Daily Questions

Q: (1) Which Yuga are we in right now? It seems that Sri Aurobindo said that we are out of Kaliyuga, but Vaishnava schools believe it still continues. (2) Nama Japa in Kali Yuga is believed to have the potency of god realisation, so is it sufficient to do only Nama Japa? (3) Also, what are the rules for taking Ma Sri Aurobindo name?

ALOKDA: (1) There are two main different time frames mentioned with regard to the yugas. If we look at the time gap between the appearance of at least the two recognised Avatars, Sri Rama and Sri Krishna, it will be clear that the duration of each Age is not as enormous as the Purana suggests granting that we have decoded it correctly. We can best describe this Age as a transition from the Kaliyuga to Satyuga, which has begun but is dragging the shadows of Kaliyuga behind. It will take at least a few centuries for Satyuga to manifest in its fullness.

(2) Of course Nama Japa has a great power in it but to make it a stand alone practice can help only in some ascetic yogas of withdrawal from life but not in the yoga of integral transformation. Else Sri Aurobindo and the Mother would not have given us so much about the practice of the Yoga.

(3) There are no rules for doing Nama Japa. It can continue even in the washroom and everywhere else.

Q: What is the wisdom that ties us with the physical body? How do we become one with it so that we won’t be perplexed when the time comes (for us or for those near and dear ones) to untie it? This is of special interest for older people who make preparations to leave and have to wait patiently but do get frustrated from time to time not understanding when the time to leave would come.

ALOKDA: The Wisdom that has tied us to the body is the same that has gone into creation. In fact, the very purpose of creation is to manifest the Divine through matter. The human body is therefore meant to be an instrument of the soul.

But first the soul must grow through all the varied experiences while it is in the human body. At this stage the soul continues in the human body as long it is necessary and possible to get the experiences needed for the growth. Even when the surface mind, vital and the ego-based personality has lost interest or have entered a state of coma, yet the inner being is awake and continues to gather the needed experience and thereby helps the soul to grow, even though the body is decrepit and old.

That is why euthanasia is never a good thing since its decision is often taken based on the condition of the outer being.

Later when the soul has developed fully then it is free to remain tied to the body or leave it as it wills depending upon its mission and the work it has come to do.

Q: Why can’t I love other gods the way I love Sri Maa? What to do about other gods in the puja room? Is it alright if I do not any kind of traditional worship and only do Sri Maa Nama Japa?

ALOKDA: There are two things or rather two distinct domains of action each with its own working, – the occult and the spiritual. The major as well as minor gods belong largely to the occult domain. They have certain specific though mostly limited powers in certain fields. When rightly worshipped they can help their devotee with worldly and other-worldly goods. Some great gods can help us in our spiritual growth as well. This is as far as the traditional Puja of the gods is concerned. It is a way to connect with and appease them, mostly to gain certain earthly goods.

The first radical step for the spiritual life is freedom from ignorance and the discovery of the soul and the Divine within us. The gods cannot grant us that. They can help us in the spiritual journey but they do not have the power to liberate us. They can help us while we are struggling in the net of lower nature but they cannot free us from its mesh. That is why most spiritual paths insist on surrendering to the One Divine or His Representative in the form of the Guru or the Avatar. If one is fortunate to have found the Guru then there is obviously no further need of seeking help from the gods. The gods are each an aspect of power of the Divine that is acting with a certain degree of independence. But this independence limits them as well from the One Infinite Source. In the Divine the gods themselves arrive at their true and harmonious togetherness. Therefore their worship in the lower and lesser forms of their manifestation is not only no longer needed but can sometimes create confusion by pulling us in a direction contrary to our core aspiration.

As far as the Supramental Transformation is concerned, we look upon the gods with a benevolent understanding of a luminous indifference knowing their labour in creation but all our faith, allegiance, worship and surrender go to the Divine Mother and no one else.

Q: I told my family that I want to go to Pondicherry after graduation to server Her and live there only forever. But I am advised to take some time to think about it, and I have also many questions. Please advise, I don’t want to waste my life without serving her, and how do I serve Her outside the Ashram?

ALOKDA: Maa is everywhere and the world is everywhere. This is a fundamental truth that we must always remember. It is true that the Ashram does facilitate the yoga in certain ways, especially because of the Samadhi and Her touch and the intense supramental vibration in the atmosphere. Yet each one receives and progresses according to one’s receptivity and openness. There are everywhere only a few people who respond to the core demands of the central aim that gave birth to an idea or an institution. This is especially so if the aim is high and something that has never been even conceived before. This difficulty is here as well. However since the activities of the Ashram and its basic lifestyle has been organised keeping this central goal in mind and also since the Mother has built it as a special formation for the practice of the yoga it does facilitate the sadhana of the Integral Yoga. That is something that cannot be denied.

Of course different people come for different purposes but that is their concern and the Divine’s. Yet by the very fact that they have landed here and have at least aspired however momentarily and imperfectly to strive for something higher and more beautiful, they deserve our salutations. Even if they fall and fail at least they tried something high and beautiful rather than the normal life of human beings that is centered largely around their physical-vital-emotional needs with some sprinkling of intellectual spice and rare moments of a spiritual upsurge. Having said that it is important to remember that not all are called upon or meant to practice the yoga in the Ashram setting. Different people follow different paths and according to their inner needs and the experiences they still must have the Divine and the world-forces arrange the events and circumstances until man is ready to leave behind everything and follow the path and the goal opened before him. Each one must feel his way through life and move towards the Goal as the path opens up step by step depending upon the choices we make and the approach and the attitude we take.

For a person who has just begun the great journey of life it is better to have some experience of life before thinking about joining the Ashram permanently. It is better to face and grapple with the forces that challenge us and our right to grow divine rather than come here prematurely and remain drawn to the world and its ways that meander far and long before man takes the decisive turn.

Best therefore for you would be to study and earn some livelihood. Meanwhile stay inwardly connected to Her and come here from time to time. Leave the rest for Time and Grace to unveil. We cannot plan the entire journey. It is the first step that is given to us and the goal towards which we must move. take that first step and it is to study and equip yourself for Her Work while remembering Her and offering all to Her inwardly.

Q: I do feel that parenting is a duty given to me by the Divine Mother and I want to do it right. I tend to give much freedom, while other parents advise me to apply strict discipline and firm instruction. What is the right way?

ALOKDA: There are no standard rule books of life, especially in terms of bringing up children in times of rapid transition as we witness today. The child’s mother is best equipped to understand the child. So I would suggest go by your deepest maternal instincts and pray for your child so that you bring her in indirect contact with the Divine Mother.

Q: Sir, is there a likelihood for supramental expression to be exclusively in Sanskrit rather than in any European language, which appear to be not sufficiently dynamic to express the Truth at every level?

ALOKDA: The means of supramental expression would be new. In all likelihood a new language that will develop. Just as Sanskrit branched out into several languages and Latin into English, so also perhaps we shall see new means of expression evolving over the next few decades or centuries. No language as of now is capable of expressing the experiences of the New Being.

But yes, Sanskrit is no doubt amazing in terms of its beauty and richness with French coming a close next. English has its own beauty but also number of limitations with rules of grammar. But all existing human languages, including Sanskrit are not sufficient tools to express the inner experiences that are many-layered as well as many-hued and many-toned. They all seem inadequate to the New Consciousness.

Q: I have suddenly taken a fall, deep into tamas, and now find myself far from the Mothers touch, everything is lost. I want everything back – please explain why this happened and what to do?

ALOK DA: The first thing that one has to focus upon in yoga is to cultivate the right attitude, practice equanimity and peace, nurture faith, grow in aspiration, become more and more sincere and surrender the fruit of efforts to the Divine Mother.

Asking the Mother for Energy is not quite the right approach as the human system will not be able to bear IT unless there is a reasonable initial purification through the psychic touch which brings devotion and the spirit of service.

Instead of forcibly stopping the sexual act while keeping it alive in the mind, one should learn to practice sanyama, stay busy and play games or do lot of exercises. It is not a simple thing to conquer sex.

One should first grow into the positive aspects of Yoga before tackling sex in real earnest. In any case one should strictly throw away guilt etc. associated with the sexual act. It opens doors to depression and saps away lot of energy.

So the only thing to do after a fall is to get up and walk again with faith in the Grace instead of lamenting and blaming oneself. Great patience and endurance are required for Yoga. It cannot be done in a jiffy.

Q: Sir, as ayurvedacharya myself I want to thank you sir for such a brief and nice explanation of this practice. I want to know more about what Mother said about Ayurveda.

ALOKDA: The Mother had high hopes in the Ayurvedic system of treatment. She saw in it a great possibility in the work of transformation that She has undertaken.

Given its divine origins, its positive approach of improving the bodily life to the extent of making it completely immune from diseases, its reliance on gentler natural herbs, its taking into consideration the whole mind – body – soul make it the perfect possible system for people practicing some kind of inner yoga.

I am not sure how deeply effective it would be on modern bodies that have lost their natural vigour and vitality and are further hampered with a bad lifestyle and excessive faith in strong and violent allopathic remedies.

Perhaps Ayurveda will need to reinvent itself in a new way with modern conditions. The movement already started in that direction. It is a question of time perhaps that human body, at least in a certain number, growing subtler under the Supramental forces at work will automatically prefer the simpler, gentler natural methods of assisting the bodily health than the present methods that stun and confuse the body closing it to higher interventions.

May you discover the true secrets of the Science of longevity and harmonious health that Ayurveda is meant to provide.

Affectionately
Alok da

Q: I had vision of Durga long time ago, got Durga mantra from my previous guru and I am still repeating 3 mala everyday. But the Gita insists on a one-pointed loyalty. Do I need to give up Durga mantra and worship only The Mother or no harm in continuing it?

ALOKDA: When we invoke Durga, we are invoking the Mother’s power of protection.

As long as we are aware that Durga is a child of the Mother and we are not seating her by the side of the Mother or dividing our loyalty and faithfulness between them, there should be no problem.

Best of course is to see Durga in Her and offer the mantra to the Divine Mother even though it be the Durga mantra.