Hymn to Saraswati WHITE-hued — white as the Kunda flower or the moon or the snow-range, robed in white She bears in her arms the marvellous vina, seated on the lotus. She is ever adored by Brahma and Vishnu and Shiva and all the Gods. May Saraswati save us, the Goddess, may she wipe out all our slothness unto the last. Oh Saraswati, thou art the great destiny, the supreme Knowledge, oh Beauty with lotus-eyes! The universe is thy form, thy gaze ranges wide, Oh Goddess, give us the Knowledge, I bow to thee. May she dwell on our tongue—she holds the Vina and the Book, The consort of the Supreme, the Mother Divine,

Hymn to Hara-Gauri SHE is anointed with camphor and sandal And He with ashes of the funeral pyre; She wears true ear-rings And He rings of swaying snakes; I bow to Her, I bow to Him. She is decorated with garlands of Mandara And He with garlands of human skulls; She is girt with heavenly robes And He with the vacant spaces; I bow to Her, I bow to Him. Her anklets stir and jingle And His, the serpent-hoods, gleam and swing; Her limbs are decked with gold And His with the heads of hissing vipers; I bow to Her, I bow to Him. Her eye is as the tremulous blue lotus And His the red lotus blooming; Her globes of vision ar

BENGALI ESSAYS AND POEMS OF SRI AUROBINDO Asceticism and Renunciation THE Discipline (Dharma) spoken of in the Gita can be fol­lowed by everyone; it is open to all. And yet the supreme status in this Discipline is not a whit less than that of any other. The Discipline of the Gita is the Discipline of desire­less works. In this country with the resurgence of Aryan Discipline a flood of asceticism has spread everywhere. A man seeking Rajayoga cannot rest content with the life or the work of a householder. For the practice of his yoga he needs to make tremendously laborious efforts to be able to meditate and concentrate. A slight mental disturbance

Hymn to the Mental Being RIGVEDA Mandala X: Sukta 58 (1) THAT Mind of yours which has gone afar, to the solar world of Divine Law ­— We bring back to you; so may you dwell here in life. (2) That Mind of yours which has gone afar, to the Heaven, to the Earth­ — We bring back to you; so may you dwell here in life. (3) That Mind of yours which has gone afar, to a realm whose four sides have crumbled down­ — We bring back to you; so may you dwell here in life. (4) That Mind of yours which has gone afar, to the great four quarters ­— We bring back to you; so may you dwell here in life. Page-16 That Mind of y

A Prayer IF thou must give something Give me the undying lamp, the lamp of thy Love: And silently shalll bow down and quietly depart. Give to my beggar heart the touch of thy Light, May it bloom like a morning flower on my bosom! O Mother, thy seat bounded by the moon and the stars is spread in the vast stilled spaces! And yet afar from there, oh, touch the earth's heart and pour down thy Grace! Let my soul, drowned here in loud noises, listen to the music, The music of silence filling my whole being: May the world with eyes wide open see Peace come down unending: O pour out the delight that shall enliven my journey, The l

VEDIC HYMNS Hymn to Indra RIGVEDA Mandala I: Sukta 84 (I) O INDRA, the delightful wine (Soma) has been pressed out for thee, most powerful art thou and the smiter of foes. May this Indra-Power fill thee even as the sun fills the firmament with its rays. (2) The twin bright carriers bring near unto us lndra of indomi­table might and also the Hymns of the seers and the sacrifices of men. (3) Take thy seat in the chariot, O slayer of Vritra the Coverer, the twin bright steeds have been yoked by the Supreme Word; may the stones, pressing out the wine of Delight by their perfect utterances, turn thy happy mind downward here. (4) O lndr

Great Time WHO art Thou, in the, vast Finite, Thou flowest, Great Time, from the Beginningless towards the Endless? ¹ I have seized your intent,² mighty Spirit of Time! Now the sky, irridescent in the cataract of sun-rays Created the magic city of limpid Eve-tide; I wandered along river banks seeking to attune my heart-strings To the murmur and music of life voiced by her rippling waves: Night infinite descended with silent steps Casting the shadow of her coronet Upon the wide sky, flinging the hem of her robe, Laying down the soft darkness upon earth's expanse. Her eyes lost in thought, In this vast Night, plunged in the contemplation of t

The Bride of Brahman RIGVEDA Mandala X: Sukta 109 (1) OF the stain in Brahman the first to speak were: God Varuna the Vast (shoreless), the Wind-God Matarishvan, Vayu, who blows away even a stronghold, The violent God, Agni, the Goddess Water (Apah), mother of Delight: these are the first-born by their power of Truth. (2) King Soma was the first to lead out Brahman's bride once again, – he had no hesitation. Varuna and Mitra followed suit. And Agni as the su­preme priest took her hand and led on. (3) “You can seize her body by the hand, she is the bride of Brahman”, they said: "She was not meant for the missioned messenger; ev

Hymn of Aspiration RIGVEDA Mandala X: Sukta 57 (I) LET us not turn away from the Path nor from the Sacrifice, O Indra, nor from those who pressed the wine of Immorta­lity. Let not our enemies stand in between. (2) That weft which fulfils the Sacrifice extends towards the Gods. That we call, to That we move. (3) The Mind we now call by the Soma (immortal) drink that voices the Godhead, and by the thought-powers of the Fathers. (4) May the Mind come back to you again for the right Will, for the right Knowledge, for the right living and for the uninterrupted vision of the Sun. (5) May the Fathers give back to us again,