The spirituality that I practice is Sri Aurobindo’s yoga

The Only Journey There Is: An Exploration of Cosmic & Cultural Evolution

An interview with Robert W. Godwin by Elizabeth Debold

ROBERT W. GODWIN: The spirituality that I practice, which is Sri Aurobindo’s yoga, has as its aim to bring the vertical into the horizontal. You’re not leaving the world behind. As a matter of fact, this is the proper understanding of the Christian approach also. The Word becomes flesh. The Word is the universal. The flesh is the particular, the horizontal. The Word becoming flesh is like saying the vertical became horizontal. The ultimate vertical became a particular horizontal—and not just in one man, but potentially in all.

[ Robert Godwin Interview (WIE) by rjon on Wed 27 Dec 2006 05:22 PM PST An interview with Robert W. Godwin by Elizabeth Debold ] One Cosmos under God

I prefer to start with the teachings of the greatest sage(s) I can find

m alan kazlev said... What Sri Aurobindo says is timeless. It pertains to the Supreme, the Absolute Reality, God if you will (although I dislike that term because of the exoteric religious connotations, old man in a cloud, only way is through the true church, giving out authoritarian rules in some revealed scripture, etc)…

The only person who was equal to Sri Aurobindo was Mirra Alfassa, the Mother. And yes it is interesting taht she did go beyond him, if you compare the Mother’s Agenda (transcribed by her devotee Satprem) with the Aurobindonian corpus, she put what he said philosophically into practice. But since she left her body, there has been no-one of that level…

That’s why I prefer to start with the teachings of the greatest sage(s) I can find. And if there were any greater Sages than Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, I would without a microsecond hesitation switch to their perspective and use that as a starting point isntead. So far I haven’t found any, but I am open to all possibilities. December 28th, 2006 at 2:10 am

Putting yourself in the hands of the Mother and her Powers

Re: Re: Re: Re: Instruments of Knowledge and Post-Human Destinies
by RY Deshpande on Sat 23 Dec 2006 07:13 PM PST Profile Permanent Link

About Aspiration-Rejection-Surrender—I may add something more here. Perhaps this is more important, more foundational than anything else, individually as well as collectively.

We may take Sri Aurobindo’s The Life Divine as Aspiration. It begins with the human aspiration: “The earliest preoccupation of man in his awakened thoughts and, as it seems, his inevitable and ultimate preoccupation,—for it survives the longest periods of scepticism and returns after every banishment,—is also the highest which his thought can envisage. It manifests itself in the divination of Godhead, the impulse towards perfection, the search after pure Truth and unmixed Bliss, the sense of a secret immortality. The ancient dawns of human knowledge have left us their witness to this constant aspiration; today we see a humanity satiated but not satisfied by victorious analysis of the externalities of Nature preparing to return to its primeval longings. The earliest formula of Wisdom promises to be its last,—God, Light, Freedom, Immortality.”

The Mother’s Prayers and Meditations is the most beautiful thing that can be there as far as Surrender is concerned.

The Synthesis and the Letters give, inter alia, Rejection.

And Savitri: It is for, "...if you desire this supramental transformation, putting yourself in the hands of the Mother and her Powers… and letting her do unhindered her work within you.”

Let us live in Savitri who shall give us the truth

Re: Passing through the Portals of the Birth that is a Death
by rakesh on Thu 21 Dec 2006 03:41 PM PST Profile Permanent Link
I was able to understand that the creation of inconcient was the first act and then came the plunge of the Divine into it and finally the formation of terrestrial world and other higher worlds as a process of evolution. I am learning more about Savitri from your postings. Thank you.

by RY Deshpande on Thu 21 Dec 2006 07:19 PM PST Profile Permanent Link
Thanks. Savitri is such a rich thing. If only we can live in it! Let us live in Savitri who shall give us the truth and the things of the truth

by rjon on Thu 21 Dec 2006 04:04 PM PST Profile Permanent Link
Thank you, RY, for sharing your deep understanding of these profound truths. Your writing is helping me to gain a new level of insight into Sri Aurobindo and The Mother's work, and its great significance during these transformational times.

by RY Deshpande on Thu 21 Dec 2006 07:14 PM PST Profile Permanent Link
Thanks, ron... Let me also take this opportunity to thank the members of this forum who vigorously participated last month in discussion on some of the aspects covered in my article. In fact I am greatly happy that because of it this and my previous article dealing with the Purusha Sukta became possible. RYD

He gives the Mantra of Aspiration-Rejection-Surrender

Re: Instruments of Knowledge and Post-Human Destinies
by RY Deshpande on Thu 21 Dec 2006 07:47 PM PST Profile Permanent Link

You say: “Sri Aurobindo talks about aspiration, rejection and surrender. There is also this act of sacrifice for a saving power to descend.” No, Sri Aurobindo does not talk about aspiration-rejection-surrender. He gives the Mantra of Aspiration-Rejection-Surrender. Whatever knowledge is required will come with it. Finally, for transformation, the only Mantra is: Put yourself in the hands of the Mother and her Powers and let her do her work within you. Everything is in it. Whatever faculties are needed will come with it. Brahman sacrifices Brahman to become the Brahman. In it are the acts of creation and manifestation. RYD

She is in our heart

WHY IN SEARCH OF THE MOTHER

This name was given because we all know that The Mother & Sri Aurobindo are always there with us and sometimes unknowingly in our life we come across such miraculous incidents which are rather a help from their side which changes our outlook towards life and in most of the cases we got rid of some very big problem. In most of the cases we don't prayed to The Mother for her intervention or called for her help but it happened accidentally. Why it was happened to know the reason of this question pl see the first pic. If u want to read the answer in more detail go to below mentioned url :-

http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=17961579&tid=2479569222277330793

So now if she is with us so the other question arise Where is she?? She is in our heart and if she is in our heart then why can't we feel her many times or see her or can't hear her? The answer is we never tried to search for her in our heart thts why we are unable to feel her presence many times and can't hear her. So "IN SEARCH OF THE MOTHER"

They have just said to aspire!

SAVITRI Showing 180-189 of 189 first <> next > last
THEMOTHERSCHILD
12/11/2006 8:49 PM But She is aware that our and Nature’s aspiration is not up to Her expectation and we are still bound by Time, by Death and She withdraws from Her full Glory and Power and wears the mask of Matter and imparts Her Divine Presence everywhere, in the veiled form. That is She sacrifices Her perfection for the sake of leading us on our way of Sadhana. It has been possible for us to do our very little Sadhana, because of Her profound and concrete Presence. It is because of Her descent into our Nescience that Sadhana is possible from us and we can conquer the obstacles and transforms from inconscience to consciousness, from our ignorance to knowledge. This off course also requires our part, our 1% of Sadhana, which we all know. Here, I remember a very awakening instance.

Once during prayers, one of my friends asked my grand father a question. “How is it possible for the Gods to be present everywhere? Divine Mother manifests in all the forms of Matter, but how? When she does so wont Her Divinity gets diminished?” My grandpa’s answer was wonderful, which gave us one more element of Vedas. Poornasya PoornaMaadaaya, Poornaat Poornamudachyate. Poorna means One. In our calculation, if you add One and One you get two. If you deduce One from One you get Shunya, the Zero. But in Divine’s calculation, if you add One to One what you get is One only. If you deduce One from One you get One only. Let us have an example. A pregnant woman is complete (Poorna). The infant in her womb is also Poorna, that is complete. The baby is born. That is a Poorna infant is deduced from a Poorna Mother. Will there be any difference in the completeness of the mother? No! Her completeness is perfected in fact! Another Example. We have just now discussed that Soul is a complete Spirit of divine. There is no doubt that Divine is complete! When the soul rejoins the Supreme, is there any value addition to Supreme? No!
THEMOTHERSCHILD
12/11/2006 8:49 PM Similarly, when the Divine Mother leaves Her presence in every form of Matter, there is no difference in Her completeness. This is Divine Calculation. Not a human calculation. We fail to understand the our mathematics only saying that it is very difficult. But Divine’s Mathematics is so easy. The only thing is we need to explore this. Now what is left is: There was the common light of earthly day. Now when Goddess Usha recede, there spreads the common earthly daylight. Not the Eternal Light of Goddess Usha. In such common Light:Affranchised from the respite of fatigue Once more the rumour of the speed of Life Pursued the cycles of her blinded quest.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
12/11/2006 9:01 PM “Once more the rumour of the speed of Life” the common issues of our life, resumes their cycles of “blinded quest”. Untill this outbreak of Dawn, the Life on earth was having a period of rest – respite – and the reason for this rest is its fatigue! Here Sri Aurobindo turns to daily or routine proceedings of humans and creatures after portraying the Dawn as a symbol of the Creation of this cosmos. Our daily activities are like some quests without an aim, which go into cycles. Therefore, at the end of the day we are subjected to stress and fatigue and we go for rest at the end of the day. This is true for only those who go into these cycles of blinded quests. Those who have realized the ultimate quest of the life, to realize the Supreme, will never rest until they accomplish. This ultimate quest is first of all difficult to realize. Because we are completely lost in our material world, full of inconscience. Sometime, when we feel the Divine Spirit amidst our obscurities, we would realize this. Such an encounter with Him initiates a spark of aspiration in us.

Then, it is up to us to grow further. Therefore, we should realize that our ultimate quest is to realize Him, not any material professional or personal achievements. You may ask that this ultimate quest will be very difficult, how can I take it up? The thing is The Mother and Sri Aurobindo have made it very simple and easy for us. They do not expect us to perform complex rituals, thousand of chanting (japa) in a day or any such things. They have just said to aspire! To dedicate and devote ourselves to them! That’s all! If you are hungry for knowledge Sri Aurobindo has blessed you with Savitri. If you want more? There is Essays on Gita, Synthesis of Yoga, The Divine Life, The Mother, and so many knowledge banks he has blessed us with. Therefore our ultimate quest should be to realize the One within and everywhere. Not some professional or personal ambitions.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
12/11/2006 9:01 PM This also does not mean that we should completely ignore or neglect our professional and personal ambitions. We should do full justice to them to all our responsibilities. But we should not get lost in them completely. We should find some time out of our material life for our ultimate task, for our Sadhana. And our Sadhana should not only be for ourselves, it should be for the whole of the mankind, for the whole universe. Because, Sri Aurobindo’s Sadhana was not just for himself, it was for the whole universe. Our approach should also be the same. Let us don’t be selfish about our Sadhana. Let us involve every one in it.

This is why Sri Aurobindo has given equal importance and weightage to both individual as well as collective Yoga or Sadhana. All sprang to their unvarying daily acts; The thousand peoples of the soil and tree Obeyed the unforeseeing instant's urge, Now when the common daylight spreads, all the creatures resume their unchanging activities in their routine. This moment, the dawn and then the morning, has an impulse, an urge to spring them on to their respective activities. But it is an “unforeseeing instant” , that is it does have any prescience of the eve next moment. We simply cannot predict what is going happen even in few moments later. Everything in the material world is uncertain. The only certain thing is The Mothers; Grace and Love. Provided our part is there for Her and that is again our aspiration, dedication and devotion. So easy is our ultimate task, due to Her Grace. Certainly she leads us to the best for us, when we are dedicated and devoted to Her.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
12/11/2006 9:02 PM Otherwise? Let us see the next lines:And, leader here with his uncertain mind, Alone who stares at the future's covered face, Man lifted up the burden of his fate. The Man, the “leader” of all the creatures, but with an “uncertain mind”, “lifted the burden of his fate”. Those who continue to dwell in the material Nature, there is no growth, and they continue the cycle of lifting their burden of fate. But, here Sri Aurobindo calls the man as “leader” of all creatures. He is “Alone” among all the creatures “who stares at the future’s covered face”, but not any other creature on this earth aspires to know the future. This also implies that only we have the ability to change our future, though it is covered or masked or unknown.

This is because we have the attenuated ability to do our Sadhana, than any other creature in this world. Therefore, let us determine and commit for our Sadhana.It also does not mean necessarily that other creatures do not have the ability to do Sadhana. They do have. But their ability is not as great as ours is. But there are many exceptions. In our Shaastras also there are numerous such examples. One example is Jatayu in Sri Mad Ramayana, who sacrificed his life to rescue Seeta from Ravana. Above all our own Kiki! The Mother’s cat! I hope you have head its stories. Therefore, The Mother is for the whole universe. She loves every creature, every element of the universe. We need to realize this.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
12/11/2006 9:02 PM We have now completed the entire first paragraph of Canto 1 “The Symbol Dawn”. What all we can conclude from this discussion so far is the importance of our aspiration, dedication and devotion. I don’t know whether it is boring you to see the same words again and again, but that’s how the Sadhana is and that’s all our Sadhana is. Therefore, let us aspire for Her Grace and Love. Let our dedication and devotion for Her be complete and total. Let us find some time out of our uncertainties to find the certain, for Her works. Let us evolve from our inconscience to consciousness of The Mother. Let us evolve from our ignorance to Her knowledge. Let us evolve from our Darkness to Her Eternal Light.Asatomaa Sadgamayaa Tamasomaa Jyotirgamayaa Mrityormaa Amrutangamayaa
THEMOTHERSCHILD
12/12/2006 1:56 AM References 1. Sri Aurobindo's Savitri - An Approach and a Study by Sri A B Purani.2. The Book of Beginnings by Sri M P Pandit
Rajneesh
12/12/2006 4:18 AM Thanks to motherchild, I am not able to suggest to u, only I can read this Important thread. It is very very important for me. Thanks MAA Shreemaa, Shreemaa,Shreemaa, Shreemaa, Shreemaa,
Rajeshwari
12/15/2006 7:03 AM Very good and interesting work you have done. I am reading Savitri since years. It is my years experience that when we read Savitri, starting from any page....we can experience the events occouring in our life ...present and also focuses on the events going to be occured in future. It also gives the solutions of the problems if any and surprisingly we can get rid of it. We can feel that some divine power is guiding us and working in us. The feeling eternally is always so pleasant that we can not narrate.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
12/15/2006 10:23 PM Dear mam, i completely agree with you statement. the following excerpt is an evidence from Savitri to support your statement!!! Whatever the appearance we must bear, Whatever our strong ills and present fate, When nothing we can see but drift and bale, A mighty Guidance leads us still through all.

Just go on reading it and this, itself is a Sadhana

9/12/2006 8:04 PM SAVITRI DEAR FRIENDS HERE WITH WE ARE STARTING A NEW THREAD ON SAVITRI. FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED TO HAVE AN APPROACH AND STUDY OF SAVITRI. IN THIS SECTION, EXCERPTS FROM SAVITRI, WITH ITS SPIRIT AND INTERPRETATION WILL BE LET FLOWN IN A SERIES. AS THE FIRST THREAD TODAY WE WILL BE UPLOADING INTRODUCTORY LINES.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
9/12/2006 8:06 PM APPROACHAPPROACH Savitri is a mantra. It is the pictorization of Sri Aurobindo’s Sadhana and Vision, and therefore a lamp of guidance for all of us in the nescience as The Mother has made it clear by saying that “Savitri is the Supreme Revelation of Sri Aurobindo’s Vision”. Therefore we can conclude that we should read Savitri, to follow the path of Sadhana given to us by The Master and The Mother. When we conclude that we should read Savitri, many of the aspirants – including myself – find it very difficult to understand it. Even though The Mother said, never bother whether you understand Savitri, just go on reading it and this, itself is a Sadhana, aspirants put their endeavor to understand Savitri. I know some people who attempt to understand Savitri, in an intellectual way, like first reading it and then referring to a dictionary to understand the words and terms, and then conclude with some meaning. An amusing instance happened when a group of aspirants took this method of studying Savitri, individually, and then after their individual study they started discussing about it. They found that each of them had a different understanding! Each of the maintained their stand and argued that himself is correct. Then they ended up in consulting a senior sadhak and found that none of them were no where near to what actually Sri Aurobindo States!

Then what was the reason for such a fumble? Sri A B Purani could find the answer for this in his book “Savitri – An approach and a Study”. He says that Savitri is not just another poem, or an ordinary poem, neither an aesthetic creation by an intellectual mind. Savitri is a Mystic, Psychic, and a Spiritual poetry. Moreover the Symbols and Concepts used by Sri Aurobindo are completely unfamiliar with the recent trends in the English poetry. Therefore one has to acquire the ability and capacity to understand this high poetry and appreciate it. Therefore intellectual method of interpreting Savitri will never take you any nearer to the truth of the Savitri.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
9/12/2006 8:08 PM Then what was the reason for such a fumble? Sri A B Purani could find the answer for this in his book “Savitri – An approach and a Study”. He says that Savitri is not just another poem, or an ordinary poem, neither an aesthetic creation by an intellectual mind. Savitri is a Mystic, Psychic, and a Spiritual poetry. Moreover the Symbols and Concepts used by Sri Aurobindo are completely unfamiliar with the recent trends in the English poetry. Therefore one has to acquire the ability and capacity to understand this high poetry and appreciate it. Therefore intellectual method of interpreting Savitri will never take you any nearer to the truth of the Savitri. It may give a very brief overview and you will never experience the Spiritual Vibrations, which Savitri renders in you unless you try to experience the same. Therefore let us conclude that the intellectual method is not the correct way to understand the Savitri. One needs to get into the spirit of the poem.

In such a case there is a need of a great endeavor to get into the Spirit of Savitri. You have to begin with very minute basics like understanding the basic tale of Satyavan and Savitri in Mahabharata, understanding the each and every minute Symbols used by Sri Aurobindo, and also some symbols and concepts from Vedic Literature. Therefore we will begin from the discussion of such basic elements before going o the actual part of the Savitri. Also that in the future part of the discussion, references ill be made such basic elements wherever they are necessary, it makes us to go through these basic elements mandatory.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
9/12/2006 8:10 PM YOU ARE WELCOME TO POST YOUR COMMENTS AND CRITICISMS.YOU ARE ALSO FREE TO MAIL THE CO-ORDINATOR OF THIS THREAD AT themotherschild@yahoo.co.in
Anonymous
9/12/2006 8:24 PM hi The Mother's Childyou have done a gr8 job.Pl do continue in this way.The above post is realy superb.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
9/12/2006 8:47 PM DECLARATIONI should make it clear that whatever i write in this thread, is not my creation entirely. after all i am also an aspirant like you searching for The Mother and begging for her grace.I will only be sharing with some of my readings and experiences with Sadhaks.
srinivas
9/12/2006 8:58 PM Hi Motherschild, I am also one of his son here....Its too good, and interesting, which I was looking for a long time...Its my mother's grace, I get in to this thread...many many thanks to you...If nobody is coming to this thread, no worry, I am here to listen you...anyway its a service to our mother...Let's start..."My mother, I beg your grace for this discussion to succeed and go up and up to the supreme divine..."
THEMOTHERSCHILD
9/12/2006 9:33 PM thanks both you
Unknown
9/12/2006 9:49 PM WE WANT TO THNK MOTHERSCHILD FOR THIS WONDERFUL THRED AND HIS GRT IDEA.REQUEST TO ALL MEMBRSPLZ IF U WANT TO DO ANY SORT OF PERSONAL COMMUNICATION WITH THIS THRED THEN PLZ DO THT ONLY WITH MOTHERS CHILD AT HIS EMAIL ID:-themotherschild@yahoo.co.in AND NOT WITH US BCOZ WE WILL ALSO FWD UR COMMUNICATION TO HIM ONLY.SO IN ORDER TO GET QUICK REPLY DO WRITE HIM DIRECTLY.
Unknown
9/12/2006 9:56 PM VERY SOON THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF ALL THE POSTS OF THIS THRED WILL BE UPLODED AT ESNIPS IN FORM OF EBOOKS . WE REQUEST YOU TO SUPPORT THEMOTHERSCHILD IN HIS GRT JOB AND PLEASE PRAY TO OUR MASTERS TO PROVIDE HIM THE STRENGTH FOR THIS WORK.

sir i have heard tht savitri can help us out wen we are in difficulty can u pl guide me how can i take help frm tht book???
Anonymous
9/12/2006 10:34 PM @Unknown M sir motherschild has posted same ecrept twice pl look into this mater and delete tht extra post.
THEMOTHERSCHILD
9/13/2006 1:15 AM dear friend, Savitri can solve your problems? well what all i can say is yes and no! yes because, when you study savitri, you get closer to The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. And our masters never let us to fail in any sort of challenges we would face, if we are faithful and dedicated to them. thats what savitri gives you - total faith and dedication to master. to explain why not, it is a bit tough for me. our need and demand from Savitri should only be to gain consciousness and get into the spirit of Savitri. nothing else.
JeyaLakshmi
9/13/2006 1:40 AM Really it is a wonderful thread..Only yesterday i started reading Savitri. I could understand only some few lines, i thought i need help in understanding the lines. Yesterday night, i had a dream "I was in the Ashram, after the Samadhi Dharsanam I was sitting with my parents in the corner of the Ashram..One of the Sadhak informed us that Aurobindo's room is opened and we can go there now. I at once ran to the room and prayed to Aurobindo, some force entered into my body and i felt a shake in my body and I fell backwards out of the shake in the body. Then my parents went and prayed." Really it was an amazing dream..As soon as i read Savitri, i had this dream where in Aurobindo came into me...
Senthil
9/13/2006 6:44 AM savitri is a mantra. The cause and solutions of the problems of our life is hidden there. It does not matter if you don't understand, but the power/benefit you are going to get is so great. please go to this website http://savitribysriaurobindo.com/and read "The Mother on Savitri" Mother has given her writings about the power of Savitri. Thanks
Radha...(¯`·._.·
9/13/2006 8:05 AM really a good job done by u even at times i just think of savitr and want to know the correct meaning of it all the best for ur search of savitri meaning
­Rajmohan­
9/13/2006 11:49 AM Oh thnx a lot for giving me one which i have been expecting since long time....
THEMOTHERSCHILD
9/14/2006 5:06 AM DURATION OF THE POSTSI was wondering about the duration for which we should have one post or in other words, how soon would you like me to update, this thread?Please feed me regarding this and thank you very much for your kind support and affection.On the Service of The Divine Mother,The Mother's Child
Anonymous
9/14/2006 11:12 AM pl post some new posts daily or atleast thrice a week.
Anonymous
9/14/2006 7:48 PM @motherschildi also do agree with the above person but sir please whtever u do trice a week or daily try to be regular bcoz this thred is the most beautiful thred of commuity so plese try to maintain the constancy of ur posts.
Showing 11-20 of 189 first next > last

Matrimandir is emerging from the soil

Matrimandir live !
by rjon on December 11, 2006 02:41PM (PST)
Click on the 'more >' link to see these beautiful new photos of the Matrimandir at Auroville, courtesy of Bhavana & friends:

Matrimandir is emerging from the soil of Auroville, Inspiring the sky to also aspire For That which is beyond the sky, beyond the soil, beyond Auroville. ... more » Leave Comment Permanent Link