Sri Aurobindo's Force

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(Sri Aurobindo:) “What is Sri Aurobindo’s force? It is not a personal property of this body or mind. It is a higher Force used by me or acting through me.”[1]


(Sri Aurobindo:) “Certainly, my force is not limited to the Asram and its conditions. As you know it is being largely used for helping the right development of the war and of change in the human world.” (1944)[2]


(Sri Aurobindo:) “For instance, if I cure someone (without medicines) of a fever and send him fresh and full of strength to his work, all in the course of a single night, still why should any third person believe or accept that it was my force that did it? It may have been Nature or his imagination that made him cure (three cheers for those concrete things, imagination and Nature!) — or the whole thing happened of itself. So, you see the case is hopeless, it can’t be proved at all — at all.”[3]


(Amrita:) “I saw Sri Aurobindo the second time thus (in 1914):
         He was in his room seated in a wooden chair beside a table, writing something in a book, facing west. He moved his book a little, faced south and welcomed us both with a gleam of kindness in his eyes. I looked at him and when after a minute I turned I found Bejoykanta was no longer by my side.
         He and I alone! None else! Solitude! Seated he kept on looking at me and I too drowned myself in his sacred look.
         In those days I could not speak English well. With Bejoykanta I had to talk in English. He struggled to speak Tamil. His knowledge of Tamil was, however, confined to a few words like rice, salt, tamarind, pulse, some names of vegetables. A few verbs in addition such as ‘come’, ‘go’, ‘take’ he had picked up for his purpose. He employed these for all purposes while instructing the cook to make purchases. I saw him manage other needful things by gestures.
         I endeavoured to speak in English with Sri Aurobindo as I used to do with Bejoykanta. At that time even one or two English words that I knew well would get stuck in my throat. With an herculean effort I could just say:
         “I want come daily see you!”
         This I struggled to finish with bated breath. I was able at that time to read and understand short stories written in easy English. But I had no habit of speaking English. I could follow others when they spoke simple sentences in it. …
         He complied with that request of mine for seeing him daily and asked me to come after five in the evening. His compliance filled my heart with joy and I did not know then if I were on earth or in heaven.
         From the very next day, I began going straight from school at 5 p.m. to Sri Aurobindo's house to see him. Before I reached there – a little later than five-fifteen – Sri Aurobindo would come out of his room and sit on the west side of the southern terrace. I used to stand before him and go on talking. I would forget then that I knew little English. Day after day I would tell him fluently and unwaveringly my home-story, etc., trying to make the details as vivid and elaborate as possible. I knew no halt. In his presence my heart would flow out like an undammed flood either out of deep love for him or inspired by his supreme grace. It cast aside all human measures of what ought to be said and what ought not to be said. Today I may venture to call it bhakti. At that time I did not know its name. My heart was full to the brim with the rasa of sweetness.
         Every day I talked with Sri Aurobindo from five-thirty to six-thirty and returned home.
         I played the role of the speaker. I poured out to him everything without exception. He would hardly ever put in more than a word or two. In this way days passed into weeks, weeks into months. The feeling that, because of this intimacy, his unfailing grace would hasten the change that had already been taking place in me cheered me up. Does ego possess any sight? It is indeed blind. I realised afterwards that his grace was equal, impartial, pure, as constant as an eternal truth.
         In a month or two, without my noticing the fact, it became easy for me to speak English. I acquired also a confidence in myself.”[4]


(Sri Aurobindo, 1935:) “Of course, one must use these external means and there one must be careful so as to have as many factors as possible on one’s side and give as little handle as possible to adverse forces. But no outward action can be for us sure of success unless behind it is the growing Yogic vision and Yogic power. We have had ourselves serious difficulties from the outside, petitions made against us to the Minister of Colonies in Paris and a report demanded from the Governor here which if acted on would have put the Asram in serious jeopardy. We used outward means of a very slight and simple character, i.e. getting the Mother’s brother (Governor in French Equatorial Africa) to intervene with the Ministry (and also an eminent writer in France, a disciple), but for the most part I used a strong inner Force to determine the action of the Colonial Office, to get a favourable report from the Governor here, to turn the minds of some who were against us here and to nullify the enmity of others. In all these respects I succeeded and our position here is much stronger than before; especially a new and favourable Governor has come. Nevertheless we have to remain vigilant that the situation may not be again threatened.”[5]


(Sehra, 5 December 1956:) “This is my experience during the meditation. I had no sense of body. There was nothing except infinite space. Then I heard a voice which said: “From now on, I will rule the world.” I asked “Who is that ‘I’?” The answer came: “The Supermind.” Then I laughed and asked: “But who is the Supermind?” At the same time I said “Sri Aurobindo” as if addressing him – and then there was a sort of stroke on my mind and I knew that I had uttered the answer.
         It was all darkness. It was from this darkness that the voice came. When the last answer “Sri Aurobindo” came I was looking into the darkness. Out of it very slowly an egg-shaped fire came. At first it was quite red, then it became a little golden together with red. Then it began to move round and round me. This was the Supermind come forward to rule the world.
         When I asked Mother what was the meaning of “From now on”, she said: “The very moment the meditation started at 10 o'clock in the morning. So far Sri Aurobindo was not doing anything.” Mother herself saw the oval lit-up picture, which was there, of Sri Aurobindo becoming red at first and then golden.”[6]




  1. Letters on Himself and the Ashram, p.485
  2. Ibid., p.496
  3. Ibid., p.483
  4. K. Amrita, A Pilgrimage to Sri Aurobindo, p.36
  5. Letters on Himself and the Ashram, p.31
  6. Amal Kiran, The Sun and the Rainbow, p.192


See also