Daily Questions

Q: Can we read Savitri to get liberation from birth-death cycle or to attain Moksha, or is it exclusively for those who practice integral yoga and want transformation? Can we learn Savitri? Will it help ordinary seekers to realise self or is it too high for such persons?

ALOKDA: Everything is there in Savitri. It is not a book but a power. It is a living body of Truth, not a limited one-sided formula of Truth but the infinite Truth crammed in a book carrying the power to uplift us from peak to peak, summit to summits of glory and wisdom and power and bliss. It is a mantra of transformation and can there be any true transformation as long as our consciousness remains bound to the ignorance. Liberation is on the way to transformation. However the difference is that in this yoga it does not come in the traditional way by cutting oneself off from nature while leaving this field untouched. In this yoga the liberation comes by a progressive growth of consciousness, by discovering the secret psychic being within us and uniting with it, by an opening to the higher planes of consciousness through which one can glimpse the true Self. Savitri helps us to arrive at all these divine possibilities by helping the consciousness to grow by its contact. It is the living body of the dual consciousness of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother as one.

As to high and low it again depends on what we mean by it and what is our aspiration and demand from life. Nothing precious comes easily. So should one settle for the low because the price is high for that which is truly precious? Should not one rather strive in such a way as to reach the heights and pay the price needed for scaling the summits? Besides can man truly be happy for long with a low and fallen state? I do not think so. his very erect posture signified that he is destined climb high and move towards the future where his eyes are set to gaze. We are meant for those summits since we have come here from That, in fact we are That. All this Savitri not only reveals to us in unparalleled rhythms of beauty and light but also radiates from within its words the power that would change us towards the vision of the future that it embodies. It is thus not only a vision but also an action, not just wisdom but also the power to execute the wisdom contained within it. But most of all it is delight. To read Savitri is to be immersed in delight, the delight that has built the worlds, the all creative Ananda of the Divine.

Of course any one can read it but the degree of what one would receive will depend upon the individual receptivity and opening towards the truths it contains. This is true of everything. Even if the Divine is right in front of us we receive only according to what we really seek and aspire with sincerity. How the asuras practicing severe austerities end up only with an aggrandised ego whereas a child (Prahlad) born in a daitya kula yet endowed with a simple faith and devotion realises what is rare even for great yogis and tapaswis. So while Savitri is indeed a tremendous help, the most important of Sri Aurobindo’s as per his own saying and the Mother’s, in fact the whole of it is laden with the rhythm and force of the transforming power, yet we must be in a certain state of receptivity to progress through it. No doubt even if we read it mere mechanically yet the progress will take place but it is not the same thing as when we do so consciously and with a sincere aspiration to remould our present animal-human existence into the divine superhumanity of the future.

Self-respect is also a form of the ego. Most of the time it is a Sattwic ego though sometimes the Rajasic nature can also lay hold upon it. Like all other forms and movements of the Sattwic ego this has to be sacrificed only at the altar of the Divine. Once the psychic being comes out and the ego-self becomes soft enough under its influence that one no more feels insulted or at least one is able to brush it aside quickly as a line sketched on sand. A complete freedom from these feelings comes only when the ego-self is annulled and the Divine has taken its place.

This does not mean that one should let anyone insult us with impunity. Even when you are freed from the sense of insult and self-respect since we know that our identity is not this temporary mould of personality, we may yet sometimes admonish the person who is insulting us as it may be just the right thing to do for his progress. But whether we will respond or simply turn away in indifference will depend upon the moment’s truth.

Q: I heard different opinions about the Mother’s Agenda. Should a devotee read it?

A: The short answer is yes one should read the Agenda because it contains some very important aspects of Her life and work that one does not find elsewhere. However it is best to read it after one has read Her earlier works, at least the Conversations and Prayers and Meditations. The Agenda contains the aspect of sadhana during the physical transformation and portions of Her life as connected with this work. To read it prematurely (or as some do only) may give an erroneous impression of what the yoga is about.

Secondly should also remember that the Agenda contains quite a few remarks and impressions of Satprem to which the Mother responded in a certain contextual way. This contains Her remarks about some disciples about whom the Mother has said very different things at different times. Reading about them only through the Agenda gives a very skewed idea about them.

Thirdly, the last bit about the Mother’s physical withdrawal was written by Satprem in a state of personal anguish and anger and hence should not be taken as a gospel of Truth. He was not personally present during the last 6 months and the account of those present and intimately involved is different in many respects.

All in all it is a gold mine but with mixtures due to the very nature of the conversation, mainly with one particular disciple. One has to have the discernment to discard the mixture which is often not easy as it gets blended with the conversation or is prompted by the disciple with a clear motivated intention. If one can discern between the two and keep mainly to Her Yoga and Life as recounted in the Agenda then it is no doubt a very useful document. Though portions of the Agenda are published in Collected Works of the Mother Volume 10 and 11 which contains most of the important milestones, yet there are interesting links missing which one finds in the Agenda.

Q: Can someone who does not love God and hates him to some extent (because, obviously I can’t love someone who tortures my family and the world every moment and is egoistic & eccentric enough to do anything just to have HIS play irrespective of how much we suffer) find God?

A: Coming to your question of hating God, well one is free to do so. Hate is one form of relation we form with the world or with its Creator. Our faith, in this case that God is to be hated because He tortures, becomes the path for relating with Him. This too is a kind of faith (that God is a cruel torturer) and hence it opens the door to this kind of relationship. In other words our life and its events only tend to justify our faith in God as the cruel torturer since that is the term and condition. Everything then comes with this taint since that is needed for our progress. Through hate we remember Him and hence events and circumstances happen that keep justifying our hatred. It is the path that Asuric beings follow. The end of course is inevitable as everything eventually draws us to Him through the different routes that humanity follows. The route of hate and opposition to God is also a path but its journey is fraught with suffering and pain.

A better path is that instead of assuming that He likes to torture because one’s family members are in pain, one tries to understand its reasons. If we sincerely try to aspire for the knowledge of what God is doing with us then we do begin to understand His play. Unfortunately, very often we end up projecting our egoism and hatred / cruelty upon God and paint Him with our own consciousness. Knowing this subtle truth, the saints advise us to love God because when we love someone, we grow fast into the likeness of the one whom we love. As we grow into His likeness, we begin to truly understand how His Love works in creation even when the appearances are dark. Then the same situation appears differently and behind the torture and the pain we see the long arm of Love leaning over us holding and supporting us through it all.

It is only when we love and grow into the likeness of God that we can understand the mysterious play and the countless forces operating from behind as well as our own role in it. After all God cannot be held responsible for anything and everything that happens in our life. We are quick to take credits and even more quick to blame God. So if we are to blame Him for all the suffering in our life then we might as well as give Him credit for all the joy and good also and see in the sum balance whether the scale tilts towards the cruel torturer or the benevolent guide.

Black magic is a kind of occult knowledge which misuses the dark forces of the lower vital and subconscient domains. It is mostly used to harm or hurt people out of enmity or some such dark motive. It moves the mind to dark depressing thoughts and suggestions, or fills it with unknown fears. Its spell can create confusion and disturbances in the heart, restlessness, disorder and disintegration. Its most dangerous effect is loss of faith and hope as well as paralysis or perversion of will. By these means it creates a ground for the invasion of adverse forces that bring about various physical and mental illnesses including possession, seizures and madness or insanity. The doors are often opened through vanity and insincerities in nature, as well as through fear and weakness of will.

It does not mean that all can be attacked or affected by black magic even if it is consciously directed by someone to harm. In those endowed with faith, trust and dependence upon God, in those with a clear discerning intelligence, in those who have humility and a fundamental sincerity the effect of black magic is minimal or none. Those who remain sheltered and surrendered to the Divine and are in the habit of calling God’s Name are unaffected by it especially if they have a strong basis of equanimity and peace. In such persons the black magic does not work and often falls back upon the person who was trying to harm.

A bhakta is someone who takes delight in the Lord. Bhakti comes from the root bhaj which means to enjoy. He does not approach the Divine to know about Him as the seeker does. He rather knows Him in a way having seen and felt Him through the eyes of faith and his heart. He intuitively knows without any complications, mental analysis or intellectual effort that the Divine exists and that He is beautiful and blissful and always full of Love for all creatures. He does not receive this knowledge through any proofs or satisfaction of desires as the mental and vital beings in us try. Rather he knows it directly through his heart and emotional being. It is through this door that he enters the sanctum Santorum of the Lord and since it is in the heart of all creatures that the Lord resides, his is the shortest if not always the easiest path. Yet through his journey he finds himself all the time supported by the Divine Grace and an unseen Hand of the Lord always protects him from all outer and inner difficulties, even from himself since of all difficulties this is the greatest. It stems from our identification with the ego-self for which bhakti with its natural tendency to give itself, is the perfect antidote.

A bhakta is someone who takes joy in the Divine, in His Name, in His vision, even in an idol or photograph, in hearing about the Lord, in thinking about the Lord, in giving himself to the Lord, in wanting to know His ways not because he ever doubts Him but because knowing about His lila adds to the charm and sweetness of his love for Him. Similarly he loves to receive His touch through Prasad or Relic or a piece of cloth or anything he may receive from Him out of His Grace. And all this not because he wants something but because these things carry something of His Love. All that a bhakta wants is nearness of the Divine, the only thing he fears is the veiling of the Divine. His life is centered around loving Him and serving Him.

What happens to the other relationships in his life? Quite naturally since he is too satisfied and happy with his Lord, he seeks no other human companionship. All the deepest satisfactions that one seeks in various forms of human relationships are fulfilled in the Lord who becomes for him the father and mother, friend and playmate, lover and beloved, even husband and wife and child and teacher and master. All his outer relationships therefore begin to assume this hue. His love for the Divine begins to extend towards all creatures and in everyone and everything he begins to discover Him whim he loves. All events, the slightest and the most seemingly trivial, the happy hours of life as well as the difficult moments become for the God-lover moments when he experiences the Divine Grace and the Divine Love. He knows the Divine, becomes one with the Divine through a direct identification for to whom all gates to His chamber are flung wide open and all discloses the Divine beloved.

Now you can see for yourself whether you are on the path of bhakti or some other way! If this comes naturally to you, it must be followed until it leads you to the great consummation of the yoga.

Habits tend to form due to repetition of an action. The same applies to bad habits such as the ones you mention. The origin of habits such as alcohol, porn etc is usually some perversity or falsehood that drags us towards the abyss through the hook of instant pleasure. Sometimes it starts as a result of the company one keeps (hence the necessity of being careful about the friends one chooses). At other times it starts when people are going through stress and boredom and are looking for something to give instant gratification to stay off the clouds of depression. Little do they realise that this instant gratification will soon turn into a nightmare. Therefore, one of the strategies that is advocated for effectively cutting off these things is to stay busy with work or anything that one finds joy in. The other advantage of engaging in activities that one enjoys, especially sports, is that it releases natural endorphins which give us a natural joy and hence keep off the tendency towards sinking into depression which opens the doors to the hostile forces. Once the hostile forces enter and have a grip over the consciousness then they keep rising up from time to time and throw suggestions that can overtake the mind at any weak moment. A great vigilance, a tremendous sincerity of aspiration is then needed to come out of it. Especially the internet-based porn takes the person caught in it to an entirely dark and dangerous web of falsehood where one starts believing in all that is displayed thereby capturing the mind and giving a twist to everything in a certain way.

And yet there is hope. There always is hope if we can truly surrender like a child and sincerely aspire to get rid of such habits. It may take sometimes long if one is not sincere or it may happen suddenly once and for all and the individual is freed from its clutch provided something perverse does not call it back again. Sometimes one has to persevered with faith and endurance but eventually the victory is sure if one continues to have a complete trust and confidence in the Mother’s Grace. Meanwhile it is good to change one’s company, engage more in Satsang, stay away from atmospheres that are not helpful to the life one has chosen and keep rejecting the temptations with the persistence of one who refuses to give up. We must always remember these magical words from Savitri that always give hope even in the worst of situations:

     But there is a guardian power, there are Hands that save,
     Calm eyes divine regard the human scene.

Love

Alok da

I can understand the pain that such an event causes and no amount of explanations can suffice because the heart strings that are attached to someone as dear as one’s child feel completely at loss when the person leaves suddenly and abruptly. However, it is equally true that the soul can take such a drastic route if it feels or senses intuitively that it must evolve further and the present circumstances and the constitution of nature does not support the further experience it needs. This is the reason that the Mother and Sri Aurobindo gave for some such early departures especially in a letter to Dilip Kumar Roy when he asked him about the premature passing away of a young singer Uma Bose.

My experience with some such departures does indicate something similar. In any case we have to accept that each is a unique journey with its own needs and ground of experiences to cover.

We can only turn to Their Grace to heal and help, and to Savitri for guidance.

But few can look beyond the present state
Or overleap this matted hedge of sense.

All that transpires on earth and all beyond
Are parts of an illimitable plan
The One keeps in his heart and knows alone.

Our outward happenings have their seed within,
And even this random Fate that imitates Chance,
This mass of unintelligible results,
Are the dumb graph of truths that work unseen:
The laws of the Unknown create the known.

The events that shape the appearance of our lives
Are a cipher of subliminal quiverings
Which rarely we surprise or vaguely feel,
Are an outcome of suppressed realities
That hardly rise into material day:
They are born from the spirit’s sun of hidden powers
Digging a tunnel through emergency.

But who shall pierce into the cryptic gulf
And learn what deep necessity of the soul
Determined casual deed and consequence?

Absorbed in a routine of daily acts,
Our eyes are fixed on an external scene;
We hear the crash of the wheels of Circumstance
And wonder at the hidden cause of things.

Yet a foreseeing Knowledge might be ours,
If we could take our spirit’s stand within,
If we could hear the muffled daemon voice.

With prayers and Her Love
Alok

There are so many ways to grow in Her Consciousness, including:
– taking the Mother’s Name as often as one can;
– offering one’s work in the beginning and again when it is over;
– concentrating upon Her image in the heart, meditating upon Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s words;
– reading Savitri and Prayers and Meditations, reading the other books of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother;
– hearing about Them, keeping Their pictures and hearing Savitri music;
– taking up some work for Her in the spirit of service to Her, doing one hour work daily with no other purpose but the Mother’s service;
– making a visit to the Ashram;
– becoming conscious of our inner motives and rejecting all that stems from fear and desires;
– praying to Her in the morning after waking up and at night before sleeping;
– offering our thoughts and feelings and will and actions inwardly to the Mother
– practicing equanimity under changing conditions and situations;
– calling Peace until it is firmly established in us;
– learning to step back as a witness and act after reflection or a deeper inspiration;
– writing one’s inner and outer state to the Mother;
– aspiring within for opening to the Mother and consecration to Her;
– cultivating the right attitudes.

But most important is faith in Her Grace, sincerity in our thoughts, feelings and actions, and an increasing surrender to Her.