Daily Offerings from Alokda Archives - Page 2 of 34

Can I help a friend who has no spiritual turn?

Q: Can I help a friend who has no spiritual turn?

ALOKDA:

Dear S., it is difficult to help anyone unless the person is ready and himself wanting to come out of his condition. In fact, trying to help without the person’s active collaboration can sometimes give rise to resistances that delay future openings.

Still if you want to help your friend you can quietly pray for him goodwill in your heart. As a practical measure you can advise him to do physical exercises and play some soothing uplifting music in the background. It is also helpful to keep oneself busy.

Beyond it one cannot do much except trust the Divine and His ways and leave the rest to the unfolding of destiny.

2024-11-19

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

The Mother reveals to us the truth that Sri Aurobindo’s symbol represents as follows:

“The descending triangle represents Sat-Chit-Ananda. The ascending triangle represents the aspiring answer from matter under the form of life, light and love. The junction of both—the central square—is the perfect manifestation having at its centre the Avatar of the Supreme— the lotus. The water—inside the square—represents the multiplicity, the creation.”

It is not enough to know the meaning of this symbol intellectually. Like a mantra, like the yantra of tantric worshippers we can meditate upon this symbol and on the Truth that it represents.

It means to know Sri Aurobindo not only as the Master of Integral Yoga but also and more importantly as the Avatar who has descended into creation in response to the human aspiration for Light and Love and Life Divine. He brings with Him as a gift to creation the perfect consciousness and the Supramental creation of the Future.

It is the meeting of the two, – of the human aspiration for terrestrial Perfection and the Divine answer that leads to the ascension of our soul out of the state of Ignorance and mortality into a state of Freedom and Truth and Immortality. It is by His advent that the earth and humanity become ready to manifest the Supramental Perfection.

2024-11-19

Songs of the Soul: November 19, 2024

Mother Divine, to live in division is to be always in misery. It immediately diminishes us with the sense of I ness and My ness bringing with it all the pettiness and smallness to which the average consciousness is easily prone, rather it is the way of life and they cannot conceive of any other way. But to live in Thy Unity, not the unity of an idea or religion which again divide, but Thy Unity is to be released in Thy vastness and infinity, it is to be freed from all suffering and misery that springs from the state of division, it is to be cured of all ignorance and the pain that springs from it.

What a peace and marvel and joy it is to feel Thee everywhere and in everything. True the individual channel lends its own unique turn, a flavour that may or may not appeal to the mind and the senses. But that is a diminution and distortion due to the natural limitation of the human channel. Our vision glued to the surface distortion is unable to get past and hence we too get limited and love and act in a limited way.

Maa may we live in an uninterrupted state of oneness, seeing Thee everywhere and in everything even though dealing with different forms and forces according to their law. May we live constantly in Thy vastness and peace and bliss even while dealing with the smallest instrument and finite forms. May we be pure and perfect channels of Thy infinite Love wanting nothing, expecting nothing, hoping nothing except the joy of loving and serving Thee in countless ways and through countless forms.

Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa

2024-11-19

The Mother’s Symbol

The Mother reveals to us the truth that Her symbol represents as follows:

“The central circle represents the Divine Consciousness. The four petals represent the four powers of the Mother. The twelve petals represent the twelve powers of the Mother manifested for Her work. It is the symbolic design of the white Lotus of Supreme Consciousness, with the Mahashakti (the form of the Mother as universal creation) at the centre in her four aspects and twelve attributes.”

In other words, this is a dynamic symbol representing the Mother’s action starting with Her Presence in the center to a complete transformation of human nature spreading through the various parts of his being, – mind, heart, life and body, including our outer nature also in its scope so that our very thoughts and feelings and actions embody and express the twelve powers and attributes.

To make this symbol into a living inner Truth of our being we must cast out the ego-self from the centre of life and throne in its place the Divine Consciousness at the centre.

Instead of making life a field for the satisfaction of desires we must offer the powers of our mind and heart and life and body so that She can pour Her Powers into these earthly instruments and make them vessels and channels of Her Force.

Our outer nature too must open to Her and receive and express the Divine Qualities and attributes rather than our present animality and humanity which are but distortions and shadows of the Reality that stands behind these movements.

This is the worship of the Mother, so that becoming conscious of Her as a living Presence our entire life becomes a flawless and faithful, pure and perfect expression of Her Will.

2024-11-18

What is the meaning of Mahaprayana and it is applicable for the events of Nov. 17?

Q: What is the meaning of the word Mahaprayana? And can we use this word for the Mother?

ALOKDA: Actually all these words Mahaprayana, Mahasamadhi, withdrawl are so inadequate. They have a certain meaning that does not apply to the event. Besides it reinforces in the mind two wrong ideas. First that She is no more here. Second that what the senses report and the mind suggests is true. Words always fall short.

Yet if we must use, I personally prefer a word that came to me quite intuitively while reflecting on the mystery of the event, The Great Leap.

Actually the Mother took a great leap from the old body to the New Body that She had prepared and which She describes in 1972:

‘March 24, 1972

For the first time, early this morning, I saw myself: my body. I don’t know whether it’s the supramental body or… (what shall I say?) a transitional body, but I had a completely new body, in the sense that it was sexless: it was neither woman nor man.

It was very white. But that could be because I have white skin, I don’t know.

It was very slender (gesture). Really lovely, a truly harmonious form.

That’s the first time.

I hadn’t the least idea, the faintest notion what it would look like, nothing, and I saw—I WAS like that, I had become like that.’

Yet She continued for sometime switching between the old and the new body out of love for Her children. She describes that the only link with the old body was of pain. Its purpose was to carry as many elements of creation as possible into the New Creation.

This assured, She stepped into the New Body that quite a few experience. But it is not yet visible to our mortal eyes because of their limitation. It will take humanity a little time to tune our eyes and body to this New Body that acts in very different ways than our own. That of course is a different subject.

She took the leap. We are now slowly crossing over holding or rather held by Her.

I may add that all these outer ignorant accounts of what happened on that day or photographs of Her ‘last darshan’ is not a very pleasant thing to do and I am certain this is not what She would want of us with regard to observing this day.

She said so many times after the experience of 13th April 1962 that ‘I am no more in this body’, ‘I have crossed over to the other side’, that ‘it (referring to the Work) is done’, ‘the body is outside me’. She describes in great detail the process and stages of the transformation. That should be our main focus.

All Her Help, Her Love, Her Grace, Her Presence is there for all who aspire for the New Creation. All the rest is incidental.

2024-11-18

Songs of the Soul: November 18, 2024

The Mother’s Room

As we cross the threshold of Thy sacred sanctuary, the seat of Thy tapasya for earth and humanity, all our being bows down in spontaneous gratitude before Thee, before all that Thou hast done and continue to do, before the great assurance and the Promise that Thou hast given that ‘The transformation is going to be: nothing will ever s top it, nothing will frustrate the decree of the Omnipotent. Cast away all diffidence and weakness and resolve to endure bravely awhile before the great day arrives when the long battle turns in to an everlasting vic tory.’

These mighty words born out of Thine and Sri Aurobindo’s tapasya, continue to give us the hope and the certitude of the future.

We know we are not ready, humanity is not ready, the earth is not ready. Yet this too we know that Thou art carrying us towards the goal despite ourselves.

Grant, O Mother Divine that all in us be ripe and open, receptive to Thy Force.

Maa, make us worthy of Thy Grace.
May we become worthy of Thy Grace.
Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa

2024-11-18

The Victory

The darkness is dense and clouds assail the sky, denying the sun an unhindered passage to the earth.

Yet the Light grows and the children of Sun throw themselves into the darkness until it cleaves and gives way. In the end it is the drop of Light that conquers.

This is the faith we must always keep alive and burning in our hearts and trust that after the storms and the nightmare there is the day break and the victory.

2024-11-17

How can we truly love the Mother with this limited heart and mind?

Q: How can we truly love the Mother with this limited heart and mind? I feel as if her love surrounds me at every moment, but how to thank Her for each breath which confirms that we are alive? I dream of following the path of bhakti, where by getting the nectar of Mother’s love soul get immersed into eternal Vrindavan, forgetting itself. Writing this brings tears in eyes, but there is a natural joy asking you about how to love the source of our existence.

ALOKDA: Dear A., love for the Mother begins when She choses and picks up the soul to enter into the Path of Integral Yoga. However in the beginning, the human being does not feel it as love. More often than not he is attracted or drawn towards Her for some outer or inner reason or the other.

Its first expression is the awakening of some kind of interest in the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, some kind of inner or outer contact with Them such as meeting a devotee, visiting a centre or the Ashram, reading a book by or about Them. Then this contact begins to grow. One wants to read more, visit the Ashram more and more, meet devotees and disciples.

The next phase comes when one wants to serve Her and wants to find Her Presence within. One wants to know more and more so that one can serve Her better and live life surrendered to Her Will. The final culmination is the urge to give oneself completely to Her.

Through this process the one method that helps at every step is to call Her Name, Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa.

2024-11-17

Songs of the Soul: November 17, 2024

Mother Divine, as we contemplate upon this very special day, words, feelings, all fall short before the profundity and solemnity of the moment. Nothing seems adequate. All that we can do is bow down before Thee with all our being surrendering all that we are conscious of and all that we are not yet conscious of, all that we are and all that we yet shall be. In that state of complete surrender, as complete as possible, we offer at Thy Feet all our life and lives to come in Thy Service, in Thy Love, in utter gratitude.

May all in us be full of love for Thee. May each cell of our body be a hearth of Thy flame of love. May each feeling be a winged hymn carrying Thy Love everywhere. May each thought be a burning shaft of Thy Love filling the quarters with Thy radiance and bliss. May our heart beat with Thy Love and each breath be a cry of Love for Thee.

O Supreme Mother May we be always conscious of Thee, everywhere and in every being. In each voice may we hear Thy Voice. In each form may we behold Thy Form. In each contact may we experience Thy thrill. In each embrace may we discover Thy Sweetness and Joy. May all things unfold Thy working and all become means to touch Thee, find Thee, discover Thee.

O Supreme, who would say Thou art not here when Thou art indeed here, there, everywhere. May we have the eyes to see Thee, the heart to feel Thee and the mind that knows Thee and Thy Ways and Thy Workings.

O Love Supreme, to Thee our infinite love and gratitude.

Om Anandamayee Chaitanyamayee Satyamayee Parame.

Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa

2024-11-17