IV ON REJECTION Sri Aurobindo, in the second chapter of his book The Mother, has drawn our attention to the interesting fact that although in Yoga the Divine is considered to be the Goal of attainment, he himself at the same time acts as the sadhaka, also the sadhana. Still, so long as a sadhaka remains under the control of his lower human nature, it becomes altogether imperative that he make some personal effort for his progress. This personal effort comprises the three operations of aspiration, rejection and surrender. The preceding chapter of this book dealt with the sadhana of aspiration; we propose to speak now of the sadhana of rejection. Sri Aurobi

XIV THE CONQUEST OF SELF-LOVE A total and unreserved self-giving to the Divine on the part of a sadhaka is the key secret of living a truly spiritual life. And Sri Aurobindo has reminded us that, in practice, this "self-giving... means a change from ego-centricity to God-centricity". (Letters on Yoga, p. 1374) But this 'God-centricity' is not so easy to obtain: it can come only if we truly and integrally love the Divine. Now the question arises whether, as sadhakas of the spiritual Path, we fulfil the above condition. Of course, if someone asks us point-blank: "Do you love the Divine?", our prompt answer will be: "Surely we do." If now a s

III ON ASPIRATION Aspiration is one of the most essential elements conducive to the success in sadhana. Without an aspiration to support the sadhaka at every step, any meaningful progress on the spiritual path is not only difficult but highly improbable. Sri Aurobindo has reminded us that aspiration is one of the two crucial factors which open wide the window of spirituality, the other one being the progressive eradication of the ego-centric attitude. He has also affirmed that the difficult task the Integral Yoga has taken in hand, that is to say, the establishment of a divine life upon earth itself, can only be achieved with the conjunction of two forces: (I) a steadil

XVIII ON WILL-POWER IN SADHANA Lacking in sufficient will-power is a great handicap in the life of a sadhaka. This deficiency alone, when many other propitious 3 conditions are present, has wrecked the spiritual career of many aspirants. Regrettably, when we look at ourselves, many of us will find, that almost daily we give proof of the debility of our will when confronted with a crisis of choice. The state of our mind at these moments of decision is somewhat like this: "We know and understand many things but at the time of practical application we buckle miserably. We have the conviction that as sadhakas we have to reject every prompting of ego and d

VII ON SELF-SURRENDER TO THE DIVINE Self-resignation to the Divine, entire and sincere, at all moments and under all circumstances, is the key-element in the process of Sadhana on the path of the Integral Yoga. 'My God and my all!' should be the all-comprehensive Mantra arising from the depths of the heart of every serious sadhaka. The act of self-resignation cannot but fill the whole life of a sadhaka with the tranquil and spontaneous rasa of delight. And why should it not be so? The day a sadhaka genuinely surrenders himself to the Divine in a spirit of entire self-resignation, the Divine too from his side actively intervenes in th

XIII SADHANA THROUGH LOVE AND DEVOTION (Prema-yoga) Most of us who claim to be sadhakas are under the impression that it is almost an obvious fact that we love the Divine. But the fact is otherwise. Our so-called love for the Divine is not love at all in the spiritual sense of the term: it is only a simulacrum of love and devotion. But why do we venture to say so? Well, there are some characteristic signs by which a true lover of the Divine can be recognised. Wherever these signs are missing or are feeble in nature it is presumptuous to assert or believe that one really loves the Divine. It is good to know these distinctive cha

XI SADHANA THROUGH WORK (Karma-sādhanā) Karma-sadhana is a very essential part of the Integral Yoga. Our ultimate goal being the establishment of divine life upon earth and our intermediate goal being the achievement of victory of the Di-vine in the totality of our embodied human existence, a consecration of the thinking mind and its knowledge alone or the consecration of the heart and its emotions will not serve our purpose. The entire consecration of the pragmatic will in works is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, as Sri Aurobindo has pointed out, although one may find God in otherwise, one will not be able to fulfil the Divine in life. As a result

THE PRACTICE OF THE INTEGRAL YOGA The Practice of the Integral Yoga (With copious hints for the Pilgrims of the Path) All life is Yoga, — Sri Aurobindo JUGAL KISHORE MUKHERJEE Foreword by Dr. A.S. Dalal SRI AUROBINDO INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF EDUCATION SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM PONDICHERRY First edition 2003 Rs. 150.00 ISBN 81-7058-732-8 © Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 2003 Published by Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education Pondicherry - 605 002 Printed at Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, Pondicherry PRINTED IN INDIA

Foreword It is an honour to write a foreword to this book authored by someone who is a veteran sadhaka of the Integral Yoga and a veritable walking encyclopaedia of the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. In fact, The Practice of the Integral Yoga is a comprehensive treatise on the effective practice of the Yoga of Integral Transformation as propounded by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The book does abound in valuable hints, consisting in insights, approaches and perspectives which the author has found effective for his own sadhana spanning more than half a century. For, as will be evident to the perceptive reader, the book is not a product of armchair study, but an outco

I ELEVEN BASIC ATTITUDES When a traveller decides to undertake a long and rigorous journey, he first provides himself with all the requisites of the path; otherwise he may get into trouble any time in course of his voyage. The same thing applies in the case of a spiritual traveller. When he sets out on his spiritual pilgrimage whose ultimate goal is to be united with the Divine Consciousness and to turn oneself into a fit instrument for the Divine's manifestation, he too must have to gather at the very outset the essential requisites for the successful completion of the pilgrimage; for the path of sadhana is much more difficult, much more beset with difficult