CHAPTER 3 ENCOUNTERS AND EXPLORATIONS I The Woman I behold, whose vision seek All eyes and know not; t'ward whom climb The steps o' the world, and beats all wing of rhyme, And knows not; 'twixt the sun and moon Her inexpressible front enstarred Tempers the wrangling spheres to tune; Their divergent harmonies Concluded in the concord of her eyes, And vestal dances of her glad regard. FRANCIS THOMPSON A deathless meaning filled her mortal limbs; As in a golden vase's poignant line They seemed to carry the rhythmic sob of bliss Of earth's mute adoration towards heav

PART TWO MOTHER In her deep and great love for her children she has consented to put on herself the cloak of this obscurity, condescended to bear the attacks and torturing influences of the powers of the Darkness and the Falsehood, borne to pass through the portals of the birth that is a death, taken upon herself the pangs and sorrows and sufferings of the creation, since it seemed that thus alone could it be lifted to the Light and Joy and Truth and eternal Life.* *Sri Aurobindo, The Mother, SABCL Vol. 25, pp. 24-25. Page – 237 CHAPTER 16 FOUNDING THE ASHRAM I It is difficult if not impossible, even for those w

CHAPTER 35 MYSTERIOUS SACRIFICE I During 1949, Sri Aurobindo had busied himself, along with other activities, with the revision of his book. The Ideal of Human Unity, and dictated a postscript chapter bringing the discussion to the post-1945 era of Big Power rivalry and the cold war. This addition appeared as "The Ideal of Human Unity" in The Advent of February 1950. The War had no doubt ended in total victory for the Allies, but the new 'cold war' attitudes persisted and cast ominous shadows ahead: The actual danger presents itself rather as a clash between two opposing ideologies, one led by Russia and Red China and trying to impose the Com

CHAPTER 10 RETURN TO FRANCE I After a modest celebration of her birthday (she had completed thirty-seven years) on 21 February 1915, Mirra left for France the next day. She boarded the Japanese boat, the Kamo Maru, at Colombo, and the voyage was attended with all the uncertainties and dangers of the global War. Was she happy? was she sad? - she did not know. The surface mind was a blank for the nonce, it was as though she had been projected into a dark tunnel. Pondicherry and what that sanctified spot contained were left behind; but was all Pondicherry blotted out? Impossible! Where was she being carried - what clouds were they - what hideous o

CHAPTER 45 A NEW WORLD IS BORN I Time and again the Mother had reiterated by word, gesture, silence and action that Sri Aurobindo's Yoga was not for half-hearted or bargaining people. The consecration needed was akin to that of the poor woman of the woods who offered to a beggar - who was really Shiva in disguise - her only belonging: a half-eaten mango; and yet she was "filled with an inner glory", for she had made a perfect and absolute gift of all she was and had. When people came to the Mother asking for a restful life, she told them: "Not here. This is not a place for rest because you have worked hard, this is a place for working even harder than be

CHAPTER 19 POWERS AND PERSONALITIES I Ever since the coming of Mirra, first on 29 March 1914 and after the absence of a few years on 24 April 1920, and all along the way of her gradual assumption of more and more responsibilities with regard to the welfare of the inmates in Sri Aurobindo's household, the question as to her true identity - her real personality - had been intriguing disciples and visitors alike. Was she but an aspirant Westerner seeking the Light in faraway Pondicherry? Was she a spiritual adept in her own right? Was she but one of Sri Aurobindo's disciples; or did she have a special status? It was of course obvious that she h

CHAPTER 29 ATTACK, DEFENCE AND COUNTER-ATTACK I The accident to Sri Aurobindo's leg having occurred on the eve of 24 November 1938, the scheduled Darshan on that day had to be abandoned as related earlier, and the next Darshan too could not be held on 21 February 1939. Then came the Darshan on 24 April, for by then Sri Aurobindo had recovered enough to stand the strain of sitting in the same posture for over an hour while before him flowed the procession of sadhaks and admirers. Except that he could not walk as freely as before, Sri Aurobindo was in good general health. Before the accident, he had had to spend most of his night

CHAPTER 38 READINGS AND DISCOURSES I For the New Year (1951), the Mother's message took the form of a simple and solemn affirmation of adhesion to the work which Sri Aurobindo had looked upon as his mission on the earth: Lord, we are upon earth to accomplish Thy work of transformation. It is our sole will, our sole preoccupation. Grant that it may be also our sole occupation and that all our actions may help us towards this single goal. The whole thrust was towards Transformation, not evasion, elimination or destruction. From imperfection to Perfection, from darkness to Light, from the human to the Divine! The months immediately

-11_chapter - 9 hour of god.htm?IsHostedInContentPage=1 CHAPTER 9 HOUR OF GOD I   Sri Aurobindo's decisive plunge into the maelstrom of Indian politics and his tempestuous involvement in it occupied a mere fraction of his life - a matter of three or four years. But they were to prove momentous years in India's history. A convenient breakdown would be - July 1905-July 1906: The "partition of Bengal", the "Hour of God" that roused and united the people of Bengal and if India as a whole against their unwanted British rulers. This year was the transitionary period of Sri Aurobindo's silent withdrawal from Baroda and of the beginnings of his open participation in Bengal and

-18_chapter - 16 pondicherry- cave of tapasya.htm?IsHostedInContentPage=1 CHAPTER 16   PONDICHERRY: CAVE OF TAPASYA   I   Having decided to leave Chandernagore for Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo first spoke to Motilal Roy about it. The idea was that Sri Aurobindo, accompanied by Bejoy Nag, should board the steamer Dupleix on the night of 31 March 1910. Motilal wrote to Sukumar Mitra (Krishna Kumar Mitra's son, and Sri Aurobindo's cousin) and Amar Chatterji of Uttarpara asking them to make the necessary arrangements. Everything had to be done in secret, for there was an oppressive air of suspicion everywhere, and police spies were posted at even the unlikeliest places. Suk