Even while he stood on being's naked edge
And all the passion and seeking of his soul
Faced their extinction in some featureless Vast,
The Presence he yearned for suddenly drew close.
........ Sri Aurobindo. Savitri
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
Music of Solitude
Music of Solitude
Solitude has its own charm. There is a music of silence in the solitude. One needs to have an inner year to listen to this music. It is having a rhythm of the intense thoughts beyond words… the thoughts which gather in the silence behind life.
In solitude we hear the voice of Earth. It is an inarticulate voice, but still it is having a sweet tone. One can hear this voice in the great passion of sun-kissed trance.
The inner ear that listens to solitude,
Leaning self-rapt unboundedly could hear
The rhythm of the intenser wordless Thought
That gathers in the silence behind life,
And the low sweet inarticulate voice of earth
In the great passion of her sun-kissed trance
In solitude we ascend with its yearning undertone. It is far away from the brute noise of clamorous needs. Our quieted all-seeking mind could feel the unwearied clasp of her mute patient love and truly know that the soul is mother of all forms.
Ascended with its yearning undertone.
Afar from the brute noise of clamorous needs
At rest from its blind outwardness of will,
The unwearied clasp of her mute patient love
And know for a soul the mother of our forms.
Our spirit is free in its own domain. However, here on earth, it is stumbling in the fields of sense.
This spirit stumbling in the fields of sense,
This creature bruised in the mortr of the days
… Savitri, Book IV : The Book of Birth and Quest, Canto IV : The Quest, Pg 380
Monday, August 24, 2009
Puppet of the Dance of Time
Puppet of the Dance of Time
A conscious soul in the Inconscient’s world,
Hidden behind our thoughts and hopes and dreams,
An indifferent Master signing Nature’s actsLeaves the vicegerent mind a seeming king.
In his floating house upon the sea of Time
The regent sits at work and never rests:
He is a puppet of the dance of Time;
He is driven by the hours, the moment’s call
Compels him with the thronging of life’s need
And the babel of the voices of the world.
This mind no silence knows nor dreamless sleep,
In the incessant circling of its steps
Thoughts tread for ever through the listening brain;
It toils like a machine and cannot stop.
BOOK VII: The Book of Yoga 478
CANTO II: The Parable of the Search for the Soul 479
_________Word Meaning
Vicegerent = Deputy
Regent = one who rules or governs, especially in the absence of the sovereign
Babel = A biblical reference to a huge Babylonian tower whose construction challenged Heaven and caused the confusion of languages. It is used here in the sense of the scene of confusion, disorder and the noise of many voices.
Incessant = Non Stop, Continuous without break
________
Inspired Reflections
The inner soul of man is aloof from the mental turbulations and excitement and despairs. Man is in the grip of Nature. His mind is not a free mind as it appears to be, but subject to the Nature. He is a conscious soul in the inconscient’s world. Though the inner soul is the real Master, he gives his power of attorney to the Mind and prefers to watch in an aloof manner. The Mind forgets that he is only acting on behalf of the inner soul and feels that he is the real king. He dwells in a ‘floating house upon the sea of Time’. This indicates that he does not have any firm foundation. The mind is interlocked with the time, whereas the soul is beyond time. The mind is given the metaphor of a ‘regent’ – the commander who acts in the absence of the real King. He is ever at work without rest. Even when the body is sleeping, this regent is at work. He is ‘a puppet of the dance of Time’. This is ironic. The regent who thinks himself a supreme commander is actually a slave of the invisible force of Time. He is ‘driven by the hours’. He is always engaged in fighting the small battles – nay petty squabbles, forgetting his mission to win the War. He is driven hither and thither with even small impulses and is dragged with the needs and passions of the life. He gets confused with his impulses and desires pulling him in all directions. The mind can not rest in peace. It can not even have sleep without a dream. Even when we think that we did not have any dream during our sleep, in reality it only means that we did not remember our dreams on waking up and therefore erroneously think that we did not have any dream. It goes round and round without any break, its own thinking process. Our brain mechanically responds to our thoughts and is therefore always engaged, even during our sleep, with our mind. Though it thinks itself to be a conscious entity, in reality it acts like a machine. Therefore, as mentioned in the beginning of this stanza, man is having a ‘conscious soul in the inconscient’s world’.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Riddle of Fate
Riddle of FateThen Aswapati answered to the seer :
“Is then the spirit ruled by an outward world?
O seer, is there no remedy within?
But what is Fate if not the spirit’s will
After long time fulfilled by cosmic Force?
I deemed a mighty Power had come with her;
Is not that Power the high compeer of Fate?”
But Narad answered covering truth with truth:
“O Aswapati, random seem the ways
Along whose banks your footsteps stray or run
In casual hours or moments of the gods,
Yet your least stumbling are foreseen above.
Infallibly the curves of life are drawn
Following the stream of Time through the unknown;
They are led by a clue the calm immortals keep.
This blazoned hieroglyph of prophet morns
A meaning more sublime in symbols writes
Than sealed Thought wakes to, but of this high script
How shall my voice convince the mind of earth?
Heaven’s wiser love rejects the mortal’s prayer;
Unblinded by the breath of his desire,
Unclouded by the mists of fear and hope,
It bends above the strife of love with death;
It keeps for her her privilege of pain.
A greatness in thy daughter’s soul resides
That can transform herself and all around
But must cross on stones of suffering to its goal.
Although designed like a nectar cup of heaven,
Of heavenly ether made she sought this air,
She too must share the human need of grief
And all her cause of joy transmute to pain.
Savitri by Sri Aurobindo, Book VI: The Book of Fate, Canto II: The Way of Fate and the Problem of Pain Page 456-457
Inspired Reflections
Aswapati has expressed his doubts and confusion as are commonly faced by us. Are we puppets in the hands of destiny ? This is the eternal question man has asked for himself. Do we not have any solution to our ‘bondage’ to the outer world ? Can we not have a solution by ‘going inside’ ourselves ? Is it also not true that the Fate is nothing else but the will of the spirit ? If this be so, then it is just the simple matter of ‘willing’ a ‘desirable outcome’ – and the problem of Fate will get solved automatically.
There is also another paradox we face in our life. This is about the suffering of the holy men, saints and the seers ? Why do they suffer ? Do they have not the power to change their fate ?
I deemed a mighty Power had come with her;
Is not that Power the high compeer of Fate?
This is a very interesting question. Naradmuni answers this question by ‘covering truth with truth’.
This single phrase has a world of meaning in it. The epic poem of Savitri by Sri Aurobindo contains the key to all of our lifes riddles. However, we are also likely to encounter the apparently ‘contradictory’ statements in it. At one place we are told that the Fate is the will of the Spirit. At other place we are told that
Yet your least stumbling are foreseen above.
Infallibly the curves of life are drawn
Following the stream of Time through the unknown;
How to reconcile these two contradictions ? Is it not that only one of them can be true ? How can both the contradictions be true ? On the other hand, if we accept that one of them is true, then it naturally follows that the other one is untrue. This is a very perilous conclusion because it implies that not all that the book contains is to be taken at face value. This will not be acceptable. The phrase
But Narad answered covering truth with truth:
Has a way out of this dilemma. What we see as contradictions are only the two aspects of the truth at different levels of our understanding. They both are TRUE. Our level of understanding needs to be refined and developed.
It bends above the strife of love with death;
It keeps for her her privilege of pain.
How can it be that the pain and suffering be called a PRIVILEGE? Who would ever in his wildest dream wish to have pain and suffering for himself ? Where is the question of privilege here ? It is a bondage and not the privilege.
And here we get the clue to our dilemma:
A greatness in thy daughter’s soul resides
That can transform herself and all around
But must cross on stones of suffering to its goal.
The greatness and the Power of Savitri is unquestionable. She does indeed has the power to transform herself and the world. However, before she does that, she
must cross on stones of suffering to its goal
There is indeed NO FREE LUNCH with God and Destiny ! Jesus suffered on cross but made a lasting impact for better on this world for ages to come. Why did he have to suffer ? The answer is given above.
She too must share the human need of grief
And all her cause of joy transmute to pain.
The physical suffering of these great souls has the result of ‘sowing the seeds’ of peace and harmony in this world.
“Is then the spirit ruled by an outward world?
O seer, is there no remedy within?
But what is Fate if not the spirit’s will
After long time fulfilled by cosmic Force?
I deemed a mighty Power had come with her;
Is not that Power the high compeer of Fate?”
But Narad answered covering truth with truth:
“O Aswapati, random seem the ways
Along whose banks your footsteps stray or run
In casual hours or moments of the gods,
Yet your least stumbling are foreseen above.
Infallibly the curves of life are drawn
Following the stream of Time through the unknown;
They are led by a clue the calm immortals keep.
This blazoned hieroglyph of prophet morns
A meaning more sublime in symbols writes
Than sealed Thought wakes to, but of this high script
How shall my voice convince the mind of earth?
Heaven’s wiser love rejects the mortal’s prayer;
Unblinded by the breath of his desire,
Unclouded by the mists of fear and hope,
It bends above the strife of love with death;
It keeps for her her privilege of pain.
A greatness in thy daughter’s soul resides
That can transform herself and all around
But must cross on stones of suffering to its goal.
Although designed like a nectar cup of heaven,
Of heavenly ether made she sought this air,
She too must share the human need of grief
And all her cause of joy transmute to pain.
Savitri by Sri Aurobindo, Book VI: The Book of Fate, Canto II: The Way of Fate and the Problem of Pain Page 456-457
Inspired Reflections
Aswapati has expressed his doubts and confusion as are commonly faced by us. Are we puppets in the hands of destiny ? This is the eternal question man has asked for himself. Do we not have any solution to our ‘bondage’ to the outer world ? Can we not have a solution by ‘going inside’ ourselves ? Is it also not true that the Fate is nothing else but the will of the spirit ? If this be so, then it is just the simple matter of ‘willing’ a ‘desirable outcome’ – and the problem of Fate will get solved automatically.
There is also another paradox we face in our life. This is about the suffering of the holy men, saints and the seers ? Why do they suffer ? Do they have not the power to change their fate ?
I deemed a mighty Power had come with her;
Is not that Power the high compeer of Fate?
This is a very interesting question. Naradmuni answers this question by ‘covering truth with truth’.
This single phrase has a world of meaning in it. The epic poem of Savitri by Sri Aurobindo contains the key to all of our lifes riddles. However, we are also likely to encounter the apparently ‘contradictory’ statements in it. At one place we are told that the Fate is the will of the Spirit. At other place we are told that
Yet your least stumbling are foreseen above.
Infallibly the curves of life are drawn
Following the stream of Time through the unknown;
How to reconcile these two contradictions ? Is it not that only one of them can be true ? How can both the contradictions be true ? On the other hand, if we accept that one of them is true, then it naturally follows that the other one is untrue. This is a very perilous conclusion because it implies that not all that the book contains is to be taken at face value. This will not be acceptable. The phrase
But Narad answered covering truth with truth:
Has a way out of this dilemma. What we see as contradictions are only the two aspects of the truth at different levels of our understanding. They both are TRUE. Our level of understanding needs to be refined and developed.
It bends above the strife of love with death;
It keeps for her her privilege of pain.
How can it be that the pain and suffering be called a PRIVILEGE? Who would ever in his wildest dream wish to have pain and suffering for himself ? Where is the question of privilege here ? It is a bondage and not the privilege.
And here we get the clue to our dilemma:
A greatness in thy daughter’s soul resides
That can transform herself and all around
But must cross on stones of suffering to its goal.
The greatness and the Power of Savitri is unquestionable. She does indeed has the power to transform herself and the world. However, before she does that, she
must cross on stones of suffering to its goal
There is indeed NO FREE LUNCH with God and Destiny ! Jesus suffered on cross but made a lasting impact for better on this world for ages to come. Why did he have to suffer ? The answer is given above.
She too must share the human need of grief
And all her cause of joy transmute to pain.
The physical suffering of these great souls has the result of ‘sowing the seeds’ of peace and harmony in this world.
…….. Dedicated at the lotus feet of My Guru Shri Aurobindo and Mother
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Word of Fate
Word of Fate
The great Gods use the pain of human hearts,
As a sharp axe to hew their cosmic road;
They squander lavishly men’s blood and tears
For a moment’s purpose in their fateful work.
This cosmic Nature’s balance is not ours
Nor the mystic measure of her need and use.
A single word lets loose vast agencies;
A casual act determines the world’s fate.
So now he set free destiny in that hour.
Savitri by Sri Aurobindo, Book VI: The Book of Fate, Canto I: The Word of Fate, Pate 429
This was spoken by Narad Muni to the parents of Savitri when they wanted to know the fate of the marriage of Satyavan and Savitri.
Unknown to us, behind the veil, a great cosmic machinery of chain reaction of cause and effect is at work. Even our pain has a purpose in the scheme of things. The phrase ‘They (Gods) squander lavishly men’s blood and tears for a moment’s purpose in their fateful work,’ expresses the irony of the working of fate as viewed from our limited human perspective. It is not the final truth though.
What Narad Muni is trying to tell us is explained further…
This cosmic Nature’s balance is not ours
Nor the Mystic measure of her need and use.
Here we get a peep into the very deep secret of the working of Cosmic Nature. Many of the unexplained and apparently contradictory happenings in this world (good people suffering…) does indeed has a rationale in the overall scheme of things which our limited human mind is not able to comprehend.
The apparently ‘disproportionate’ working of the ‘cause and effect’ results in
A single word lets loose vast agencies;
A casual act determines the world’s fate.
We get perplexed with this type of the working of Fate as it does not fit into our human ‘judicial’ way of thinking. The history is witness to great catastrophic events taking place from apparently a relatively single incident (e.g. events like Pearl Harbour, Bombing of World Trade Centre and more recently the terror siege in Mumbai by just 10 Pakistani youths in November 08 resulting the resignation of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and churning of the whole nation of India with a real possibility of the bloody conflict between India and Pakistan)
So now he set free destiny in that hour.
This is the way the Cosmic Nature works. It does have its own system. Not knowing this system by a human being results in him wondering
They (Gods) squander lavishly men’s blood and tears
But in reality, it is for
For a moment’s purpose in their fateful work.
We are not independent, detached or separate form the Cosmic Nature. We are part of the whole scheme of things. If we are able to understand this scheme by progressing on our spiritual path and develop broader spiritual vision, everything falls in its proper place.
…….. Dedicated at the lotus feet of My Guru Shri Aurobindo and Mother
The great Gods use the pain of human hearts,
As a sharp axe to hew their cosmic road;
They squander lavishly men’s blood and tears
For a moment’s purpose in their fateful work.
This cosmic Nature’s balance is not ours
Nor the mystic measure of her need and use.
A single word lets loose vast agencies;
A casual act determines the world’s fate.
So now he set free destiny in that hour.
Savitri by Sri Aurobindo, Book VI: The Book of Fate, Canto I: The Word of Fate, Pate 429
This was spoken by Narad Muni to the parents of Savitri when they wanted to know the fate of the marriage of Satyavan and Savitri.
Unknown to us, behind the veil, a great cosmic machinery of chain reaction of cause and effect is at work. Even our pain has a purpose in the scheme of things. The phrase ‘They (Gods) squander lavishly men’s blood and tears for a moment’s purpose in their fateful work,’ expresses the irony of the working of fate as viewed from our limited human perspective. It is not the final truth though.
What Narad Muni is trying to tell us is explained further…
This cosmic Nature’s balance is not ours
Nor the Mystic measure of her need and use.
Here we get a peep into the very deep secret of the working of Cosmic Nature. Many of the unexplained and apparently contradictory happenings in this world (good people suffering…) does indeed has a rationale in the overall scheme of things which our limited human mind is not able to comprehend.
The apparently ‘disproportionate’ working of the ‘cause and effect’ results in
A single word lets loose vast agencies;
A casual act determines the world’s fate.
We get perplexed with this type of the working of Fate as it does not fit into our human ‘judicial’ way of thinking. The history is witness to great catastrophic events taking place from apparently a relatively single incident (e.g. events like Pearl Harbour, Bombing of World Trade Centre and more recently the terror siege in Mumbai by just 10 Pakistani youths in November 08 resulting the resignation of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and churning of the whole nation of India with a real possibility of the bloody conflict between India and Pakistan)
So now he set free destiny in that hour.
This is the way the Cosmic Nature works. It does have its own system. Not knowing this system by a human being results in him wondering
They (Gods) squander lavishly men’s blood and tears
But in reality, it is for
For a moment’s purpose in their fateful work.
We are not independent, detached or separate form the Cosmic Nature. We are part of the whole scheme of things. If we are able to understand this scheme by progressing on our spiritual path and develop broader spiritual vision, everything falls in its proper place.
…….. Dedicated at the lotus feet of My Guru Shri Aurobindo and Mother
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