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WORK Q: When people join the Ashram to do sadhana and live under the Mother’s protection, is it not necessary for them to do some Ashram work to progress in their sadhana? A: They should do.
Q: Should they ask the Mother for work or wait till she herself gives them work ? A: If they have the true spirit in them, they will ask for work.
Q: Sometimes when a sadhak asks the Mother’s permission to do a work of his choice and the Mother gives it, can it be said that it is the work done for the Mother? A: The sadhak ought to be ready to do any work that is needed, not only the work he prefers.
Q: Some say that if a sadhak asks Mother’s permission for a work and she gives it, it cannot be said to- be directly the Mother’s work. Only the work given by the Mother herself is her work. Is this true? A: It depends on the circumstances.
Q: I find that when something is required to be done in the Ashram the sadhaks usually say: "I will do it, if the Mother asks me." Often necessary work is thus neglected in the Mother’s name. Is it a sign of their sincerity when they refuse in the Mother’s name? A: If they sincerely depend upon the Mother’s directions, it is all right; if it is a mere excuse for not doing something that ought to be done, it is another matter. But it depends upon the case—the discrimination of one man is not the same as that of another nor the commonsense either. One may think a thing right to do, another may not see it in the same way.
Q: Sometimes when help is urgently required in some work and a sadhak is approached to render it, he says: "I cannot give even a minute’s help without the Mother’s order." Does he say this out of sincere understanding? A: Usually he is not sincere—it means that he does not want to do it. Q: Some people in the Ashram say: "If the Mother herself does not give us any work to do, why should we ask her to give us work ? If it is her wish she will herself give us work, there is no need for us to ask." How far are these people right in their understanding ? A: There is no reason why one should not offer the work if there is work to do. Often there is work to be done and no one offers, so it is not done. Most of the Ashram work is done by a few people, while others do a little only or only what they please.
Q: What is meant by your writing that "most of the Ashram work is done by a few people while others do a little only or do what they please" ? Is it meant that these others work only for their satisfaction and convenience and not for the Mother’s? A: I simply noted the fact that the zealous workers are few and whenever a work has to be done it is they who come forward—the rest do without enthusiasm some fixed work chosen by themselves or else do nothing or practically nothing at all.
Q: If a sadhak finds himself incapable of doing meditation, can he progress in sadhana by only doing work for the Mother? A: If he does the work in a consecrated spirit opening to the Mother and to her consciousness and force.
Q: If a person joins the Ashram and does the work given by the Mother sincerely but finds that he often gets into a bad condition, is he really not a sadhak? Does it mean that he is not doing the work in the true spirit of consecration? A: It depends on the sadhak. None keep the good condition at all times, that is not the point. If he is fundamentally sincere in the work and the sadhana, he is a sadhak; but if he works merely because he has to work or if he works in a selfish spirit, then it cannot be called a spirit of consecration.
Q: Some people say that many persons who do not understand anything about Toga are taken as permanent sadhaks by the Mother and given some work only to give them a chance to come into the possibility of Toga? What is the truth in this? A: What you report them as saying seems to be without meaning.
Q: My faith is that Sri Aurobindo’s Ashram is a divine place and if a person comes there and takes up its work, it is the divine force that leads him to take it up and if he does it in the spirit of consecration to the Mother, he will become the Mother’s instrument. The very atmosphere of the Ashram will induce him to take up this attitude. Is my faith true? A: There may be a power in the atmosphere of the Ashram and there is, but the internal consent of the individual is also necessary.
Q: When X came today to join in our work, T told him jokingly: "Why have you come to this work? It is very difficult. It is better to leave it." Though he was saying this in a humorous way, is it not likely that this sort of talk can do harm to others? A: Yes. There is no use in it and it can do harm.
Q: Is work indispensable for growing into the spiritual consciousness and realising the Supramental Truth ? A: The growth out of the ordinary mind into the spiritual consciousness can be effected either by meditation, dedicated work or Bhakti for the Divine. In our Yoga, which seeks not only a static peace or absorption but a dynamic spiritual action, work is indispensable. As for the Supra-mental Truth, that is a different matter; it depends only on the descent of the Divine and the action of the Supreme Force and is not bound by any method or rule.
Q: Is it possible for sadhaks to realise the Supermind through work? A: If they have the right consciousness.
Q: The Mother has written: "The illusion of action is one of the greatest illusions of human nature." What is meant by illusion here? A: Illusion means that they think their action is all important and its egoistic objects are the Truth that must be followed.
Q: I have noticed that when I am alone and not doing any work I am full of peace and aspiration but when I come out in the field of work and enter in contact with others, lots of difficulties arise and my peace and aspiration are lost. What is the reason of this? A: It is the difficulty of being calm and surrendered in action and movement; when there is no action and one is simply sitting still, it is easy to be quiet.
Q: Some people say that a person without literary or artistic capacity cannot progress in sadhana and cannot be an instrument for Divine work. Is this true? A: All this is rubbish. Some of those who are progressing most, cannot write well and know no art. |