Daily Questions

The word soul is used in a general way to mean the immortal divine element in man. It is a spark of the Divine that does not die with the death of the body. In its course of passage through lives this immortal divine element, the soul, evolves and puts out of itself a psychic personality. It is our true individuality and as it grows it begins to replace the ego individuality which is a construct of Nature. The lines along which each psychic being must grow and manifest the latent divinity in it is already mapped out as a blue print in the central being. However, the Central Being always remains above the play. It enters into the play of Time and Space by sending only a portion of it. This is the individual soul. It is this soul that will eventually grow and crystallise into a psychic being putting forth a psychic personality out of itself. The fully developed psychic being then fuses with the central being from where it had emerged as a soul-spark. Once this happens then the soul now grown into a psychic being becomes fully conscious of its work and mission and goes about fulfilling it.

Though the contact with the psychic being may take various forms, it invariably comes with the certitude of the discovery. Yet in a general sense, we may say the following things mark the discovery of the psychic being within us.

When we discover and identify ourselves with the psychic being we no more mistake ourselves to be the body or the limited surface personality. We know ourselves to be immortal and no more attached to any particular mode or form of living. We know we are a portion of the Divine beyond any doubt. This conviction is not born through a process of reasoning but as a spontaneous identification awakens within us. It is somewhat like we know that we exist without truly needing to reason it. Somewhat similarly we believe we are this or that person depending upon which part of our complexity we identify with. In a similar way we know that we are the psychic being without really calling it thus. We are the conscious of our immortality, conscious of the Divine Presence within us. We recognize the Divine Mother and compel our whole being to progressively surrender our life to Her.

With the awakening of the psychic being, there is also the spontaneous birth of aspiration within us since the seat of this fire of aspiration is in the soul of man. There is also the birth of faith that is no more dependent upon proofs (as the mind is), or on receiving rewards or the show of miracles (as the vita is prone to). The natural movement of the psychic being is to give itself unconditionally to the Guru or to God without demanding or expecting anything in return. It gives for the joy of giving and because it can thus give itself to God so does it receive also completely abundantly.

The psychic being tends to recognize the hand of Grace everywhere. Even if the mind doubts because of the appearances that life presents to us or the vital feels disappointed, the psychic being lives always in the overwhelming presence of the Grace and by doing so actually helps the other parts open and become receptive to the Grace. It always lives in a state of surrender to the Grace.
Another thing that happens with the awakening of the psychic being is the opening of doors to an intuitive knowledge which reveals to us in one glance the truth of things hidden behind appearances. It separates the true from the false in a single glance as the mythical swan that can separate milk from water.

The influence of the psychic being on the mind is to turn our thoughts into a radiance turning naturally towards God as the sea heaves towards the moon drawn and attracted towards it spontaneously. It makes our mind wide and supple and open to the Light and Truth. Its influence upon the heart is to awaken within us some touch of the Divine Love that gives itself and takes a joy in the giving. This love is full of sweetness and is instinct with beauty and harmony. Its influence upon the life is to remove from it all that is crude and ugly and refine each and every movement as fire refines gold removing all that is dull and drab and the dross covering it. It brings out the secret truth of everything, however small it may be. It can detect the little grain of gold buried within thick coats and husk of nature. It gives to the body health and ease and fills the spaces of nature with a sweetness and a warmth, a radiance and a glow, a peace and joy that do not depend upon any outer conditions.

The psychic being orients our nature to the true, the beautiful, the good. It feels a sorrow when our nature turns in contrary directions not listening to the voice of the soul. but instead of insisting it steps back and waits for the fields of nature to be ready through experience absorbing them and turning all things, however bitter and painful they may be, into honey.
Most of all with the awakening and identification with the psychic being our values are reversed. what gave us pleasure and happiness is often seen as a state of depravity and misery, a bondage to error and ignorance, whereas what seems to be a suffering begins to reveal its hidden face of good and Grace. In each and every circumstance it shows us the hand of God.

It is natural for the psychic being to first choose as friends those who are fellow seekers or God-lovers, and stay away from those who doubt and are hostile to God. But as it matures into a universal vision of God then it can see Him in all beings and creatures though it keeps its discrimination always and knows the true from the false, the covering and the coat from the person within.
To start with this can serve as a good enough guide to see whether we are in contact with the psychic being or not. However, this is only a beginning. There is no end to the discoveries we can make as we come in contact more and more with the Divine through the psychic door. It opens the doors to the Divine Infinity and Eternity.

At the highest plane all is fixed. However, in this world, which is what concern us, fixity and freedom walk together. We have our role in determining our fate, at least to some extent. This is so because we carry within us the divine element which is potentially beyond the law that governs the world. The closer we draw to this divine element within us, greater the power we exercise upon our fate.

As to Death, there are certainly periods of time during which there is a great vulnerability and possibility of death even if the body is apparently healthy. But it is not definitive. If one can pass through this period then once again a window opens during which life seems to sail relatively smoothly. What is needed most during these critical vulnerable phases is faith and endurance.

Each soul is on its own unique journey and all associations however beautiful come to pass in this world. However, whatever is rooted in some deeper truth of our being tends to return until its deep purpose is over.

Dear V., these phases come as part of the journey of life. Yoga opens the doors to the cushioning power of Grace as we walk through life. The Divine Mother’s Grace helps us overcome these phases faster, makes us see the inner movements that opens the doors to these attacks and, finally helps us change in a way that we are no more vulnerable to the attacks. All this takes time and one has to endure the process with faith. After all anxiety, worry, fear arise due to the diminution of faith and sufficient trust in the Divine Grace. It is these things that arise from the subconscient parts and veil us from the Divine and even close us to the action of the Grace.

What is needed is to get back the faith, to open to the Mother by calling Her Name as often as you can and dedicating your actions to Her. Do spend some time connecting to Her through the easiest of ways by reading books by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother especially Savitri, Prayers and Meditations, Rays of Light, White Roses. Also do some exercises and keep yourself busy. It will help if you can take out an hour and do some activity, some work in the spirit of nishkama karma, selflessly, consecrating it to the Mother and in a state of inner Remembrance.

To know more about Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga I would suggest the following apart from the talks you have been listening.

Read books of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Start with small booklets of the Mother and magazines such as the All India Magazine. Then as you get accustomed to the ideas and the language you can dip deeper into the books.

Read books on the life of Sri Aurobindo such as Twelve years with Sri Aurobindo and Sri Aurobindo, his life unique.

Visit some nearby centre or study circle dedicated to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

Plan a visit to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram when you feel you are ready and the urge to understand the yoga grows stronger.

It is indeed a difficult labour. It comes partly by applying a mental control, but for this the mental will must be purified by the Buddhi turned towards and inwards in seeking the Divine. Swadhyaya of uplifting spiritual books helps purify the Intelligence which in turn can better control the vital.

One can also refine the vital through art, music, painting, poetry and make it disciplined through sports and methodical physical exercises.

But this is not enough. The final victory comes only when the mind and thought, the awakened Intelligence is absorbed more and more in the Divine. Here the practice of calling God’s Name, meditation upon His Presence and surrendering oneself to God brings the final touch.

A GIFT OF LOVE TO THE WORLD
Most of all enjoy Savitri. It is Sri Aurobindo’s gift of Love to the world. Read it from the heart with love and gratitude as companions and drown in its fiery bliss. That is the true understanding rather than one that comes by a constant churning of words in the head.

WHEN
Best would be to fix a time that works for you. One can always take out some time for the reading, even if it be late at night when one is done with all the daily works. Of course, a certain receptivity is needed. If one is too tired or the reading becomes too mechanical as a ritual routine to be somehow finished it tends to be less effective, as with anything else. Hence the advice is to read in a quiet receptive state.

THE PACE
As to the pace of reading it is best to slowly build up and keep it steady. To read a page or a passage daily is better than reading many pages one day and then few lines or none for days. This brings a certain discipline in the consciousness which makes one receptive. What it means is that one should fix up that one would read a few passages or a page or two daily, and then if an odd day one is enjoying and spontaneously wants to read more then one can go by the flow.

COMPLETE OR SELECTIONS?
It is best to read at least once from cover to cover. But if one is not feeling inclined for that do read some of the beautiful cantos and passages whose reference one can find in various places. This helps us familiarise with the epic and the style of poetry. Later one can go for the cover to cover reading.

READING ALOUD, SILENTLY OR WRITING DOWN?
One can read it silently. Loud reading is needed only if one is unable to focus with silent reading. A mantra is more potent when read subtly. I am aware that some people recommend reading it aloud which is fine if that helps one better. A certain flexibility in these things is always good and rigid rules either ways are not helpful.

One can also write some of the beautiful passages with which one feels suddenly connected. It is a help in the yoga since such a writing involves the pouring in of the consciousness of Savitri through the brain and nerves and the hand.

Reflecting upon some of these magnificent lines and passages while one is engaged in one\s daily activities helps to create a background state for our inner being to get absorbed in Savitri more and more.

HOW DO I UNDERSTAND THE MEANING? DO I NEED A DICTIONARY?
It is helpful if a brief background about the Canto is known. This helps the mind top focus and also to keep in sync with the overall scene and sense of what is being read.

But it is best not to keep referring to the dictionary while reading. Let the overall sense emerge. Specifics can be done during a detailed reading later and it may not be necessary at all. Besides the sense that Sri Aurobindo has given to many words may not be accurately conveyed by the standard dictionaries. A flexibility is required to understand the subtle suggestions hinted at by the Master-poet.

In this sense Savitri is in the line of Vedic poetry using images that are at once profound as well as commonplace. That is the beauty of mystic poetry. These are things actually experienced and seen by Sri Aurobindo, and ultimately it is Their Grace that alone can reveal the intrinsic sense of this supreme revelation of the Supreme.

Born Free means having no desires and being conscious of the Soul and its purpose. It also means free from all preconceived ideas and notions with no specific bondage or attachment to any form or mode of life. Moksha is only one aspect of it which means freedom from Ignorance, someone who knows who one really is. But even those who have attained Moksha and are inwardly free may yet remain tied to certain ideas in the mind or to a certain country or religion of their birth.

Difficulties are always there upon earthly life. The Seers, Yogis, Avatars all have difficulties, both in the nature as well as outside and around them. If you see the life of Avatars and even God realised persons, especially the Avatar, you will see them having more difficulties than the average person. Their burden is much greater because they are bearing it for many and not just their own.

There are rare souls who can return after Moksha but once upon earth they have to face the challenges. However, being conscious within they go through the difficulties differently and more consciously. Born free or returning after Moksha is not synonymous with the Avatar which is a special Divine Manifestation for a specific earthly work.

There is no special technique to it.
The goal is to remember Her in a way that one completely forgets oneself.
For this one chooses either the heart (centre of the chest) or the head (anywhere) or both to fix one’s concentration on Her Name and Form.
It takes years and years and one has to go on patiently.
It is best not to monitor or focus on what is happening within oneself.
The Divine knows our heart and will reveal whenever She Wills and the way She Wills.
There should be no over-eagerness for any experience, just the joy of remembrance.
It takes long… one has to wait whatever time it takes.