THE ADVENTURE OF THE APOCALYPSE*   The poet who is not merely idealistic or religious but has a direct mystical sensitivity and of whom it may be said that his adventure is the Apocalypse — what species of poetry would he particularly aspire to write? In general answer to this query we may begin with some remarks on production from the dream-consciousness, the phenomenon now loosely known as Surrealism.   The ordinary notion about the dream-consciousness is very restricted and, though Freud and Jung have interestingly and ingeniously explored certain layers below the mind's threshold, they have not driven home the fact familiar to all practitioners of Yoga tha

ENGLISH STYLE   An English friend has written for the benefit of foreign aspirants to authorship in his language:   "In English, and especially in Modern English, one has to be very careful about over emphasis and over-statement. The word 'great', for example, which makes such a show in many other languages, is but sparingly used. We may apply it to men or women whose importance resides not in their position, not even in the stir they may have made in the world, but in the genuineness of achievement tested by time. It is felt to be too big, too judicial a word to be lavished on what is contemporary.   "A critic in a review will hesitate before describing a writer of the

-003_Moods and Modes of Poetry (Two Letters) MOODS AND MODES OF POETRY   (TWO LETTERS)   1   You are right in saying that the true objective of poetry is not merely expression but also communication. A poet should not care solely to please himself or one or two of his own mind; he should try to establish rapport with the large number of cultured men who are receptive to poetry. Yet, to make easy communication his entire ideal would be unfaithfulness to his own inspiration, particularly if he happens to be a mystic. "Clarity winged with beauty" is indeed a fine thing finely stated and some of the world's greatest verse conforms to this type — but clarity is a relative term and what is clea

SHELLEY, SWINBURNE, HOUSMAN — AND MARY SHELLEY   1   The Times Literary Supplement of November 21, 1968 (pages 1318-19), discusses under the title, "Shelley, Swinburne and Housman", the famous eighth line —   Fresh spring, and summer and winter hoar —   of one of Shelley's most Shelleyan lyrics beginning, in its standard published form,   Oh, world! oh life! oh time!   The lyric consists of two stanzas, and the line in question which is in the second stanza is one foot shorter than the corresponding line in the first. The tale of the seasons is also short by one of them: namely, autumn. Critics naturally have aske

-021_Sri Aurobindo^s Savitri, the Nature of Epic and the Expression of Mysticism in English Poetry (A Letter) SRI AUROBINDO'S SAVITRI, THE NATURE OF EPIC AND THE EXPRESSION OF  MYSTICISM IN ENGLISH POETRY   A LETTER   The script of your friend's projected lecture, incorporating your touches, on Sri Aurobindo's Savitri makes interesting reading and is surely helpful in several respects. Most of these are analytic, classificatory; but the labelling is done skilfully and catchingly. I can understand his dissatisfaction with the passages he has quoted from Sisir Ghose, Srinivasa Iyengar and myself. But I don't know whether it is right to pull out a passage from me like that, as if I have wri

Champaklal - The Yogi Before that, as we were sitting in the verandah, we heard someone coming down the stairs. As soon as his foot touched the floor I spontaneously ran forward. I felt it must be Sri Aurobindo. I touched his lotus feet and prostrated myself in sashtanga dandavat pranam [with feet, trunk, shoulders, palms and head touching the floor like a rod - signifying surrender of the whole being]. Then he proceeded to the courtyard. Later I was to learn from the Mother that it was at a corresponding spot on the first floor that she had first seen Sri Aurobindo; that was at 3.30 p.m. on 29th March 1914. And I had, rather I was grante

-09_Mother^s Lion.htm Champaklal - The Yogi MOTHER'S LION Champaklalji was extremely fond of this photograph of his with the Mother which she captioned it "My Lion". While choosing it as the cover for the Gujarati edition of Champaklal Speaks, he noted this incident: Once, on seeing this photo, Pranab's uncle Charubabu exclaimed, "Mother, here Champaklal looks like Durga's lion!" And Mother forcefully replied, "He is my lion!" "My Lion" - The Mother (1960) (Ref: Champaklal Speaks. 3rd Edition. Preface x)

Champaklal - The Artist GRAPHIC DESIGNS At one stage Champaklal also did a number of graphic designs with colour pencils or felt-pens. These interesting designs have a spontaneity about them and are far from being conventional patterns or mere decorative motifs. Below are some of his works. (Ref: Champaklal as an artist. 1st Edition. P: 22) Free Hand Design

Champaklal - The Artist This portrait of Champaklal was done in the 1930s by Chinmayee (Mehdi Begum), as a member of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It was further worked upon and finished by the Mother, who taught painting to Chinmayee. INTRODUCTION Champaklal was not only a respected member of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, but almost an institution in himself. His devoted and meticulous personal service to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother for o

Champaklal - The Artist Marbling Champaklal did over seven hundred paintings by the marbling technique. The Mother gave titles to many of these paintings after looking into the movement of forces they suggested; these revelatory captions focus on the hidden meaning they represent. To those who are sensitive in their imagination and can feel the inner impact of these pictures, they bring a strong sense of the wondrous - an outburst of light and delight taking mystic and dynamic colour shapes through the inspiration of an artist who has striven to lose himself in the Unknown. We may say that