Selections from the "Tales of Prison Life" and "Uttarpara Speech" by Sri Aurobindo
At the Feet of The Mother
"Body and brain hungry for earth our heavenly flight detain."
"There is, besides the outer physical sight which sees external objects, an inner sight in us which can see things yet unseen and unknown, things at a distance, things belonging to another place or time or other worlds.... It is the working of the Mother’s force which is opening it... Remember the Mother always, call on her and aspire to feel her presence and her power working in you ...." (Sri Aurobindo)
Sri Aurobindo bids us to rise from our present state of Ignorance into the Light and Truth of an illimitable vast Consciousness. Until we do that we shall never really fathom the true cause and the inner reason that moves our destiny. And yet there is hope, and the passage closes with a glance into the Future that is bound to be splendid and meaningful.
Dr Alok Pandey and Narad on Savitri (VIDEO)
"A seeking Mind replaced the seeing Soul:
Life grew into a huge and hungry death,
The Spirit’s bliss was changed to cosmic pain."
quotes from "The Master of the Work", Ch 11 of Pt 1, "The Synthesis of Yoga" [CWSA 23-24 : 243]
... as the Mother points out, impatience leads to imitation. This is especially so when we seek an experience; it may be a vision of the Divine, a seeking for the illumination of knowledge or the descent of Power or whatever. Things project themselves from the subconscious under the drive of the force of impatience and the gates are opened for all kinds of pseudo-experiences.
A talk by Dr Alok Pandey (AUDIO IN HINDI)
As the name suggests, this Canto describes the domains through which our being passes inwardly in our seeking for the soul. These three domains are the physical, vital and mental realms.
What makes the physical so weak that it can’t do without the vital’s help?
The physical is not weak, it is inert, because inertia is its principle — it is meant to be an instrument.
"SUDDENLY the veil was rent, the horizon was disclosed, and before the clear vision my whole being threw itself at Thy feet in a great outburst of gratitude. Yet in spite of this deep and integral joy, all was calm, all was peaceful with the peace of eternity."
audio
Tomorrow is the day of Mahakali puja, and The Mother's chair is kept at the Ashram where devotees go to receive the same Blessings and feel the invisible Presence watching over their destinies. Therefore we close this year’s readings with Divine Love. The 18th Oct is also Pranab Da’s birthday and hence we also take up a small extract from his stock of memories.
Dr Alok Pandey and Narad on Savitri (VIDEO)
"All high things served their nether opposite:
The forms of Gods sustained a demon cult;
Heaven’s face became a mask and snare of Hell."
A quote from "The Ishavasyopanishad", Sri Aurobindo's incomplete commentary on Isha Upanishad [CWSA 17:130]
A weekly sharing on Savitri by Alok Pandey (an audio recording in English).
"The procedure to deal with dreams.... Become conscious of your dreams. Observe the relation between them and the happenings of your waking hours.... In sleep some action or other is always going on in your mental or vital or other plane; things happen there and they govern your waking consciousness."
... today I found for the first time that my heart took certain things very deeply. I don’t know how to keep it under the psychic control
The heart is part of the vital — it has to be controlled in the same way as the rest, by rejection of the wrong movements, by acceptance of the true psychic surrender which prevents all demand and clamour, by calling in the higher light and knowledge.