DJVu format (graphic copy of the original book)Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
Translated from the Original in Bengali
Letters of Sri Aurobindo: Translated from the Original in Bengali.- First Edition 1961.- Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 1970.- 49 p.
DJVu format (graphic copy of the original book)
Contents
Experience, Direct Perception and Realisation
Inner Vision – Symbols – Colours
Pride – Impurity – Grief – Despair
The vital does not like the state of vastness where there is no movement of thought. It wants movement, any movement whether of knowledge or of ignorance. A serene condition without any restlessness seems dry to it.
Nobody can ever progress in sadhana through pain, despair, and lack of enthusiasm. It is better not to have them.
Not only the experience of the higher but also the transformation of the lower nature is necessary. Pleasure, sadness, despair and sorrow are the ordinary play of the vital, impediments to progress — one has to go beyond them and bring down the vast unity and equality from above into the vital and in all the being.
As long as desire and subjection to the mercy of any whim, demand and imagination are strong, the vital will dominate. All this is nourishment to the vital, and when you give nourishment why should it not become huge and powerful?
If you entertain a desire, become impatient for the fruits of sadhana, then how will you remain peaceful and silent? A great work like the transformation of human nature, can it be done in a moment? Remain quiet, let the force of the Mother work in you, then in time everything will be accomplished.
If you remain peaceful within, in a state of surrender, then obstacles and difficulties will not be able to disturb you. Unhappiness and anxiety and “Why is this not happening? When will it happen?”, if you allow these feelings to enter into you, then obstacles and difficulties will find strength. Why do you pay so much attention to them? Concentrate on the Mother. Remain peaceful and surrendered within. The petty defects of the lower nature cannot be got rid of so easily. It is useless to be agitated over them. When the Mother’s Force fully occupies the entire being down to the subconscient, they will go. The length of time necessary for that does not matter. The complete transformation requires time.
We have neither moved away from you nor abandoned you. When your mind and vital become disturbed, then these false ideas enter into your mind. Even if the ego rises and the difficulties come you must not lose faith in the Mother. Keep on calling her quietly and remain calm, the difficulties and the ego will leave you.
The truth is that you must not be subject to the ego or the external nature in your work. If you are, the work cannot form a part of the sadhana; instead, it becomes equivalent to trivial and ordinary work. Even the work must be done from within in a spirit of surrender.
The external consciousness is full of ignorance, and seems to make a false transcription, a wrong imitation or translation of what comes from above, to remould that in its own way; as if trying to turn that to some imaginary enjoyment, or some outward selfish interest or the pleasure of the ego. This is the weakness of human nature. One should want the Divine, for the sake of the Divine and not for one’s own satisfaction. When the psychic being inside becomes strong, then the defects of the external nature begin to lessen till finally one becomes pure.
Any average man reacts like this — to be pleased when praised and offended when blamed. There is nothing strange about that. But it is absolutely essential for a sadhak to get over this weakness; he must remain unshaken by praise or criticism, honour or insult. But it cannot be easily done, it will take time.
This is the state and outlook of the true consciousness. If you can have this attitude when you go deep inside or come out in the external consciousness, then everything will rightly move towards the divine purpose.
Falsehood is a great barrier in the path of this yoga. Falsehood of any kind must not be given a place in thought, speech or action.
There is no connection between the tamasic surrender and the tamasic ego. The tamasic ego seems to think: “I am a sinner, I am weak, there will be no progress for me, the sadhana is impossible for me, I am unfortunate, the Divine does not accept me, death is my only salvation, the Mother does not love me but she loves all others,” etc., etc. The vital nature likes to hurt itself by demonstrating its own meanness
. It wants to satisfy its ego-sense in a negative way, by showing itself as the worst person, the most unhappy, wicked and tortured of all. The rajasic ego is exactly the opposite. By saying, “I am great,” etc., it likes to exaggerate about itself.
Ignorance, ego and desire are hindrances. If the mind, life and body become instruments of the Higher Consciousness, this divine light can descend into the body.
The human mind itself is full of sceptical imaginations, wrong ideas, distrust, ignorance and unhappiness. This ignorance is the cause of distrust, the source of anguish. The human intelligence is an instrument of ignorance. Very often wrong thoughts and false ideas come to it, yet it believes that its ideas alone are true. The mind is not even inclined to consider whether there is any mistake in its thought or, if so, where lies the mistake. When the mistake is pointed out, it does not like to own it and becomes angry and unhappy, yet it derives great pleasure from finding fault with others. When it hears any criticism of others, it immediately accepts that as true without even considering how far it might be true. It is difficult for faith and trust to grow in this type of mind. That is why you must not listen to ordinary human beings or accept their influence within you. If you want to hear the truth, you have to go within you and awaken the psychic being and from there true intelligence will grow in the mind, true emotion and feeling will come to the heart, true inspiration will rise in the vital; the psychic light will bring a new vision of man, objects, circumstances and the world; ignorance of the mind, wrong seeing, incorrect thinking, disbelief and mistrust will cease for ever.
There is probably some resistance to meditation in the body, that is why it does not want to sit down. But it also happens with many that their sadhana goes on automatically. There is no need to force oneself to sit for meditation. Whether one is sitting, walking or lying down or even sleeping, the sadhana goes on.
All this has happened probably because of some external contact. These vital disturbances are now occurring repeatedly in some people. Like a disease they go from one person to another; especially the feeling, “I want to die, I do not wish to keep this body, it is not possible to do yoga and sadhana in this body,” is strong. However, the idea, “By leaving the body I shall attain the realisation in yoga without any difficulty in another body,” is extremely erroneous. If you give up the body in this way, there will be still greater difficulties in the next birth and you will not have any relation with the Mother. All this is an attack of the hostile forces. Their aim is to break the sadhana of the sadhak, break the health of the Mother, break the Ashram and our work. You must be on your guard. Do not allow them to enter into you.
“An outsider scolds me. I am very much hurt. I wish to die” — these are words of the vital ego, not of a sadhak. I am giving you a fair warning — “Do not give any place to the ego.” If anybody says anything to you, remain undisturbed, in a peaceful state of mind, free from any egoism and united with the Mother.
Merely dying does not solve anything. How do you think the difficulties you have not overcome in this life will leave you in your next birth? You have to clear them up in this very life.
If you allow these futile lamentations of the vital to rise, how will the true experience come? Even if it comes, how can it endure or bear fruit? This weeping of the vital can only be a bar.
These words of moaning and bewailing are obstacles to progress on the path of yoga and nothing else but that — only a kind of tamasic play of the vital. If you can give them all up and quietly pursue your sadhana, there will be a rapid progress.
What you have seen is true — but what you call an evil force is only the ordinary nature. This nature makes man do almost anything — in the sadhana; one has to overcome its influence, but it cannot be easily done. By quiet and determined effort, in the end it is entirely overcome.
When the sadhak begins to live in the true consciousness, the other parts still continue to exist; only in proportion as the power of the true consciousness increases, does it gradually weaken the others.
What else but an evil force can pull you down so low, make you so weak and agitated? Many forces of this nature are moving about in the atmosphere because the sadhaks give them shelter. If they come to you, call the Mother and send them away. They will not be able to do anything; they will not be able to endure. Obstacles cannot be fully got rid of so easily. By a constant opening and a heightening of consciousness, the physical consciousness is transformed, the difficulties will then completely disappear. Before that, they will decrease, go out and remain outside you. Instead of getting upset by these difficulties, detach yourself from them. Do not accept the difficulties as your own, because if you do your power will diminish.
Every one has to go through difficulties, even those who do not work are subject to their violent attacks.
Difficulties are there because the outer nature does not leave you. They will no longer remain when the outer nature has a new life.
I have repeatedly told you about this that difficulties do not go in a moment. Difficulties are the results of the outer nature of human beings. This nature does not change in a day or in a few days, not even in great sadhaks. But if you can entirely depend on the Mother and aspire to her in silence and calm and go on without anxiety, then the difficulties can do nothing, even if they come in your way. In time their force will diminish, perish and no longer exist.
Every one has this kind of difficulty. Identification with the Mother at every moment cannot easily be done. It is done by a steady spiritual practice.
Difficulties matter little. They are nothing but what exists in the outer nature of human beings. Gradually they will be driven out by the Force of the Mother. So there is no cause for anxiety or depression.
Always remember the Mother. Call upon her. Then the difficulties will go away. Do not be afraid, do not be perturbed by the difficulties. Call upon the Mother steadily.
However infinite the difficulties may seem to be, this appearance is not real. It is merely the demoniac illusion. Treading the way of truth the path becomes clear at last.
It is something like that. But difficulty does not leave any one so easily, even a very great Yogi. It is a bit easier to get rid of the mental difficulty than of the vital and the physical. It takes time to be free from the vital and physical difficulties.
What does it matter? Even great sadhaks are open to difficulties. If one can live in the psychic state, if one is united with the Mother, then these attacks must go in vain.
A sadhak has often these two difficulties. The first from the vital, the second from the physical consciousness. If one remains aloof from them, they decrease and finally diminish.
These difficulties come to everybody. If it were not so, then the perfection in Yoga would take place within a few days.
Human nature, as a rule, cannot always remain inside. But when one can feel the Mother in every condition, within and without, this difficulty lingers no more. Try to have this state.
It is the impurities in nature that create difficulties for a sadhak. Sex-desire, ignorance and so on are among the impurities in human nature. These are in everybody. When they appear, one should calmly detach oneself from them and reject them without being perturbed. If you say, “I am a sinner” and so on, that adds to your weakness. You ought to say, “This is man’s impure nature. If it remains part of his ordinary life, it may remain there. I don’t want all this. I want God alone. I want the Divine Mother. These are not things of my true consciousness. As long as they come I will steadily reject them. I will not allow myself to be agitated.”
Sex-force is in every human being. This impulse is one of nature’s main instruments by which it drives man, creates family, society and world. The life of creatures depends much on it. That is why the sex-impulse is there in everybody. Nobody is an exception. Even in spite of sadhana it does not easily cease to cling on. It recurs in the body and the vital till the nature is transformed. But then the sadhak should keep on his guard, control, reject and drive it out as many times as it comes. In this way it vanishes in the end.
Go on quietly with your sadhana. Slowly and steadily all the things of the old nature that still exist in you will go.
Every one has difficulties. There is no sadhak without them. Remain calm within. You will get help even in difficulties. True consciousness will develop on all the planes.
It is a great obstacle on your part always to think that you are bad, you are bad.
The only way to transform nature is to depend on the Mother and quietly reject the ordinary nature and conquer it by degrees.
All difficulties are not the products of hostile forces — they are the products of ordinary impure nature which exists in everybody.
One has to keep this kind of feeling and unquestioning faith. For this faith, belief and conviction in a sadhak greatly help the Mother’s Force to act.
Spiritual practice must be done with a firm and calm mind and with an unshakable faith and reliance on the Mother. Depression must find no place there. If it comes, it must be refused and cast aside. “I am low and mean, nothing can be done by me. The Mother has driven me off. I shall go away.” When these ideas come in, then you must know that they are the suggestions of the lower nature and are quite contrary to the truth of Yoga. Give no quarter to such ideas.
Why do you feel sorry? If one depends on the Mother and remains unperturbed in all circumstances, there can be no question of sorrow. Vainly does man expect happiness and peace from his fellow-beings.
Once an inner union with the Mother has been formed, instead of this thought and fear one has to keep this certitude and the faith in the Mother that Her victory is inevitable, in spite of thousands of difficulties, innumerable mistakes and all obscurity in the outer nature.
Always one has to keep absolute faith in the Mother that one is in her hands, that everything will be done through her power. And therefore the obstacle can create no sorrow and despair.
Don’t worry on that account. It is not easy always to remember the presence of the Mother. When the whole being is filled with the Mother’s presence, then you will remember her automatically, and you can by no means forget her.
Go on with your sadhana in a quiet manner. Sorrow or despair will no longer remain in you. All darkness will disappear in the long run.
It happens to everybody. It is very difficult to remain always in a good condition. It takes much time — go on steadily with your meditation. Don’t be perturbed. Everything will be
done in time.
Sadhana means to feel the Mother near and within, to feel that the Mother is doing everything and to receive everything of the Mother in oneself. Having this state if one pays attention to studies, then there can be no harm.
Yes, if one weeps like that one becomes weak. At every moment, in each condition, steadily and silently depend on the Mother and aspire for her. Then the good conditions reappear.
It is not possible to leave out any part of the being; all of it has to be transformed. A particular movement of Nature may be given up but the parts of the being are permanent.
In course of sadhana there comes a state when it seems as if there were two distinct beings. One remains occupied with the inner things, pure and tranquil it lives in the vision and experience of the divine truth or is identified with it; the other is busy with the outer details. Then a divine unity is established between the two — the higher and inner world and the external world become one.
Only the front is awake in ordinary people, but this frontal awakened consciousness is not really awake but ignorant, full of obscurity. Behind it stretches the field of the inner being which in appearance seems to be asleep. But when this envelope is removed, the consciousness behind is seen uncovered and it is there that the light, force and peace first descend. This inner being can easily accomplish what is not possible to the external awakened consciousness. By opening itself to the Divine and the universal consciousness, it can become the vast free consciousness.
If these attacks cannot enter or if, when they do, they do not last, it has to be understood that the outer being has become conscious, and there has been a great progress in its purification.
When the tamasic state, rising from the subconscient, attacks the body, one feels as if one were ill. Call the Mother’s force from above into your body, all this will go away.
To get rid of the subconscient difficulties, first one has to recognise them, next reject them, and finally bring the inner or the higher light of the Mother into the body consciousness. Then the ignorant movements of the subconscient will be driven away and the movements of the other consciousness will be established. But this cannot be done easily; you have to do it patiently; a determined patience is required. Trust in the Mother is the only means. However, if one can remain inside and maintain the inner vision and consciousness, there is not much suffering and labour — but it is not always possible to do this and it is then that faith and patience are particularly necessary.
When the physical consciousness becomes strong, it covers up everything and tries to spread all over the being, this state is produced because when the physical consciousness in its distinct nature expresses itself, everything seems to be full of inertia and obscurity, void of the light of knowledge and the drive of force. Do not give your assent to this condition — if it comes, call the Mother’s light and force to enter into the body-consciousness and make it luminous and powerful.
The physical centre is situated at the end of the vertebral column, in what is called the muladhar; it does not often reveal its position but its presence can be felt.
This is the vital purusha who has his seat in the emotional vital. There are three layers of the vital purusha — in the heart, in the navel and below the navel. In the heart he is the emotional being; in the navel the being of desire; and below it the sensational being, in other words, busy with the pull of the senses and the small instincts of life.
Only the Self is so vast and limitless, etc. When the mind, vital and physical consciousness are fully open, they also become like that — the external mind, life and body are only instruments for the play and transaction with external nature. When the external mind, vital and body become full of light and consciousness they then no longer seem to be narrow and limited. They also become one with the inner.
There are many movements of mind which have no coherence; this is as true of a sadhak as of an ordinary person, this happens to all. But the sadhak observes and is aware of them, whereas an ordinary person does not know what is happening within himself. By constantly turning everything to the Divine the mind becomes unified.
There are three layers of the ordinary mind. The layer of thought or intellect, the layer of will-power (will directed by the intellect) and the outgoing intelligence. There are also three layers above the mind — higher mind, illumined mind, and intuitive mind. Since you see them inside the head, they must be those three layers of the ordinary mind open to what is above it and in each one a special divine force is coming down to work.
When this vast condition prevails in the head, it means the mind is widening to become one with the universal mind. The throat etc. becoming vast indicates that the consciousness in those respective centres is also beginning to widen.
To live in the higher mind is not so difficult — it begins when the consciousness rises a little above the head. But the ascent to the Overmind takes a long time, one cannot do it unless one is a very great sadhak. If one can live in these planes, the limitations of the mind are broken down, the consciousness becomes vast, the petty ego-sense decreases, everything is one, all is in the Divine, etc. — then the divine or spiritual knowledge comes easily.
The sadhana is done according to the needs of the time. Formerly, it was the inward sadhana, the stage of simple meditation. Now it is necessary to unite the inner and the outer — down to the body-consciousness.
There are many kinds of knowledge depending on the consciousness. The knowledge of the higher consciousness is true and spotless — the knowledge of the lower consciousness is a mixture of knowledge and ignorance and is stained. The knowledge of the intellect is of one particular nature, the knowledge of the Supramental Consciousness is of a different nature, beyond the intellect. The peaceful knowledge belongs to the higher consciousness.
This is the staircase of the higher consciousness — there are many levels of this consciousness. One mounts by these stairs from plane to plane till one reaches the Supermind — the boundless, luminous and blissful infinity of God.
The world above is the plane of the higher consciousness and it is descending by our sadhana. The material world at present is full of a violent dance of the hostile vital world and heading towards destruction.
The psychic being is a portion of the Divine; it has a natural attraction for the truth and the Divine but that attraction is desireless, free from demands and lower cravings. The psychic emotion is pure and stainless. The emotional vital is a part of it and has much desire, demand, pride and indignation, etc. It wants the Divine in order to satisfy its pride and desire but the psychic touch can make it pure and immaculate.
The psychic being remains behind the mind, vital and body, in contact with them. Beyond the mind is the spiritual being and the higher consciousness.
The place of the psychic being is behind and all the centres are situated behind; for instance, the heart centre, the vital centres, the physical centre are connected there with the vertebral column and have their base there. That is why the condition of the consciousness behind is very important.
All depends on the predominance of the psychic — the external nature is busy satisfying its little ego, desires and cravings; the mental being is occupied with the self, but the petty ego derives little pleasure from that, it longs for pettiness. The psychic being is occupied with the Divine, it alone can make the surrender — only the psychic being can control the external nature.
Either the psychic being must become the director (ruler, driver and guide) and open the intellect, mind, vital and physical consciousness or the higher consciousness must descend right into the physical consciousness and occupy the entire vessel, then a solid foundation will be established in the material consciousness.
It is the consciousness of the psychic and the heart that has opened — what comes from above is the light and peace of the higher mind and the Divine Consciousness. What looks like the moon rising is the current of spiritual aspiration flowing from the psychic.
This is what is wanted — to open the lotus in the heart, to bring the whole nature under the control of the psychic being, this will bring about the New Birth.
Self-control — Purification of Nature — Peace and Surrender
To have self-control — not to be attracted to anyone, not to encourage the vital pull of anyone and not to throw any vital spell or attraction on a person — this is called remaining sincere within oneself.
Why do you speak of sin — it is not sin but human weakness. The soul is ever pure, the psychic being too is always pure and the inner mind, vital and physical can also become pure, yet the old weaknesses of character stick to the outer nature of the external being for a long time; it is difficult to acquire a perfect purity, complete sincerity, determination; patience and an ever wakeful vigilance are necessary. If the psychic being remains in front, ever awake, exercising its influence, there is nothing to fear, but often it is not so. The Rakshasi Maya, the evil nature, dupes the mind and finds a way of entry through this old weak point. So every time it has to be chased away and the road blocked.
The vital must not be destroyed; no work can be done without it, indeed life could not be maintained. The vital has to be transformed and made into an instrument of the Divine.
Keep within you the peace and the Mother’s force and light and do everything peacefully — then there is no need of anything else — all this will clear up.
This is a conflict of two opposite influences — when the influence of the forces of truth touches the body, everything is cured — the influence of ignorance brings back disease, pain and neurosis.
All that is in the ignorance dwells as light-darkness within a universal consciousness, but that does not mean that light and darkness have the same value. One has to reject darkness and welcome light.
It is not at all necessary to observe rules. If one refuses calmly, quietly and with determination, then gradually the hold of ignorance falls away. If one is upset, (impatient, blind or loses hope), then the forces of ignorance become stronger and gather more courage to attack.
The difficulties do not go away easily. Even all the difficulties of a very great sadhak do not disappear in a moment on a fixed day. I have already said it many times that one has to remain peaceful and unagitated and slowly advance with full trust in the Mother — it cannot be done in an instant. “I want everything today”: if you make this demand, it may create more difficulties. One has to remain calm and quiet.
There cannot be any ego behind the psychic and the psychic condition. However, the ego coming from the vital tries to associate itself with the psychic. If you observe anything of this nature, do not accept it but surrender it to the Mother in order to be freed from it.
The straight road is the way of the psychic; it goes up without winding on the strength of surrender and in the light of true vision; somewhat straight, somewhat circuitous is the path of the mental askesis and completely tortuous is the path of the vital, full of desire and lacking in knowledge; but as the vital has true yearning, it is nevertheless possible to go by that road.
First, the consciousness must be empty and vast in which the light and force from above can find room. If it is not emptied, the old movements continue to play and the things from above do not find a suitable place.
This kind of emptiness comes to the sadhak when the higher consciousness descends into the mind and the vital in order to prepare them before occupying them. Also when the Self is experienced, its first touch brings a vast peaceful emptiness; later on a vast and massive peace and silence, a calm and immutable Ananda descend into that emptiness.
In this yoga the realisation cannot be attained by going upwards alone — the realisation will come when the higher truth, peace and light, etc. descend and get fixed in the mind, vital and body.
If the higher consciousness comes down and you reject all the falsehood of the mind, vital and body, the truth will be established.
It will not do to be entirely silent nor is it good. In the early stage to remain silent and grave as much as possible is favourable to sadhana — when the external nature will be full of the Mother, the true consciousness will remain even while speaking and laughing, etc.
Contact with the higher consciousness and descent of the nature of that higher consciousness, its peace, knowledge and depth — are the only means of obtaining siddhi in the yoga.
The vital has to be controlled and the Force allowed to occupy the mind, vital and body.
This state of sleep is very good. Sleep must be conscious like this.
It happens like this when sleep becomes conscious — the sadhana continues in sleep as in waking.
The rule in this sadhana is to bring down everything, to have all the spiritual experiences in the waking state. Of course, in the early stages there is more meditation and it may be very beneficial right to the end — but, if the experiences are obtained in meditation only, the entire being is not transformed. For this reason to have them in a waking state is a good sign.
Peace is the first to come; unless the whole instrument becomes full of peace, it is difficult for the knowledge to descend. Once peace is established, the vast infinite consciousness of the Mother manifests itself; the ego is drowned in it and finally disappears without leaving any trace. In that infinity only the Mother and Her eternal portion are left.
This is very good. It is a genuine experience. When this peace spreads in the entire being and becomes firm, solid and durable, the first foundation of the spiritual consciousness is established.
To bring down peace and force in the nervous system is the only way to strengthen the nerves.
What you have been told from within is really true. Only errors, blunders, falsehood and suffering come from the external consciousness which is a field for the play of the little ego. One has to remain within — the real consciousness which has true feeling and true vision and is free from the least taint of ego, pride and desire; let that grow. Then the Mother’s consciousness will be established in you. Pride, conflict and the difficulties of the human nature will come to an end.
The more one thinks of the obstacles, the more power they have over one. One should open oneself to the Mother and think more of the Divine, of the light, peace and Ananda.
This limitless peace, the more it increases, the better it is. Peace is the foundation of the yoga.
When this empty state comes, remain calm and call the Mother. Everyone has this empty state, only when it is full of peace, can it be beneficial. If there is unrest, it gives no result.
Experience, Direct Perception and Realisation
Experiences are not useless — they have their place; in other words, they prepare the direct perception, help the being to open and bring knowledge of other worlds and different planes. Integral experience and establishment of the divine peace, equality, light, knowledge, purity, vastness, Presence, experience of the Self, divine felicity, experience of the universal consciousness (which destroys ego), desireless pure divine love, vision of the Divine everywhere, etc. bring the true realisation. The first step leading to these experiences is the descent of peace from above and its firm foundation in the being and all around it.
These experiences are valuable and contain some truth and help one to progress in the sadhana. But these are not enough — what is wanted is the realisation, the divine peace, equality, purity, the descent and establishment of knowledge, power and Ananda of the higher consciousness — that is the real thing.
Plants have a life and a consciousness. It is easy to exchange feelings with them.
This feeling is very good. One has to feel what the Mother is giving within — people make so many mistakes by looking at the outward appearance. They forget to accept the inner gift or are incapable of receiving it.
The diamond light is the Mother’s light at its strongest. It is only natural for this light to come out of the body of the Mother like this and fall on the sadhak if he is in a good condition.
This to happen in the head means that the mind has fully opened and accepted the higher consciousness.
This is what is wanted — the external things going inwards, becoming one with the inner and accepting the inner attitude.
It is good to look upon the body in this way. However, even if the consciousness does not remain confined to the body and becomes vast and limitless, still one should consider the body as a part of the consciousness and an instrument of the Mother and one should transform the physical consciousness as well.
It is a very good sign; the lower consciousness is rising to unite with the higher.
This is your ājñā cakra, that is to say, the centre for the inner intelligence, thought, vision and will-power. Owing to the pressure, it has now opened and become luminous to such an extent that it has joined with the higher consciousness and spread its influence throughout the being. No, it is not imagination and it is not false either. The temple above is the higher consciousness, the temple below is the transformed consciousness of this mind, vital and body — the Mother has come down and erected this temple below and from there she is spreading her influence everywhere within you.
Good, the higher consciousness has to be brought down in this way, as a calm universalising of oneself, first in the head (in the mental plane, then in the emotional vital and the psychic in the heart), next in the navel and below the navel (in the vital), finally in the entire range of the physical.
This change (in the back) is very good. Often attacks of this nature come from behind but if the Mother’s force and consciousness are there, they cannot enter any more.
A white lotus signifies that the Mother’s consciousness is manifesting there.
The place of the higher consciousness is above the head. It starts just above the head and rises upwards to infinity. You are experiencing the presence of the vast peace and silence that are there. One has to bring down all this peace and consciousness into the entire being.
This greater plane may be the spiritual consciousness with the temple of truth in it. A connection has been established between your vital and that plane, and the higher force is going up and down as if over a bridge.
Many do not get the experience of the awakening of the Kundalini, some have it; the purpose of this awakening is to open up all the planes and join them to the higher consciousness, but this purpose can be served by other means as well.
An emanation or a part of Her being and consciousness comes out of the Mother to each sadhak and as her image and representative remains with him to help him. In fact, it is the Mother Herself who comes out in that form.
You have to live above in the vastness you are experiencing and inside in the depths, you have to live within that alone,— moreover, you have to bring down that vastness everywhere in nature, even in the lower nature. Then the transformation of the lower and the external nature can be permanently established. For, this vastness is the infinity of the Mother’s consciousness.
When the narrow lower nature is liberated into the vastness of the Mother’s consciousness, it will then be transformed to the very roots.
If experiences are disclosed in speech or writing, then they decrease or stop. And this happens to many. That is why the Yogins never tell their experiences to anybody or tell only when they are firmly established. But if you tell them to the Mother, they will not decrease, but increase. You must get settled in the habit of telling the experiences to the Mother.
The boy is God dwelling in your heart, and, no doubt, the Shakti is the Mother Herself.
The wheel is turning. It means that the Mother’s Force is at work in the outer being — its transformation will take place.
What you feel in the head is the physical mind, and what you feel below the navel is the lower vital.
This kind of identification with the Mother is the true sign of liberation.
Thus the transformation of the physical is possible when the body is filled with the Mother’s light.
This experience is very beautiful and true. Every ādhāra should be a temple like this. What you have heard — that the Mother will do everything and that you must remain immersed in her — is a great truth.
The girls you mention in your letter are the powers of the Mother on different planes. Your experiences are very good — your present condition is good — sadhana also is going on well. The difficulties come from the outer nature just to disturb you. Never accept them.
It is no imagination. The Mother has many personalities, each having a different form. They reveal themselves at times in her Body. The Mother comes down with light and power in tune with her sari. For each colour represents a force.
What you have seen is perfectly true. There is a centre of consciousness in the throat, and that is the centre of the externalising mind or the physical mental; that is to say, the mind that has the experience of speech, the mind that sees everything of the physical and is busy with it. The lower part of the head and the mouth are in its possession. If this mind is connected with the higher or inner consciousness and expresses them, then it is good. But it has a more intimate connection with Muladhar which is the centre of the lower vital and physical consciousness. That is why it happens so. It is very necessary to control that mind and speech so that it can be accustomed to express the inner and the higher consciousness and not the inert and the lower consciousness.
This kind of going down into the physical consciousness takes place in all the sadhaks, for without going down the transformation of nature is difficult.
It is a very good opening — the light of truth coming down from the Sun is a truth high above the higher mind.
The consciousness is opening towards the higher truth. The golden peacock is the victory of truth. The Mother’s Force is descending down to the physical. As a result, the golden light is descending and you are advancing quickly towards the Mother.
That part is the most unconscious which is behind the body and becomes illumined last of all. What you have seen is true.
Yes, what you have seen is correct. There are seven lotuses or seven circles above the head. But unless the higher mind is opened they cannot be seen.
What you have felt is the infinite vast of the higher consciousness, of something that is above. The head that comes circling down is of course not a gross physical head, but the mind-intellect. It goes up into the vast and comes down that way.
There are two states of void. One is physical, the inert (tamasic) material stillness within oneself. The other is that which precedes the descent of a vast peace and the sense of the self of the higher consciousness. One has to see which of the two has come, for both result in a stillness and the consciousness is left void.
The gifts of Maheshwari are peace, equanimity and the wideness of liberation. Because you need these things the Mother appears before you at your call.
This is a union of your inner mind and the inner mind of the Mother. In the forehead is the centre of the mind. When union takes place, then it awakens an attraction in the inner mind for the divine truth and it begins to rise.
A constant good state, a constant inner vision of the Mother do not fall to the lot of even the best of sadhaks. These can take place only when the sadhana has reached the stage of fulfilment. Every one has states of void as well as of fullness. Even in the void one should remain calm.
“How far have I come, how far yet have I to go?” — such questions are not of much avail. With Mother as Pilot, swim up-current. She will take you to your destined port.
The Mother alone is your destination. She contains everything in herself. To have her is to have everything. If you live in her Consciousness, there will be an automatic flowering of every other thing.
The Mother’s attitude never changes. It remains always the same. When a sadhak sees her according to his mental ideas, he finds her attitude changed. But this is not true.
If there is ruin, how can there be transformation? Rather the old nature of the vital and of the body should be ruined and not the vital and the body.
It is true that the Mother is in everybody and we should have a relationship with her there. But that is no human or personal relationship; it is oneness with her vast unity.
On one side is the increase of peace and the true consciousness; on the other, surrender. This alone is the real way.
It is a wrong desire to destroy the vital — if the vital is destroyed, the body cannot live; if the body does not live, sadhana cannot be done.
Perhaps, you have pulled down so much power that the body cannot bear it. Everything will become all right if you can remain a little quiet.
You are not without the Mother Divine. The Mother is really with you. It is to bring down the higher light and the higher consciousness that a sadhak goes down to hell. With this belief go on with a steady heart. The light and consciousness are sure to descend.
The Mother is already within you. The work of Shakti is going on behind the screen of the physical nature. Finally with the Light of the Mother the screen will become transparent.
One has to practise spirituality silently, calmly, fearlessly with the constant belief that the victory of the Mother is sure to take place.
Who will go away? Those who have no sincerity, no faith and trust in the Mother; those who look upon their own imagination as something greater than the will of the Mother, they might go away. But he who seeks the Truth, who has faith and confidence, who wants the Mother, has nothing to be afraid of; even if there are a thousand difficulties, he will surmount them; if he has numerous defects in his nature, he will rectify them; even if he falls, he will rise again and finally one day he will reach the goal of his sadhana.
This is not the right attitude, your sadhana has not been ruined; the Mother has not abandoned you; she has neither moved away from you nor is she displeased with you — these are vital imaginations and should not be given any place. Keep a simple and quiet confidence in the Mother. Without being afraid of the difficulties call in the Mother’s Force. All that you have received is inside; there will be even further progress.
Remain quiet and conscious. Call the Mother, the good condition will return. To make full surrender takes time. Surrender all that you find still remaining over. Only thus, by repeating it constantly, the surrender becomes complete.
Be always calm and let the higher Consciousness of the Mother descend into you — this alone will gradually transform your external consciousness.
Advance quietly by surrendering more and more. Whatever transformation of the old is required will gradually be effected.
There is no sadhak, in spite of his being a child of the Divine, who has not numerous little defects in his nature. As soon as one becomes aware of them, they have to be rejected; one has to aspire more ardently for the Mother’s Force so that these little defects of the nature may slowly be eradicated; but faith, surrender and reliance on the Mother must always remain intact. To get rid of these defects entirely is a matter of time; one must not be disturbed because they are there.
This should not upset you. In the path of yoga such a condition invariably comes — when it is time to descend into the physical consciousness and the Subconscient, and it may last long. But the Mother is there behind the veil and she will reveal herself later on; this lower Kingdom will be transformed into the Kingdom of light that is above — keep this strong faith and, by constantly surrendering all, advance towards the end of this stage that is full of difficulties.
Relation with the outer world must be maintained but all that must remain on the outer surface. You should live within, close to the Mother and watch everything from there — this is what is wanted. It is the first step of the Karmayoga. Then from within conduct all external work with the help of the Mother’s force. This is the second step. If you can do this, then you will not have any further trouble.
First of all, you must find the Mother within. Later on, when the external being comes under full control, you will constantly feel her even there.
This you should always remember, that if you go forward with full trust in the Mother, then whatever may be the circumstances and the difficulties, however long a time may be necessary, you will most certainly reach your goal — no obstacle, delay or adverse condition can mar the ultimate success.
In this sadhana just as you have to get rid of restlessness, so also sorrow must be given no place. You must rely on the Mother and advance with a steady heart and a quiet and cheerful mind. If you have full trust in the Mother, then where is the place for sorrow? The Mother is not far away but constantly near you. You must maintain this faith and knowledge.
It is not right to assume from her outer appearance during the Pranam or Darshan that the Mother is pleased or displeased. People are constantly making this error that the Mother is displeased, the Mother is severe, the Mother does not want me, she is keeping me away from her, etc. and so many other false notions; then yielding to despair they create their own difficulties on the way. Instead of doing all this, maintain an unshakable trust in the love and help of the Mother within you and go forward on the path of sadhana with a quiet and cheerful mind. Those who do that are safe. When the difficulties come and the ego rises up, they are not touched; they say, “The Mother is there, whatever she does is all right; though I may not see her for the time being, still she is with me, all around me; I have nothing to fear.” This is what you should do. One has to maintain this trust and continue to do the sadhana.
The condition must be such that the consciousness within remains united with the Mother, her force working in the being and the external consciousness acting as an instrument of that force. But this condition does not come fully or easily. Slowly, and by constant sadhana it becomes complete.
Inner Vision — Symbols — Colours
During the meditation, just as one can see different scenes, one can also see writings. We call these writings “inscriptions or sky-writings”. They can be seen with eyes closed or open.
These are symbols — a white flower is a symbol of consciousness, the sun represents Knowledge or Truth, the moon stands for the spiritual light, the star indicates creation, fire symbolises tapasya, askesis or aspiration.
Golden rose — love and surrender full of the true consciousness.
White lotus — the Mother’s Consciousness (Divine Consciousness).
The cow is a symbol of consciousness and light. A white cow means the higher pure consciousness.
The child is your psychic being who is bringing out the true things from within you — the road is that of the Higher Mind going up towards the Truth.
There are five fires in the Vedic sacrifice. If the five are not there, the sacrifice is incomplete. We may say that we need these five fires in the psychic, the mental, the vital, the physical and the subconscient.
The tree is the spiritual life within. Golden peacocks, sitting on every part of it, are symbols of victory of the Truth. The moon is the light of the spiritual force.
The lotus situated above the head is the centre of the Higher Consciousness. Probably this lotus wants to bloom. The spirituality that began to shine in the vital was the half moon. There had been an eclipse of the moon. The colour green means the true vital force. The sunrise here is the manifestation of the true consciousness in the vital plane.
The moon — spiritual light.
The elephant — strength.
The golden elephant — strength of the true consciousness.
Green is the colour of the light of emotions.
The sun has many forms and light many colours. The sun can equally be red, golden, blue or green, etc.
Blue — Higher Mind.
Sunlight — Light of Divine Truth.
Bright red — Divine Love or Force of the Higher Consciousness.
The upward movement of the vital being is towards the Divine and the Truth. The power of Truth (golden light) and of the Higher Mind (blue light) has manifested and is coming down and moving in that ascending vital consciousness.
The blue light is mine, the white light is the Mother’s. When the Higher Consciousness with its universality first begins to descend into the being, it is very natural to see blue light.
This is the Higher Consciousness above the mind from where peace, light, force, etc. come — the white lotus is the Mother’s Consciousness, the red lotus is my consciousness — knowledge and light of the Truth are always there.
Blue is the colour of the higher mind. Blue lotus: it is the opening of that higher mind in your consciousness.
White light is the light of the divine consciousness. Blue light is the light of the higher consciousness. The silver light is the light of spirituality.
The snake is a symbol of energy. A higher energy stands on the higher consciousness above the head.
Water is the symbol of consciousness. What rises up is desire or the askesis of consciousness.
It is my light if it is whitish blue. If pure blue, it is the light of the higher knowledge.
The significance of the colour of an orange is to have union with the Divine and to have the touch of a higher consciousness.
Muladhar is the inner centre of the physical. The pond is the opening or formation of consciousness. The red lotus is the symbol of Sri Aurobindo’s presence in that consciousness and the rosy light signifies the descending love in the inner physical.
The snake is an energy of nature. Muladhar (physical centre) is one of its main seats. It remains asleep there in a coiled state. When awakened by sadhana, it unites itself with the higher truth. With the descent of the Mother’s Force it has become golden, that is to say, filled with divine Truth.
All these experiences are the symbols of earthly outer nature.
Red lotus — The Divine Harmony.
Blue light — The higher consciousness.
Golden Temple — The temple of the Divine Truth.
Remain calm and quiet, then all these will slowly develop in your outer nature and life as well.
The white rose signifies loving surrender to the Mother. Its result will be the spread of light and truth in your ādhāra. The white lotus means the Mother’s fully awakened Consciousness on your mental plane. The red-gold is the radiance of the Supramental in the physical.
Don’t forget what I have said many times. Do your sadhana in a calm and quiet manner without getting agitated. Then everything will slowly come right. Crying aloud is no good. Call upon the Mother calmly. Open yourself to Her. The more quiet becomes the vital the more steadily goes on the sadhana without swerving.
Sitting calm and quiet remember the Mother and open yourself to Her. This is the rule of meditation.
To do both is best. If it were possible to do sadhana from a distance, that would be the best, but that cannot always be done. But the fact is that you have to do your sadhana by creating a place of safety or a fort in the psychic — that is to say, rely on the Mother calmly and quietly without getting restless, say cheerfully that what she says is right. These small imperfections are a greater obstacle than big ones. But they have to be slowly brought out and imperfections turned into perfections. This cannot be done all at once.
So, it is not good to feel sorry and be impatient. The Mother’s Force will gradually do everything.
The straight road to truth is open in the heart. Whatever is offered goes up to the Mother and gets merged in her Truth and becomes all truth.
Don’t be afraid or upset. This is the way of Yoga. You have to get over the dark state; you have to remain quiet even in darkness.
The tapasya is this: to be quiet, to call upon the Mother, to reject calmly restlessness, despair, desires and lusts.
At the outset peace, truth, etc., get established within, then they turn into action.
It is not right to fear the void. It is into the void that the divine Peace comes down. The Mother is always within you. But one cannot feel this unless truth, power and light are there.
Is it not a big boast that all this has happened only for you? “I am very good, very powerful, everything is being done by me, without me the Mother’s work cannot be done.” This is undeniably a kind of vanity. “I am worse than the worst. Everything has come to a stand-still owing to my opposition. God cannot carry on his work.” This is, in an opposite way, another sort of vanity.
Always remain quiet, calmly calling in the Mother’s Force and throwing aside all worry.
The child is your psychic being. It is the difficulty of the outer nature that rises up and climbs down from the chest. It does not want to admit the inner truth and wants to cover it up.
That place is the place of the psychic being in the middle of the spine. What you have described are all the signs of the psychic being.
Yes, the centre of man’s consciousness is in the heart and there is the seat of the psychic being.
That straight, illumined path is the real one. But it takes time to get to it. If once that path is reached, then there will not be much difficulty and hindrance.
If you take to the path of the psychic and, like a child, lie on the lap of the Mother, then this kind of sex-impulse and so on can do nothing even if they attack. Finally they will not be able to come.
I have already given you answers to this sort of questions. Keep within your depths. Look at everything from within. Don’t look with your outer eyes. If you remain in the outer consciousness, then you may make many mistakes under the cloak of thought. The psychic being gradually becomes strong within. It is the psychic being that sees the truth and turns everything into its fullness.
These experiences are good — this fire is the psychic fire — and the condition you have described is the psychic condition into which nothing impure can come.
Truly seen. The road of the psychic lies above in the truth-consciousness. Centring round the psychic all the planes begin to turn to the Divine in one and the same way. That road leads upward. The little baby is your psychic being.
That is what is wanted — the lotus in the heart should always remain open, the whole nature should remain under the control of the psychic being. Thus a new birth can take place.
Yes, this is the true psychic attitude. One who can have always this state in all circumstances can go straight to one’s goal.
Pride — Impurity — Grief — Despair
When the consciousness becomes wide and universal and sees the Mother in the whole universe, then the ego does not stick. Only your true being, which is the Mother’s child and her portion, rests on the Mother’s lap.
To be sure, we have not left you. When depression comes in then you brood over this kind of thought. At times you come to the outer consciousness and do not feel the Mother. And simply because of that it is not proper to think that the Mother has forsaken you. Once more go deep within, you will feel Her there.
It means that the stamp of pride, ignorance and desire remains for a long time even in the good periods of good sadhaks. But when the consciousness becomes purer — as it has begun to become in you — then the mixture of ignorance will disappear.
These difficulties are useless disturbances of the vital. One has to proceed silently along the path of spirituality. No quarter should be given to sorrow and despair.
Of course, in this kind of talk much impurity of the vital can get in. Irritation and dislike towards the Mother, envy of others, depression, sorrow — these are the things one has to get rid of.
Always one has to keep this condition, this true knowledge. One should see men and things with a spiritual sense, with the vision of the psychic and not in the pride of knowledge.
From Muladhar down to the sole of the foot is called the physical plane. Below is the domain of subconscience.
There are many planes above and below. But mainly there are four planes below. They are the mental, the psychic, the vital and the physical. And above there are many planes, the Supermind and Sachchidananda being the highest.
If it happens that you go down at all, bring down there the Mother’s light and power by your aspiration. Establish the kingdom of the Mother below as it is above.
When the consciousness descends into the physical, it does not mean that the results of all sadhana have gone, they really remain behind the veil. One has to bring down the consciousness, the light and the power of the Mother into the obscure physical. When these are established the former state will not recur. But if you are perturbed, depressed and think that nothing can be done in this life and that to die is preferable and so on, then it becomes an obstacle for the consciousness, the power and the light to descend. That is why these wrong feelings have to be rejected and you should depend on the Mother and silently aspire to Her.
1 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.4: smallness
2 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.4: we