89) Poem: A Rishi's Invitation

I am the Rishi, the inheritor of Bharat’s will-

The elixir of Soma, in my life I everyday distill

I am the dancer who has become the dance,

The rhythm of my life is but a dynamic trance 4

For I have felt the light, that lights the sun,

And tasted its bliss, that is second to none,

The creator and creation no more are two-

The only separation now lies between me and you!8

Don’t you want to taste it, and become free?

And in world of sorrows, liberated be?

Cycles of revenge, desire and hate, do you wish to break?

In Prakriti’s lasya, will you not partake?12

In the battle of Gods and titans, all is at stake

The question remains- whose side will you take?

Darkness or light, ignorance or truth, you get what you seek

One will empower while the other shall make you weak! 16

Victory is yours, but only if you wish to and choose,

The higher consciousness won’t descend within if you refuse!

For the divine descent, you have to first ascend,

And in all bodily members, you have to let the force extend20

A secret of the path, I shall offer, I have trodden the way

Invoke the divine to be your comrade every moment and day

Take my hand, Rishihood is your one true Destiny,

Dance with me, there’s a world waiting for you to see!24

88) Krishna- Editorial for Sri Aurobindo's Action April 2024, Unedited (Art by Pallavi Subhash)

“As soon as I saw Sri Aurobindo I recognised in him the well known being whom I used to call Krishna.... And this is enough to explain why I am fully convinced that my place and my work are near him, in India” CWM 13:39

Krishna, in the psychic realms, interacted and played a very influential role in the Mother’s sadhana as she treaded further ahead on the path in the quest of her interior and exterior development.  This was at a time when she had, in her own words, shared that she knew little about Indian philosophies and religions. In 1914, when she saw Sri Aurobindo for the first time in person, she found the Krishna, who was guiding her all along. In the darkest moments in the Alipore jail, Sri Aurobindo got the spiritual experience where he saw Krishna in the wall and the sentry, in the prisoners and prison bars; in the courtroom in the judge and in the prosecution and also in the audience that had come to attend the trial; and the tide turned with that divine experience. In the Gita, Krishna himself states that only a rare and exalted soul that is purified after several births of Tapasya, can truly experience the omniscience of Krishna in everything. (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ). Not only was Krishna’s Abhaya hasta behind Sri Aurobindo, his descent into the very physical body of Sri Aurobindo took place on 24th November 1926. The gods coming and going out of bodies is something that is well known and documented in our Sanatan tradition; but this descent was different and it was no incarnation either. As the mother described it, it was Krishna consenting to fix himself in the body of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother saw, with her inner eyes; Krishna joining himself to Sri Aurobindo. The Mother laughingly recollected to disciple Satprem, how Sri Aurobindo had remarked rather stoically when she rushed to his room to tell him what she saw, - “‘Yes, I know!’ ……. ‘That’s fine; I have decided to retire to my room, and you will take charge of the people. You take charge.”

Even before the descent of 1926; which though was not itself the supramental manifestation, but an important means to it, Sri Aurobindo had written to Barin about the necessity of the supramental manifestation and how it is imperative to recognize and realize the central idea of the Gita-

If we cannot rise above, to the supramental level, that is, it is hardly possible to know the world's final secret and the problem it raises remains unsolved. There, the ignorance which creates a duality of opposition between the Spirit and Matter, between truth of spirit and truth of life, disappears. There one need no longer call the world Maya. The world is the eternal Play of God, the eternal manifestation of the Self. Then it becomes possible to fully know and fully realize God - to do what is said in the Gita, "To know Me integrally." The physical body, the life, the mind and understanding, the supermind and the Ananda - these are the spirit's five levels. The higher man rises on this ascent the nearer he comes to the state of that highest perfection open to his spiritual evolution. Rising to the Supermind, it becomes easy to rise to the Ananda.   — Sri Aurobindo, (CWSA 35:432)

This ignorance that Sri Aurobindo points out is the root of the problem that denies us of the experience of Ananda. It creates a divide in our understanding and consequentially adversely affects our life experience as well. Every divide that we create, takes us one step away from the path of Yoga and also the lord of our Integral Union, Yogeshwara Krishna. In the Gita, Krishna describes the infinite branches of division (bahu-śākhā hy anantāś) that plague the minds of those lost in their ignorant ego-based desires. When the oneness is realized, all divisions and discord disappear and one begins to respect and even at times represent the omnipresent divinity.

You can’t expect me to argue about my own spiritual greatness in comparison with Krishna’s. The question itself would be relevant only if there were two sectarian religions in opposition, Aurobindoism and Vaishnavism, each insisting on its own God’s greatness. That is not the case. And then what Krishna must I challenge, —the Krishna of the Gita who is the transcendent Godhead, Paramatma, Parabrahma, Purushottama, the cosmic Deity, master of the universe, Vasudeva who is all, the immanent in the heart of all creatures, or the Godhead who was incarnate at Brindavan and Dwarka and Kurukshetra and who was the guide of my Yoga and with whom I realised identity? All that is not to me something philosophical or mental but a matter of daily and hourly realisation and intimate to the stuff of my consciousness. Then from what position can I adjudicate this dispute? X thinks I am superior in greatness, you think there can be nothing greater than Krishna; each is entitled to have his own view or feeling, whether it is itself right or not. 

— Sri Aurobindo, (CWSA 35:432)

87) The Human Aspiration- The Rhythm of the Life Divine- 1st attempt, August 24, 2021

“Are we just products of an unconscious evolution,

Or important pawns of a veiled revolution?
Into matter was there Life force’s involution?

And how did mind enter, matter’s constitution?

Are these secrets in the ancient texts revealed?

But by whom was this original secret concealed?
6

Why is it that man seeks an understanding,

Of his existence and the universe’s mystic working?

Unlike the beasts that only breeds, eats and dies,

Why does man search for truth behind the lies?

In Nature’s lab, why is there consciousness’s gradation,
From the metal, plant, animal to man- an upgradation? 12

Is man the final product of this ascension?

Or is there room for superman’s transition?”

These questions are but impulses mental,

That leave imprints emotional, spiritual and physical.

Prompting man to seek bliss and light,
Absolute freedom and even God’s insight!
18

Thus in the lap of nature, man seeks the immortal

A life Divine in an animal body, an aim paradoxical
This is the main cause of the mortal confusion
For the questions find no intellectual conclusion.
Religions spawn and profit on this great uncertainty
Institutionally curbing away both freedom and clarity 24

But truth cannot forever be suppressed,
For man’s will to be free is never unexpressed

The earth continues to indifferently revolve

As religious institutions old and new verily dissolve
Disturbed by life’s ebbs and tides, man looks away
But from the truth he cannot forever sway 30

For time breaks his myopic thirst for immediate result
And life forces him to acknowledge the occult
As he yearns and pines to see that which is unchanging
Something immaculate and pure that was from the beginning
And recognises a conscious self-revealing truth covertly at play
Beyond blind instinct and mental logic, leads the way 36

To the ultimate consciousness beyond veil of the mind
Where answers for all perplexing questions, one can find!"38

86) Sri Krishna’s dialogue with Sri Aurobindo (unedited - April 2024 issue - Sri Aurobindo's Action)

Sri Krishna’s dialogue with Sri Aurobindo

In the middle of an open and wide battle field of Kurukshetra; as the cosmic Kalachakra readied to turn to welcome the Yuga of Kali, Sri Krishna passed on the sacred instruction of the Bhagavad Gita, so Arjuna could enter into the material world, equipped with a divine knowledge that would plunge him into the flux of a gory war that would ultimately shape the destiny of Bharat. In stark contrast, in a dingy and hardly ventilated prison in Alipore, as the cosmic Kalachakra readied to herald a new age; which many believe to be the advent of the Yuga of Satya, Sri Krishna passed on the Adesha and the message of the Gita to Sri Aurobindo, advising him to withdraw from the struggle of Independence of Bharat, implanting unto him the sacred wisdom that would lead to the manifestation of a supramental consciousness that will eventually alter the shape and destiny of all of mankind.

Post the experience, Sri Aurobindo went on to call the Alipore jail, his Yoga ashram for it was there that he found the lord of his heart, his friend —his Krishna!

“The British prison was that ashram. I have also watched this strange contradiction in my life that however much good my well-intentioned friends might do for me, it is those who have harmed me—whom shall I call an enemy, since enemy I have none? —my opponents have helped me even more. They wanted to do me an ill turn, the result was I got what I wanted. The only result of the wrath of the British Government was that I found God.” CWSA 9:1

Quoting some of the words that Sri Krishna spoke to Sri Aurobindo in light of the words from the great dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna that took place aeons ago, at Kurukshetra—

“The bonds you had not strength to break, I have broken for you, because it is not my will nor was it ever my intention that that should continue. I have another thing for you to do and it is for that I have brought you here, to teach you what you could not learn for yourself and to train you for my work.”  CWSA 8:5

eṣhā te ’bhihitā sānkhye buddhir yoge tvimāṁ śhṛiṇu
buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karma-bandhaṁ prahāsyasi 2.39

Listen to what now I am going to reveal
That knowledge O Arjuna, that lifts the veil,
 That most ancient Yoga of Knowledge,
Which liberates one from Karma’s bondage. |2.39|

 “Behold the people among whom I have sent you to do a little of my work. This is the nature of the nation I am raising up and the reason why I raise them.” CWSA 8:7

na tu māṁ śhakyase draṣhṭum anenaiva sva-chakṣhuṣhā
divyaṁ dadāmi te chakṣhuḥ paśhya me yogam aiśhwaram 11.8

By the mortal eye, you cannot just see
 And bear the vision that will soon be,
There is an inner eye which I shall now awaken within you—
 So that a vision of my Divine Yoga you can behold and view. |11.8|”

“When you were cast into jail, did not your heart fail and did you not cry out to me, where is Thy protection? Look now at the Magistrate, look now at the Prosecuting Counsel.” CWSA 8:7

yo māṁ paśhyati sarvatra sarvaṁ cha mayi paśhyati
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśhyāmi sa cha me na praṇaśhyati 6.30

He who everywhere sees only Me
And in everyone, Me only he can see
 To him I can never lost be
 And he is never lost to Me.|6.30|

“Now do you fear?” He said, “I am in all men and I overrule their actions and their words. My protection is still with you and you shall not fear. This case which is brought against you, leave it in my hands. It is not for you. It was not for the trial that I brought you here but for something else. The case itself is only a means for my work and nothing more.” CWSA 8:7

īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā 18.61

The Lord, that is seated within every living heart
O Arjuna, He stirs and initiates everything’s start
Like machines all creatures are made to obey
And act as per the will of His Maya’s way|18.61|

“This is the man who will save you from the snares put around your feet. Put aside those papers. It is not you who will instruct him. I will instruct him.”  CWSA 8:8

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśhvaram
suhṛidaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śhāntim ṛichchhati 5.29

When to man, this singular truth is known –
That all sacrifices I receive with joy for they are My own
 And he shall perceive Me as his dearest loving friend.
 He shall then experience My perfect peace that has no end|5.29|

“I am guiding, therefore fear not. Turn to your own work for which I have brought you to jail and when you come out, remember never to fear, never to hesitate. Remember that it is I who am doing this, not you nor any other. Therefore whatever clouds may come, whatever dangers and sufferings, whatever difficulties, whatever impossibilities, there is nothing impossible, nothing difficult. I am in the nation and its uprising and I am Vasudeva, I am Narayana, and what I will, shall be, not what others will. What I choose to bring about, no human power can stay.” CWSA 8:8

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ 7.19

After many successive births can this fortune arise
 When the Divine is perceived through the mortal’s eyes
 Very rare and blessed indeed is that seeking soul
Who experiences the Divine’s omniscience as a whole|7.19|

“This is the young generation, the new and mighty nation that is arising at my command. They are greater than yourself. What have you to fear? If you stood aside or slept, the work would still be done. If you were cast aside tomorrow, here are the young men who will take up your work and do it more mightily than you have ever done. You have only got some strength from me to speak a word to this nation which will help to raise it.” CWSA 8:9

tasmāt tvam uttiṣhṭha yaśho labhasva
jitvā śhatrūn bhuṅkṣhva rājyaṁ samṛiddham
mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva
nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sāchin 11.33

Arise to the opulence of the conqueror that beckons
And garner the glory that a victor reckons
Know that by Me all are already slain
 So become My instrument, let your arrows rain|11.33|

And in a state of Divine communion, when Sri Aurobindo made a fervent appeal to Sri Krishna for a direction, he received two messages from the Yogeshwara,

“I have given you a work and it is to help to uplift this nation. Before long the time will come when you will have to go out of jail; for it is not my will that this time either you should be convicted or that you should pass the time as others have to do, in suffering for their country. I have called you to work, and that is the adesh for which you have asked. I give you the adesh to go forth and do my work.” CWSA 8:10

mat-karma-kṛin mat-paramo mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣhu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava 11.55

O Arjuna, Surrender to Me, perform My bidding
Become My devotee and an instrument of My working
With an enmity towards none, from desires become free
Accept Me-My way, for such a man shall only come to Me|11.55|”

Something has been shown to you in this year of seclusion, something about which you had your doubts and it is the truth of the Hindu religion. It is this religion that I am raising up before the world, it is this that I have perfected and developed through the rishis, saints and avatars, and now it is going forth to do my work among the nations. I am raising up this nation to send forth my word. This is the Sanatana Dharma, this is the eternal religion which you did not really know before, but which I have now revealed to you. The agnostic and the sceptic in you have been answered, for I have given you proofs within and without you, physical and subjective, which have satisfied you. When you go forth, speak to your nation always this word that it is for the Sanatana Dharma that they arise, it is for the world and not for themselves that they arise. I am giving them freedom for the service of the world. When therefore it is said that India shall rise, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall rise. When it is said that India shall be great, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall be great. When it is said that India shall expand and extend herself, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall expand and extend itself over the world. It is for the dharma and by the dharma that India exists. To magnify the religion means to magnify the country. I have shown you that I am everywhere and in all men and in all things, that I am in this movement and I am not only working in those who are striving for the country but I am working also in those who oppose them and stand in their path. I am working in everybody and whatever men may think or do they can do nothing but help on my purpose. They also are doing my work; they are not my enemies but my instruments. In all your actions you are moving forward without knowing which way you move. You mean to do one thing and you do another. You aim at a result and your efforts subserve one that is different or contrary. It is Shakti that has gone forth and entered into the people. Since long ago I have been preparing this uprising and now the time has come and it is I who will lead it to its fulfilment.” CWSA 8:10

Arjuna’s words—

tvam akṣharaṁ paramaṁ veditavyaṁ
tvam asya viśhvasya paraṁ nidhānam
tvam avyayaḥ śhāśhvata-dharma-goptā
sanātanas tvaṁ puruṣho mato me 11.18

The highest immaculate truth that by man can be known,
The foundation upon which our universe has grown
The indestructible guardian of righteousness eternal
I believe, Thou art the one -celestial and supernal|11.18|

Sri Krishna spoke—

teṣhām ahaṁ samuddhartā mṛityu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt
bhavāmi na chirāt pārtha mayy āveśhita-chetasām 12.7

O Arjuna, For the soul’s evolution
I bring deliverance from death’s material ocean
I propel the journey across the eternal sea
Of all whose consciousness is affixed in Me|12.7|

At the end of the Gitopadesha, Arjuna responded with full confidence to his divine charioteer that all his doubts were cleared and his memory had returned; he was now ready to enter into the material war field to wage the battle as per the instructions that he had received. Sri Aurobindo, on the other hand, at the end of the Krishnopadesh at his Alipore yogashram, received the adesha, with arms open wide, inviting the divine to guide him so he may further walk ahead onto the path of transformation; where the sarathi and the maharathi ceased to remain two and instead became one, to summon the dawn of the supramental age of man.

Sanjaya who had actually heard first-hand about the truth of Yoga from the Sri Mukha, declared with certainty the outcome of the battle in what is considered to be the last verse of the Bhagavad Gita. On reading about Sri Aurobindo’s Krishna experience and also some of his luminous words from his various volumes of written works, I too feel empowered to make a declaration that resonates Sanjaya’s sentiment. The Sanskrit verse has been written with the help of Sri Ved Veer Arya, an eminent Sanskrit scholar and IDAS officer-

यत्र योगेश्वर: कृष्णोऽ रविन्दो यत्र योगिराट् ।

तत्रातिमानो विजय: ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥

Where there is the Lord of Yoga Sri Kirshna,
Where there is the Yogi- Sri Aravinda,
There indeed, lies the supramental victory—

This I understand and verily proclaim with certainty!

85) Sri Aurobindopanishad - Action Journal February 2024 issue

 “The Upanishads, being vehicles of illumination and not of instruction, composed for seekers who had already a general familiarity with the ideas of the Vedic and Vedantic seers and even some personal experience of the truths on which they were founded, dispense in their style with expressed transitions of thought and the development of implied or subordinate notions” (CWSA 17:13)

Sri Aurobindo described the Upanishads; the fountainhead of Vedanta, as ‘vehicles of illumination’ which the seers had designed based upon their own style and technique of imparting the higher wisdom so that the seekers too would gain an entry into the kingdom of the Bramhan, that is beyond the realm of mental logic and reason. The ways very many but the destination was the same. The Kathapanishad prodded the readers to raise their consciousness through the story of Nachiketas choosing what was right -shreyas over what was dear-preyas. The Ishavasyopanishad introduced the seekers to the Bramhan from within and without by inviting them to move beyond the dualities of manifestation and dissolution, knowledge and ignorance and so on. The Kenopanishad began with the metaphysical question of how and why the descent of the divine consciousness took place whereas the Mandukya in just 12 short verses speaks about the fourth and hidden dimension of consciousness that can be understood by a complete realization of the metaphysical and primordial syllable – Om. In the Muktika Upanishad, where Sri Rama parts the way of Mukti to Hanuman, it is said a complete understanding of the Mandukya Upanishad is sufficient to attain moksha. While a canonical list of 108 Upanishads classified 13 Upanishads as Mukhya or of main, many scholars push the number to over 200. Sadly, many have either been lost or been ignored in the passage of time.

There is no fixed format for a work to be classified to be an Upanishad. Rather it is the Bramha vidya that is contained in it that makes the text a vehicle of raising the consciousness. It bodes us well to look at what may very well the newest Upanishad that the world received; a collection of untitled Sanskrit verses written by Sri Aurobindo in his initial years of stay in Pondicherry between 1910-1914. While Sri Aurobindo himself did not translate his Sanskrit work nor did he give it a title, in 1978 that Pt. Jagannath Vedalankar, a renowned Sanskrit scholar at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, translated the text into English and the same was published by the Sanskrit karyalaya of the Ashram under an apt title, Sri Aurobindopanishad.

While an in-depth analysis is beyond our scope, we will have a prefatory look at the text for it is truly the kernel of Sri Aurobindo’s vedanta- the high philosophy of Integral Yoga.  

The First Movement: The Principle of Brahmic consciousness

In the first, the truth of the Brahman is lain bare. The Bramhan to transcend the limitations of time, space and form with the words “Jagadapi Brahma, Satyam na mithya” declaring quite explicitly that this truth is present in the mortal realm too.

The Brahman is the omnipresent existence, formed and formless, both at the same time, dwelling in and transcending the dimensions time and space, permeating the entire cosmos and found in all the entities, living or non-living whatsoever, whose worldly presence for matters of human perception can be termed as –Chit - or pure consciousness.

The Second Movement: The Sun of Truth

Sri Aurobindo prods us in the second movement which begins with the triple mantra – Om tat Sat, to see beyond the physical sun to what lies yonder. This is where the transition into the kingdom of Bramha vidya begins. We are invited to look at the spiritual sun whose consciousness manifests as the physical sun. To simplify the phenomenon of the Brahman, Sri Aurobindo brings to us the imagery of the physical sun and its reflection in the water. The beautiful sun and its image are reflected in the waters. When there are no ripples on the surface, the reflection is singular. When the water is disturbed, multiple reflections of the same sun can be found in the water. What we see when we are awake is not an illusion or a dream but very much a real experience that is perceived through our senses by us.

The Third Movement: Ananda & Nirananda, A Game of Light & Shadow

In the third movement, the mode of functioning of the Brahman; who conceals His own strength by a garb of weakness, His own light of knowledge with a veil of darkness, is described. Sri Aurobindo asks us to look beyond this veil and tells us that weakness is but a ploy where strength is concealed by itself. Sorrow is but happiness hiding its own self with a mask of sadness. Darkness too is naught but light hiding itself in its own shadow. The Jiva- life form that is present inside each individual is in a constant state of bliss, even though the outer individual goes through the experiences of sorrow, pain and suffering due to the various outer torments and tortures it has to experience in the game of the Prakriti.

The Fourth Movement: The Celestial Adesh: Collective Moksha

The final movement concludes with the divine message and instruction of Sri Aurobindo to all seekers. It is not very often that we see Sri Aurobindo giving a direct order to sadhaks invoking his divine experiences. Here we see, the both the aim of Integral Yoga and also the path to raise our consciousness; by becoming instruments of the divine manifestation that is underway

(CWSA   9:700)

“This world is naught but His play divine

His Lela, created to enjoy all that is fine 158

O Children divine, in this joyous play partake

The bliss of creation; enjoy, experience and take

Unite with Him, seeing Him in all become one

Celebrate this bliss highest, that is comparable to none.

Under the command celestial, I verily pronounce

The way to the blissful consciousness, I thus announce164”

“O Children of bliss, harbingers of His celestial light

Removing darkness, With His bliss divine, Set the world alight!”166

Thus, if we look at the flow of the Sanskrit text “Sri Aurobindopanishad”, we can see through four distinct movements how the master introduces the world to the foundation of the Vedantic path of Purna Yoga. Right from the recognition of the phantom Bramhan embedded in the consciousness of matter, to the divine light that illumines the physical sun and the way to extricate oneself from the trap of prakriti’s maya to the way forward to experience the Leela of Krishna in the universe and of course, the final Yogic adesha to dispel the darkness of ignorance by celebrating a life divine. While the complete works of Sri Aurobindo are exhaustive in themselves, conveying secrets of the ancient divine morns and the luminous noons to come, this beautiful untitled Sanskrit text of Sri Aurobindo in a nutshell describes the way forward for sadhaks to become divine instruments. This is of great significance as it is only the divine instruments who can become harbingers of the much awaited phenomenon of the  supramentalization of humanity.  Yes, there may be debates and arguments on whether or not this text should be called an Upanishad, but in the darkness of such pointless arguments, may no one forget the luminous message conveyed in it for it is unarguably of prime importance for posterity.                                                                                  

85) The Mandoukya Upanishad in rhyme- Sri Aurobindo's Action-Feb 2024

ABOUT: The Mandoukya Upanishad, considered to be the first of the principal Upanishads is the shortest Upanishad and is from the Atharvaveda. Among the gnostic texts, this particular Upanishad holds much significance for it is considered to be a point confluence of the modern Buddhist and Hindu philosophies and contains the metaphysical and spiritual explanation of the root sound Om and the Self.  It is mentioned in the Muktika Upanishad that a complete understanding of the Mandoukya Upanishad enables the knower to attain Mukti- the final liberation. The Mandoukya Upanishad has been rendered in rhymes in light of Sri Aurobindo’s translation of the same as found in “Kena and Other Upanishads”, The Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo, Vol 18.

The Mandoukya Upanishad opens with this verse which is also repeated after the Upanishad ends

Om.  O Gods,

May only the auspicious by our ears be heard
By our eyes, may only the auspicious be observed

O Sacrficial Lords.

Enjoying sound bodies, your tributes may we give
In our full life-span, A life divine may we live.
May Lord  Indra- the swiftest ensure our well being
May we be nourished by Pusha the all knowing.
May the eager Tarskhya’s grace augur us well
May the same, Brihaspati accord as well.

Om peace, Om peace, Om peace.

Om is the indivisible immutable

That verily holds the entire universe conceivable

The past, the present and the future of all--

All is only Om and Om is only all
All else that beyond the three times persists
Is also the Omniscient Om for Om is all that exists|1|

The Universe is the Bramhan Self’s extension
And this Self is four fold in division|2|

The conscious being awakened and outwardly located

Experiencing, knowing and enjoying, in the material, He is situated

Possessing seven limbs and doorways nineteen

This Vishwanara- the universal male is the first Self seen |3|

Next is the state that dwells in the dreams

Whose sphere portends to the inner realms
Possessing seven limbs and doorways nineteen
Enjoyer of all that is subtle-the radiant Taijasa is seen|4|

Where when asleep no dreams one does see

Wherein no remnant of desire or yearning can be

In that deep sleep, when the being awakened can remain-
In the highest state – Sushupti he is said to reign.

Situated in this state of oneness perfect,
Experiencing the bliss complete in every respect
Consuming bliss, He is wisdom’s lord incarnate

And to his mind consciousness is the opening gate

 This state of joy unparalleled or unheard

Is called Pragnya- the Self’s stage third|5|  

He is the lord of every single being
The indwelling seer all knowing and all seeing
Who is the womb of everything

And the birth and death of every living thing|6|

He is not the gnosis of the external
Nor is he that which is solely internal,
Nor just the wisdom of both the outside and inside

He is beyond the limits of the inside and outside

Neither is he the gnosis, inherent or gained
Nor the void that in its absence is contained.

The invisible and the unreachable

He is attributeless and uncontainable
He cannot be named and is indiscernible

He is incomprehensible and inexplicable

The epitome of oneness, he is the One

And other than him there is none
He is the fourth, thus they mention

The Self’s ultimate gnosis and final dimension.|7|  

And this Self as per the fourfold description

Is but identical to the first sonic conception
The Self is Om, the first word and sound

And in its syllables A U M it can be verily found.|8|

The Vishwanara-the Self of the first awakening

Is the first letter A, by virtue of its vastness all -pervading,

He who has thus realized and overcome desire’s thirst

Pervading all desires, he knows all thus becoming the first|9|  

Taijasa the dreamer awakened is the stage second

This Self in the letter U does verily extend

Denoting excellence and central progression

Knowing this propels the knower with an upward ascension

With this gnosis a sameness in all he can envisage

Bereft of Bramhic gnosis, none descend in his lineage|10|

Next is Pragnya – the innermost state of sleep
Where dwells the being awakened in a slumber deep

In the letter third M, this Self is contained-
The measure by which the final entry is gained

He who knows this attains a measure of everything

And departs into the eternal by knowing every thing|11|

The fourth Self, the final one is sylablleless

Unspeakable, it is the final silence that is endless

It is in Om -The non-dual bliss of Shaivic Oneness-

Complete and final, the peace eternally boundless

 He who knows this by his own Self, merges into the Self

Thus He becomes the knower, Yes He knows the Self!|12|

84) The Sanatan Guardian- Sri Aurobindo's Action - Editorial, Jan 2024

Enter 2024 and the words “Sanatan Dharma” have become the talk of India, that is Bharat. That our journal’s editors considered this topic as the theme for 2024, several months before it became so mainstream is indeed an act of serendipity and divine providence. Recently an inadvertent and bizarre clarion call for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma raised by a political faction which has a large connect with the masses raked up a political slugfest that only stirred up the rajasic sentiments across all corners of the nation. Their claim that Sanatan Dharma was but a disease that needed to be eradicated; a vestige of a past that holds no value for the present and the future, drew sharp responses from the opposite faction which wasted no opportunity in garnering support to save the Sanatan Dharma which was now in peril. Somewhere in the cacophony, the gen Z unfortunately disconnected with his/her roots; thanks to the digital revolution which incessantly feeds them with reels, viral videos and memes day in and day out, is left wondering if ‘Sanatan Dharma’ is naught but another tool of wily politicians to divide the people for their personal gains. It bodes us well to understand the true meaning of Sanatan dharma. Sri Aurobindo recognized Sanatan Dharma to be a core value that was the foundation of India’s freedom and in his letter to Parthasarathy Iyengar, he had emphasized that care must be taken not to indulge in the old kid of politics.

Be very careful to follow my instructions in avoiding the old kind of politics. Spirituality is India’s only politics, the fulfilment of the Sanatan Dharma its only Swaraj (CWSA 36:170)

Even a cursory look at the rich history of our motherland will reveal that a war against Sanatan Dharma is not really a very novel concept. Wave after wave of invasions took place with the aim of not just looting her wealth but also for destroying the cultural heritage and wisdom; for that was truly the bedrock of the strength and brilliance of our civilization. But these demonic attempts failed and it is a fact that all future attempts too shall fail; for we have a guardian who is Himself Sanatan or eternal. In the great battle of Kurukshetra, between the Pandavas and Kauravas; a symbolic battle for justice between the forces of good and evil, we see the hero Arjuna confused and confounded right in the middle of the battle field. Initially he cries us to Sri Krishna to let him escape the battle and in a fit of emotions, claims that Sanatan dharma would get destroyed if he participated in the battle. kulakshaye pranashyanti kuladharmaaha sanatanaaha. But a terse Sri Krishna simply does not yield to Arjuna’s fervent appeals, which included his quoting various shastras and texts to justify his not partaking in the battle of justice. Instead, Sri Krishna slowly and lovingly starts transferring the wisdom of the Vedas and Vedanta through the form of a divine song, that we call the Bhagavad Gita. It is only later on; after Arjuna’s consciousness has risen after learning about the truths of the Atman and the Brahman, the metaphysical soul journey of life and death, and finally when he is granted the divya drishti, he realizes while watching the primal and almighty Vishwaroopa Darshana, which is both beautiful and terrible at the same time, remarking in submission –

tvam aksharam paramam veditavyam tvam asya vishvasya param nidhanam
tvam avyayah sasvata-dharma-gopta sanatanas tvam purusho mato me

(Bhagavad Gita 11.18)

The highest immaculate truth that by man
can be known,
The foundation upon which our universe has grown
The indestructible guardian of righteousness eternal
I believe, Thou art the one- celestial and supernal 11.18

In this light, we can definitely take solace and be at peace by not falling into a rajasic trap of impulsive reactions; fully confident that the wisdom of the Vedas, the Upanishads and all the shastras will remain until the fire burns in the eye of the sun. However, we certainly cannot afford to once more slip into the dark and tamasic slumber of ignorance. The call to serve the Divine can neither be forgotten nor dare neglected. Sri Aurobindo, in the dark prison of Alipore, received the instruction to uphold Sanatan Dharma from the Purusha himself; as he declared to the world in his Uttarpara speech.

We speak often of the Hindu religion, of the Sanatana Dharma, but few of us really know what that religion is. Other religions are preponderatingly religions of faith and profession, but the Sanatana Dharma is life itself; it is a thing that has not so much to be believed as lived. This is the dharma that for the salvation of humanity was cherished in the seclusion of this peninsula from of old. It is to give this religion that India is rising. She does not rise as other countries do, for self or when she is strong, to trample on the weak. She is rising to shed the eternal light entrusted to her over the world. India has always existed for humanity and not for herself and it is for humanity and not for herself that she must be great…

.When you go forth, speak to your nation always this word that it is for the Sanatana Dharma that they arise, it is for the world and not for themselves that they arise. I am giving them freedom for the service of the world. When therefore it is said that India shall rise, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall rise. When it is said that India shall be great, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall be great. When it is said that India shall expand and extend herself, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall expand and extend itself over the world. It is for the dharma and by the dharma that India exists (CWSA 8:6)

As we meditate upon the words of Sri Aurobindo, each of us must resolve to become conscious, of our existence that is essentially divine and vast so that we can truly play our roles as instruments of the divine manifestation that is underway. This and this alone is the way we can pay our tributes to the master and the centuries of sacrifices that have taken place to uphold the nitya jyoti or eternal flame of Bharat.

For Nine days, the inferno at Nalanda burnt,

Hoping to erase all the sacred texts that were learnt.

Other sanctums of learning too were then raided;

Knowledge suffered distortions and struggled unaided!

Over generations this loss compounded and spread,

The hidden wisdom was lost- unheard and never read.

The devilish ploy was that the light be forever buried —

And down the ages nothing was passed or carried.

But little was really known or understood by man,

That all of this too was part of the grand plan.

The Vedic treasures were destroyed in time's course,

But no force on earth could touch the divine source.

From the same planes where the truth was heard,

Would reverberate once more the first word.

The newer texts too would once more come-

From this churning the world too will immortal become.

Across the oceans shall burst the volcanoes of light,

Flooding and cleansing the plagued lands of blight,

Descendants of Angiras, Atri and the other rishis shall rise;

And one hotar shall perform Vishwajit Yagnya- the final sacrifice!

May we firstly, ourselves become conscious of the mission and the vision of the master Sri Aurobindo and our bhagya vidhaata, Sri Krishna who is charioteering our Bharata to a new Dawn.

Echoing Krishna’s words from the Gita and also the Isha Upanishadic phrase – “Uttishta Bharata! Krato smara. kṛtaṁ smara “

Awake, Bharata. May we remember the great deeds of our ancestors, May we rise again to their consciousness!

This issue will focus on the Veda, which has very rightly been called ‘the foundation of Sanatan Dharma’.

Sushrut Badhe is a disciple of Sri.M.R.Damle and is a manufacturer of ayurvedic medicines at his guru’s factory—KVM Research Labs. His prose journey began with writing articles for Sri Aurobindo’s action in 2015 and he has a habit of writing poetry in rhymes.

83) Everyday Heroes 3- Creation of Sristi - Sri Aurobindos Action Journal

The creation of “Sristi”

Growing up in an orphanage for disabled and non disabled children for over fifteen summers, Karthikeyan G. learnt one important principle of life- All humans are equal.  He grew up sharing all moments of togetherness, joy and responsibility with his big family at the orphanage.  Growing up he had to reconcile with the harsh truth that the world outside was not as adaptive or co-operative to the intellectually and physically disabled as was his home. Overcoming all odds he went on to successfully complete his academic education and became a psychologist.  One would easily assume that this was the pivotal achievement in the life of a child growing up in an orphanage. Well, Kartikeyan or Sristi Karthik as he is now often called, was not the one who would sit idle for he had a great mission on his hands.

He had realized that there was a stubborn wall of discrimination in the society that separated the so called ‘normal’ individuals from those with special needs. His siblings from the orphanage had to face excessive hurdles in their attempts towards leading a self-reliant life of dignity.  And so he returned and he decided to do something about it. He set up the Sristi foundation to enable and empower the disabled individuals to stand firmly in the society.

The Sristi foundation has three wings: The Sristi Village, Sristi Special School and Sristi Vocational Training Centre. In 2013 The Sristi Foundation generated funds from friends, supporters and volunteers to purchase 8.39 acres of cultivable land just outside Kunamangalam Village. The Members of Sristi village participate actively in the various agricultural projects that have stemmed up and adhere to the traditional South Indian as well as the modern organic farming practices. The Sristi special school aims at providing holistic education to the children with special needs and the aim of the vocational training centre is to empower the disabled to lead a holistic life with self-respect.

The main purpose of the Sristi is to provide an opportunity for intellectually disabled persons and equip them with some basic skills so that they can be in a position to generate their own income or at least become partially independent.  The residents of Sristi Village live in a hut made of bamboo and mud. A solar water pump provides water to this 100% eco friendly village.  Corn and millets are the main crops growing at the moment and new projects such as mushroom farming and an apiary are in the pipeline for want of funds. You will be happy to note that the first step towards setting up of a dairy at Sristi village was made when generous donors donated a cow Nisha and her beautiful daughter Lakshmi! This was really exciting news at Sristi as the produced milk (after feeding Lakshmi of course), would further the foundation’s aims of attaining self-sufficiency.

At 32, the young hero and founding director of Sristi Village has got just the right blend of energy and experience to materialize his altruistic dream. His work has already begun to get recognized nationally and internationally. For those who may be interested to know or support this wonderful project, Do visit the place! I am sure you will see Karthik welcoming you with a  brilliant smile wider than the skies:

SRISTI FOUNDATION
Pondy-Mailam Road, Thazhuthali Village Tindivanam T.k.,
Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu – 604 304,India
E-mail: sristivillage@gmail.com

82) Dora's Article -Everyday Heroes: Article 2 from Sri Aurobindo's Action

“Love alone can put an end to the sufferings of the world” – The Mother

Action can begin anywhere and the story of Dora Vandana is a remarkable inspiration that can even stir a stone into action. Surrounded by tubes in the cancer ward of JIPMER hospital she fought death and won and came up with a novel idea of setting up an organization – Quilling Cancer.org ! What was just an idea soon became a reality with the help of friends and family who sourced quilling paper, glue and the other things necessary into her ward.

From the diary of Dora Vandana: Her Cancer Soul

“She was a happy and beautiful soul until that day. Her blood results showed possible blasts

which meant she had to undergo bone marrow tests to confirm if she had the dreadful Blood

Cancer or not. Her perfect little world shattered into a million pieces the moment she heard the

news. She thought this was the end. Giving up seemed more easier than fighting back. The

doctors explained about the treatment process i.e. chemotherapy. None of what they said seemed

to make sense. Why me? Why now? Am I being punished for something I did?  She had all

strange questions in her mind. She couldn't stop crying. She didn’t know if crying actually helped

but that was all she could do for the next couple of days.

She was surrounded by loved ones as soon as they heard the news. She could not utter a word to

any of them. All she did was hugging them and cry. Slowly she started seeing the loved ones -

family and friends around her and realized she had so much to live for. She was neither ready to

leave them nor ready to let go of everything. She wanted to be a part of all her loved ones lives

for many years to come. It was then she realized she had a reason to live, a purpose to strive.

She saw a little girl. That little one did not look different from any other 5 year old, but this one

was different. They were both stuck in the same oncology ward. She was drawn to the little one’s

energy and zest for life. She also met doctors who strive 24/7. All they ever wanted was that their

patients should get well. They not only treated her disease but helped her to stay happy and

remain positive throughout this ordeal. Neither the little one nor the doctors may know that in

her most crucial time, they were her true heroes.

She had to go through 4 intense cycles of chemotherapy. She had excruciating pain which made

her want to scream, which she in fact did most of the time. It was 5 long months of being locked

up inside a hospital room. She was in hospital for her most favorite holidays of the year -

Christmas, New Year and Easter. She just wished these holidays to be better next year.

She spent more time with family. She didn’t have a choice. She learnt to pray again. The days

were painful. She wished to be dead than undergoing all this. But she survived each day and this

gave her faith. She believed in the existence of God. She considered herself blessed because she

didn't have to go through any of this alone. She had a loving and supporting family and friends.

Without them she was not sure what the outcome would have been.

After 5 long months in hospital she was home again. It felt good to be home. But when she

looked at herself in mirror she saw an ugly bald and fat shapeless figure. She was no longer

pretty. She couldn’t recognize the image in front of her. She was too shy to go out or meet new

people. But only she knew what her body went through. She realized it didn’t matter how she

looked because her loved ones continued to love her. Although she was happy to be home and

happy to be in remission she couldn’t sleep at nights. She was too scared to close her eyes and

sleep. She thought she would wake up with Cancer again. She couldn’t bear the thought of

having to go through all this again. With each passing day she said to herself even if she had to

go through all of this again she wouldn’t be alone. She would still have her family and friends

around.

Cancer changed her whole outlook of life. She didn’t realize how much she took life and health

for granted until she knew hers was in jeopardy. Everyone said she was courageous throughout

but she thought it was survival and anyone would have done the same.

But looking back at it today, she realized it did take courage and strength to face Cancer the way

she did. Until then Cancer meant death but now she had a whole new definition for it. Cancer

made her realize it didn’t matter how she looked or what odds she had to face- she was ever

ready to face them all. She now considers each day as a blessing.

She not only survived but evolved as a warrior...!!!!”

Today Quilling Cancer.org’s facebook page has, in a short time received over 500 likes and over

200 orders for her designer beads and fusion jhumkas which she designed at the hospital. And on

the eve of August she donated her first 100 sets of coloring books and crayons for the children

who were admitted in the cancer ward.

About the immortal Self it is said in the Bhagavad Gita in the verses 23 and 24 of the Second

Adhyaya:

That which no weapon can decapitate

That which no inferno can incinerate

That which even the waters can wet not

And which the mighty winds can dry not |23|

This ‘Self’ indestructible and incombustible

Is immutable, imperishable and insoluble

In its inertial stillness it is omnipresent

Ageless and timeless, everywhere it is present |24|

Her page information reads: “We Quill to Kill the psychosis that comes with Cancer. The

proceeds of the sales amounts that come from our quilling go to help the cancer victims.”

Whosoever may be interested can visit https://www.facebook.com/quillingcancer

81) Everyday Heroes: From driving Auto-rickshaws to driving change - Sri Aurobindo's Action- July 2015 Issue

A little upset at being over-charged, I ranted to a friend that all auto rickshaw drivers in Pondicherry are the same. He very politely cut me off and told me that all are not the same. He then went on further to tell me of the story of one man- that not only left me misty eyed but also taught me a very valuable life lesson- to never make stereotypical generalizations. And it is this wonderful man’s life’s story that I wish to proudly share with the readers.

I am thankful to the editors of Sri Aurobindo’s Action for the opportunity to write about him as I feel that even though he himself doesn’t seek any name or recognition, his work demands to be recognized by the society.

Mr.Mohan, an ordinary auto rickshaw driver who being true to his profession-regularly ferried all his customers with the love and respect that they deserved. His customers came from all walks of life and ranged from little school children and youngsters to adults and senior citizens. Every customer who boarded his auto rickshaw, boarded in with a mini-world of his own. To put in his own words he learnt a thousand different things about life from his interactions with the customers.

It was during his observations that he understood that the most neglected section of the society was that of the aged, especially in the lower income households. He used to come across a lot of destitute lying on the streets badly in need for medical assistance and it was then that he firmly resolved to look after at least one elderly person in his life.

In 2002, despite his financial limitations, he founded the Sharon Society of Pondicherry to further his cause and in 2008 – with ten inmates he started the Pushapagandhi home for the aged and the destitute by acquiring a rented home for addressing their food, accommodation, clothing and medical needs free of cost. He did not receive any government aid for his service and later on was forced to leave his profession as an auto driver so that he may be able to focus towards his social calling.

Apart from these ventures, he also organizes blood camps, de-addiction counseling for druggists and smokers, reconciliation of families through counseling, tailoring and embroidery training for women etc. and also has recently started a centre for special children. He has also received many awards for his work but he likes to work silently.

Today despite being 55 and suffering a heart-attack in 2011 owing to an unexpected demise of a beloved friend, Mr.Mohan, along with his wife and their lovely three year old daughter- dedicates his time performing service- life’s greatest purpose and continues to work towards his dream of setting up a self-sufficient home for Sharon Society. A generous benefactor recently gave Sharon Society a land of 4250 sq.ft to realize the dream!

Will you not visit him sometime to see and support the wonderful work he is doing?

For those in Pondicherry who wish to visit him,

PushpaGandhi Home for the Aged. No. 41, 3rd Cross, Kurinji Nagar, Lawspet, Puducherry – 605008. E-mail : sharonmohan.org@gmail.com

“Love has no need to destroy in order to transform. It has the direct power of transformation”

-          The Mother