Aurobindo

The Supramental Yoga

I am concerned with the earth, not with worlds beyond for their own sake;it is a terrestrial realisation that I seek and not a flight to distant summits.All other Yogas regard this life as an illusion or a passing phase; thesupramental Yoga alone regards it as a thing created by the Divine for aprogressive manifestation and takes the fulfilment of the life and the bodyfor its object.

24 November 1926 - the Day of Siddhi

In order to understand the importance of this day it is necessary to go back to Sri Aurobindo's experiences in jail in 1908-1909 and link them up with his experiences of 24 November 1926. We must also take into consideration what Sri Aurobindo wrote about his own sadhana to Barin in 1920.In the letter to Barin of April 1920 Sri Aurobindo described the stage of his yoga before

Why is there pain and suffering?

Question: Why is there pain and suffering? How should we deal with them, including physical illness? What happens when we seek for pleasure?Answer: Pain and grief are Nature's reminder to the soul that the pleasure it enjoys is only a feeble hint of the real delight of existence. In each pain and torture of our being is the secret of a flame of rapture compared with which our greatest

Considering the Dynamism of the Mother's Symbol

On 12 August 2009 a crop circle was discovered at Wayland Smithy, Oxfordshire which by date and by structure emphasize the 12 division of the circle. This crop circle is a variation of the Mother's Symbol with its 12 petals and 3 concentric circles. In the crop circle we see the center circle (undivided) surrounded by two larger circles demarcated by dotted rings. This structure is praised in

Attitudes in Sri Aurobindo

Professor Gabriel Monod-Herzen, the well-known French physicist, once explained in what sense Sri Aurobindo embodied for him the quintessence of the scientific spirit. “There are two attitudes in him which I most admire: The first is that he does not reject anything or anyone; there is a place for all opinions, even those which he does not accept, in his work. He has come to find that particle

Calmness

A calmness neared as of the approach of God
- Sri Aurobindo
( Savitri, Book IV, Canto I, Page 351)

Grace and Protection of the Divine Mother

The more complete your faith, sincerity and surrender, the more will grace and protection be with you. And when the grace and protection of the Divine Mother are with you, what is there that can touch you or whom need you fear? A little of it even will carry you through all difficulties, obstacles and dangers; surrounded by its full presence you can go securely on your way…

World War

Question: If a world-war breaks out, it may not only destroy the major portion of humanity but may even make living conditions for those who survive impossible due to the effects of the nuclear fall-out. In case the possibility of such a war is still there, will it not affect the advent of the Supramental Truth and the New Race upon earth?
Answer: All these are mental speculations and once you

Difficulties

       To anticipate difficulties is to help them happen. Always to foreseethe best with a total trust in the Divine Grace is to collaborate effectivelyin the supramental work upon earth.                                                                                                - The Mother(CWM, Vol.15, Page 121)

There is a Power within

There is a Power within that knows beyondOur knowings; we are greater than our thoughts,And sometimes earth unveils that vision here.
          - Sri Aurobindo
(Savitri ,Book 5 Canto 2, Page 397)

Yogic methods

                         Yogic methods have something of the same relation to the customary psychological workings of man as has the scientific handling of the force of electricity or of steam to their normal  operations in Nature. And they, too, like the operations of Science, are formed upon a knowledge developed and confirmed by regular experiment, practical analysis and constant result. All

Hallucination and Coincidence

Hallucination is the term of Science for those irregular glimpses we
still have of truths shut out from us by our preoccupation with matter;
coincidence for the curious touches of artistry in the work of that supreme and universal Intelligence which in its conscious being as on a canvas has planned and executed the world.

Purpose of life

All your life must be an offering and a sacrifice to the Supreme; your
only object  in action shall be to serve, to receive, to fulfil, to become
a manifesting instrument of the Divine Shakti in her works.
                                                                                  - Sri Aurobindo

Song and Poem

Once I asked Sri Aurobindo if song and poetry were akin to each other. This was his answer: "No, a song is not a kind of poem; or need not be. There are some very good songs which are not poems at all. In Europe, song-writers or the writers of the librettos of the great operas are not classed among poets. In Asia the attempt to combine song-quality with poetic value has been more common, but

SRI AUROBINDO AND LORD KRISHNA

You can’t expect me to argue about my own spiritual greatness in comparison with Krishna’s. The question itself would be relevant only if there were two sectarian religions in opposition, Aurobindoism and Vaishnavism, each insisting on its own God’s greatness. That is not the case. And then what Krishna must I challenge, — the Krishna of the Gita who is the transcendent Godhead, Paramatma,

Chance and Illusion

Chance is not in this universe;
the idea of illusion is itself an illusion.
There was never illusion
yet in the human mind that was not the concealing and disfigurement of a truth.                                                                             - Sri Aurobindo(Thoughts and Aphorisms 19)

Consequences of our actions

The Divine does not see things as men do and has no need to punish or reward. Each and every action carries in itself its fruit and its consequences.According to the nature of the action, it brings you near to the Divine or takes you away from Him, and that is the supreme consequence.                                                                                                    - The Mother

Main Points in Sri Aurobindo’s Teachings

·         The human is a transitional being. A new spiritual life, a divine life on earth awaits him.·         We can attain this new life on earth by making the effort of transformation.·         We must not only cope with the problems of life but transform them so they are changed permanently.·         Religion has failed to change the essential nature of man. It has not focused on permanent

The physical Nature

The physical Nature does not mean the body alone but the phrase includes the transformation of the whole physical mind, vital, material nature – not by imposing Siddhis [occult powers] on them, but by creating a new physical nature which is to be the habitation of the supramental being in a new evolution. I am not aware that this has been done by any Hathayogic or other process. Mental or vital

Sri Aurobindo on "Savitri"

The tale of Satyavan and Savitri is recited in the Mahabharata as a story of conjugal love conquering death. But this legend is, as shown by many features of the human tale, one of the many symbolic myths of the Vedic cycle. Satyavan is the soul carrying the divine truth of being within itself but descended into the grip of death and ignorance; Savitri is the Divine Word, daughter of the Sun,

A Talk By The Mother On Sri Aurobindo's "Savitri"

- Do You read Savitri ?
- Yes Mother, yes.
- You have read the whole poem?
- Yes Mother, I have read it twice.
- Have you understood all that you have read?
- Not much, but I like poetry, that is why I read it.
- It does not matter if you do not understand it — Savitri, read it always. You will see that every time you read it, something new will be revealed to you. Each time you will get a new

Hidden kingdoms of beatitude

But near and real to the longing heart And to the body's passionate thought and senseAre the hidden kingdoms of beatitude.In some close unattained realm which yet we feel,Immune from the harsh clutch of Death and Time,Escaping the search of sorrow and desire,In bright enchanted safe peripheriesFor ever wallowing in bliss they lie. 
                                            - Sri Aurobindo
(

The Secret Knowledge

On a height he stood that looked towards greater heights.
Our early approaches to the Infinite
Are sunrise splendours on a marvellous verge
While lingers yet unseen the glorious sun.
                                                                        - Sri Aurobindo

( Savitri, Volume 28,  Book 1 Canto 4, Page 46)

Evolution

If mankind only caught a glimpse of what infinite enjoyments, what perfect forces, what luminous reaches of spontaneous knowledge, what wide calms of our being lie waiting for us in the tracts which our animal evolution has not yet conquered, they would leave all and never rest till they had gained these treasures.

Aim of the Yoga

  The aim of the yoga is to open the consciousness  to the Divine and to live in the inner consciousness more and more while acting from it on the external life, to bring the inmost psychic into the front and by the power of the psychic to purify and change the being so that it may become ready for transformation and be in union with the Divine Knowledge, Will and Love.

Supraphysical

Subjective discovery must be pursued by a subjective method of enquiry, observation and verification; research into the supraphysical must evolve, accept and test an appropriate means and methods other than those by which one examines the constituents of physical objects and the processes of Energy in material Nature.                 - Sri Aurobindo(SABCL, Vol. 19, Page 650)

All can be done

All can be done if the God-touch is there.
                                       - Sri Aurobindo
(Savitri, Volume 28, Page 3)

Gossiping Familiarity with Sri Aurobindo

Anything written by a sadhak about Sri Aurobindo which brings him down to an ordinary level and admits the reader to a sort of gossiping familiarity with him is an unfaithfulness to Him and His work. Good intentions are not sufficient.                                                                                                      - The Mother(Collected Works of the Mother, Vol. 13, Page

Leaders of the Integral Yoga

As for the Mother and myself, we have had to try all ways, follow all methods, to surmount mountains of difficulties, a far heavier burden to bear than you or anybody else in the Ashram or outside, far more difficult conditions, battles to fight, wounds to endure, ways to cleave through impenetrable morass and desert and forest, hostile masses to conquer - a work such as, I am certain, none else

Why Sri Aurobindo Is Cool

When most of us think of Sri Aurobindo, we probably think of that famous image of him, sitting there in that throne of a chair, long white beard and hair, looking like something straight out of a Hollywood movie in which he was cast in the role of God. You can almost imagine his voice, thundering with frightening authority in perfect King James English like Robert Powell's classic rendition of

Universal forces

All life is the play of universal forces. The individual gives a personal form to these universal forces. But he can choose whether he shall respond or not to the action of a particular force. Only most people do not really choose – they indulge the play of the forces.                                                                                           - Sri Aurobindo
(Letters On Yoga,

We are sons of God

A mutual debt binds man to the Supreme:His nature we must put on as he put ours;We are sons of God and must be even as he:His human portion, we must grow divine.Our life is a paradox with God for key.
                                    - Sri Aurobindo
(Savitri, Volume 28, Page 67)

Death

Death is but changing of our robes to waitIn wedding garments at the Eternal’s gate.                                         - Sri Aurobindo   (Collected Poems, Volume 5, Page 54) 

Humility

Whatever is your personal value or even your individual realisation, the first quality required in yoga is humility.   - The Mother
(Words Of The Mother, Volume 14, Page 160)

Sri Aurobindo's evolutionary spirituality

Sri Aurobindo was India's greatest modern philosopher-sage, flowing out of a country that is one of the most astonishing and profound geographical sources of spiritual awareness on the planet. In Sri Aurobindo we have the first grand statement of an evolutionary spirituality that is an integration of the best of ancient wisdom and the brightest of modern knowledge. Nobody combined both

Elitism

      Each (Spiritual Path, Philosophy, Religious school or Ashram etc.) feels it has the best to offer, the sole truth. This spirit leads to a kind of elitism, which is the enemy of true spirituality… I can only say that each disciple who feels and acts 'superior',  betrays Sri Aurobindo who was an universal man to the core and whose humility was held up as an example to the world

Pain

Pain is the hammer of the gods to break
A dead resistance in the mortal's heart,
His slow inertia as of living stone.
If the heart were not forced to want and weep,
His soul would have lain down content, at ease,
And never thought to exceed the human start
And never learned to climb towards the Sun.

                                             - Sri Aurobindo

("Savitri", Volume 29, P. 443)

We do not found ourselves on faith alone

We do not found ourselves on faith alone, but on a great ground of knowledge which we have been developing and testing all our lives. I think I can say that I have been testing day and night for years upon years more scrupulously than any scientist his theory or his method on the physical plane. That is why I am not alarmed by the aspect of the world around me or disconcerted by the often

God shall grow up

A few shall see what none yet understands;God shall grow up while the wise men talk and sleep;For man shall not know the coming till its hourAnd belief shall be not till the work is done.                                     - Sri Aurobindo

(Savitri, Volume 28, Book 1 Canto 4, Page 55)

Difficulties

But difficulties were made to be overcome and if the Supreme Will is there, they will be overcome.                                                                                - Sri Aurobindo

( SABCL, On Himself,  Volume 26, Page 403)

Mahasamadhi of Sri Aurobindo

Be faithful to your guru

                                                          


As for the disciple, I would tell him: "In all cases, be faithful to your guru whoever he is; he will lead you as far as you can go. But if you have the good fortune to have the Divine as your guru, there will be no limit to your realisation."
                                                                                              

This bodily appearance is not all

This bodily appearance is not all;The form deceives; the person is a mask;Hid deep in man celestial powers can dwell.His fragile ship conveys through the sea of yearsAn incognito of the Imperishable.
                                                  - Sri Aurobindo
(Savitri, Vol. 28, Page 23)

Experiments and Achievements of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother

The more one studies Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, the more is one wonderstruck by the breathtaking sweep of their experimentation and their victorious achievements. It is impossible to present even a distant idea of the crucial significance of their realisations to the expanding horizons of knowledge and to the possibilities of evolution and mutation of the human species.

Parts of the Being (According to Sri Aurobindo)

Who is Sri Aurobindo ?

Once in the early years of my life in the Ashram I wrote to Sri Aurobindo, "How people calling to Shiva or Krishna or their Ishta Devata get responses from you I don’t understand," he replied, "Who is Shiva? and who is Krishna? and what is an Ishta Devata? There is only one Divine, not a thousand Divines." Myself: "It would mean that wherever a sincere heart is aspiring for the Divine, his

The Mother’s Subtle Body

    Today I would like to share with you an occult experience which was narrated to me by Jhumur-di (Shrimati Jhumur Bhattacharya, one of the most pretty and elegant sadhikas of the Ashram who is an inmate since the early 1940s; she is a teacher in Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education and a fine actress who has taken part in Sri Aurobindo’s dramas like Vasavadutta, Rodogune, Perseus

"All life is Yoga." - Sri Aurobindo

Georges Van Vrekhem is best known for his two seminal works on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He speaks about life as an Aurobindonian and the next step in man's spiritual evolution.It is quite a tongue twister, but the word 'Aurobindonian' crops up frequently when Georges Van Vrekhem speaks. 'A true Aurobindonian', 'a real Aurobindonian', 'you don't have to be an Aurobindonian to evolve to

Om Anandamayi Chaitanyamayi - Jagjit Singh

Interview with Prof. Manoj Das

(In an interview, Prof. Manoj Das expanded on his own belief system and Sri Aurobindo's thoughts for mankind.)

Of all the philosophies of India, why choose Sri Aurobindo?

He attracted me because of his belief that the present status of man is not the acme of evolution. As I delved deeper into Sri Aurobindo's works, I realized that though suffering is bitter, it is an intermediary process

God also laughs

To listen to some devout people, one would imagine that God never laughs.
                             - Sri Aurobindo

Towards the Transformed Body

A momentous stage was reached. An irreversible stage was reached. The whole work, the real work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, was to open up the consciousness of the cells by fixing the supramental consciousness in the body-consciousness. This work was done; the rest was a secondary consequence. As Mother said: 'It must be "worked out" as one says, it has to be realised in all details, but

The Human Aspiration

The earliest preoccupation of man in his awakened thoughts and... his inevitable and ultimate preoccupation... is also the highest which his thought can envisage. It manifests itself in the divination of Godhead, the impulse towards perfection, the search after pure Truth and unmixed Bliss, the sense of a secret immortality. The ancient dawns of human knowledge have left us their witness to

The Temple and the Human Soul

The aim of the yoga

The aim of the yoga is to open the consciousness  more and more while acting from it on the external life, to bring the inmost psychic into the front and by the power of the psychic to purify and change the being so that it may become ready for transformation and be in union with the Divine Knowledge, Will and Love.

A Prayer

A magic leverage suddenly is caught
That moves the veiled Ineffable's timeless will:
A prayer, a master act, a king idea
Can link man's strength to a transcendent Force.
Then miracle is made the common rule.
One mighty deed can change the course of things;
A lonely thought becomes omnipotent .
                                              - Sri Aurobindo

SAVITRI - Sri Aurobindo's epic poem

SAVITRI — Idhayaththai Allum Iravaakkaaviyam — 2 Volumes (Savitri: The Immortal, Soul-entrancing Epic) (Tamil): A.I. Ravi Arumugam — Tr. in Tamil; Narmada Pathippagam, 10, Nana Street, Pondy Bazaar, T. Nagar, Chennai-600017. Rs. 1200.IT IS significant that in a literary context where brief lyrics and mini-poetry seem to rule the day, Indian poets have kept the flag of the long poem flying in

Sri Aurobindo in Alipore Jail

Vivekananda and Aurobindo (Disciple): Vivekananda had a sort of Nirvanic experience. He has himself mentioned something about it.Sri Aurobindo: Yes, that experience is the only one definitely known.Purani: He also had visions at Amarnath. But he seemed always torn between two tendencies: world-work and direct sadhana.Sri Aurobindo: Yes. And he used to put more intuitive flashes into his

Our Thoughts

Music

The role of music lies in helping the consciousness uplift itself towards the spiritual heights.                                                                                           - The Mother

The Mother

Last Darshan of the Mother

SRI AUROBINDO AND THE MOTHER

Meeting with Sri Aurobindo

                                                                  


When I first met Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry, I was in deep concentration, seeing things in the Supermind, things that were to be but which were somehow not manifesting. I told Sri Aurobindo what I had seen and asked him if they would manifest. He simply said , “ Yes “. And immediately I saw that the Supramental had touched

Should we read just any book?

Some days ago I received a letter from someone who told me that he was very hesitant about reading books of ordinary literatures, for example, novels or dramas, because his nature had an almost insuperable tendency to receive imprints of the characters in these books and to begin living the feelings and thoughts of these characters, the nature of these persons. There are many more people than

THE DANGERS OF INCONTINENCE OF SPEECH

Every word spoken uselessly is a dangerous gossiping. Every malicious word, every slander is a degradation of the consciousness.And when this slander is expressed in a vulgar language and gross terms, then that is equivalent to a suicide — the suicide of one's soul.                                                                     - The Mother
(Champaklal's Treasures , Page 139)

Sri Aurobindo

The Divine Plan (according to Sri Aurobindo)

THE MOTHER'S SOLE AUTHORITY OVER THE ASHRAM WORK

I would suggest that in your relations with others, — which seem always to have been full of disharmony, — when incidents occur, it would be much better for you not to take the standpoint that you are all in the right and they are all in the wrong.  It would be wiser to be fair and just in reflection, seeing where you have gone astray, and even laying stress on your own fault and not on theirs.

Debate

Q.How is it that we lose a chance to widen our knowledge 


   by prevailing in a  debate?
   
Ans. A debate is never anything but a conflict of opinions; and opinions are nothing but very fragmentary aspects of the truth. Even if you were able to put together and synthesise all opinions on a given subject, you still would not achieve anything but a very imperfect expression of the truth.If you

We believe in the Truth revealed by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother

Faith - Anchor of Life

Faith - Anchor of Life
Happy are men anchored on fixed belief 
In this uncertain and ambiguous world,
Or who have planted in the heart's rich soil
One small grain of spiritual certitude.
Happiest who stand on faith as on a rock. 
                                       - Sri Aurobindo
(Savitri, Book VII, Canto III)

Have Faith in the Path and the Guru

Have faith in the Divine, in the Divine Grace, in the truth of the sadhana, in the eventual triumph of the spirit over its mental and vital and physical difficulties, in   the Path and the Guru, in the experience of things other than are written in the philosophy of Haeckel or Huxley or Bertrand Russell, because if these things are not true, there is no meaning in yoga.

How Sri Aurobindo achieved Yoga Siddhi in 1926? The Mother explains thus:

24 November - 1926 


Except for Krishna.... In 1926, I had begun a sort of overmental creation, that is, I had brought the /Overmind /down into matter, here on earth (miracles and all kinds of things were beginning to happen). I asked all these gods to incarnate, to identify themselves with a body (some of them absolutely refused). [298] Well, with my very own eyes I saw Krishna, who had always

Happy Mahashivaratri !

Sri Aurobindo And the Descent of Supermind upon Earth

सुखद नयनों में उदीप्त

Hi, Jeetendra ji,
                          This poem is written especially for my nephew Uttathya Pahwa who i believe is Divine Mother's soul -child.!!!
Hope u will appreciate and 'see' the vision in this poem ? You may put this in your BLOG?
Thanks and Regards,
renu...



प्रस्तुत कविता को उत्तथ्य के जन्मदिवस( २५ जनवरी ) में "साकार देखना" की दिव्य -संकल्प है :--

सुखद नयनों में उदीप्त दिव्य

Mother's Advice

A good advice to all the Ashramites in their dealings withvisitors and foreigners (and even among themselves):
When you have nothing pleasant to say about somethingor somebody in the Ashram, keep silent. You must know that this silence is faithfulness to the Divine’s work.
                                                                        - The Mother

Stages of meditation

Stages of meditationPosted by Sandeep
Link : http://auromere.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/stages-of-meditation/#more-5899It is known that the restless mind cannot immediately enter into a state of thoughtlessness.  That is why meditation is practised in stages.  A 2005 paper “Meditation and the Neuroscience of Consciousness” by Antoine Lutz and his colleagues contains a very succinct description of

The Mother

The Mother’s paintings

The Mother’s paintingsFebruary 24, 2011 Dear Friends,The Mother once said that She began to draw at the age of eight and started to learn oil painting and other painting techniques when She was ten. She added on another occasion that at twelve She was already doing portraits. Vividly does one of Her disciples remember what She spoke apropos Her own paintings. Himself an amateur with the brush,

A Child

Post from Harriet

SAVITRI BY SRI AUROBINDO - DARSHAN 21.2.2011


"My soul and his indissolubly linkedIn the one task for which our lives were born,To raise the world to God in deathless LightTo bring God down to the world on earth we came,To change the earthly life to life divine."

Savitri Book Eleven, Canto One

Post from Harriet

SAVITRI - THE SYMBOL DAWN
Link : http://thefuturepoetry.blogspot.com/

FINDING THE SOUL

"Remember why thou cam'st:Find out thy soul, recover thy hid self,In silence seek God's meaning in thy depths,Then mortal nature change to the divine."

Savitri Book Seven, Canto Two
SRI AUROBINDO

Post from Harriet

SAVITRI (EPILOGUE)

Night, splendid with the moon dreaming in heavenIn silver peace, possessed her luminous reign.

POETRY FOR THE SOUL - website : By Harriet

                          POETRY FOR THE SOUL - website
                                                          http://antaram.webs.com

Sri Aurobindo's 'Savitri'

Ohm Anandmayi

Videos of the Mother

Here are some Videos of the Mother :

http://www.searchforlight.org/Flash/MothersVideo/BalconyDarshan.htm

Sri Aurobindo, Vivekananda and Voices of the Supramental Shakti - By Srikant Jivarajani

A year or so back, there was a dicussion on the view of Sri Aurobindo on Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa on either 'themother' or 'Mirror'. I had then said, that according to Sri Aurobindo with the advent of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, the era of Satyayug had started.
Several people had asked me the source of this and I had stated that it was probably Jugal-da who had mentioned it in the class. The

"Mother's Agenda" - Tape Recordings

“Mother’s Agenda” - Tape Recordings made by Satprem (mostly in French and some in English, her piano music) Link:
http://agenda.fromzel.com/

The Mother

Savitri -The Divine Mantra

The Mother's Birthday - 21st February 2011

Mother ... we bow to Thee

The Mother -- Darshan Clips

Darshan photographs of the Mother

Darshan photographs of the MotherFebruary 19, 2011 at 7:21 am (Uncategorized) Dear Friends,On the occasion of the Mother’s 133rd birthday, we are sharing with you some photographs of the Mother taken on 21st February 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967.We are also taking the liberty of sharing with you the recollections of Peter A. about the Darshan of 21st February 1971 to illustrate what one felt

Message from Mr. Anurag Banerjee

Dear Friends, On the occasion of the Mother’s 133rd birthday, we are sharing with you some photographs of the Mother taken on 21st February 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967. We are also taking the liberty of sharing with you the recollections of Peter A. about the Darshan of 21st February 1971 to illustrate what one felt while he/she stood in the presence of the Mother. Those of you who had the

Message from Mr. Hugh Howard Higgins

Hugh Howard Higgins to me
show details 11:45 PM (10 hours ago)
Thank you for inviting me, Jitendra. - Hide quoted text -

On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 8:09 AM, Jitendra Sharma  wrote:
Dear Sir,
         Today, I begin a new Blog: “Savitri Era Devotees” -

http://savitrieradevotees.blogspot.com
            Regards.
                                            Dr. Jitendra Sharma

Mother's Paintings

JOY ROY CHOUDHURY’S WEB LOGJust another WordPress.com weblogDivine Mother’s The Garden of Light: “Let the light of Truth be born upon earth from today and for ever”. (On Her Birthday, 21st Feb, 1953, Pondicherry, Words of Mother)Posted in Art, Sculpture, Photography, Philosophy, Spirituality, Poetry, Musicon February 18, 2011 by artcritiqueDivine Mother’s The Garden of Light: “Let the light of

Message from Joy Roy Choudhury

Dear Prof. Sharma,

Just got info on your new blog from Tushar da- great time to start on
the eve of Mother's birthday. Many thanks.

I am also putting something on Mother's paintings in ArtCritique-
http://artcritique.wordpress.com/

Regards- Joy

Joy Roy Choudhury



Head of Communications Strategy

Assessment Tomorrow &

Consultant - LSN, UK

Websites: http://www.assessmenttomorrow.co.uk
http:

Gratitude to the Divine

Psychic Education - Renu Mehra

The following thoughts are taken from the book : Education : essays by The Mother:---" With psychic education we come to the problem of the true motive of existence, the purpose of life upon the earth, the discovery to which this life must lead and the result of that discovery: the consecration of the individual to her/ his Eternal principle.
            Normally this discovery is associated

Mantra