THE AWAKENED   [1]   His victory cannot be vanquished, a victory none can attain in this world. Which path can lead to the Pathless, the Awakened who dwells with the Infinite?   [2]   No desire – which is entanglement and poisonous drink – can  Page – 221 lead him away. What path can lead to the Pathless, the Awakened who dwells with the Infinite?   [3]   The gods even envy those who are wise and given to meditation, who are enlightened and take delight in the solitude of retirement.   [4]   It is difficult to attain to human birth, difficult to live the mortal life, difficult to hear of the Right Law; difficult i

  LIGHT OF LIGHTS     A Century’s Salutation to Sri Aurobindo   THE GREATNESS OF THE GREAT   I   THE greatness of a person is the greatness of the Impersonal in him. He has little concern about himself. His thoughts, feelings and acts are in relation to a wider frame of reference. The wider the frame, the higher the status of the being; there is an ascending scale in the structure of human life and society. There are gradations that mount from narrower ranges, moving towards vaster and vaster ranges, taking the person into greater and purer degrees of impersonality. We start, for example, from the lowest and narrowest range, namely, the family, a

Twin Prayers   Lord, this morning Thou hast given me the assurance that Thou wouldst stay with us until Thy work is achieved, not only as a consciousness which guides and illumines but also as a dynamic Presence in action. In unmistakable terms Thou hast promised that all of Thyself would remain here and not leave the earth-atmosphere until earth is transformed. Grant that we may be worthy of this marvellous Presence and that henceforth everything in us be concentrated on the one will to be more and more perfectly consecrated to the fulfilment of Thy sublime Work.   THE Mother's prayer to Sri Aurobindo – so beautiful, so poignant and so true – we, her children, now turn roun

PUNISHMENT   [I]   All tremble at punishment: all are afraid of death. See others as yourself and do not strike or cause to strike.   [2]   All tremble at punishment: to all life is dear. See others as yourself and do not strike or cause to strike.   [3]   Creatures long for happiness. He who inflicts pain for his own happiness never gains happiness.   [4]   Creatures long for happiness. He who does not inflict pain upon others for his own happiness gains happiness.  Page – 215 [5]   Never utter harsh words; if you do, the same will be done to you in return. Words spoken in 'anger cause suffering, they strik

"Words, Words, Words..."¹   WHILE coming to you, I saw your beautiful display of excerpts and quotations from the writings of Mother and Sri Aurobindo on the walls all around. Yes, it was a beautiful picture – and the sayings and mottoes and lines of poetry were, needless to say, precious treasures dear to us. But – left at that, to see, admire and pass on, well – they are dead things – words, words, words – lifeless skeletons. They have a meaning and they serve their purpose only when you come in contact with the life and consciousness in them, when you live them with your own life and be the consciousness that is there. You know the well-known phrase: the letter kills,

THE MIND   [1]   The trepidating restless stuff of the mind is hard to guard, hard to control. The intelligent man straightens it even as an arrow­ maker straightens an arrow.   [2]   Born of water, the fish strains and struggles when thrown on land from out of its watery dwelling, even so does the mind­ stuff when freed from the dominion of Mara.  [3]   Hard to master, unstable, wayward is the mind-stuff. It is good to be able to control it. A controlled mind-stuff brings happiness.   [4]   Hard to grasp, extremely clever, moving as it pleases, the  Page – 203 mind-stuff is to be kept under control. A well-guarded mind­

ON ANGER   [1]   Abandon anger; reject egoism; overcome all bondage. No suffering assails him, who has no attachment for name and form, who possesses nothing.   [2]   I call him a charioteer who controls his anger that is like a straying chariot; the others merely hold the reins.   [3]   Conquer anger by freedom from anger. Conquer the evil one by goodness, the 'miserly by generosity and the false by truth.   [4]   Speak the truth, never be angry, give when asked even if there be little. These are the three ways by which one approaches the gods.   [5]   The sages who are self-disciplined, who have control over their bo

THE PATH   [1]   Of all the Paths the best is the Eightfold one, of all the Truths the .best is the Fourfold one, of all the Rules of life the best is detachment and of all men the best is one who has eyes.  [2]   This indeed is the Path, none other exists for the purification of vision. Take to this Path. This alone confounds Mara.   [3]   Take to this Path and you shall end your suffering. I have known where the thorn hurts and I am explaining the Path.   [4]   You must yourself make the effort, the Master only explains. They who take to meditation and follow the Path are freed from the bond ages of the Adversary.   [5]  

OF THE SELF   [1]   If you consider the self dear to you, guard it well and protect it. In one or other of the three vigils, (youth, ripe age, old age), keep awake.   [2]   Establish yourself first in the right way, then you may instruct others. Thus the wise one will avoid all blame.   [3]   One must practise oneself what one teaches others. Being self­-controlled he can control others. It is difficult indeed to control oneself.   [4]   One's own self is one's master. Which other can be the master? By self-mastery one attains a mastery that is rarely achieved.     [5]   The evil done to oneself, the evil born o

Ashram: Inner and Outer   I WILL tell you a story today, but of another kind. I will tell you of a dream, or a vision that I had sometime ago. It was an ashram, I say an ashram for it was not quite like our ashram although there was a great similarity between the two. In some respects it was like our ashram and in other respects somewhat unlike. First of all the whole ashram was in one place, a consolidated organisation, not houses here and there scattered about: there were no buildings or houses belonging to other people or other organisations, also the buildings were beautiful to look at and the general lay-out artistic, but all the activities we have were there. The s