THE MOTHER

 

The Spiritual Significance of Flowers

 

Part I

 

Test and Photograph

 

Contents

 

 

 

Chapter 1

Chapter 7

Aditi and Avatar

Spiritual Attainments

Aditi

Mastery

Avatar

Wisdom

 

Inspiration

Chapter 2

Revelation

The Divine

Consciousness turned towards the Light

Sachchidananda

Conversion

 Divine Presence

New birth

Divine Love

Realisation

Divine Grace

Victory

Divine Help

Transformation

Protection

Immortality

 

Beauty

Chapter 3

Art

The New Creation

Refinement

Promise

Dignity

New world

Wealth

New creation

 

The future

Chapter 8

Superhumanity

Power

 

Godhead

Chapter 4

Agni

Living for the Divine

Supramental Consciousness

To live only for the Divine

Beauty of supramental youth

Attachment to the Divine (orchids) 

Charm of the new creation

Trust in the Divine

Individual power

Friendship with the Divine

Dynamic power

Love for the Divine (roses)

Power of progress

 

 

Chapter 5

Chapter 9

Road to the Divine

Planes of Consciousness and Parts of the Being

Ascension

Complexity of the centres

Aspiration

Supramental influence

Prayer

Spiritual aspiration

Devotion

Spiritual beauty

Remembrance

Psychic work

Opening

Psychological perfection

Receptivity

Mind

Tapasya

Higher mind

Renunciation of desires

Mental simplicity

Unselfishness

Quiet mind

Discipline

Vital opening

Thoroughness

Vital purity

Endurance

Elegance in the emotions

Service

Refinement of sensations

Work

Physical consciousness turned entirely towards the Divine

Organisation

Light in the blood

Help

Peace in the cells

Progress

Peace in the sex centre

 

Health

Chapter 6

Dreams

Bases of Spiritual Life

Power of Truth in the Subconscient

Sincerity

Divine Will acting in the Inconscient

Purity

 

Simplicity

Chapter 10

Humility

Collaboration of Nature

Peace

Blossoming of Nature

Silence

Spontaneous aspiration of Nature towards the Divine

Gratitude

Abundance

Cheerfulness

Light in fairyland

Goodwill

Bird of paradise

Balance

 

Harmony

Chapter 11

Generosity

Awakening of Matter

Faithfulness

Psychic awakening in Matter

Right attitude

Gold

Enthusiasm

Fire

Life energy

 

Plasticity

Chapter 12

Courage

Radha and Krishna

Boldness

Radha's consciousness

Absolute truthfulness

Krishna's light in the Overmind

Spiritual speech

Krishna's play

No quarrels

Krishna's Ananda

Certitude

 

 

Part II

 

Sri Aurobindo Ashram

 

First Edition 2000

(C) Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 2000

Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department

Pondicherry, India

Printed in Singapore at Ho Printing

ISBN 81-7058-609-7

Chapter 5

 

Road to the Divine

 

Reveal, who know, the road that I must tread ...

SRI AUROBINDO

 

What I call "being on the path" is being in a state of consciousness in which only union with the Divine has any value - this union is the only thing worth living, the sole object of aspiration. Everything else has lost all value and is not worth seeking, so there is no longer any question of renouncing it because it is no longer an object of desire. As long as union with the Divine is not the thing for which one lives, one is not yet on the path.

THE MOTHER

 

It is true that the path is very long, but for one who follows it with sincerity, it is really very interesting. .. .

THE MOTHER

 

Page-59


110 Road to the Divine

 

110 Road to the Divine

Always long, apparently dry at times, but always abundant in its results. Drimiopsis kirkii. White

 

111 Perfect path

For each one it is the path that leads fastest to the Divine.

Coffi-a. White

This is what we mean by "Divine": all the knowledge we have to acquire, all the power we have to obtain, all the love we have to become, all the perfection we have to achieve, all the harmonious and progressive poise we have to make manifest in light and joy, all the new and unknown splendours we have to realise.

THE MOTHER

 

Whatever we see of this Divine and fix our concentrated effort on it, that we can become or grow into some kind of unity with it or at the lowest into tune and harmony with it. ... Whatever of it we *see, we can create or reveal in our conscious nature and being and can grow into it....

SRI AUROBINDO

111 Perfect path

Page-60


THE PATH

What do you want the Yoga for? To get power? To attain to peace and calm? To serve humanity?

None of these motives is sufficient to show that you are meant for the Path.

The question you are to answer is this: Do you want the Yoga for the sake of the Divine? Is the Divine the supreme fact of your life, so much so that it is simply impossible for you to do without it? Do you feel that your very raison d'etre is the Divine and without it there is no meaning in your existence? If so, then only can it be said that you have a call for the path.

THE MOTHER

 

"When you come to the Yoga, you must be ready to have all your mental buildings and all your vital scaffoldings shattered to pieces. You must be prepared to be suspended in the air with nothing to support you except your faith. You will have to forget your past self and its clingings altogether, to pluck it out of your consciousness and be born anew, free from every kind of bondage. Think not of what you were, but of what you aspire to be; be altogether in what you want to realise. Turn from your dead past and look straight towards the future.

THE MOTHER

 

HOPE

Our hopes are never too great for manifestation. We cannot conceive of anything that cannot be done.

THE MOTHER

 

Yes, you are right to have hope; it is hope that builds happy futures.

THE MOTHER

112 Hope

Paves life's way

Jacquemontia pentantha. Violet blue

\

112 Hope

 

Page-61


113 Repentance

 

113 Repentance

The first step towards correcting  mistakes

Chloris barbaea. Reddish brown

114 Return

 

114 Return

The salvation of those who have gone astray .

Cordyline terminalis. pale mauve

115 Stages to the Supreme

 

115 Stages to the Supreme

We will go through as many stages as necessary, but we will arrive.

Lupinus. All colours

Page-62


ASCENSION

There must be an ascension of the whole being, an ascension of spirit chained here and trammelled by its instruments and its environment to sheer Spirit free above, an ascension of soul towards some blissful Super- soul, an ascension of mind towards some luminous Supermind, an ascension of life towards some vast Super-life, an ascension of our very physicality to join its origin in some pure and plastic spirit-substance. And this cannot be a single swift up soaring but, like the ascent of the sacrifice described in the Veda, a climbing from peak to peak in which from each summit one looks up to the much more that has still to be done.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

SOARING

A being free from all bondages, flying from height to height in a happy seeking for divine transformation.

 

 THE MOTHER

   

 

116 Ascension

116 Ascension

Stage by stage one climbs towards the Consciousness.

Leonotic nepetifolia. Orange

117 Soaring

117 Soaring

Take your flight towards the heights.

Dephinium. Severalcolours

Page-63


ASPIRATION

118 Aspiration

118 Aspiration

Innumerable, obstinate, repeating itself tirelessly.

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis. White with orange

 

119 Elan of aspiration

Nothing is too high, nothing too far for its insatiable ardour. Cleome hasslerana. Pink

 

[Aspiration] is the call of the being for higher things - for the Divine, for all that belongs to the higher or Divine Consciousness.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

This taste for supreme adventure is aspiration - an aspiration that takes hold of you completely and flings you, without calculation and without reserve and without any possibility of withdrawal, into the great adventure of the divine discovery, the great adventure of the divine meeting, the yet greater adventure of the divine realisation. . . .

THE MOTHER

   

119 Elan of aspiration

Page-64


ASPIRATION

Aspiration is like an arrow. ... So you aspire, you want very earnestly to understand, to know, to enter into the Truth. Yes? And then with that aspiration you do this {gesture upwards). Your aspiration rises, rises, rises, rises straight up, very strong and then it strikes against a kind of— how to put it? — a lid which is there, hard like iron and extremely thick, and it does not pass through. And then you say, "See, what's the use of aspiring? It brings nothing at all. I meet with something hard and cannot pass!" But you know about the drop of water which falls on the rock, it ends up by making a chasm: it cuts the rock from top to bottom. Your aspiration is a drop of water which, instead of falling, rises . . . and when it makes the hole suddenly it springs up out of this lid and enters an immensity of light.

THE MOTHER

 

 

 

120 Flame of aspiration

A flame that illumines but does not burn. Acer. Autumnal colourings   

120 Flame of aspiration

Page-65


121 Aspiration for purity

 

121 Aspiration for purity

Purity is perfect sincerity and one can obtain it only when the being is entirely consecrated to the Divine. Spathiphyllum. Cream white to palegreen

122  Aspiration for integral immortality

 

122 Aspiration for integral immortality

An organised, tenacious and methodical development of the consciousness.

Aerva tomentosa. White

123 Aspiration for the Divine Consciousness

 

123 Aspiration for the Divine Consciousness Blossom, 0 precious flower, and never close again. Vernonia eleagnaefolia. Pale mauve

Page-66


124 Triple aspiration

 

124 Triple aspiration

Love life and light, recognising their Master, respond to Sachchidananda.

Capparis brevispina. White with yellow

125 Power of collective aspiration

 

125 Power of collective aspiration

A harmonious collective aspiration can change the course of circumstances.

Hoya carnosa. Pale pink

Page-67


ASPIRATION IN THE PHYSICAL

 

Have you  never watched a forest  with all its countless trees and plants simply struggling to catch the light - twisting and trying in a hundred possible ways just to be in the sun? That is precisely the feeling of aspiration in the physical - the urge, the movement, the push towards the light. Plants have more of it in their physical being than men. Their whole life is a worship of light. Light is of course the material symbol of the Divine, and the sun represents, under material conditions, the Supreme Consciousness. The plants have felt it quite distinctly in their own simple, blind way. Their aspiration is intense, if you know how to become aware of it.

THE MOTHER

 

126 Psychic aspiration

Constant, regular, organised, gentle and patient at the same time, resists all opposition, overcomes all difficulties.

Ixora chinensis. Pink

 

127 Mental aspiration

Its expression is precise and clear and very reasonable.

Ixora coccinea. Light yellow 

 

128 Aspiration in the physical

Manifold, simple and joyful.

Ixora coccinea. Deep red

 

129 Aspiration in the physical for the Supramental

Light Clustered, persistent, obstinate, organised, methodical.

Ixora javanica. Orange

Page-68


133 Vital prayer

 

130 Prayer

Self-giving is true prayer. 

Zephyranthes. Several colours

 

131 Psychic prayer

Spontaneous and fervent. 

Zephyranthes. Light pink

 

132 Mental prayer

Spontaneous in a mind that is aspiring for transformation.

Zephyranthes. Yellow

 

133 Vital prayer

The vital prays to be purified. 

Zephyranthes. Deep pink

 

134 Integral prayer

The whole being is concentrated in a single prayer to the Divine. 

Zephyranthes. White 

PRAYER     

 

135 Supramental invocation

 

135 Supramental invocation

The spontaneous attitude of the Supermind towards the Divine.

Sternbergia lutea. Golden yellow

Page-69


PRAYER     

Prayer is only a particular form given to ... will, aspiration and faith. ... Its power and sense is to put the will, aspiration and faith of man into touch with the divine Will as that of a conscious Being with whom we can enter into conscious and living relations. ... In spiritual matters and in the seeking of spiritual gains, this conscious relation is a great power; it is a much greater power than our own entirely self-reliant struggle and effort and it brings a fuller spiritual growth and experience.

SRI AUROBINDO

Here is my constant prayer to our Lord:

"O my beloved Lord, let Thy Will be done. Thy Will alone, without any resistance or opposition. Thy Will is our happiness and our security."

THE MOTHER

RELIGIOUS THOUGHT

Religion's real business is to prepare man's mind, life and bodily 136  existence for the spiritual consciousness to take it up; it has to lead him to that point where the inner spiritual light begins fully to emerge. It is at this point that religion must learn to subordinate itself, not to insist on its outer characters, but give full scope to the inner spirit itself to develop its own truth and reality. In the meanwhile it has to take up as much of man's mentality, vitality, physicality as it can and give all his activities a turn towards the spiritual direction, the revelation of a spiritual meaning in them, the imprint of a spiritual refinement, the beginning of a spiritual character.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

136 Religious thought

Can only be utilised when it is freed from the influence of religions.

Wrightia tinctoria. White

 

137 True worship

Total and constant, without demand or claim.

Leucas aspera. White

136 Religious thought

 

137 True worship

Page-70


ADORATION

138 Adoration

Worship is only the first step on the path of devotion. Where external worship changes into the inner adoration, real Bhakti begins; that deepens into the intensity of divine love; that love leads to the joy of closeness in our relations with the Divine; the joy of closeness passes into the bliss of union.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

The aim of Yoga being union, its beginning must always be a seeking after the Divine, a longing after some kind of touch, closeness or possession. When this comes on us, ... adoration becomes always primarily an inner worship; we begin to make ourselves a temple of the Divine, our thoughts and feelings a constant prayer of aspiration and seeking, our whole life an external service and worship.

SRI AUROBINDO

138 Adoration

Manifold , smiling, regular, it offers itself tirelessly.

Cordia sebestena. Orange

Page-71


DEVOTION

139 Devotional attitude

 

140 Devotion

141 Conquering fervour

 

142 Joy of union with the Divine

 

In love for the Divine or for one whom one feels to be divine, the Bhakta feels an intense reverence for the Lord, a sense of something of immense greatness, beauty or value and for himself a strong impression of his own comparative unworthiness and a passionate desire to grow into likeness with that which one adores.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

The final demand of the Bhakta is simply that his Bhakti may never cease nor diminish. He does not ask for heaven or for liberation from birth or for any other object, but only that his love may be eternal and absolute.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

139 Devotional attitude

Modest and self-effacing, it yields remarkable fruit.

Aegle marmelos. Greenish white

 

140 Devotion

Modest and fragrant, it gives itself without  asking anything in return.

Ocimum tenuiflorum. Pale greenish white

 

141 Conquering fervour

An ardour that fears no obstacles.

Ocimum americanum. White

 

142 Joy of union with the Divine

Abundantly scented, it fills the heart with joy. Ocimum basilicum. White

Page-72


JOY OF UNION WITH THE DIVINE

To see nothing but the Divine, to be at every moment in union with him, to love him in all creatures and have the delight of him in all things is the whole condition of [the God lover's] existence. . . . The joy of heaven and the joy of earth are only a small shadow of his possessions; for as he grows into the Divine, the Divine too flows out upon him with all the light, power and joy of an infinite existence.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

SEEKING SUPPORT ONLY IN THE DIVINE

Never seek support elsewhere than in the Divine. Never seek satisfaction elsewhere than in the Divine. Never seek the satisfaction of your needs in anyone else than the Divine — never, for anything at all. All your needs can be satisfied only by the Divine. All your weaknesses can be borne and healed only by the Divine. He alone is capable of giving you what you need in everything, always.

THE MOTHER

 

143 Right use of the granted Grace

No deformation, no diminution, no exaggeration, a clear sincerity.

Saponaria officinalis. White or pink

 

144 Seeking for support only in the Divine

The Divine is the  only support that never fails

Solanum seaforthianum. Light lavender

143 Right use of the granted Grace

 

144 Seeking for support only in the Divine

Page-73


154 Combined offering of two parts of the being

 

145 Offering

The only offering that truly enriches is one that is made to the Divine.

Alcea rosea. Several colours

 

146 Offering of all obscurities

Offer your obscurities sincerely to the Divine and you will be able to receive the Light.

Alcea rosea. Dark purple

 

147 Psychic offering

This is the spontaneous attitude of the psychic towards the Divine.

Alcea rosea. Light pink

 

148 Offering of the emotions

Emotions placed at the service of progress.

Alcea rosea. Lavender pink

 

149 Offering of the vital

The immediate result of conversion.

Alcea rosea. Dark red

 

150 Integral offering of the vital

An important stage on the way to transformation.

Alcea rosea. White and lavender

 

151 Offering of the material vital

Indispensable for conversion.

Alcea rosea. Reddish violet

 

152 Offering of the most material vital

The first step towards transformation.

Alcea rosea. Very dark red

 

153 Offering of the physical

The proof of the resolution to liberate oneself from the ego. Let the physical offer itself sincerely to the Divine and it will be transformed. 

Alcea rosea. Red

 

154 Combined offering of two parts of the being

This heralds the progress and effectiveness of the being.

 Alcea rosea. Bicoloured

 

155 Integral offering

The surest way to realisation.

Alcea rosea. White

 Page-74


OFFERING

Yoga means union with the Divine, and the union is effected through offering — it is founded on the offering of yourself to the Divine. . . . You must feel at every step that you belong to the Divine; you must have the constant experience that, in whatever you think or do, it is always the Divine Consciousness that is acting through you. You have no longer anything that you can call your own; you feel everything as coming from the Divine, and you have to offer it back to its source. When you can realise that, then even the smallest thing to which you do not usually pay much attention or care, ceases to be trivial and insignificant; it becomes full of meaning and it opens up a vast horizon beyond.

THE MOTHER

 

ENTIRE SELF-GIVING

The Divine gives itself to those who give themselves without reserve and in all their pans to the Divine. For them the calm, the light, the power, the bliss, the freedom, the wideness, the heights of knowledge, the seas of Ananda.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

[The soul's inherent aspiration] is what comes up when there is the sheer self-giving, when "I seek you for this, I seek you for that" changes to a sheer "I seek you for you." It is that marvellous and ineffable absolute in the Divine that X means when he says, "Not knowledge nor this nor that, but Krishna." The pull of that is indeed a categorical imperative, the self in us drawn to the Divine because of the imperative call of the greater Self, the soul ineffably drawn towards the object of its adoration because it cannot be otherwise, because it is it and He is He. That is all about it.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

156 Unconditional integral offering

The joy of self-offering without asking anything in return.

Ipomoea tricolor 'Pearly Gates'. White

 

157 Entire self-giving

Completely open, clear and pure.

Ipomoea alba. White

156 Unconditional integral offering

 

157 Entire self-giving

Page-75


159 Constant remembrance of the Divine

 

 REMEMBRANCE

It is by the constant remembrance that the being is prepared for the full opening. By the opening of the heart the Mother's presence begins to be felt and, by the opening to her Power above, the Force of the higher consciousness comes down into the body and works there to change the whole nature.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

REMEMBRANCE OF SRI AUROBINDO

Sri Aurobindo came to tell the world of the beauty of the future that must be realised. He came to give not a hope but a certitude of the splendour towards which the world moves. The world is not an unfortunate accident, it is a marvel which moves towards its expression. The world needs the certitude of the beauty of the future. And Sri Aurobindo has given that assurance.

THE MOTHER

 

158 Remembrance

Constant remembrance of the Divine is indispensable for transformation.  Lycianthes rantonnei. Mauve

 

159 Constant remembrance of the Divine

Spontaneous and joyful. The ideal condition. 

Lonicera japonica. Ivory white

 

160 Remembrance of Sri Aurobindo

Let us strive to realise the ideal of life he has set before us.

Lobelia erinus 'Cambridge Blue'. Blue

 

161 Glad remembrance

In activity and in silence, in taking and in giving, always the glad remembrance of Thee.

Clarkia unguiculata 'Rosea plena'. Several colours

Page-76


   

162 Lasting remembrance 

 

162 Lasting remembrance

The remembrance of that which has helped the being to progress.

Myosotis sylvatica. Sky blue

 

163 Emotional remembrance

Only the  circumstances that have helped us in our search for the should be the object of this remembrance.

Dicentra spectabilis. Rose pink

 

164 Subconscient remembrance

Must be purified of all taat is useless.

Cyaoglossurn amabile. Sky blue

 

163 Emotional remembrance

 

164 Subconscient remembrance 

Page-77


166 Mental opening

 

165 Opening

The help is constant in all domains. It is for us to know how to benefit from it.

Barleria. Many colours

 

166 Mental opening

The first step of the mind towards transformation.

Barleria prionitis. Golden yellow

 

167 Emotional opening

The progress of the emotions towards the Divine.

Barleria cristata. White and lavender

170 Integral opening of the being to the Divine

 

 

168 Opening of the emotional vital

One of the first steps on the way to transformation.

Barleria cristata. Pink

 

169 Vital opening to the Supramental Light

(No comment)

Barleria. Bluish purple

 

170 Integral opening of the being to the Divine

The first step of the ascent.

Barleria cristata. White

OPENING

Opening is a release of the consciousness by which it begins to admit into itself the working of the Divine Light and Power.

THE MOTHER

 

In this yoga the whole principle is to open oneself to the Divine Influence. It is there above you and, if you can once become conscious of it, you have then to call it down into you. It descends into the mind and into the body as Peace, as a Light, as a Force that works, as the Presence of the Divine with or without form, as Ananda.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

What you should do is to throw the doors of your being wide open to the Divine. The moment you conceal something, you step straight into Falsehood. The least suppression on your part pulls you immediately down into unconsciousness. If you want to be fully conscious, be always in front of the Truth - completely open yourself and try your utmost to let it see deep inside you, into every corner of your being. That alone will bring into you light and consciousness and all that is most true.

THE MOTHER

 

Widen yourself to the extreme limit of the universe . .and beyond. Always take upon yourself all the necessities of progress, and resolve them in the ecstasy of Unity. Then you will be divine.

THE MOTHER

Page-78 


171 Opening to Sri Aurobindo's Force

 

174 Opening of the material vital to the Light

175 Integral opening to the Light

 

171 Opening to Sri Aurobindo's Force

Sri Aurobindo's help is constant. It is for us to know how to receive it.

Thunbergia kirkii. Lavender

 

172 Opening to the Light

Harmonises with all that can lead towards the Light.

Thunbergia erecta. Several colours

 

173 Opening of the higher vital to the Light

The vital existing only for the Divine. The vital knowing no other master than the Divine.

Thunbergia erecta. Lavender and white

 

174 Opening of the material vital to the Light

One of the essential conditions for peace.

Thunbergia erecta. Deep violet

 

175 Integral opening to the Light

The assurance of the coming peace and joy.

Thunbergia erecta 'Alba'. White

Page-79


RECEPTIVITY

 

 

 

 

184 Manifold receptivity

176 Receptivity

Conscious of the Divine Will and surrendered to it.

Gladiolus Xhortulanus. Many colours

 

177 Psychic receptivity

The psychic responds joyfully to the ascending force.

Gladiolus Xhortulanus. Pink or rose pink

 

178 Receptivity of the supramentalised psychic

This is what happens to the psychic that continues to progress.

Gladiolus Xhortulanus. Pink and orange

 

179 Mental receptivity

Always ready to learn. Gladiolus Xhortulanus. Yellow

 

180 Emotional receptivity

Emotions wanting to be divinised.

Gladiolus Xhortulanus. Lavender pink or mauve

 

181 Vital receptivity

Happens only when the vital understands that it must be transformed. The vital blossoms in aspiration for the Divine.

Gladiolus Xhortulanus. Dark red or deep violet

 

182 Physical receptivity

One should have it only towards the Divine.

Gladiolus Xhortulanus. Bright red

 

183 Integral receptivity

The whole being perceives the Divine Will and obeys it.

Gladiolus Xhortulanus. White

 

184 Manifold receptivity

Nothing resists the Light.

Gladiolus Xhortulanus. Multicoloured

 

185 Supramentalised receptivity

The receptivity of tomorrow.

Gladiolus Xhortulanus. Orange

 Page-80


186 Broadening of the being

 

186 Broadening of the being

All the parts of the being broaden in order to progress. Sinningia speciosa. Many colours

 

187 Organised emotional broadening

The broadening should not be the result of an instinctive impulse but of a conscious organisation.

Sinningia speciosa. White and purple

 

188 Broadening of the most material vital

The limitations of the ego begin to be shaken.

Sinningia speciosa. Purple

 

189 Blossoming

The result of trust and success.

 Tulipa. All colours

RECEPTIVITY

Receptivity - the power to receive the Divine Force and to feel its presence and the presence of the Mother in it and allow it to work, guiding one's sight and will and action.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

BROADENING

When the consciousness is narrow and personal or shut in the body, it is difficult to receive from the Divine - the wider it expands, the more it can receive. A time comes when it feels as wide as the world and able to receive all the Divine into itself.

SRJ AUROBINDO

   

189 Blossoming

Page-81


CONCENTRATION

 

 

 

190 Concentration

 

190 Concentration

Does not aim at effect, but is simple and persistent. Euphorbia milii. Bright red

 

It is well known that the value of a man is in proportion to his capacity of concentrated attention; the greater the concentration the more exceptional is the result, to the extent that a perfect and unfailing concentrated attention sets the stamp of genius on what is produced.

THE MOTHER

 

Concentration is a state one must be in continually, whatever the outer activity. By concentration I mean that all the energy, all the will, all the aspiration must be turned only towards the Divine and His integral realisation in our consciousness.

THE MOTHER

 

Our one objective must be the Divine himself to whom, knowingly or unknowingly, something always aspires in our secret nature. There must be a large, many-sided yet single concentration of the thought on the idea, the perception, the vision, the awakening touch, the soul's realisation of the one Divine. There must be a flaming concentration of the heart on the All and Eternal and, when once we have found him, a deep plunging and immersion in the possession and ecstasy of the All- Beautiful. There must be a strong and immovable concentration of the will on the attainment and fulfilment of all that the Divine is and a free and plastic opening of it to all that he intends to manifest in us.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

TAPASYA

Tapasya is a strong concentration of the energies for a result - but usually concentration of them in the practice of some discipline for a spiritual result.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

Tapasya is the concentration of the will to get the results of sadhana and to conquer the lower nature.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

When the will and energy are concentrated and used to control the mind, vital and physical and change them or to bring down the higher consciousness or for any other yogic purpose or high purpose, that is called Tapasya.

SRI AUROBINDO

Page-82   


191 Tapasya

A discipline with the aim of realising the Divine.

Datura. White

 

192 Mental tapasya

The process leading to the goal.

Datura. Yellow

 

193 Vital tapasya

The vital undergoes a rigorous discipline in order to transform itself.

Datura. White tinged violet

 

194 Integral tapasya

The whole being lives only to know and serve the Divine.

Datura. White, double

194 Perfect tapasya

 

 

195 Perfect tapasya

That which will reach its goal.

Brugmansia suaveolens. White

Page-83    


DETACHMENT FROM ALL THAT IS NOT THE DIVINE

196 Detachment from all that is not the Divine

 

196 Detachment from all that is not the Divine

A single occupation, a single aim, a single joy - the Divine. Ipomoea cairica. Light rose purple or light mauve

Detachment [from the imperfections and weaknesses of one's nature] means that one stands back from them, does not identify oneself with them or get upset or troubled because they are there, but rather looks on them as something foreign to one's true consciousness and true self, rejects them and calls in the Mother's force into these movements to eliminate them and bring the true consciousness and its movements there.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

You must always step back into yourself— learn to go deep within - step back and you will be safe. Do not lend yourself to the superficial forces which move in the outside world. Even if you are in a hurry to do something, step back for a while and you will discover to your surprise how much sooner and with what greater success your work can be done. If someone is angry with you, do not be caught in his vibrations but simply step back and his anger, finding no support or response, will vanish. Always keep your peace, resist all temptation to lose it. Never decide anything without stepping back, never speak a word without stepping back, never throw yourself into action without stepping back. All that belongs to the ordinary world is impermanent and fugitive, so there is nothing in it worth getting upset about. What is lasting, eternal, immortal and infinite — that indeed is worth having, worth conquering, worth possessing. It is Divine Light, Divine Love, Divine Life — it is also Supreme Peace, Perfect Joy and All-Mastery upon earth....

THE MOTHER

Page-84   


RENUNCIATION OF DESIRES

Our renunciation must obviously be an inward renunciation; especially and above all, a renunciation of attachment and the craving of desire in the senses and the heart, of self-will in the thought and action and of egoism in the centre of the consciousness. For these things are the three knots by which we are bound to our lower nature and if we can renounce these utterly, there is nothing else that can bind us.

SRI AUROBINDO    

197 Renunciation of desires

197 Renunciation of desires

 

197 Renunciation of desires

The essential condition for realisation. T

ectona grandis. Cream white

Page-85


RENUNCIATION

198 Renunciation of emotional desires

 

198 Renunciation of emotional desires

Indispensable for transformation.

Angelonia salicariifolia. White with purple

 

199 Renunciation of vital desires

It has understood the futility of desires.

Angelonia salicariifolia. Purple

199 Renunciation of vital desires

 

200 Integral renunciation of vital desires

An indispensable condition for true progress. Angelonia salicariifolia. White

 

201 Absence of desire

Luminous and fragrant, it expresses both peace and joy.

Atalantia monophylla. White

There is a sovereign royalty in taking no thought for oneself. To have needs is to assert a weakness; to claim something proves that we lack what we claim. To desire is to be impotent; it is to re- cognise our limitations and confess our incapacity to overcome them. If only from the point of view of a legitimate pride, man should be noble enough to renounce desire.

THE MOTHER

 

All renunciation is for a greater joy yet ungrasped. Some renounce for the joy of duty done, some for the joy of peace, some for the joy of God and some for the joy of self-torture, but renounce rather as a passage to the freedom and untroubled rapture beyond.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

201 Absence of desire

Page-86   


ABOLITION OF THE EGO

What we call oneself is only the ego. Our true self is the Divine.

THE MOTHER

 

Human nature is shot through in all its stuff with the thread of the ego; even when one tries to get away from it, it is in front or could be behind all the thoughts and actions like a shadow. To see that is the first step, to discern the falsity and absurdity of the ego-movements is the second, to discourage and refuse it at each step is the third, - but it goes entirely only when one sees, experiences and lives the One in everything and equally everywhere.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

Our ego, boasting of freedom, is at every moment the slave, toy and puppet of countless beings, powers, forces, influences in universal Nature. The self-abnegation of the ego in the Divine is its self-fulfilment; its surrender to that which transcends it is its liberation from bonds and limits and its perfect freedom.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

There is no happiness in smallness of the being, says the Scripture, it is with the large being that happiness comes. The ego is by its nature a smallness of being; it brings con- traction of the consciousness and with the contraction limitation of knowledge, disabling ignorance. ... To recover what is lost we must break out of the worlds of ego.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

202 Unselfishness

Deeply open so as not to refuse anything.

Beaumontiajerdoniana. White

 

203 Abolition of the ego

One exists only by the Divine and for the Divine.

Eucalyptus. Cream white

UNSELFISHNESS-

 

 

202 Unselfishness

 

203 Abolition of the ego

 Page-87


 

 

204 Chastity

 

204 Chastity

A little austere and proud, it is very reserved.

Citrus limon. White

 

205 Continence

Control over oneself.

Citrus maxima. White

CONTINENCE

To be continent is to allow no other movements in the being (mental, vital and physical) than those strictly indispensable to manifest the Divine's Will.

THE MOTHER

 

205 Continence

Page-88   


CONTROL

First learn to know yourself perfectly and then to control yourself perfectly. You will be able to do it by aspiring at every moment. It is never too early to begin, never too late to continue.

THE MOTHER

 

You may be sure that becoming conscious of the Divine Presence in oneself considerably changes one's whole way of being and gives an exceptional control over all activities, mental, vital and physical. And this control is infinitely more powerful and luminous than anything one can obtain through external means.

THE MOTHER

 

206 Control

Control over the lower impulses is the first step towards realisation.

Pitcaimia museosa. Bright red

206 Control

page-89    


 

DISCIPLINE.

Without character, without some kind of high or strong discipline, there is no enduring power of life.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

Discipline is indispensable to progress. It is only when one imposes a rigorous and enlightened discipline on oneself that one can be free from the discipline of others. The supreme discipline is integral surrender to the Divine and to allow nothing else either in one's feelings or one's activities. Nothing should ever be omitted from this surrender - this is the supreme and most rigorous discipline.

THE MOTHER

 

It can be said that any discipline whatsoever, if it is followed strictly, sincerely, deliberately, is of considerable help, for it makes the earthly life reach its goal more rapidly and prepares it to receive the new life. To discipline oneself is to hasten the arrival of this new life and the contact with the supramental reality.

THE MOTHER

 

207 Exclusivism

The inability to do several things at the same time.

Nerine sarniensis. Bright red

 

208 Discipline

Sets the example and hopes to be followed.

Ocimum basilicum. White

 

209 Determination

Knows what it wants and does it.

Kopsia fruiticosa. Light pink

Page-90


210 Resolution

 

211 Steadfastness

212 Application

210 Resolution

Nothing can stop its development.

Brunfelsia americana. White

 

211 Steadfastness

What it has chosen it keeps and does not like to change.

Psidium guajava. White

 

212 Application

Modest but harmonious.

Fittonia vershaffeltii. Pale yellow

Page-91


REGULARITY

213 Regularity

 

To be able tobe regular is a great forces, one becomes master of one's  time and one's movement

Sri Aurobindo

215 Regularity

Page-92


213 Regularity

Indispensable for all serious accomplishment.

Martynia annua. Pale pink

 

214 Regularity

Indispensable for all serious accomplishment.

Digitalis. Several colours

 

215 Thoroughness

Indispensable for all true progress.

Verbena Xhybrida. Many colours

 

216 Psychic thoroughness

With tireless patience it works for the perfection of the being.

Verbena Xhybrida. Pink

 

217 Vital thoroughness

The vital must become calm and docile.

Verbena Xhybrida. Mauve

 

218 Physical thoroughness

Takes great care of details in the execution of work.

Verbena Xhybrida. Dark red

 

219 Integral thoroughness

Nothing is neglected in order to reach the divine goal.

Verbena Xhybrida. White

 

220 Artistic thoroughness

Neglects nothing in its search for perfection.

Verbena Xhybrida. Soft red

THOROUGHNESS.

 

 

215 Thoroughness

 

Page-93    


222 Attempt towards continuity

 

221 Continuity

To know how to persist in one's effort.

Acakyoha. Several colours

 

222 Attempt towards continuity

Vigorous and repeated, but not lasting

Acalypha wilkesiana 'Godseffiana'. Pale green tinged red

 

223 Vital Continuity

Rich, aboudant persistent

Acalypha wilkesiana. Soft pink

 

224 Physical Continuity

Prolongs and Prolongs itself and never comes to an end.

Acalypha hispida. Red or purple

 

225 Material continuity

Powerful, enduraing, solid.

Acalypha godseffiana. Dull red

Page-94   


ENDURANCE

235 Endurance of the higher vital

 

226, Endurance

Going to the end of the effort without fatigue or relaxation.

Zinnia elegans. Many colours

 

227 Courageous endurance

Strong and energetic, never complains.

Zinnia. elegans. Royal purple

 

228 Victorious endurance

It will endure till the end of the battle.

Zinnia elegans. Orange

 

229 Spontaneous endurance

Natural, effortless, smiling. '

Zinnia elegans. Light green

 

230 Joyful endurance

Whatever happens, it keeps on smiling.

Zinnia elegans. Bright coral pink

238 Integral endurance

 

231 Ananda of endurance

To know how to bear and endure undoubtedly creates a strong and lasting joy.

Zinnia elegans. Cream with red

 

232 Supramentalised endurance

The attitude is such that difficulties lose their power to harrass.

Zinnia elegans. Golden yellow

 

233 Psychic endurance

It will smile at life whatever its difficulties

may be. Zinnia elegans. Pink

 

234 Mental endurance

The difficulty of the problems to be solved will never discourage it.

Zinnia elegans. Yellow

235 Endurance of the higher vital

Whatever the circumstances, it never fails.

Zinnia elegans. Pinkish mauve

 

236 Vital endurance

Whatever the obstacles, we shall always

go forward! Zinnia elegans. Violet red

 

237 Physical endurance

Knows neither fatigue nor exhaustion.

Zinnia elegans. Dark red

 

238 Integral endurance

It will go on unfailingly till the end of its task.

Zinnia elegans. White

 

239 Manifold endurance

Whatever the endurance needed, it is always there to do its duty.

Zinnia elegans. Multicoloured

 

240 Detailed endurance

Nothing is too small to be neglected; all circum- stances are met with the same care.

Zinnia angustifolia. Several colours

 

240 Detailed endurance

Page-95


241 Power of perfect endurance

 

241 Power of perfect endurance

Manifests rarely, but is very precious.

Strobilanthes kunthianus. Bluish violet

ENDURANCE

Let endurance be your watchword: teach the life-force in you — your vital being - not to complain but to put up with all the conditions necessary for great achievement. The body is a very enduring servant, it bears the stress of circumstance tamely like a beast of burden. It is the vital being that is always grumbling and uneasy. The very essence of endurance is that the vital should learn to give up its capricious likes and dislikes and preserve an equanimity in the midst of the most trying conditions. Nothing great is ever accomplished without endurance.

THE MOTHER

 

PERSEVERANCE

The most essential quality is perseverance, endurance, and a — how to put it? — a kind of inner good mood that helps you not to get discouraged, not to become sad, and to face all difficulties with a smile. There is an English word which expresses this very well - cheerfulness. If you can keep this within you, you resist much better, you fight much better, in the Light, these bad influences which try to prevent you from progressing.

THE MOTHER

 

It is by persevering that one conquers difficulties, not by running away from them. One who perseveres is sure to triumph. Victory goes to the most enduring.

THE MOTHER

 

Perseverance is patience in action.

THE MOTHER

 

PATIENCE

Patience is the capacity to wait steadily for the realisation to come.

THE MOTHER

 

To know how to wait is to put Time on your side.

THE MOTHER

 

By having patience under all kinds of pressure you lay the founda- tions of peace.

SRI AUROBINDO

Page-96   


242 Perseverance

242 Perseverance

The decision to go to the very end.

Calendula officinalis. Yellow or orange

 

243 Detailed perseverance

One continues the work begun for as long as necessary.

Wedelia. Bright yellow

244 Patience

Indispensable for all realisation.

Mimusops elengi. Cream white

 

245 Accomplishment

Accomplishment is undoubtedly the fruit of patience.

Mimusops elengi. Yellow orange

243 Detailed perseverance

 

244 Patience

Page-97


246 Service

SERVICE

You have to regard yourself as a soul and body created for [the Divine Mother's] service, one who does all for her sake. Even if the idea of the separate worker is strong in you and you feel that it is you who do the act, yet it must be done for her. . . . There must be no demand for fruit and no seeking for reward; the only fruit for you is the  pleasure of the Divine Mother and the fulfillment other work, your only reward a constant progression in divine consciousness and calm and strength and bliss. The joy of service and the joy of inner growth through works is the sufficient recompense of the selfless worker,

SRI AUROBINDO

 

There is no greater joy than to serve the Divine.

THE MOTHER

 

246 Service

To be at the service of the Divine is the surest way to attain realisation.

Peltophorum  pterocarpum. Yellow

Page-98


WORK

To do the work that one does in all sincerity, as perfectly as one can, is certainly one of the best ways to serve the Divine.

THE MOTHER

 

Work is part of the Yoga and it gives the best opportunity for calling down the Presence, the Light and the Power into the vital and. its activities; it increases also the field and the opportunity of surrender.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

WORKS OF LOVE

The one true reward of the works of love is to grow ever in capacity and delight of love up to the ecstasy of the spirit's all-seizing embrace and universal passion. ... SRI AUROBINDO

 

247 Work

Let us offer our work to the Divine - this is the sure way to progress.

Acacia auriculiformis. Deep yellow

 

248 Works of love

The best condition for work.

Impatiens wallerana. Many colours

247 Work

248 Works of love

Page-99


 

249 Cheerfulness in work for the divine

 

249 Cheerfulness in work for the divine

Work for the Devine and You will feel an ineffable joy filling your being.

Coreopsis tinctoria. Several colours

 

250 Disinterested work done for the Divine

The surest way to progress.

Crinum, White

 

251 Disinterested work done for the Divine in the vital

Calm and powerful, it reaches its goal.

Crinum, White with reddish purple

CHEERFULNESS IN WORK FOR THE DIVINE

 

Try in enjoy everything you do. When you are interested in what you do, you enjoy doing it. To be interested in what you do you must try to do it better and better In progress lies treat joy.

THE MOTHER

 

251 Disinterested work done for the Divine

Page-100


DISINTERESTED WORK

 

All action must be in [the integral Yoga] part of the God-life, our acts of knowledge, our acts of power and production and creation, our acts of joy and beauty and the soul's pleasure, our acts of will and endeavour and strength and not our acts only of love and beneficent service. Its way to do these things will be not outward and mental, but inward and spiritual, and to that end it will bring into all activities, whatever they are, the spirit of divine love, the spirit of adoration and worship, the spirit of happiness in the Divine and in the beauty of the Divine so as to make all life a sacrifice of the works of the soul's love to the Divine, its cult of the Master of its existence.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

Disinterested work is work done with no other motive than that of doing as well as possible the Divine's work.

THE MOTHER

 

252 Power aspiring to become an instrument for the divine work

Power, opening to a higher consciousness, awakens to the need of being at the service of the Divine. Passiflora vitifolia. Bright red

 

252 Power aspiring to become an instrument for the divine work

Page-101    


253 Mahasaraswati's perfection in work

 

253 Mahasaraswati's perfection in work

Is not satisfied with makeshift. Rondeletia odorata. Bright orange or deep pink

MAHASARASWATI

Mahasaraswati is the [supreme] Mother's Power of Work and her spirit of perfection and order. . . . Of all the Mother's powers she is the most long-suffering with men and his thousand imperfections. Kind, smiling, close and helpful, not easily turned away or discouraged, insistent even after repeated failure, her hand sustains our every step on condition that we are single in our will and straightforward and sincere; for a double mind she will not tolerate and her revealing irony is merciless to drama and histrionics and self- deceit and pretense. A mother to our wants, a friend in our difficulties, a persistent and tranquil counsellor and mentor, chasing away with her radiant smile the clouds of gloom and fretfulness and depression, reminding always of the ever- present help, pointing to the eternal sunshine, she is firm, quiet and persevering in the deep and continuous urge that drives us towards the integrality of the higher nature.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

For [Mahasaraswati] everything must be done down to the last detail, and done in an absolutely perfect way. And she wants, she insists that it should be done physically, totally, materially, that it should not remain in the air, you see, like a mental or vital action, but that it should be a physical realisation in all its details, and all the details should be perfect, that nothing should be neglected.

THE MOTHER

 

Mahasaraswati [is] the goddess of divine skill and of the works of the Spirit, and hers is the Yoga that is skill in • works, yogah karmasu kaushalam, and the utilities of divine knowledge and the self-application of the spirit to life and the happiness of its harmonies.

SRI AUROBINDO

Page-102   


254 Skill in work

 

SKILL IN WORK

Yoga, says the Gita, is skill in works, and by this phrase the ancient Scripture meant that the transformation of mind and being to which it gave the name of Yoga brought with it a perfect inner state and faculty out of which the right principle of action and the right spiritual and divine result of works emerged naturally like a tree out of its seed.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

254 Skill in work

Must be used consciously.

Phlox drummondii. Many colours

 

255 Skill in psychic work

Listen silently to the command that comes from the Supreme Lord and you will have the capacity to carry it out.

Phlox drummondii. Pink with white

255 Skill in psychic work

 

256 Skill in mental work

To know how to observe in silence is the source of skilfulness.

Phlox drummondii. Yellow

 

257 Emotional skill in work

When work becomes attractive and is done with joy, how much better it is done.

Phlox drummondii. White and mauve

 

258 Skill in vital work

The seat of all capacities and all skills, which have only to be disciplined in order to be realised.

Phlox drummondii. Purple

 

259 Physical skill in work

Skilful hands, a clear vision, concentrated attention, tireless patience, and what one does is done well. Phlox drummondii. Carmine red

263 Radiating skill in work

 

260 Skill in material work

Skilful hands, precise care, sustained attention, and one compels Matter to obey the Spirit. Phlox drummondii. Bright red

 

261 Skill in integral work

All that is done is done well, whatever the work

undertaken.

Phlox drummondii. White

 

262 Artistic work

All work at the service of beauty. Phlox drummondii. Very light pink

 

263 Radiating skill in work

When the instruments of work (hands, eyes etc.) become conscious and the attention is controlled, the capacity for work seems to be limitless. Phlox drummondii. Many colours

Page-102


264 Order

ORDER

There must be order and harmony in work. Even what is apparently the most insignificant thing must be done with perfect perfection, with a sense of cleanliness, beauty, harmony and order.

THE MOTHER

 

ORGANISATION

A clear and precise vision of what is to be done and a steady, calm sindfirm will to have it done are the essential conditions for an organisation to be run properly.

THE MOTHER

 

It is necessary to organise one's own affairs. . . . And those who can do this are usually people who can put their ideas in order and can also organise their character and finally can control their movements. . . . If one can take life in this way, it becomes truly interesting. If one lives in confusion, in disorder, in an inner and outer chaos in which everything is mixed up and one is conscious of nothing and still less in command of things, that is not living.

THE MOTHER

Page-104   


264 Order

To put each thing in its place gives it its true value. Randia speciosa. Cream white

 

265 Organisation

Indispensable for all good work. Pseuderanthemum. Several colours

 

266 Aspiration for organisation

Neat and methodical, order at the expense of

multiplicity.

Pseuderanthemum. White and reddish purple

 

267 Organisation in the vital

Indispensable for all realisation.

Pseuderanthemum. White and pink

 

268 Material organisation

Manifold and well-arranged in order to face  difficulties.

Pseuderanthemum. White and purplish red

 

269 Integral organisation

Preliminary necessity for transformation.

Pseuderanthemum. White

 

270 Organisation of details

Indispensable for all lasting accomplishment. Pseuderanthemum. White and reddish purple

 

271 Result of harmonious organisation

More effective than showy. An effective simplicity. Pseuderanthemum. White and maroon

266 Aspiration for organisation

 

270 Organisation in details

 

268 Material organisation

 

271 Result of harmonious organisation

 

Page-105    


273 Grouping

 

273 Grouping

Indispensable for collective action.

Clerodendrum Paniculatum. Reddish orange

272 Organised team-work

 

272 Organised team-work

Each one in his place and all together.

Averrhoa  carambola. Rose purple

Page-106


   HELP

274 Perfect Planning of work

 

One cannot help others to overcome their sorrows and sufferings unless one has overcome all this in oneself and is master of one's feelings and reactions.

THE MOTHER

 

The best way of helping others is to transform oneself. Be perfect and you will be in a position to bring perfection to the world.

THE MOTHER

 

The best way to help the world is to transform own self by an integral and intensive yoga.

THE MOTHER

274 Perfect Planning of work

Can only be obtained with the consciousness of the Devine.

Clerodendrum inerm. White

275 Help

275 Help

You bring help to him who knows how to use you.

Cymbopogon citratus. Greenish purple

Page-107


COLLABORATION

276 Collaboration

276 Collaboration

Always ready to help and knows how to do it.

Dianthus caryophyllus. Many colours

 

277 Obedience

To learn to obey is good; to obey only the Divine is better.

Dianthus chinensis. Several colours

 

278 Detailed obedience

The obedience to the Divine Will ought to be total.

Dianthus barbatus. Several colours

 

279 Perfect obedience

Without agitation or reserve, in every domain, joyous obedience

to the divine command.

Dianthus chinensis. Several colours, double

 

 

Collaboration and reciprocal goodwill are indispensable for good work.

THE MOTHER

 

It is only in harmonious collaboration that effective work can be done. The important thing is to find the point on which you can all agree — and after this is firmly established, each one must be ready to yield his personal will in order to keep intact this point of harmony.

THE MOTHER

 

OBEDIENCE

Obedience is necessary so as to get away from one's own mind and vita and learn to follow the Truth.

SRI AUROBINDO

 

In yoga obedience to the Guru or to the Divine and the law of the Truth as declared by the Guru is the foundation of discipline.

SRI AUROBINDO

   

277 Obedience

Page-108


280 Cheerful endeavour

 

282 Thirst to understand

 

280 Cheerful endeavour

The joy that one finds in the effort towards

the Divine.

Arctotis venusta. White

 

281 Thirst to understand

Very useful for transformation. Crossostephium artemisioides. Yellow

 

282 Thirst to learn

One of the qualities that facilitate integral

progress.

Ipomoea lobata. Bright red

 

 

283 Progress

This is why we are on earth.

Catharanthus roseus. Several colours

 

284 Uninterrupted but spasmodic progress

Now here, now there, apparently very

impulsive.

Catharanthus roseus. Rose violet with white

 

285 Vital progress

Organisation around the Divine Will and progressive surrender to that Will.

Catharanthus roseus. Light rose violet

 

286 Integral progress in the vital

The vital consents to be purified.

Catharanthus roseus. White with violet

 

287 Constant progress in Matter

The result of an ardent aspiration.

Catharanthus roseus. Light pink with red

PROGRESS

 

283 Progress

 

287 Constant progress in Matter

 

288 Integral progress in Matter

Matter awakens to consciousness.

Catharanthus roseus. White with red

 

289 Integral progress

Can only be satisfied by integrality. The best way to go fast.

Catharanthus roseus 'Albus'. White

 

    Page-109


PROGRESS

Give up ail personal seeking for comfort, satisfaction, enjoyment or happiness. Be only a burning fire for progress, take whatever comes to you as an aid to your progress and immediately make whatever progress is required.

THE MOTHER

 

It is especially the will for progress and self-purification that lights the fire. The will for progress. When those who have a strong will turn it towards spiritual progress and purification, they automatically light the fire within themselves.

THE MOTHER

 

The thirst for progress, the thirst to know, the thirst to transform yourself, and above all the thirst for Love and Truth - if you keep that, you go faster. Truly a thirst, a need, you know, a need. All the rest has no importance, what you need is that.

No more bonds - free, free, free, free! Always ready to change every- thing, except one thing: to aspire. That thirst. The "Something" we need, the Perfection we need, the Light we need, the Love we need, the Truth we need, the supreme Perfection we need - and that's all. The formulas - the fewer the formulas, the better. A need, a need, a need . . . which only the Thing can satisfy, nothing else, no half measure. Only That. And then, move on, move on! Your path will be your path, it doesn't matter; any path, any path whatever.

THE MOTHER

Page-110