Supramental body

(Mother, 1954:) “It is entirely certain that under the influence of the supramental light, the transformation of the body consciousness will take place first; then will follow a progress in the mastery and control of all the movements and functions of all the organs of the body; afterwards this mastery will change little by little into a sort of radical modification of the movement and then of the constitution of the organs themselves. All that is certain, although the perception of it is not precise enough. But what will finally take place — when the various organs have been replaced by centres of concentration of different forces, qualities and natures, each of which will act according to its own special mode — all this is still merely a conception and the body does not comprehend it very well, because it is still far from realisation and the body can truly comprehend only that which it is on the point of being able to do.”

(Mother to Mona Sarkar:) “These cells vibrate and radiate with a resplendent consciousness. The ones that are ready, I collect them and keep them aside and I observe the difference between those that are ready and the ones that I have not touched; it is so different, so unreal in comparison, and the others experience this state and the body smiles and has become conscious. The cells begin to realise the Unity, and what is most astonishing is when I see the difference between the cells that are transformed and those that are not. It cannot be compared! In the old cells, that is to say those in which the past still persists, there is only a faint glow, a spark of the Divine, whereas in the cells that are charged with the Supramental Consciousness, there is the perception of the Ananda of the soul, the soul of Matter which is awakening after thousands of years from its torpor of inconscience. It is so living, so real, so concrete in the manifestation of Matter that if one game just a bit of this Ananda to someone to taste, he would forget the whole world in order to pursue this extraordinary phenomenon. Truly, how absurd everything seems, how dull and worthless, how absolutely insignificant before this quest for transformation.
         In this state of receptivity the body makes its perfect surrender and repeats: “Only what Thou willest, Lord, what Thou willest,” – this is its constant prayer. It is His Will that acts, that works, transforms and guides, and the body just surrenders itself. It is so spontaneous, so total and so marvellously equal – like a perfect transmitter. Nothing happens except what He commands! The body thrills with an unknown Joy. There is nothing in it that resists, nothing that distorts, nothing that falsifies. All is pure, pure and limpid, of a purity without stain, a limpidity that seems transparent. When I look at my arm, my body, it is as if translucid. It is so light that it can move wherever I want to go. In this state the body does not get tired even after a day of hard work; and it does not end during the night, when I continue with the transformation of the cells. This demands a patience and an exactitude of precision and a concentration unparalleled in all the endeavours which I have undertaken in the terrestrial existence. The body looks at itself and perceives a vibration of joy: how happy it is with all that is happening! It has a sense of that which is all-powerful, infinite and eternal. Decay and death do not have any meaning for it, for they do not exist in this domain of Ananda. The body is aware of a kind of immortality; it feels that everything that exists is moved by His Will, that in the Divine Consciousness all is eternal and infinite, of a perfect Peace.”

(Mother to sadhaks, 1931:) “The supramental body which has to be brought into being here has four main attributes: lightness, adaptability, plasticity and luminosity. When the physical body is thoroughly divinised, it will feel as if it were always walking on air, there will be no heaviness or tamas or unconsciousness in it. There will also be no end to its power of adaptability: in whatever conditions it is placed it will immediately be equal to the demands made upon it because its full consciousness will drive out all that inertia and incapacity which usually make Matter a drag on the Spirit. Supramental plasticity will enable it to stand the attack of every hostile force which strives to pierce it: it will present no dull resistance to the attack but will be, on the contrary, so pliant as to nullify the force by giving way to it to pass off. Thus it will suffer no harmful consequences and the most deadly attacks will leave it unscathed. Lastly, it will be turned into the stuff of light, each cell will radiate the supramental glory. Not only those who are developed enough to have their subtle sight open but the ordinary man too will be able to perceive this luminosity. It will be an evident fact to each and all, a permanent proof of the transformation which will convince even the most sceptical.”

(Mother to Mona Sarkar:) “You know, if there is something on the window and if I want to take it, I stretch my hand and it becomes, phou!... long, and I have the thing without even having to get up from my chair. You see how easy it becomes, like this – we could do so many things which seem strange. Physically, I can be at the same time here and there. I can be in many places. I can communicate simultaneously with many people. To have something in my hand, I have only to wish and I shall have the thing in my hand. With this transformed body, I shall be free from the fetters of ignorance, and the inconscience. I could do many things at the same time. The body transparent, luminous, light, elastic will not need material things to subsist on. It is an altogether new concept. When I need something, I only have to wish for it and immediately I will have the thing in my hand. If I want to be in some part of the world, in a place like... anywhere... I shall ask them to be taken there and I shall be there immediately.
         The body can even be stretched if one wants it to become big, or made small, in any circumstance. If one wants to pluck something from a tree, one stretches the arm and just the arm, becomes long like a phantom, to pluck it. It is so funny and so interesting; at that moment one would be frightened to see someone with a small body and such a long arm! There will be all kinds of changes and unlimited powers. And it will not be something funny; of course I am giving you somewhat childish examples to tease you and to show the difference.
         It will be a true being, perfect in proportions, very, very strong, light luminous, or else transparent; it will have a supple and malleable body capable of doing everything, a creation of the New Consciousness or else a transformed body which was never conceived. It will have nothing in common with the human being, I mean man with the mind, vital and all that. All that is human, encased, limited, egocentric, small, mean, obscure and ignorant will have no place in this new transformed body. All that surpasses man will be within his reach. He will be guided by the Truth alone and nothing less. It is this and much more than what has ever been conceived.
         You have never thought that all this could be done?”

(Amal Kiran:) “The Mother remarked in 1954 that even as far back as 1938 she used to see the Supermind appearing in Sri Aurobindo's body but what could not be done at that time was to fix it in the physical being. The first fixing took place in circumstances mind-bafflingly dramatic. Twelve more years elapsed, and then Sri Aurobindo gave up his body, went through what appeared to be a disease with a fatal ending but what, in consideration of the extraordinary concomitants of that illness and that death, can only be regarded as a supreme strategic sacrifice. Sri Aurobindo, in view of the lack of preparedness in the world to receive and hold the descending Supermind, gathered as it were the whole force of mortal fate into his semi-divinised body and in the act of giving up this body exhausted that force in essence and principle and drew down to earth and fixed there the supramental Light. He took a drastic short cut towards a goal which otherwise would have taken decades to approach. As soon as he withdrew from his physical envelope the supramental Light made its permanent base in the Mother's body, beginning with the brain-mind. This is what is known as the ‘Mind of Light’.
         From then on a deeper and deeper digging-in by the Light continued.”

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See also

• Yoga of the cells
• Supramental being
• Supramental transformation