The Golden Rule   TODAY I shall speak to you of the golden rule. When we were children we were taught, specially at school, at home too, certain golden rules. If you observe these rules you become good, good boys and good girls, you are loved and appreciated by all. These rules are simple and very commonplace; you know them all and must have tried them. For example such things as "speak the truth, do not tell a lie, obey your parents, respect your teachers, do not hurt anybody" etc., etc. That was the basis on which one was to build one's character, mould one's nature, prepare for a pure stainless noble life. They are good, these rules, so far as they go: but to say the truth,

More of Yajnavalkya     LAST time I told you the story of the great Rishi Yajnavalkya. But that was about the later Yajnavalkya when he had become a full-fledged rishi, a guru with an Ashram and disciples. Today I will tell you something of the earlier Yajnavalkya, the beginning of his rishihood, the start of his spiritual life. You know the structure of the old Indian society, it consisted of four castes, varnas, and four stages, āśramas. I shall speak of the āśramas now. Each individual person had to follow a definite course of life through developing stages. First of all, naturally, when you are a baby, in your early childhood, you belong to the family and remain with

Ashram Poets   HYMN TO THE MOTHER   Goddess Supreme, Mira! Creator of the Worlds, Nourisher of the Worlds, Benefactor of the Worlds! Mother! Goddess Supreme, Mira! The infinite mother of the Gods, the universal Goddess! The Home of the Worlds, thy gracious feet! Rays of the immeasurable light, descending from                 the divine family of the Gods, We shall take birth as the new race,    spreading wide thy force of light by our valour. A new humanity, a new race of beauty,    they bear in their eyes the tranquillity of thy eyes. Train all thy children, Mother, under thy training,         give them thy own initiation.

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