WRITINGS IN BENGALI

 

CONTENTS

 

NOTE

 

 

 

I. HYMNS

 

VIII. NATIONALISM 

 

HYMN TO DURGA 

(Dharma, No. 9, October, 1909)

 

THE OLD AND THE NEW

(Vividha Rachana, 1955)

 

HYMN TO DAWN

(Archives, April 1977)

 

THE PROBLEM OF THE PAST

(Dharma, No. 6, September, 1909)

     

THE COUNTRY AND NATIONALISM

(Dharma, No. 14, December, 1909)

 

II. STORIES

 

THE TRUE MEANING OF FREEDOM

(Dharma, No. 8, October, 1909)

 

 A DREAM 

(Suprabhat, 1909-1910)  

 

A WORD ABOUT SOCIETY

(Vividha Rachana, 1955)

 

THE IDEAL OF FORGIVENESS

(Dharma, No. 26;February, 1910)

 

FRATERNITY

(Dharma, No. 23, February, 1910)

     

INDIAN PAINTING

(Dharma, No. 25, February, 1910)

 

III. THE VEDA 

 

HIROBUMI ITO

Dharma, No. 10, November, 1909)

 

THE MYSTERY OF THE VEDA

(Vividha Rachana, 1955)

 

GURU GOVINDSINGH

(Dharma, No. 8, October, 1909)

 

AGNI THE DIVINE ENERGY

(Vividha Rachana, 1955)

 

NATIONAL RESURGENCE

(Dharma, No. 5, September, 1909)

 

 THE RIG-VEDA

(Vividha Rachana, 1955)

 

OUR HOPE

(Dharma, No. 20, January, 1910)

     

EAST AND WEST

(Dharma, No. 22, January, 1910)

 

IV. THE UPANISHADS

   
 

THE UPANISHADS

(Dharma, No. 15, December, 1909)

 

IX. PRISON EXPERIENCE

 

THE INTEGRAL YOGA IN THE UPANISHADS

(Vividha Rachana, 1955)

 

TALES OF PRISON LIFE

(Suprabhat, 1909-1910)

 

THE ISHA UPANISHAD  

(Vividha Rachana, 1955)

 

PRISON AND FREEDOM (Bharati)

     

THE ARYAN IDEAL AND THE THREE GUNAS

(Suprabhat, 1909-1910)..

 

V. THE PURANAS

 

NEW BIRTH

(Dharma, No. 2, August, 1909) ...

 

THE PURANAS

(Dharma, No. 17, December, 1909)

   
     

X. LETTERS    

 

VI. THE GITA 

 

LETTERS TO MRINALINI ( 1905-1907)

 

THE DHARMA OF THE GITA

(Dharma, No. 2, August, 1909)

 

A LETTER OF SRI AUROBINDO TO HIS BROTHER  (1920)

 

ASCETICISM AND RENUNCIATION  

(Dharma, No. 3, September, 1909)

 

LETTERS TO N.AND S.

(Published, 1951 & 1959)

OBSTACLES AND DIFFICULTIES

 

THE VISION OF THE WORLD SPIRIT

(Dharma, No. 23, February, 1910)

 

PARTS OF THE BEING

 

THE GITA: AN INTRODUCTION

(Dharma, Nos. 7-24, 1909-1910)

 

FOUNDATIONS OF YOGA

 

THE GITA: TEXT TRANSLATION

(Dharma, No. 10, 1909)

 

EXPERIENCE, DIRECT PERCEPTION AND REALISATION

 

SANJAYA'S GIFT OF DIVINE VISION

(Dharma, Nos. 11-18, 1909-1910) ...

 

DEPENDENCE ON THE MOTHER

 

THE GITA: TEXT-TRANSLATION (2)

(Dharma, Nos. 19-24, 1910)

 

INNER VISION SYMBOLS COLOURS

     

DEVOTION FAITH RELIANCE

 

VII. DHARMA  

 

THE PSYCHIC BEING

 

THE CHARIOT OF JAGANNATHA

 (Prabartak, 1918)

 

PRIDE IMPURITY GRIEF DESPAIR

 

THE THREE STAGES OF HUMAN SOCIETY

(Vividha Rachana, 1955)

 

PLANES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

 

AHANKAR

(Dharma, No. 5, September, 1909

   
 

INTEGRALITY 

(Vividha Rachana, 1955)

 

XI. POETRY

 

HYMNS AND PRAYERS

(Dharma, No. 24, February, 1910)

 

THE MOTHER AWAKES

(Archives, April 1980)

 

OUR RELIGION

(Dharma, No. 1, August, 1909)

 

LIVING MATTER

(Archives, December 1979)

 

MAYA

(Dharma, No. 3, August, 1909)

 

THE MUSIC OF SILENCE

(Archives, April 1978)

 

NIVRITTI  OR ABSTENTION

(Dharma, No. 12, November, 1909)

 

RAVANA VANQUISHED

(Archives, April 1979)

 

PRAKAMYA

(Dharma, Nos.-17 and 18, 1909-1910)

 

A COLLOQUY

(Archives, December 1980)

     

A POETIC FRAGMENT

(Archives, April 1981)

 

Experience, Direct Perception and Realisation

 

Experiences are not useless—they have their place; in , other words, they prepare the direct perception, help the being to open and bring knowledge of other worlds and different planes. Integral experience and establishment of the divine peace, equality, light, knowledge, purity, vast- ness, Presence, experience of the Self, divine felicity, experience of the universal consciousness (which destroys ego), desireless pure divine love, vision of the Divine everywhere, etc. bring the true realisation. The first step leading to these experiences is the descent of peace from above and its firm foundation in the being and all around it.

* * *

 

These experiences are valuable and contain some truth and help one to progress in the sadhana. But these are not enough—what is wanted is the realisation, the divine peace, equality, purity, the descent and establishment of knowledge, power and Ananda of the higher consciousness—that is the real thing.

 

* * *

 

Plants have a life and a consciousness. It is easy to

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exchange feelings with them.

 

* * *

 

This feeling is very good. One has to feel what the Mother is giving within—people make so many mistakes by looking at the outward appearance. They forget to accept the inner gift or are incapable of receiving it.

 

* * *

 

The diamond light is the Mother's light at its strongest. It is only natural for this light to come out of the body of the Mother like this and fall on the sadhak if he is in a good condition.

 

* * *

 

This to happen in the head means that the mind has fully opened and accepted the higher consciousness.

 

* * *

 

This is what is wanted—the external things going inwards, becoming one with the inner and accepting the inner attitude.

 

* * *

 

It is good to look upon the body in this way. However, even if the consciousness does not remain confined to the

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body and becomes vast and limitless, still one should consider the body as a part of the consciousness and an instrument of the Mother and one should transform the physical consciousness as well.

 

*

*    *

 

It is a very good sign; the lower consciousness is rising to unite with the higher.

*

       *    *

This is your ājnā cakra, that is to say, the centre for. the inner intelligence, thought, vision and will-power. Owing to the pressure, it has now opened and become luminous to such an extent that it has joined with the higher consciousness and spread its influence throughout the being. No, it is 'not imagination and it is not false either. The temple above is the higher consciousness, the temple below is the trans- formed consciousness of this mind, vital and body—the Mother has come down and erected this temple below and from there she is spreading her influence everywhere within you. 

 

*

*    *

 

Good, the higher consciousness has to be brought down in this way, as a calm universalising of oneself, first in the head (in the mental plane, then in the emotional vital and the psychic in the heart), next in the navel and below the navel (in the vital), finally in the entire range of the physical.

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This change (in the back) is very good. Often attacks of this nature come from behind but if the Mother's force and consciousness are there, they cannot enter any more.

*

*   *

 

 

A white lotus signifies that the Mother's consciousness is manifesting there.

 

*

*   *

The place of the higher consciousness is above the head. It starts just above the head and rises upwards to infinity. You are experiencing the presence of the vast peace and silence that are there. One has to bring down all this peace and consciousness into the entire being.

 

*

*   *

 

This greater plane may be the spiritual consciousness with the temple of truth in it. A connection has been established between your vital and that plane, and the higher force is going up and down as if over a bridge.

*

 *    *

Many do not get the experience of the awakening of the Kundalini, some have it; the purpose of this awakening is to

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open up all the planes and join them to the higher consciousness, but this purpose can be served by other means as well.

 

*

 *    *

 

An emanation or a part of Her being and consciousness comes out of the Mother to each sadhak and as her image and representative remains with him to help him. In fact, it is the Mother Herself who comes out in that form.

 

*

 *    *

 

You have to live above in the vastness you are experiencing and inside in the depths, you have to live within that alone,—moreover, you have to bring down that vastness everywhere in nature, even in the lower nature. Then the transformation of the lower and the external nature can be permanently established. For, this vastness is the infinity of the Mother's consciousness.

*

 *    *

When the narrow lower nature is liberated into the vastness of the Mother's consciousness, it will then be transformed to the very roots.

 *

*     *

 

 

If experiences are disclosed in speech or writing, then the decrease or stop. And this happens to many. That is why the

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Yogins never tell their experiences to anybody or tell only when they are firmly established. But if you tell them to the Mother, they will not decrease, but increase. You must get  settled in the habit of telling the experiences to the Mother. I

*

 *    *

The boy is God dwelling in your heart, and, no doubt, the Shakti is the Mother Herself.

 

*

 *    *

The wheel is turning. It means that the Mother's Force is at work in the outer being—its transformation will take place.

 

*

 *    *

What you feel in the head is the physical mind, and what you feel below the navel is the lower vital.

 

*

 *    *

 

This kind of identification with the Mother is the true sign of liberation.

 

*

 *    *

 

Thus the transformation of the physical is possible when

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 the body is filled with the Mother's light.

*

*     *

This experience is very beautiful and true. Every ādhara should be a temple like this. What you have heard—that the Mother will do everything and that you must remain immersed in her—is a great truth.

*

*    *

The girls you mention in your letter are the powers of the Mother on different planes. Your experiences are very good—your present condition is good—sadhana also is going on well. The difficulties come from the outer nature just to disturb you. Never accept them.

*

 *   *

It is no imagination. The Mother has many personalities, each having a different form. They reveal themselves at times in her body. The Mother comes down with light and power in tune with her sari. For each colour represents a

force.

 

*

 *    *

 

What you have seen is perfectly true. There is a centre of consciousness in the throat, and that is the centre of the externalising mind or the physical mental; that is to say, the mind that has the experience of speech, the mind that sees

Page-408


everything of the physical and is busy with it. The Lower part of the head and the mouth are in its possession. If this mind is connected with the higher or inner consciousness and expresses them, then it is good. But it has a more intimate connection with Muladhar which is the centre of the lower vital and physical consciousness. That is why it happens so. It is very necessary to control that mind and speech so that it can be accustomed to express the inner and the higher consciousness and not the inert and the lower consciousness.

*

*   *

This kind of going down into the physical consciousness takes place in all the sadhaks, for without going down the transformation of nature is difficult.

*

 *    *

It is a very good opening—the light of truth coming down from the Sun is a truth high above the higher mind.

 

*

*    *

The consciousness is opening towards the higher truth. The golden peacock is the victory of truth. The Mother's Force is descending down to the physical. As a result, the golden light is descending and you are advancing quickly towards the Mother.

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That part is the most unconscious which is behind the body and becomes illumined last of all. What you have seen is true.

Yes, what you have seen is correct. There are seven lotuses or seven circles above the head. But unless the higher mind is opened they cannot be seen.

What you have felt i^ the infinite vast of the higher consciousness, of something that is above. The head that comes circling down is of course not a gross physical head, but the mind-intellect. It goes up into the vast and comes down that way.

*

*     *

There are two states of void. One is physical, the inert (tamasic) material stillness within oneself. The other is that which precedes the descent of a vast peace and the sense of the self of the higher consciousness. One has to see which of the two has come, for both result in a stillnes and the consciousness is left void.

The gifts of Maheshwari are peace, equanimity and that wideness of liberation. Because you need these things the

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Mother appears before you at your call.

 

*

*   *

This is a union of your inner mind and the inner mind of the Mother. In the forehead is the centre of the mind. When union takes place, then it awakens an attraction in the inner mind for the divine truth and it begins to rise.

 

*

*    *

A constant good state, a constant inner vision of the Mother do not fall to the lot of even the best of sadhaks. These can take place only when the sadhana has reached the stage of fulfilment. Every one has states of void as well as of fullness. Even in the void one should remain calm.

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