Courage to cross the border
From the President to the road sweeper, there is not much difference. They are all terribly human .Prisoners of the mental vital ego, they are going round along the same tracks, actors in a perennial tragi-comedy repeating the roles endlessly, hopelessly eyes glued to the material reality always deceived in love and game, the cup of nectar hardly raised to his lips constantly snatched away, his idea of a heaven on earth turning into a mirage at every attempt yet undaunted he ever runs after a brilliant chimera, picks up thousands of pebbles in order to discover a gem one day. He is inexorably driven by fate, God's delegate through thousands of births and deaths till he becomes satiated with the success and failure, joys and agonies of the ordinary human existence.
But if he is offered a new home in God's house will he accept? Most certainly not. A life of peace and harmony without blood, sweat and tears will be an excruciating prolonged boredom, or bleak existence without an issue. Man would be yearning for the habitual food and poison, praying for the lashing which cuts his back to ribbons. Such is the nature of God's magic. Until He releases the soul, no one can escape, the soul must grow in stature, must become mature. Rejecting the ever repeating rise and fall of his destiny, he must prepare himself to endure unbroken bliss, to look with equality, serenity, peace on worlds disintegrating and reforming constantly to take part in God's ever recurring play. God's touch awakens a soul here, a soul there. Then one seems to wake up from an unreal dream. The material world cannot rival his attention onto it anymore. One seems to have crossed beyond the stone wall of matter.
Other vast horizons pass fleetingly before the gaze of the enraptured soul. Man discovers the soul in hidden recesses of his heart, beyond the upper ceiling of the mind, a glorious irresistible adventure, forces the soul to cut all the ropes and draws it into the unknown depths and distances alluring, dangerous and challenging. God unveiled is the Guide, Master and Captain of the awakened soul. It no longer belongs to the human race though to the ordinary eye, the man with the illumined mind and heart is no different in appearance from any human being, yet to another awakened soul, he is as distinct from man as man is from a monkey. For many, the transition from human to the divine state is short and quick but for most of the aspiring souls, the transition is a long period of struggle, indecision, swaying. to and fro, hesitation and tormenting uneasy adventure. Seeing, they refuse to see, hearing they refuse to believe, knowing the right path, the upward safe and luminous way, they take the tortuous dangerous familiar old trails. The Great Mother is not discouraged or offended. She is always with the aspiring souls unable as yet to bear Her touch and constant Presence.These unhappy travellers in a murky no man's land refusing to cross over to a safer zone of light and protection wistfully hang on to their old familiar treasures thus prolonging their own torments. As the Light grows, as the strong souls emerge into the authentic consciousness, the nomads in the hazy lands will find strengthand certitude and take the sure path of ascent to the Truth.
Come, ye hesitant souls, rise, have courage and lo, the Mother is there leading the victory march. Do not look back to the dungeon from which we have been freed after ages. Let us get used to the freedom of the Spirit. The nightmare is now forgotten. Shine, ever radiant and glorious, O Mother Divine in our soul.
N.Guha Roy
The Mother is the Golden Bridge
The Mother is the Golden Bridge between the Supreme and the soul of man. She came down in an earthly body as the incarnate word of God. She manifested in a frail human body some absolute Power of God.
Every second of her existence has taken the earth light years ahead in its evolution. She has prepared the earth for an inconceivable divine transformation. Her physical form was a point of concentration of the infinite original consciousness which She is eternally. Every moment of her life has been a ceaseless terrible struggle and a fierce painful battle against the formidable powers which rule the earth-nature since the creation in order to lay the foundation of a divine life on earth. Every word She has expressed is a priceless gift of the Supreme to man and earth.
Although now She is no longer present in her body, She is always present everywhere for there is nothing else except Her anywhere. When we are sincere, when we are simple, when we love Her truly, then we become aware of her presence, her tenderness, her help and guidance. To read her books is to communicate with the absolute wisdom. To look at her face in a photo and specially to look into her eyes is to enter into the fathomless heart of divine love. We feel then her all-comprehending sweetness and compassion. No one anywhere can ever give us so profound and lasting satisfaction as when we are with Her. She is so utterly good to everyone without exception that each soul feels fulfilled in her presence.
Love of truth, beauty and harmony will inevitably lead us to the secret Temple in the heart where She is forever installed, in all her glory, her hand always outstretched in the act of blessing. Our little life and existence is no better than the life of a firefly. If we can annul ourselves totally, realise our absolute nothingness then we are admitted into the resplendent vision of the One, the eternal Mother Divine. Verily, all is that Supreme Reality. We become dumb before that supernal Mystery.
O Mother Divine remain bright in my soul, become brighter in my consciousness so that I see only You and no one else.
May we become whatever You want us to be for You always work for our highest good.
May we remember You in every breath of our life for that brings the sweetest intimacy, the silent ecstasy, Om, Om Supreme Goodness.
Niranjan Guha Roy
The best attitude for yoga: a glad surrender
There is often confusion or wrong conceptions in our first approach to the yoga, our search for the Divine, then our path could be very uncertain, very mixed, dangerous and even frustrating.
Why do we want to do the yoga? Is it from some vital, physical or mental motive? Is it for the realisation of some personal dream, some, ambition, even some sublime altruistic aim? Is it for my material well-being, protection and happiness for me and for my family and my country or the world? Why do I want the Divine, what is my aim? Is it the acquisition of power over elemental forces, people, the world? None of these aims qualify one to do the yoga. The noblest and truest aim of the yoga is the irresistible attraction that one feels somewhere deep in oneself, an attraction for the Mystery, for the Origin, the Source of our existence, God, the Eternal, the Mother who calls us from beyond, a call so irresistible that no price is too high to pay, no attachment too great to break, no undertaking too heavy to undertake. We are ready to do anything and everything, whatever is required from us, however long the journey might be, however difficult and dangerous the path might be. We feel the irresistible urge to leave behind everything, to follow blindly, joyously the supreme Piper of Hameline. Then, we are sure to reach Him. Unless we have heard his call, the strains of his flute playing his music; unless we have felt his intoxication, that mysterious call which goes out to the explorers for the adventures, for the fathomless Infinities; unless we have had a glimpse of his ravishingly beautiful face and limbs molded from the substance of delight; unless we have heard his voice which takes away all smug peace , his command, which is a persecution and a frightful torment unless executed; unless the Eternal has touched us with his magic wand, we cannot be awakened, we cannot pursue the path. So, for this yoga, one has to be absolutely sure that one has been called, that one is predestined, that one has eventually no other work, no other commitment, no other duty except to follow the yoga, to serve the Divine, to become a simple and pure instrument. This must be the goal, whether achieved in a short time, or even in a few lifetimes. Unless one can take this attitude, or more correctly one has this attitude, one cannot be called fit for this yoga.
But if one has even in the smallest degree the aspiration to belong to the Divine, to obey and serve the Divine, to surrender to Him his life and works, his past, present and future, a willingness to be broken and gradually remolded by his vision and power, a yearning to be close to Him, to live in his Presence, to serve and love Him, to possess nothing, to be nothing, then also is justified the undertaking of the yoga - for the little submerged aspiration will grow with the true attitude, a glowing fire of self-sacrifice.
The path of yoga is extremely difficult and dangerous because all the established world forces in this world or in invisible worlds are against the divine realisation, for it means the end of their domination and sovereignty; but if one has the true call and the right attitude, then the absolute Divine protection is with us, his love and guidance and above all his joy. Not that the battles, the encounters or prolonged wars would be completely eliminated, but they will be more as adventures as the odyssey of the soul in company with the Creator, the Divine, the Mother. This right attitude is so important in this yoga that we have to constantly re-establish it in various parts of our being until finally our whole being would be in a state of glad surrender and total submission to the Divine. We must have patience for it is a long and difficult work
The Success is for the one who can endure says the Mother
Niranjan Guha Roy
simplicity and the spiritual path
In India, in our spiritual tradition, the highest qualification we give to a person is when we call him " simple " , meaning without any complication whatsoever. This is the aim of yoga
To be simple, absolutely simple without any division, confusion or conflict in the being, when all our thoughts and emotions, our acts and sensations, all our existence inner and outer are unified around the Divine in us, moved, activated, sustained and transformed by the Divine. This too is the whole evolutionary effort.
The process of ordinary evolution may take very, very long to arrive at this simplicity, this unity. Through yoga one goes through the process in a short time. It is the soul who chooses to do the yoga but often the physical being is unhappy and disturbed by the choice of the soul. In most cases man tries to stiffle the urge of the soul. Our suffering comes mainly from the resistance we offer to the call and the demand and the aspiration of the soul. In the measure the various parts of our being learn to collaborate with the soul, are illumined by the inner light and begin to feel a deeper joy, a beauty and harmony, our sufferings diminishe, conflicts and confusions cease and there is a greater unity in the being, a greater peace . Gradually we enter in a new cvonsciousness which is far removed even from the most brilliant human consciousness.
The spiritual consciousness is irreal to ordinary human consciousness. The spiritual growth gradually takes us away from the human life, from the human race as such. Human things start having more and more a sense of illusion and we lose interest in them, prefering the exploration of the vast, luminous, illimitable life open to us. Then arrives the time in our development when the inner growth is so strong that our soul strongly rejects its bond with the human world. Once the fire has been lit , it cannot be extinguished any more. Once one has boarded the ship of the spiritual destiny the voyage shall continue.
We should consider ourselves fortunate for having chosen this path. We should not fix conditions for our growth and demand even to know where we are going. We have to leave more and more the direction of our life to the transforming power of the Grace. Only the love of truth, beauty , harmony and the Divine should be the highest and noblest guiding principle of our life. The Divine in his infinite wisdom will create circumstances favorable to the growth of consciousness. Let us depend on Him alone with faith.
Niranjan Guha Roy
Panting : Prayer for the animals
Prayer to the Grace of the Mother for our faithful friends
Niranjan Guha Roy
The emergence of the psychic being
The integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo, the yoga of the future, is based on the emergence of the psychic being.
As soon as the psychic being comes out even so little
He brings with him the love or rather the adoration for the Supreme and his incarnations.
This love-adoration is part of the very substance of the psychic being.
Not to feel that love is a sure sign that the psychic being has not yet emerged.
It will come in time as it is the destiny of everyone.
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Niranjan Guha Roy
The transformation of desire in evolution
The ant looks for sugar, the bee for nectar;
Cats watch for the mice, the vulture feasts on the corpses,
The sea attracts the sailors, high mountains the fearless climbers,
Forests attract the hunters, the desert sandstorms,
Fruits attract birds, rivers attract fishermen,
Monuments attract tourists; Gold, adventure and violence.
Music attracts music lovers. Colors fascinate the painters.
The wine draws its fans. The thirst of blood creates the gladiators.
Beauty ignites a war amongst her admirers.
The thirst of power reveals the original beast in man.
Desire is the tyrannical king of all human beings.
Desire is the fire put in man by God in his divine wisdom.
Man roams ceaselessly in search of happiness, always disappointed.
The smoking black fire grows, becomes intense, more and more clear,
Man abandons hunting for a short lived materiel comfort.
The desire becomes more refined; he pursues a less fragile aim.
One day when he has tasted , exhausted all the known happiness,
He turns his glance to the unexplored Infinity, to the Unknown.
The earthly fire becomes a sacred flame which rises towards the sky,
Desire is transformed into burning aspiration for the eternal joy.
The world is supported by the divine Felicity hidden in atoms.
Attracting by His irresistible bliss, the Divinity
Leads all the creation towards the sublime metamorphosis.
The being who tasted only once the nectar of immortality roams no more.
The long, mad, painful search stops.
All in him burns as a single flame, a single appeal:
"Come my Love, my Beloved, O Lord of Bliss."
The ant does not look anymore for sugar,
It swims in an ocean of nectar.
Niranjan Guha Roy
Prayer to the divine Will
Om Douce Mère, Om Sri Aurobindo
Make us conscious of Thy Will in us and in the world.
May we live constantly in the vision of Thy unique eternal Reality
Now and ever, here or anywhere, in all existence and beyond.
May we see You only, Sweet Mother, in all things and beings completely unveiled.
May we become conscious of Your spontaneous perfect handling of each situation
Leading the Creation at each moment towards a greater divine manifestation.
All that happens is part of Your conscious action.
As we are not aware of Your intention
And most often do not accept Your way of handling it but rebel against it
We create unhappy confusion and useless suffering.
We must remember at all times that whatever happens in the world, the least movement
Is truly the best that can happen under the circumstances.
If we are conscious and full of trust and faith
Then we will feel everywhere Your Supreme benediction in action.
May we have an unwavering loving faith in You.
May our surrender and collaboration be complete and perfect, a service of love and trust.
There is yet so much unconsciousness in us that the work of purification seems interminable.
But now there is no suffering or regret.
The house cleaning work gives a thrill of joy.
May we keep Your house as clean and tidy as possible.
Om Douce Mère, Om Sri Aurobindo, pranam
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Niranjan Guha Roy
The Lotus bud
Thy Will be done, Thy Will is the Supreme Benediction, Thy Will is the Divine Love in action.
At every moment the world moves forward a little towards peace and harmony and a greater awakening.
Man as long as he remains man, a mental vital being, a thinker in an animal body is bound to his nature. He is unaware of his soul, unaware of his true mission in life.
The mind substance is too opaque to express the bliss of Oneness, too murky to let through the light, the peace and harmony, the joy and beauty. The spiritual equality cannot settle in his agitated mind and turbulent heart.
Man must renounce his humanity in order to become divine. One cannot be on two banks at the same time, the two banks of the river that separates mind from the Spirit.
Though man is unaware of the Divine, of the spiritual Reality, he has the possibilty of discovering God hidden in the mystic lotus of the heart, deep within.
Everyday somewhere in the world a new lotus bud is blossoming by the touch of the Divine Force radiating from the Mother.
A new Light has illumined our gloomy house of life. All the long accumulated junk and filth have to be thrown away to make room for the haevenly guests wanting to stay with us. Every nook and corner of our being must be thouroughly wiped clean again and again to blot out the least trace of the past ages.
Psychic aspiration brings down from the highest haevens the Force of the Divine Mother which gradually burns and transforms the clay-jar into an unbreakable golden calyx filled with nectar.
Even if we do not see or hear the Mother, She is always in front of us. As our love grows, we feel Her in a hundred ways, gentle and strong.
Om Douce Mère, Thy will be done, Thy Will is our protection
Om Sri Aurobindo saranam mama
Niranjan Guha Roy
Trust in the Mother
Let the Mother enter your life like a swift river
and let Her wash away all your human belongings and attachments
and gradually release the Godhead imprisoned in the mud.
We must allow Her to build in us Her Temple
by removing brick by brick the old human structures
and replacing them with new bricks from the kiln of God.
******
We must trust Her, She will carry us to the summits.
Let us keep quiet and not be afraid, let us not look behind.
Trust Her.
As a flash of lightning we will pass through fields of fire and icy zones
Let us not bre afraid and have peace.
Soon we shall be on the other bank forever luminous.
****