Works of Sri Aurobindo

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November 3, 1914  

 

      For quite a long time, Lord, my pen had fallen silent…. Yet hast Thou given me hours of unforgettable illumination, hours in which the union between the most divine Consciousness and the most material grew perfect, hours when the identification of the individual being with the universal Mother and of the universal Mother with Thee was so complete that the individual consciousness could perceive simultaneously its own existence, the life of the entire universe and Thy eternity beyond all change. Beatitude was at its height in an ineffable and infinite peace, the consciousness luminous and immeasurable, complex and yet one, existence all-powerful, master of death. And this is no longer a fleeting state, attained after a long concentration, vanishing as soon as it is born; it is a state that can last long hours full of eternity, hours at once instantaneous and interminable, a state brought about at will, that is to say, one which is permanent, one with which the most external consciousness comes into contact as soon as any occasion allows it, as soon as it is no longer occupied with a definite intellectual or physical task. In all work, constantly, there is the perception of Thy invariable presence in Thy dual form of Non-Being and Being, but as though behind a fine veil woven by the indispensable concentration upon the work that is done; while in the hours of solitude the being is immediately enveloped by a marvellously powerful atmosphere, limpid, calm, divine; it lies 

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merged within it, and then the life of splendour begins again in all its amplitude, all its complexity, all its sublimity; the physical body is glorified, supple, vigorous, energetic; the mind is superbly active in its calm lucidity, guiding and transmitting the forces of Thy divine Will; and all the being exults in an endless beatitude, a boundless love, a sovereign power, a perfect knowledge, an infinite consciousness…. It is Thyself and Thou alone who livest, even in the least atom of the body-substance itself.

    Thus the solid foundations of Thy terrestrial work are prepared, the substructure of the immense edifice built; in every corner of the world one of Thy divine stones is laid by the power of conscious and formative thought; and in the hour of realisations the earth, thus prepared, will be ready to receive the sublime temple of Thy new and more complete manifestation.  

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November 8, 1914 *

 

      For the plenitude of Thy Light we invoke Thee, O Lord! Awaken in us the power to express Thee.

    All is mute in the being as in a desert crypt; but in the heart of the shadow, in the bosom of the silence burns the lamp that can never be extinguished, the fire of an ardent aspiration to know Thee and totally to live Thee.

    The nights follow the days, new dawns unweariedly succeed to past dawns, but always there mounts the scented flame that no storm-wind can force to vacillate. Higher it climbs and higher and one day attains the vault still closed, the last obstacle opposing our union. And so pure, so erect, so proud is the flame that suddenly the obstacle is dissolved.

    Then Thou appearest in all Thy splendour, in the dazzling force of Thy infinite glory; at Thy contact the flame changes into a column of light that chases the shadows away for ever.

    And the Word leaps forth, a supreme revelation.  

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November 9, 1914  

 

      O Lord, for perfect consciousness we aspire…

    All the being is gathered into a well-tied sheaf made of various but harmonised flowers. The will was the hand that gathered the flowers and the tie that bound the sheaf and it is the will that now holds it out to Thee like a scented offering. To Thee it is held out unweariedly, without faltering.  

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November 10, 1914

 

      O Lord, Thy Presence is settled within me like an unshakable rock; and the whole being exults in belonging to Thee without the least reserve, with a wide and complete surrender.

    O Consciousness, immobile and serene, Thou watchest at the confines of the world like the sphinx of eternity. And yet to some Thou yieldest Thy secret.

    They can become Thy sovereign Will which chooses without preference, executes without desire.  

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November 15, 1914  

 

      The one important thing is the goal to be reached; the road matters little, and often it is preferable not to know it beforehand. But what we need to know is whether the time for the divine action upon earth has really come, and whether the work conceived in the depths can be realised.

    Of this, O Lord, Thou hast given us the assurance, an assurance which has been accompanied by the most powerful promise that Nature, the universal Consciousness can possibly make…. Thus we have the certitude that what must be done will be done and that our present individual beings are in reality called upon to collaborate in this glorious victory, this new manifestation. What more do we need to know? Nothing. So it is with the greatest confidence that we can witness the formidable fight, the onslaught of the adverse forces, which, unknowingly, finally serve in the realisation of Thy plan. We would be wrong to feel anxious because it is not given to us to know how it serves Thy plan and by what means Thou wilt triumph over all resistances; for Thy triumph is so perfect that every obstacle, every ill-will, every hatred raised up against Thee is a promise of a still vaster and more complete victory.

    From the sum of resistances, one can gauge the scope Thou wouldst give to the action of that among Thy pure forces which is coming to manifest upon earth. What opposes is just that upon which it is the mission of these forces to act; it is the darkest hatred 

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which must be touched and transformed into luminous peace.

    If the human individual Thou hast chosen as Thy centre of action and Thy intermediary meets with few obstacles, few misunderstandings and little hatred, it means that Thou hast entrusted to him a limited mission without any intensity. It is in the narrow circle of already prepared men of goodwill that he will act and not upon the chaotic and confused mass of terrestrial substance.

    O divine Master, this knowledge which Thou hast given me, let all of us share, so that the peace of conviction may reign in our hearts and we may, in the calm of Thy sovereign certitude, confront with head held high all that, unconsciously attracted to the transfiguration, plunges headlong into blind ignorance, believing it will be able to destroy the Transfiguring Love.  

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November 16, 1914  

 

      Thou art like the wind upon the sea, driving the boat back ashore until it is at last loaded with all the goods necessary for the long voyage. Thou wouldst not have us embark thoughtlessly. Thy servitors must be ready for all eventualities, must be capable of answering all demands, satisfying all needs.  

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November 17, 1914  

 

      Alas, sublime Mother, how great must be Thy patience! Each time Thy conscious will attempts to manifest itself in order to rectify errors, to hasten the uncertain progress of the individual led astray by his own illusion of knowledge, to trace the sure path and give him the strength to walk steadily upon it without stumbling, almost always he pushes Thee away as a tiresome and short-sighted adviser. He is willing to love Thee in theory with a vague and inconsistent love, but his proud mind refuses to confide in Thee and prefers to wander all by itself rather than advance guided by Thee.

    And Thou repliest, ever smiling in Thy unwearying benevolence: “This intellectual faculty which makes man proud and leads him into error is the very same which, once enlightened and purified, can also lead him farther, higher than universal nature, to a direct and conscious communion with our Lord, with That which is beyond all manifestation. This dividing intellect, which makes him stand apart from me, also enables him to scale rapidly the heights he must climb, without letting his progress be enchained and delayed by the totality of the universe, which, in its immensity and complexity, cannot effect so swift an ascent.”

     O Divine Mother, always Thy word comforts and blesses, calms and illumines, and Thy generous hand lifts a fold of the veil hiding the infinite knowledge.

     How calm, noble and pure is the splendour of Thy perfect contemplation!   

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November 20, 1914  

 

      Oh, I would be before Thee, Lord, always like an absolutely blank page, so that Thy will may be written in me without any difficulty, any mixture.

    The very remembrance of past experiences should sometimes be swept away from the thought so as not to obstruct this work of perpetual reconstruction which alone in a world of relativities permits Thy perfect manifestation.

    Often one clings to that which was, fearing to lose the result of a precious experience, to give up a vast and high consciousness, to fall back into a lower state.

    And yet, what should he fear who is Thine? Can he not walk with joyful soul and illumined brow upon the path Thou tracest for him, whatever it may be, even if this path be altogether incomprehensible to his limited reason?

    O Lord, break the old frames of thought, abolish past experiences, dissolve the conscious synthesis if Thou thinkest it necessary, so that Thy work may be accomplished better and better, Thy service upon earth be perfected. 

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November 21, 1914  

 

      O Lord, Thou hast given me Thy Power that Thy Peace and Joy may reign over the world.

    And this being is now only an embrace of peace enveloping the whole earth, an ocean of joy breaking over all things.

    O you who are full of hatred, rancour shall be effaced from your hearts as the sea effaces an imprint upon the sands.

    O you who feed upon vengeance, peace shall pass into your hearts as it enters the soul of a child rocked by its mother.

    For the divine and universal Mother has turned her gaze upon the earth and she has blessed it.  

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