PART ONE The Veda and the Supermind It is instructive to observe that in the early stages of Sri Aurobindo's own yogic development, an ascent to the supermind was effected; during that stage of development certain lines of his self-development were spontaneously converging towards the ancient and now unfrequented paths followed by the Vedic Rishis. At that time, there had begun to arise in his consciousness an arrangement of symbolic names attached to certain psychological experiences which had begun to regularize themselves; among them there were experiences of the faculties which the Vedic Rishis had described as supramental in character6. Sri Aurobindo, therefore, in ord