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IV MISCELLANY SOME NAMES GIVEN BY SRI AUROBINDO AND MOTHER
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To Dara There were two Emperors of Persia named Darius (Dara). The first was Darius Hystaspes, the greatest of his dynasty, and the other Darius Codomanus, the last of the line who was conquered by Alexander. It is the first whose name you bear. Sri Aurobindo
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ON NATURES The four S. that Subhadra must develop: Sincerity Satyen The four S— I propose to your realisation: Sincerity Simplicity Straightforwardness Steadiness Chinmayi's C: Consciousness Pavitra's P: Peace Purity Patience Perspicacity Page - 120
My blessings are very dangerous. They cannot be for this one or for that one or against this person or against that thing. It is for, or well I will put it in a mystic way: It is for the Will of the Lord to be done, with full force and power. So it is not necessary that there should always be a success. There might be a failure also, if such is the Will of the Lord. And the Will is for the progress, I mean the inner progress. So whatever will happen will be for the best. 21.1.60 Page - 121 BLESSING - PACKET
There are some petals, inside, but they are charged with force, and if you keep them upon you, the contact with me is kept. So if you refer inside, you can establish the contact and have even an answer. THE MOTHER Let him keep this envelope in his pocket and look at the picture when he feels depressed. Blessings THE MOTHER MOTHER'S SIGNATURE Mother used to write the full name only on documents etc. where it was so required. She wrote : Page - 122 SOME PRAYERS GIVEN TO SADHAKS A PRAYER (For N.) Let this year that begins for me, be the beginning of a new life made of unshakeable faith and trust in the Divine and of a constant aspiration. February 1934
(Mantram for Pandit)
In the name of my Lord, for the sake of my Lord, with the will of my Lord, by the power of my Lord, stop immediately harassing us. (Prayer given to children of Dortoir Boarding) We all want to be the true children of our Divine Mother. But for that, sweet Mother, give us patience and courage, obedience, good will, generosity and unselfishness, and all the necessary virtues. This is our prayer and aspiration. 15 January 1947 (Madanlal) My Lord, make me entirely thine. (K) Grant me a quiet trust, a peaceful strength, an ardent faith and devotion. (S.A.) My Lord, my Mother, You are always with me with your blessings and your grace - Your Presence is the supreme protection Page - 123.
"My Lord, grant me this quiet trust in Thee which overcomes all the difficulties." A prayer for Gunvant, with love and blessings THE MOTHER
"Lord, give me this Grace to never forget you." 17.12.58
"Lord, give me perfect sincerity, that sincerity which will lead me straight to Thee." August 1962 THE. MOTHER
A grain of practice is worth a mountain of theories. Lord, on this anniversary day of my birth, grant that the power to know changes in me into a power to transform myself integrally.
Lord, grant that my vision of things may be direct and objective and my acts be completely transformed by it.
Remember that the Mother is always with you. Address Her as follows and She will pull you out of all difficulties: "0 Mother, Thou art the light of my intelligence, the purity of my soul, the quiet strength of my vital, the endurance of my body. I rely on Thee alone and want to be entirely Thine. Make me surmount all obstacles on the way."
Lord, grant that a stupidity once committed and recognised may never be repeated.
MESSAGE (Dahyabhai) Let this new house be filled with an ardent aspiration for the Page - 124 Divine Realisation and in answer to the call the Divine Presence will be there. 7.10.51
When writing materials like fountain pens, ball-pens, pencils were offered to her, Mother would often try them immediately. Here is a specimen of a few pencils tried out on a piece of paper:
the good pencil a nice pencil another nice pencil a still better pencil the perfect pencil SYMBOLS MOTHER'S SYMBOL Page - 125
Centre and 4 powers white. The 12, all of different colours in three groups (1) top group red passing through orange towards yellow, (2) next group yellow passing through green towards blue,(3) blue passing through violet towards red. If white is not convenient, the centre may be gold (powder). 20.3.1934 SRI AUROBINDO SRI AUROBINDO'S SYMBOL
Page - 126 SYMBOL OF CENTER OF EDUCATION GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SADHAKS
(From time to time, especially in the early years of the Ashram, Sri Aurobindo used to issue general instructions to the inmates. Here are a few of them)
It has been found necessary to change some of the forms and methods hitherto used to help by external means, the individual and collective sadhana. This has to be done especially in regard to the consecration of food, the collective meditation and the individual contact of the sadhak with the Mother. The existing forms were originally arranged in order to make possible a spiritual and psychic communion on the most physical and external planes, by which there would be an interchange of forces, a continuous increase of the higher consciousness on the physical plane, a more and more rapid change of the external nature of the sadhaks and afterwards an increasing descent of the supramental light and power into Matter. Page - 127 Meditation at 7 a.m. on all days of the week except Wednesday and Friday. Flower offering on Tuesday and Thursday, none on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. All fixed or daily times for sadhaks seeing the Mother -are cancelled. Every day the Mother will call those whom she wants to see. Any others who need to see her, will inform Nolini early ' in the morning or the night before, and write the reason for their request which will be acceded to or otherwise dealt with, according to circumstances and possibilities. The soup will be distributed in the evening in the downstairs verandah of Sri Aurobindo's house. All who taste it must be present at 8.30 and remain seated in silence till the Mother .comes. Before the distribution there will be a few minutes' concentration all together. The night meditations are cancelled for a time. On the first of each month, the distribution from the stores will be made in the store room, in the presence of the Mother, at 8 p.m.
The Ashram is meant for Yoga, not for musical entertainments, or other social activities. Those that live in the Ashram are requested to live quietly and noiselessly, and if they are not capable themselves of meditation, they must at least leave the others to meditate.
RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE ASHRAM
1. Always behave as if the Mother was looking at you; because she is indeed, always present. 2. All new-comers and persons connected with them are hereby informed that every new arrival to the Ashram is to be reported to Purani on the same day in order to furnish information for the Police. 3. There have been several instances recently in which members of the Ashram have been rude and over-bearing in their behaviour to the French Police when they come to the Ashram in connection with the registration of new arrivals. There can be no possible Page - 128 excuse for this kind of conduct, especially as the police authorities have agreed to our own proposals in the matter and we have undertaken to help them with all necessary informations. Sri Aurobindo has already given a warning against making trouble for the Ashram with the authorities; it ought not to be necessary to repeat it. Especial care must be taken during these days when many are arriving from outside. If the police come for information, they must not be sent rudely away; they should be asked to wait and information be given to Purani who will deal with the matter. 4. Food and other requirements are given in the Ashram to those who have made a complete surrender of their means to the Mother and receive only what she gives to them. If anyone receives money from outside and keeps it, it will be understood that he wishes to live on his own independent means and does not need anything from the Ashram and arrangements will be made accordingly. 5. Furniture purchased by a temporary inmate for personal use remains a property of the Ashram when he leaves the place. He cannot take it with him nor claim it back when he comes again. 6. Nothing should be sent out for publication (contributions to newspapers and Magazines or books) without having been first submitted to Sri Aurobindo for approval. 7. Sri Aurobindo's work is purely spiritual. Anyone entering the Ashram as a member must abstain from political connections or activities. 8. The moment one enters the life of the Ashram and takes up the Yoga he ceases to belong to any creed or caste or race; he is one of Sri Aurobindo's disciples and nothing else. Race prejudices, caste feeling, pride of sect or contempt of other religions have no place here. Every sadhak should remember this in his thought and speech and dealings with the others. 9. Visitors from outside should not be received in the Ashram by the sadhaks except under special circumstances and by per- mission. Infringement of this rule may have very inconvenient consequences for the work. 10. Nothing should be spoken to outsiders as to what passes in the Ashram without special permission from the Mother. 11. Outsiders should not be allowed within the precincts of any of the houses of the Ashram. If anyone wishes to see the Page - 129 Ashram, it can be done only after special permission from the Mother. 12. Rule No. 4 applies only to permanent members of the Ashram. Those who stay only for a time must contribute to the expenses a monthly sum to be fixed by the Mother. 13. Permanent members of the Ashram are expected to under- take some part of the work necessary for its organisation and maintenance. The nature of the work to be given to them will be decided by the Mother. Those who reside temporarily may also assist while they are here. 14. This Ashram, maintaining almost a hundred people, has to be run at a heavy expense; it is therefore the understanding that while those who have nothing (the majority) are admitted free and nothing is asked from them, the few who have something are expected to give what they have. If they wish to have the charge of their whole spiritual and material future taken over by us, it is at least fair that they should make the offering of all their possessions. December 1, 1929 SRI AUROBINDO After a careful study of the Ashram, nothing short of spiritual intensity is needed for the conquest over the greed of food. 27.11.29 SRI AUROBINDO
A POEM OF RADHANANDA CORRECTED BY
SRI AUROBINDO
Why burnest thou, 0 fire, within my soul ? Cheated by hope I sink beneath the strain Of thy divinity that has allured With its huge promise of unearthly goal This human, yea, too human self of mine! Too long have I thy scorching bliss endured, Too long the ecstasy of godstruck pain! Madden not thus my failing flesh and mind — For mercy's sake, tell me what Might divine Has blown the blaze of thy effulgent wind Into my life ? What immortality Page - 130 Beckons thee forward, guides thee from behind, O Shining Shadow of Dark Mystery ? Poem as corrected by Sri Aurobindo:
1 Why burnst thou thus, 0 fire, within my soul ? 2 Baulked of my hope I sink beneath the strain 3 Of the divinity that has allured 4 With the vast promise of its far off goal 5 This human, 0, too human self of mine! 6 Thy scorching bliss I have too long endured, Too long this ecstasy of godstruck pain! Madden not thus my failing flesh and mind — 7 Have pity, let me feel the Might divine 8 That blew thy blaze on some effulgent wind Into my life. What immortality 9 Beckons thee on or guides thee from behind, 10 0 Shining Shadow of that Mystery?
Sri Aurobindo's comments written below the corrected poem:
1 Rhythm weak. 2 "Cheated" is too common and violent to be in tune with the style ((of the)) poem. 3 "The" gives a larger idea than "thy" and avoids a rather awkward construction of the syntax. 4 "promise of unearthly goal" is not English. "An" or "its" is needed before the adjective — in the latter case the first "its" has to go. "Huge" gives a sense of uncouthness which it is not your intention to give. 5. yea is archaic and rhetorical. 6 I alter the order both to get rid of an awkward inversion and to give a more natural turn to the repetition of "too long". To put the object between the subject and the verb should be avoided — it can only rarely be used and then only in order to get an unusual and powerful effect. On the other ((hand)) to put the object at the beginning for the sake of emphasis is permissible. 7 "For mercy's sake" is impossibly colloquial, — it cannot be used in poetry. Page - 131 8 You cannot speak of "the blaze: of a wind" — the phrase is too violent, i 9 "Or" is indispensable here for smoothness in the sense. 10 "Dark" is out of place, it gives a sense of something sad and adverse. "That" referring back to "Might Divine" and indi- cating some supreme rahasyam would be much more poetic and profound.
REPORTED (AND APPROVED) FROM MOTHER'S REMARKS
THE STARS
The stars have no decisive influence. It is only if one does not believe in the Divine that one unnecessarily suffers by believing that they determine one's life. I have known many astrologers both in Europe and India. So far, nobody has been able to read the future correctly. There are three reasons for the failure. First; the astrologers do not know how to read the future properly. Secondly, the horoscope is al- ways incorrectly made — unless a man is a mathematical genius. And even for such a person it is very difficult to make a correct horoscope. Thirdly, when people say that the stars in this or that house at the time of birth rule your life, they are quite wrong. The stars under which you are born are only "tape-recorders" of physical conditions. They do not rule the future of the soul. There is something beyond; which rules the stars themselves and every- thing else. The soul belongs to this Supreme Being. And if it is doing Yoga, then all the more it should never believe in the power of the stars or in any other power. An astrologer who predicts a catastrophe for you is like a joker. Many jokers say things like "Today you will break your neck!" But in spite of the joke nothing happens. Only a great Yogi can tell you your future correctly. But even then there is the Supreme Will which alone controls and decides everything. 8.9.1961 Page - 132 REFINED GIRL
X. is a very refined girl, and she is extremely sensitive, easily hurt. Never scold her or speak harshly to her or force her to do anything. I find her very nice. But she looked so frightened — I don't know who could have told her about me that she should feel like that. Tell her that I found her very nice. She is very refined but somehow she has been living all tightened up. Let her feel quite free, don't try to put any ring around her. Let her feel completely relaxed and free here, and tell her that she should relax and just feel as if she were all the time in sunshine. 16.9.68 Page - 133
The Mother listening to music
The Mother, Madhav, Champaklal |
