Series I 701-800
801-900 901-1000
T = truisms of life the world
knows;
E = extension of their ideas applied to life situations;
&
= ideas known to be their own
701) While
it is possible either to be a yogi or a householder, it is difficult to do yoga in the
domestic life. This is so because the yogi centres himself in the mind or in one of
the parts of the being and the householder centres himself in the vital, whereas to
combine them one has to centre himself in the psychic being. E
702)
When they say that Sri Aurobindo was Napoleon or Mother was Elizabeth, Mother
explains that the Force dwelled in them for a period, not their whole life, often for a
brief while.
The Force for the purposes of its work chooses an appropriate vessel and acts
through it and withdraws later. That period is seen as a great one in the life of the
Instrument.
The events of that
period in the life of the Instrument are great not according to social or psychological
values but evolutionary purposes. Often they are contrary to ethical or social values. &
703)
The growth of each part of our being begins with the lowest part and moves upwards
as each part exhausts its role. The mind grows by the support of the body, moves to the
support of the vital when it exhausts the use of the body. E
704)
The soul exhausts its growth by the support of the body, the vital and the mind and
starts growing on its own. HE calls this phenomenon as the soul forgetting
the problems of life or its own problems. E
705)
In the process of its exhaustion of the use of each part, there are two parts, the
individual and the universal. E
706)
When the soul starts growing on its own, it draws upon the Soul, the Self. Even
this has two parts, the immutable Soul and the involved Soul. E
707)
The soul, forgetting its problems, is the inner dominating the outer. The soul
involved in its problems is the outer deciding the inner. E
708) The
world is governed by a physical organisation. Those who have life knowledge like the three
musketeers, are in touch with the emotional organisation of the world. E
709) To
be in touch with the emotional organisation means life always cooperates with you fully at
your level. T
710) The
individual in the society does not grow all by himself like a tree or an offspring of a
less evolved species where at birth they are separated from the mother. The society at large gives him physical
protection, the family psychological protection and the institutions of the society
special equipment. Occasionally there are individuals and institutions trying to foster
the well-being and growth of certain sections of population thereby making the impossible
for others, possible for these favoured persons.
Mother acts in the lives of people who come to Her as these special institutions. SHE does one better by becoming a personal deity
of protection and favour. E
711) The
time of the ego is over. It must dissolve. So, it
is natural that the family which is only the extension of the individual ego also should
dissolve. E
712) As
the nation soul is shaping and growing into universal soul, the movement of destruction of
the family is apparently contradictory. But only when the family gives way, the individual
ego will give way. Both are the same movements but appear to conflict with each other. E
713) It
is not possible to overdo in the act of surrendering because it is ever increasing from
inside. It comes to a natural halt when the effort is exhausted. E
714) Follies,
ignorance and consequent suffering issue out of evaluating one situation in the context of
another situation. Elders evaluate the youngsters in terms of the values of their
generation. T
715) Psychological
values do not so readily change as social values. One who readily changes his dress, will
not equally readily change his values of social superiority, or etiquette. T
716) Mother
restores lost objects, lost rights, lost happiness, etc. Restoring a broken bottle is
theoretically possible when melted into the original liquid glass, but in practice it is
not feasible. Lost rights need change in law or custom to be restored. Can the wounded
heart or scorched feelings be restored to happiness? As the glass needs to be melted and
reach its original form of liquid, the feelings need to go to their ORIGIN to be transformed into their opposites. E
717) Giving
up all initiation means not to use the power,
however small it is, as we like, e.g. expressing an opinion or an attitude. To let a habit
express itself for its own joy or comfort is like that. A beginning can be made by
controlling the irresistible desires. E
718) It
is a valuable self-guidance to decide to examine, after each advice we give others, as to
how much we ourselves follow that advice. To set about following it makes for great
progress. T
719) As
there is a level of thought to be understood by speaking out loud, there is a thought at a
higher level that can be understood only by silent reading.
The higher mind understands without thought, the illumined mind receives without
understanding, the intuitive mind without light while
the Supermind dispenses with a need to know. E
720) Sri
Aurobindos writings convey Supramental knowledge, rather knowledge of the Supermind.
To receive it fully, mind should cease to think, see visions. It must be in a position to
directly receive without thought or sight. That knowledge becomes complete only when you
find what is coming in is the same knowledge as what is inside differently formed. E
721) Concentrating
on the individual, the universe created the Manomaya Purusha. The Individual fulfils
himself in the universe. Manomaya Purusha extending into Nature and finding himself
as the psychic being is the Individual universalising himself since universe is Nature and
the Psychic is the soul of Nature. &
722) For
man to go ahead, he needs to complete his experience at the level where he is. It means
knowledge, enjoyment, possession of results must be there. For instance, if one of these
at any level is incomplete, surely he cannot rise effectively further. He may rise further
by virtue of other strengths but as long as one item in an earlier stage remains
incomplete, the work at the level to which he rose will not be complete.
If you seek enjoyment now, without it you cannot rise further.
Enjoy you must, but rightly. Otherwise you will not rise. T
723) What
I have learnt today as compelling knowledge, I learnt 30 years ago as ideas. It took 30
years for the emotions to learn what the mind once knew. T
724) Mother
accepted in any plane fully makes the knowledge you already have in another plane true in
that plane. E
725) To
serve selfishness is a weakness and a sin. It can also help you to destroy your
selfishness at a later stage while in the final stage the same act while fully wiping you
out, will help destroy universal selfishness. All these are valid only when the ego is
still in existence. After the extinction of ego, selfishness for you is like any other
trait including selflessness. E
726) Locating
the volition to think and surrendering it, thought ceases. Identifying the structure of
thought and withdrawing the energy of mental urge from it, the structure dissolves. At a
further step, the mind dissolves similarly. E
727) As
mental consciousness is aware, it is easily possible to do this while dissolving the
nervous or physical sensation; likewise it is more difficult in view of their
unconsciousness. E
728) Dissolving
the ego in these parts is an essential prerequisite to embark on these ventures. E
729) Consciousness
grows even when we are unconscious. One has experiences even when he does not know of
them. The psychic can grow, experiences can collect, consciousness can become richer while
the surface is unaware of it. Of course, it is all up to a point. &
730) Transition
from one society to another, one psychological status to another, one consciousness to
another takes place on the surface at once, but it takes long for the depth to change. E
731)
Social behaviour changes in one generation, social beliefs have taken a century to
change, social structure will change only when its units dissolve and reform as does the
family at present. T
732)
Psychologically, man has changed on the surface in the last 5000 years. T
733)
Consciousness has changed last when man was evolved. E
734)
Body determines the mind is the minor truth. The major Truth is, mind determines
the body. &
735)
When we are centred in the bodily functions, body determines the mind. The mind
determines the body when we are centred in the mind. E
736)
Thinking is the physical function of the mind and he who thinks is determined by
his physical activities. E
737)
Minds proper function, rather its native function is understanding, not so
much thinking. When the Mind understands without thinking, Mind determines the Body. E
738)
There are omens like symptoms that develop alongside a project serving as an index
of their success. The symptoms completing themselves successfully clearly indicate the
success of the project. This is the rule. But there are exceptions. T
739)
In the exceptional cases, the symptoms failing become an indication of the
Projects success. T
740)
There are conditions that lie outside the rule and exception. Often Mothers
situations are there. These projects succeed whether the symptoms fail or succeed. A
further condition too is available where even when the Project itself fails, SUCCESS is guaranteed. E
741)
Knowledge becomes complete and precise only when we know the determinant precisely;
to know what determined the creation of Hamlet or Symposium is to know precisely.
742)
As the Absolute is THE determinant, it is necessary we should know
the Absolutes status that fixes the production of Hamlet. &
743) Sensation
being the determinant, we live in the physical plane. Likes and dislikes fix us to the
vital plane while ethical views of good and bad retain us in the mind. Mind conceiving of
the Good without the opposite of evil, rises to the Supermind or restores its lost
connection with the Supermind. E
744) Truth,
Good, Beauty, Timeless Eternity, Spaceless Infinity do the same service to the sadhak of
transcending the Mind when it is focussed on any one of them. E
745) The
vital or physical man who does not have a mind cannot use it. To put a mind to use and
think, he must first create a mind in himself. Similarly, man presently does not have a centre
that can comprehend the Good. To do so he must create the Supramental consciousness in his
mind first. This cannot be created by moving to one of the Purushas like Manomaya Purusha.
Moving to the psychic in the subliminal enables it. This is the occult secret He looked
for for ten years. E
746) The
Divine itself is the key to its enigma.
The Divine in life becomes the enigma, whereas moving towards the Divine itself resolves it. &
747) This
can be extended to other aspects of life as Love itself is the key to its
problems. Love creates a problem by its imperfection; while perfecting it, the
problem is solved. E
748) We
cannot realise the Absolute without the Absolute itself touching us. Man in the society
cannot progress without the society offering him higher progress he is incapable of. It is
the individuals aspiration swelling that comes back to him as the collective
opportunity, thus retaining the initiative with the individual still. &
749) The
Avatar is the Infinite in the Finite. E
750) Man
being unconscious, his progress too is unconscious. It is possible for man not to know the
spiritual experiences that his inner being has. &
751) To
be good is non-egoistic; the desire to be good is egoistic. E
752) Concentration
in the present yields full joy; thinking of the future or past is a source of frustration.
All situations of frustrations are only stages in our progress to joy. Education
that is discipline, hospitalisation that is trauma are penultimate stages to graduation
and good health. One can tolerate them in the hope of a bright future; better still,
concentration on education can turn into an enjoyable discovery of intense joy. It is more
difficult to discover the same joy in the post-operative pain, but it is still true.
Psychologically, one can discover an intense joy in the events of betrayal and in the
process of betrayal when looked at, not from the sufferers point of view, but from
the point of view of the person who betrays. T
753) God
has no problems to solve. He is exercising Himself to evolve His manifestation in wider
areas and is enjoying the process of evolution that is manifestation. E
754) Man
has problems to solve as long as he does not understand. In the areas he understands, he
ceases to perceive problems and strangely there will be no problems to perceive, i.e. the
problems dissolve by the changed perception of man. E
755) Changed
perception dissolves the problems in the mind; changed sense perceptions generate joy in
the nerves; changed physical sensitivities bring about an inner and possibly outer
transformations. E
756) Mental
recognition of this outer possibility is to recognise difficulties as opportunities. E
757) Physical
experience of this outer touch is to sense Gods touch in the hands that strangle
your throat. E
758) As
long as you long for something or take initiative to reach something, God comes to you as
strangling hands. E
759) When
the initiative ceases and turns inwards, lifes touch is a caressing marvel. E
760) It
is better to seek Mother inside instead of simply turning inward. Seeking
Mother inwardly by the soul can be blissful; seeking Mother by the inner movements of the
mental and physical parts will be delight. E
761) This
seeking begins as an effort, becomes delight through a middle stage of bliss. &
762)
At a further stage when your being is an evolving centre and no longer a centre of
effort of the ego-surrounded nature, Mother in Nature moves towards it in a process of
evolution of the spirit in the universe. Its indication is a growing fullness inwardly. E
763)
Its consummation begins when the individual soul loses its witness poise, spills
over to being the Ishwara, starts spreading into the world being to universalise himself. E
764)
Mind conceives of the Infinite. When the vital feels the Infinite as a Force or the
body senses the Infinite as a substance even as the Mind knows the Infinite as a concept,
it helps us know the Absolute as relative or the relative as the Absolute. E
765)
Cornucopia is the Infinite in Matter while the boon given
by gods to heroes that he who fights them will find his own strength passing on to the
hero, is the Infinite in the vital. E
766)
As HE proceeds in The Life Divine, HE raises the level of His concepts. In the
beginning HE addresses the intellect as we have, later HE speaks of the reason turning into intuition.
In the later half, HE describes the Absolute. Obviously the reason
cannot conceive of the Absolute. As His presentation rises, the reader must rise in his
centre of reception, without which HE remains uncomprehended. E
767)
HE does give us, in the course of the writing,
the higher comprehension needed in the later chapters. E
768)
It is clear HE moves from addressing the intellect, to the
perception of THAT, to the spiritual perception in the thinking
mind of the Absolute. E
769)
To achieve this successfully, HE does three things, 1) He gives the reader the
necessary new faculties, 2) He creates new linguistic phenomena of contradictory phrases,
comprehensive conceptions and pleads for reversal of consciousness in receptivity, and 3)
He creates a higher order of spiritual truths that cannot be expressed even in Sanskrit,
such as glad laughter of the soul. E
770) In
writing to the rational intellect about mysticism, HE evolved the existing prose (not merely the
English prose, but the prose of the language itself) and evolved the faculty of writing
itself, the art of communication to a level where this feat can be achieved. E
771) It
is not the intellect of the physical mind that conceives of the Infinite in Mathematics.
It is done by the touch of the Absolute in the thinking mind. The reader will be able to
follow The Life Divine not from the brilliance of the physical mind but by the infinite
expansiveness of the thinking mind. E
772) The
lazy person, the dynamic man and the Purna yogi undergoing physical transformation are all
godheads but of different levels. The one is a godhead in the descent, the surviving
Inconscient, the other the godhead of the evolving vital. The yogi is the evolving godhead
in the ascent at its acme. E
773) Loyalty
is arrived at through torture by betrayal (wife of Badhragiri). Akalya was a stone for
ages before her dissipation became chastity. Draupadi came to head the list of chaste
women after 1000 years of indulgence, and was cursed to be the wife of five emanations of
Shiva. T
774) Body
is transformed through illness and torture. &
775) Torture
is the human version of unflinching ecstasy or intolerable ecstasy. &
776) Civilisations
were born through war, ravage, arson, looting, etc. &
777) Conditions
of near madness, sometimes full madness, precede mental clarity. E
778) Madness,
confusion, betrayal, torture, insensible cruelty, illness are the necessary media through
which mind, vital and body are transformed. E
779) The
Avatar arrives in the midst of circumstances wherein He will be betrayed and tortured. He
tries to organise these forces as a nucleus for the future. E
780) Even
He refrains from giving a rational explanation of some of His acts, though He could
rationally explain mysticism. E
781) Total
confusion, utter bewilderment for the mind, betrayal, tortured emotions for the vital and
illness and insensate cruelty for the body are necessary stages for transformation. E
782) There
are several lines of Inquiry we can hold before us with advantage in reading The Life
Divine. E
The earliest of seekings remains to be the last.
783) An
organisation of several principles operating through one is the medium to let the other
principles evolve. &
784) Moving
from thought to consciousness, unsolved problems of thought are solved. E
785) Mind
always requires to return with greater force to abandoned projects of enquiry. &
786) Moving
to the depths from the surface is the occult secret HE was looking for. &
787) Reason
turns to intuition when it disengages from the senses. &
788) It
is the destiny of Man to bridge the gulf between Inconscience and Superconscience. &
789) Satchidananda
tries to express the objectless Ananda in the objects. &
790) The
part is greater than the whole. Complete minus complete is complete even in the physical
plane. &
791) Ignorance
is a greater power than knowledge. &
792) Time
eternity creates all that the Timeless eternity conceives. &
793) Existence
lies in the Non-Existence. &
794) Consciousness
evolves from Inconscience. &
795) The Individual is part of the world-being which is part of the Transcendent being.&
796) Supermind
is the nature of Satchidananda. &
797) The
Absolute and the relative exist in one another. &
798) Any
consciousness growth has to be in the inner being. E
799) Spirit
moves Matter. &
800) Evaluate your own personal life in the light of the above and other similar truisms. E