"ALL LIFE IS YOGA" ONE of the greatest teachings of Sri Aurobindo is : "All life is Yoga".1 His Ashram is a growing and organised attempt at living this law of life. Hence, there is no question of "splitting" of the activities as ethical, religious philanthrophic and so on. "All must be taken to a spiritual height and placed upon a spiritual basis; the presence of an inner spiritual change and an outer transformation must be enforced upon the whole of life...all must be accepted that is helpful towards this change..."2 But how can it be applied to our day-to-day life ? Carrying a world of worries, as so many do, how can one hope to think of Yoga?

THE DEEPER RETIREMENT NOW we come to the most momentous event of 1950 the passing of Sri Aurobindo on December 5. His withdrawal from our view cast over most to us a thick pall of gloom and like a blinding snow-storm it benumbed our consciousness. The step he took was as revolutionary as it was sudden for all of us. Living on the human plane he was always above it. That was why his ways were unpredictable by us humans. We could never even for a moment have the idea that he would, of set purpose, withdraw from his body. He who had saved so many from the jaws of death, how could death touch his person ? Up to the last day even Champaklal who had been in his

ASHRAM CELEBRATIONS In the vast field of human activities ceremonial functions have their own place. It is.not easy to lead a monotonous life. When one gets tired of his routine work, he wishes to breathe an air of relaxation. He desires to do something which would fill his whole being with exhilaration and happiness. It would be difficult to say precisely when in the cultural history of man the idea of fairs and festivities took birth. May be, the habit of holding collective festivals is as old as man himself. May be, it was initiated by the changing charms of Nature—the deep-dark weeping-nights of the rainy season succeeded by the smiling autumnal moon; the cold

A Stellar Hymn Nov. 16, 2013   When I descended, taking form on earth Body and mind of thee were unaware, Or why I came into this realm of birth Only to be caught in Death's cruel snare. I met thee then and saw as in a glass Who I had been and what my role was here This callow youth, headstrong, bold and crass - And yet Love called me sweetly and drew near That I might breathe the sacrifical air. I could not stay, the vital was too strong, But the light was lit and never would disappear And slowly dawned in me a morning song. Now there wings upon my offered days A s

The Avatars Descend July 14, 2013 The battle is not fought on earthly ground, The enemies of progress lie within. No sudden change of circumstance alone, No law or doctrine, dogma or decree Can effect the transformation that we seek. Spiritual communes last but a day. The carrier word is kept by those alone In whom the Presence and the Force reside. Religion failed no doctrine can replace The evil seated in the heart of man. The Avatars descend in human form Uplifting souls that open to their light, An involution from the planes above, On the struggling evolution here below. Yet nothing is lost of goodness or of

The God Who Waits Within July 14, 2013   Man moves as if a shadow of himself Trekking along a grey forbidding shore, Wanting to search, unable to recall The distant haunting memory, the key Once known in other worlds and ancient times. Pacing unaware of sky and sea, Lost in thought and wandering alone, Hoping, almost in prayer, to reach again The summits seen, the vision briefly glimpsed Of one who is the bearer of the Light, One who speaks directly to the soul. If one can still see beauty, feel delight In passing wayside blossoms, hear the song Perched atop a tree, a songster's prayer, Perhaps man may survive, the world t

The Avenging Angel July 14, 2013   The avenging Angel soon may visit us Intolerant of wickedness and greed His appearance on our paltry human scene May well announce a god who will succeed Mankind consumed by animosity Towards his kind, unable to live in peace, Destroyer of the beauty of the earth, Whose hatred, lust and anger does not cease. Unwilling to rise beyond the animal self Inapt to look within, a flame to find To burn away the darkness of his state Such pleasure takes in the brilliance of his mind Locked in a pathetic lump of clay To live awhile on his brief road to death, His insignificant gains erode

To the Light We Cling July 13, 2013 I sat beside a singing rill, The grass was cool and lush and green. I felt my soul with wonder fill At all the beauty I had seen. Winter in his cloak of white, A silent man whose heart was chill, On the frozen landscape of the night His blanket spread and all was still. Then Spring arrived, his grand design Melted by a warmth of love; A marvel-tinted world was mine As Summer like a dream of gold Came fragrant with each flower’s birth And I remembered none of cold When Autumn came ablaze on earth. Though wintry years attend us all There

State of Grace June 25, 2013   It is not the winter of this body’s life. No force can quell the magic of these days To live, to love and offer up my praise. And though the years have seen their share of strife And loss and pain they are now far behind. No longer are there dark and wintry fears Or counting up of sorrow's wasted tears, The inability to still the mind, For now the goal is clear, the way is shown. Bathing in the fragrance of the flowers Intimidated not by fleeting hours Through His largesse this fledgling soul has grown. I take the present as a state of grace In Her my fate and future lives I place.