CHAPTER I THE RAINBOW BRIDGE Even those who have only a smattering of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga and philosophy know that they aim at these three signal achievements: (I) ascent of the consciousness of man from mind to Supermind, which is the Truth-consciousness, the Rita-chit of the Veda; (2) descent of the Supermind into Matter and the conversion and transformation of the integral nature of man—physical, vital and mental—by the Light-Force of the Supermind, and (3) the perfect manifestation of Sachchidananda on earth through the transformed and divinised human nature. Sri Aurobindo does not subscribe to the world-shunning asceticism of the old schools of

PREFACE In these six short chapters, the first five of which were published in the Advent and the last in Mother India, I have tried to trace the remarkable identity that existed between the thoughts, aspirations and ideals of the Mother and those of Sri Aurobindo before they had know I or even heard of each other. Their first meeting took place at Pondicherry on the 29th March, 1914, but the Prayers, discourses and essays written by the Mother before that date breathe the same intense aspiration for and are instinct with the same flaming will to integral transformation, integral union and integral manifestation of God in the material life of man, as we find in the writings of S

CHAPTER V THE DIVINE MANIFESTATION AND THE DIVINE LIFE Before we proceed to note the identity existing between Sri Aurobindo's views on the Divine Manifestation and the Divine Life and those of the Mother before her meeting with Sri Aurobindo, we had better be clear about what Sri Aurobindo understands by Manifestation and the Divine Life. There are two important elements which give a distinctive character to the above terms and mark them out as the most creative concepts in spiritual philosophy. The first is the evolutionary and the second the collective element. Manifestation is, according to Sri Aurobindo, the very purpose and

THE DIVINE COLLABORATORS RISHABHCHAND SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM PONDICHERRY PUBLISHERS: SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM PONDICHERRY All Rights Reserved First published in June, 1955 SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM PRESS PONDICHERRY PRINTED IN INDIA THE DIVINE COLLABORATORS By the same author: IN THE MOTHER'S LIGHT—PART I, RS 2-8 IN THE MOTHER'S LIGHT—PART II, RS 3-8 THE INTEGRAL YOGA OF SRI AUROBINDO —PART I, RS 3 THE INTEGRAL YOGA OF SRI AUROBINDO—PART II, 4

CHAPTER III PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION Sri Aurobindo insists so much on physical transformation, because without it the spiritual achievements of the human soul cannot be manifested in earthly life, individual and collective. It has been possible to purify the mind and the heart to a certain extent and even to discipline and regulate (more by suppression or repression than otherwise) the life-parts of man, but the physical nature has been left almost unreclaimed. Its customary habits and tendencies, its crude appetites and impulses, its mechanical reactions and responses to outward impacts have always been the disgust and despair of even the greatest of s

Life of Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta on August 15, 1872. At the age of seven, he was taken with his two elder brothers to England for education, and he lived there for fourteen years. In 1890 he passed the open competition for the Indian Civil Service, but as he had no intention of accepting service under the Government, he failed to appear at the riding examination and was disqualified. At this time the Gaekwar of Baroda was in London. Aurobindo saw him, obtained an appointment in the Baroda Service and left England in January, 1893. Sri Aurobindo passed thirteen years, from 1893 to 1906 in the Baroda Service,first in the

PREFACE On the occasion of the birth centenary year of its founder Rishabhchand, Indian Silk House pays its homage and expresses its gratitude to Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, the guiding Forces of Rishabhchand. In 1931, he settled permanently in the Ashram at Pondicherry. His younger brothers, Bimalchand and Sumatichand assumed charge of the business which flourished and prospered by the Grace. Presently under the able guidance of Sri Bharat Kumar, son of Late Rishabhchand, Indian Silk House will be celebrating its Platinum Jubilee in the year 2001. Books containing excerpts from the letters written by Rishabhchand to his relatives and friends, in English, Bengali and

Excerpts from the letters written by Rishabhchand to his friend and Co-Sadhak Mr. Rutledge B. Tompkins in U. S. A. between the period 13.5.1964 to 19.9.1968. It appears to me from your letter that some adverse mental suggestions have disturbed you. I hope by now you have got over the disturbance and recovered your equanimity. I may remind you of Sri Aurobindo's words in The Bases of Yoga; "To be calm, steady, fixed in the spirit, dhira sthira, this quietude of the mind, this separation of the inner Purusha from the outer Prakriti is very helpful, almost indispensable. So long as the being is subject to the whirl of thoughts or the

The Mother The Mother was born in a wealthy family in Paris as Mira Alfasa on 21 February, 1878. Introspective by nature, she was in many ways an extraordinary child. She used to feel the descent of a great brilliant light while sitting silently in a chair at the age of four. At about the age of twelve, she became conscious of a great mission she had come to fulfil upon earth. "Between eleven and thirteen", she says, "a series of psychic and spiritual experiences revealed to me, not only the existence of God, but man's possibility of meeting with Him or revealing Him integrally in consciousness and action, of manifesting Him upon earth in a life divine. This a

Rishabhchand (1900-1970) The essence of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga is the integral surrender at the feet of the Mother. Those who met and knew Rishabhchand testify that he was the living symbol of surrender at the feet of the Mother. He achieved complete detachment from all material objects. For Rishabhchand, Divine was everything. Rishabhchand was bom at Jiaganj in West Bengal on the 3rd of December, 1900. He was the eldest son of Puranchand (1882—1967), an eminent scholar and writer mainly on Jain religion and philosophy in Bengali. After a brilliant academic career in Krishnanath College, Berhampur, and Presidency College, Calcutta, Rishabhchand plunged