SRI AUROBINDO AND THE MOTHER AS  I  SAW THEM FIFTY YEARS BACK   T. kodandarama rao   "Difficulties come not single, but come in battalions", came true in my case, even at the age of fourteen. But they were a blessing in disguise; for they turned me Godward. I was seized with the spirit of renunciation, and more so after I came into contact with the works of Shankara, Vivekananda, Ramathirtha and the Vairagya school of philosophy. Asce­tic life is only a preparation for something higher, which I did not envisage clearly. There was a deep yearning and aspiration to know the Divine. But there was no guide to lead me towards the goal. Mantra and Japa helped